#vanlife
We didn’t choose breakdowns. We didn’t choose to have no money. We didn’t choose challenges, but we chose a life on the road, and all the things that come with it.
Maybe it would be nice to have a van that works all the time, to be able to go on a roadtrip that goes smoothly for once, to not be impeded by faulty parts or terrible weather or border controls, police and snow. But honestly, it’s the bumps in the road that make life exciting.
We might have an old rusty crappy van, but the lessons it has taught us are invaluable. How could we ever have learned how to change an EGR valve, or replace a wiper motor, or bodge and improvise our way through so many problems had we not got an old van? And how could we have learned to drive on snow, or power our way through mud, or navigate language barriers with garages and police had our journey been free of kinks in the road? How could we have learned to get by, make do with less and improvise had we enough money to throw at our problems and make them go away?
We didn’t ask for these problems, we didn’t bring them on ourselves, and truthfully we don’t always accept a challenge with grace, but it’s the feeling once you’ve come out the other side, knowing you’re a little bit stronger and that little bit wiser, that makes us appreciate the beauty of those bumps in the road.
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This crisp Autumn air and crunchy leaves underfoot are making us nostalgic for a time last year we spent in perpetual Autumn, driving always further East chasing the turning of the seasons. The golden hues and early promise of thin winter sunlight seemed ever-lasting, each country we entered bringing the season back afresh.
In our minds we will only ever picture the Czech Republic as a vibrant carpet of ochre and crimson and gold, each of its National Parks a work of ephemeral Autumnal art. The tall sandstone towers of Hruba Skala, the fairytale castles perched atop, the vast forestscapes of Bohemian Paradise and that glowing harvest moon. Chilly autumn nights, warm end-of-summer days. Roasting pumpkin on the fire and picking chestnuts off the ground.
Camped up for the night in this vast amber forest, finding ourselves completely alone at the end of a sticky mud track, the first stars of dusk in the sky and a carpet of leaves on the ground, the only sounds we heard were the crackling of our fire and the distant noises of animals. We dismissed the busy tourist routes nearby, the crowded walk to a pretty yet overdone shrine, and made our own path wandering amongst unkempt fallen trees and scrambling up loose rocky cliffs to pass a day.
The moments we remember so vividly on our trip are the ones where we felt so completely and utterly alone, where not a single soul would be there to intrude and we felt safe and cradled in the arms of nature. These moments come right alongside the memories of dear friends revisited, kindnesses returned, and new friends made along the way. People that we invited into our home as strangers back in Cornwall now welcoming us with open arms into their own as friends. These are some of our fondest memories of Autumn, and these are the ones best shared.
Follow the hashtag #Fromrusttoroadtrip to follow our van conversion project and our travels around Europe!
Current mood
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Since moving into our van, everything has changed.
I don’t just mean we live more minimally, that we own less stuff and shower outdoors. I mean that since we moved into a van, our lives have been a series of life-changing events and moments that would shape us into who we are and where we are today. Our direction in this world is constantly changing, not marked on any signpost or scribbled on any map. And in this world, where we’ve come from is just as important as where we’re going.
In life you choose which road you’re on; you can take the smooth roads, the long roads, the never-ending highways, but they’re a bit, well, boring. Or you can take the bumpy roads, the dirt tracks, the ones that shake your van apart and rattle your bones so fiercely you don’t know if you’ll make it to the end. These are the challenging ones, those that some of us choose and some of us end up on incidentally, but either way the outcome is the same; it’s how you take the challenges, how you handle the bumps, that defines you. There are no wrong turns, no misdirections. Maps are arbitrary when fate is there to guide you.
It would be impossible to pick a single moment when our lives changed for good, when every adventure is another thread in the tapestry. Gradually our lives without motion became unsatisfying; our souls began to crave the stimulation of adventure, of constant movement, of a life on the road. The difficulties, the impossibilities, roads too steep to climb and nights too cold to bear. These are the the very quintessence of life, whether we take these challenges as a gift or a curse, and they are the rubber on our wheels and the fuel in our tank as we roll…
Follow the hashtag #Fromrusttoroadtrip to follow our van conversion project and our travels around Europe!
Follow these guys for more travel inspiration
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We never really had a “vision” for our van, no theme, concept or aesthetic. Our van is just reflective of us, of who we are, an amalgamation of the different cultures we’ve experienced and the countries we hope to one day explore. We have blankets from Mexico, tapestries from India, curtains from Thailand, herbs and spices from Spain, from Greece, from Albania. We have Cornish slate on our walls and Guatemalan coffee sacks on our seat. This fusion of cultures so visible in our decor yet invisible inside ourselves, each country weaving itself into our home and our souls simultaneously.
Our van is also never really “finished”, it’s an ongoing project, constantly improving and evolving just as we are as people. Its face is ageing and taking on its own patina over time just like the wooden cladding on our walls. The sunlight from a thousand views has shone through our windows, and the flakes of a dozen snowfalls has fallen on our roof.
We only hope our new project van, who has already lived a far longer and fuller life than our own, will become as loved and well-travelled as a campervan one day soon.
Follow the hashtag #Fromrusttoroadtrip to follow our van conversion project and our travels around Europe!
Follow these guys for more travel inspiration
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A little clip about living in our van in Montana and Idaho in winter.
We fitted out our van and drove it into Canada in the middle of winter.
1965 Cadillac Coupe Deville + Pop-up Camper
The camper was designed in the early 60’s and was a Golden Hammer winner featured in the January 1965 issue of Mechanix Illustrated. Purchased from the original owner and builder. The builder was an interior designer for the aircraft industry for many years, which influenced the well thought out design of this camper.
The camper is complete with a full-size bed, gas stove, sink, built-in fridge, fishing pole holders and a porta-pot. The camper uses a built-in air lift system to raise the top an additional 24". The car is equipped with air shocks/bags to handle the extra weight of the camper. The engine is a 429cid that runs excellent.
up for auction soon via Barrett-Jackson
The Bean, cliche van pictures. @amoebamonster this post for you! #ToyotaPrevia #Campervan #van #vanlife #vandweller #adventure #travel
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Incredible how the landscape changes with the rains. The desert is full of life here, plants spring up almost over night. Praise the Creator! #SantaRitaMountains #Arizona #vanlife
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