The Ups and Downs of Van Life with author Rebecca Raisin

29th October 2021

Author Rebecca Raisin talks to us about the ups and downs of Van Life, as her character, Flora, heads to Lapland for a bit of festive fun in Flora’s Travelling Christmas Shop

I first came across the Van Life phenomenon about five years ago as I scrolled through Instagram and stumbled on a photograph of a stunning lake vista seen through the open door of a small campervan. Interest piqued, I had to know more about #VanLife movement, feeling wildly envious of the adventures these millennials were undertaking, beautifully documented across their social media pages.

How were they so free to uproot their lives and live on the road, travelling from one picturesque place to the next? Their carefully curated Instagram pages were works of art featuring nature in all its glory from vivid beach sunsets to fog dancing across still lakes, the pictures usually taken from inside the van, a bare foot or a hiking boot protruding so you could imagine they were one instant chai latte away from plunging themselves into the water, or tackling a forest hike.

Photo: Insta account – fsixty_captures

Breakfasts made from portable tiny van kitchens looked cute and cosy, a novelty, especially when they’re showing a stunning backdrop of a mountainous range, or the lapping of waves to accompany their smoothie bowls.

As with all social media I presumed the reality might not be so rosy behind the lens. As my Van Life story idea percolated, I wanted to learn more about the tough days as a nomad. I wanted the truth, not only the carefully filtered winning smiles of a photogenic Van Lifer. I searched myriad hashtags on Instagram associated with Van Life, looking for more candid pages, those who shared pictures of their van stuck in the mud. Or shivering inside their vans, wrapped like burritos in sleeping bags as surprise weather moved in and caught them off guard. When I found those authentic types of Instagram pages, I’d click through to their blogs and watch their YouTube diaries to get a sense of what this Van Life reality was really like, behind the scenes.

Photo: insta account – linda.ontheroad

Some days were tough, waking up in cold temperatures and not being able to throw themselves in a hot shower to warm up. Or cook in a proper kitchen. Then there were the many stories of mechanical trouble. Most Van Lifers are on a frugal budget, so mechanical trouble in some cases might be the death knell for their trip. I liked reading and listening to these brutally honest accounts as it painted a real picture of why these nomads chose such a life and what they got out of it.

Most of them tried to earn money on the road somehow. They had pop-up shops, made jewellery, or sold secondhand books through their Van Life website. Or they were digital nomads with jobs they could sustain as long as there was internet seeking work designing websites, copy writing, or teaching languages.

This lifestyle seemed too good to be true, even with the unexpected forks in the road. These Van Lifers got to eke out those beautiful places off the beaten track, wake when they wanted, work when it suited, and meet folks along the way who shared the same ideals as them. What was not to love? I was so taken with the idea of living life on their own terms with no mortgages, no boss, no pressure, no 9-5. Subscribing to a more minimalist existence, because really how much do we need? I liked the idea of taking a character who had to pare her life down to only the essentials that she could fit in her van. What would she keep? Would she feel freer without the burden of so much stuff?

Photo: Instagram account – nomadtravelstyle

The challenges they faced seemed to be the making of many of these real-life Van Lifers. Money worries were always there like a shadow, but they came up with plans to combat that, like make more YouTube vids and try and get some sponsored content, after all most of these savvy digital nomads had huge social media followings, making me think that maybe we all dream of a life less ordinary.

When I wrote Flora’s Travelling Christmas Shop, I wanted to show her as a real-life nomad who has peeled back the curtain of Van Life, so readers will get to see the reality of life on the road in a foreign country. I send Flora on the adventure of a lifetime, and show the highs and the lows of what living in a van entails. There’s mechanical trouble, there’s issues with other Van Lifers, and there’s navigating a new culture and language. But most of all, it’s a story about following your heart and jumping out of your comfort zone, as I think all Van Lifers have had to do. They’ve had to make sacrifices along the way, leave their families, their secure jobs, risk it all to live a life of total freedom and like any big life change some days will be blissful and other days not so sunny, but that’s the beauty of being a nomad and going where the wind blows you.

Rebecca Raisin

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