My Story

Ever had that feeling that there must be more to life? A life where you feel fulfilled and happy. Well that was me back in 2018 at the age of fifty-three!

Despite having been more or less contently married for 17 years, with 2.5 children, the 0.5 being a chocolate labrador, Rosie, a beautiful home in the Sussex countryside and a good job I was always seeking new experiences that could maybe satisfy that need of fulfilment.

In my twenties I had always admired the VW campervans I saw on the road and often thought how nice it would be to have the freedom of the open road. I started to wonder how I could free myself from the shackles of my conditioned life. And that was it! Just one moment that the ‘crazy’ idea of van life 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 seventeen and Zach thirteen then. By then I was seperated from my husband and the children spent every other week with me, along with Rosie dog.

I quickly did some research into campervans and 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 do vanlife for one 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?

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.

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 twenty-four and my son twenty, both now driving so have new found freedom of four wheels. She is now a doctor and my son joined the police force. I couldn’t be prouder of them both.

I have now made my home in a one hundered year old stone house in the beautiful region of Monsanto in Central Portugal and have renovation and land transformation projects underway. 

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 began my YouTube channel 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.