Ever had that feeling that there must be more to life? A life where you feel fulfilled and happy. Well that was me.
Despite having been more or less contently married for 17 years, with 2.5 children, the 0.5 being a chocolate labrador, Rosie, a nice home in the Sussex countryside and a good job I was always seeking new experiences that could maybe satisfy that need of fulfilment.
I’ve definitely had a full and interesting life and have had many hobbies along the way – amateur dramatics, singing, cycling, ice skating, inline skating, lindy hop, guitar, piano, hiking and the list goes on. And I’ve had my fair share of top ten unforgettable moments. In 2016 I took singing lessons for three months and then took to the stage with Brit award winning classical crossover group ‘Blake’. I felt like a star for a night. A year later I was fortunate enough to sing with them again. One of those moments I will never forget. But then it was back to the day job of being a wife, mother and IT consultant.
In January 2017 I went to an orphanage and free school ‘Hope House Haiti’ and directed fifty children, none of whom spoke English, in the musical show of ‘Ruth’ in just ten days. It was an incredible experience and so rewarding and I felt like I had made a small difference to those children, seeing their confidence in themselves grow day by day.
I came home and went back to work…
Whilst I was in Haiti I had a spiritual experience, a sign if you like, that I should be ‘free to fly’ – not a caged bird. So not long after I returned from Haiti I made the huge decision to split from my husband. Ten months later I moved into a lovely new home at the foot of the South Downs in Sussex. I amazed myself at how I had managed to amicably agree a settlement with my husband, clear off my debts and secure a mortgage. I was fortunate in that my job allowed me to work from home a couple of days a week and every other week I was free to live exactly how I wanted, when the children were with their dad. Perfect – or so it seemed.
Six months after moving into my new home a friend of mine told me how they had always wanted to travel in a van. I had always admired the VW campervans I saw on the road and often thought how nice it would be to have the freedom to drive anywhere whenever you wanted.
And that was it. The moment the ‘crazy’ idea popped into my head. Why couldn’t I do that? I thought I was crazy to even think that could be possible. What about my children? Gina was 17 and Zach 13 then.
I did some research into campervans and the following weekend I found myself at ‘Sussex Campervans’ checking out their converted used and new vans. I knew as soon as I saw them I was going to buy one. I went away to check out my finance options (it was a lot of money) but this would be my home and a tangible asset. I worked out I could manage it for a year if I saved as much as I could over the next six months. So the following week I put down the £1000 non-returnable deposit.
Now all I had to do was wait, as it turned out, eight months to get the van. I have to tell you that it was the longest eight months, I felt like I was treading water, although I like to think that I made the most of that time appreciating and enjoying the company of my family, friends and work colleagues, all of whom I would be leaving. And of course planning my first road trip. I watched countless YouTube videos of people living/travelling in their vans. Strangely I had never thought that this was a dream of mine, but it turns out it really was.
I was surprised how everyone was so supportive and happy for this life choice. Even my ex-husband, eventually. My children still haven’t told me what they really feel about it but I think they accept it’s just their ‘crazy’ mum needing to follow her dreams.
At the end of March 2019 I left my job, had one month to pack up the house, which was rented out from the May for a year and left for the Scottish Highlands. A place I’d always wanted to go but never quite made it! How many of us have that story?
You can see how I got on from my blogs
YouTube channel: mindfulvanlife https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2tFGyTYmbL9-s5kjMvMcqg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulvanlife
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/mindfulvanlife
My next bigger adventure was to drive through Europe via France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany & Denmark to Norway. I’d always wanted to see the Northern Lights. I think this is on many peoples bucket list. I spent two months exploring from Kristiansand in the south all the way up the west coast, into the Arctic circle and beyond to the magical Lofoten Islands & Senya. By the end of September the snow had started to full and it chased my tail all the way down through Northern Sweden.
I was now on my way south through Sweden and Denmark to enjoy the warmth of Southern Spain and Portugal’s winter sun. Although there had been quite a few warm sunny days in Norway as soon as September arrived it got cold pretty quickly and I even had to dig myself out of snow!
Christmas 2019 I headed back to the U.K. to briefly see my children before boarding a flight to Bali for two months. That’s a whole other story, which you can read about in book ‘Let Go Fly Free’ https://mindfulvanlife.com/my-book-let-go-fly-free/
I returned to the U.K. at the end of February 2020 only to get stuck in the U.K. lockdown due to Covid 19. However, on June 30th I managed to escape the U.K. and sailed on the first ferry, when the borders opened, from Portsmouth to Santander in Northern Spain. After heading down through the Picos de Europa and mountains of Northern Portugal, through Central Portugal I ended up on the Setubul Peninsular, in the beautiful Arrábida Natural Park. I stayed in a rented apartment through Portugal’s lockdown but at the end of May 2021 I returned to van life, for the summer at least.
It was a roller coaster of emotions as you can imagine. Travelling solo took some getting used to and I’ve had to face many fears head on, like my fear of heights, so driving over high bridges and around steep mountain edges was challenging. The hardest thing is not being right there in my children’s lives, letting go of them, but Whatsapp has been great for staying connected and I visit them as often as possible. They have actually become so much more independent since I left. My daughter Georgina is now 22 and my son 19, both now driving so have new found freedom of four wheels. She is studying medicine at Birmingham University and my son is pusuing a career in the police. I couldn’t be prouder of them both.
Everyday is an adventure for me, life is no longer monotonous. I wake up in the morning feeling excited about what the new day will bring and I truly feel like I’m living a happy and fulfilled life. I have always loved nature and living in it has been so inspiring and has easily enabled me to live a very healthy life, breathing in clean fresh air and bathing in mineral rich waters. I’ve never been more healthy and alive!
I began my blog and other social media channels to record and share my journey with family and friends. Everyone kept saying how ‘brave’ I was. I was excited and a little scared I have to admit. It was then that I realised how amazing would it be, if by sharing my story and new life, it could help and inspire others to let go of being ‘safe’ or stuck and start living their own dreams, whatever they may be.
I have since sold my van, as I was no longer allowed to keep a U.K. vehicle in Portugal and have bought an old stone house in Monsanto, Central Portugal which I have had completely renovated. Please do check out my YouTube Channel for Sunday videos all about how I am living my dream life now. https://www.youtube.com/@dreamlifeportugal
And now my book ‘Let Go Fly Free’ is written and is available globally to buy on Amazon as a paperback and ebook. However, since I wrote this book a lot has changed for me.
Amazon.co.uk https://amzn.to/46JocMY
Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3LTBhey
