Who is that girl?
Who is that girl?
How #vanlife is changing me...
Hello, I’m Molly, a fulltime creator based in the Scottish Highlands. Subscribers can enjoy weekly posts around the themes of slow living, thriving in a creative career, books & nature. Members get access to ALL my content, including video tea times, slow scrolls of all my favourites and seasonal book reviews.
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Its 6am and I’m reversing my new converted camper up our driveway. Up our very narrow driveway.
Why am I doing this at 6am? So there is no one there to watch my botched attempt(s) at this manoeuvre. Obviously.
Between the parking sensor going berserk and my muttered swearing, it wasn’t the calmest start to the day. But I did it.
This was one of the many moments that made me realise that this humble van may just change everything.
Between 2017 and 2020 there was a 312% increase in #vanlife Instagram posts.
Its a lifestyle that has captured the imagination of millions. And its no wonder, as this concept allows you to live simply and have adventures at lower costs, with nature on your doorstep.
I became enraptured with this concept when I first stumbled across van creators on YouTube. It took 6 years, but this summer I was finally in the financial position that I could buy and convert my own wee camper. And Pippa (Pips for short) became the new member of our Tiny family.
(You can watch my full van tour video HERE)
As much as I was fizzing with excitement to start my van adventures, I’ll have to admit, I was a little scared.
As the finish line approached, and Pips started to take shape, my nerves increased. Although I’m used to exploring nature on my solo hikes, this felt like a step up that I started to worry I wasn’t prepared for.
I’m no stranger to putting myself into uncomfortable positions. In my early adulthood, I regularly travelled to far flung places in order to gain experience for my chosen career path as a wildlife conservationist.
I’ve lived on a 16 acre island, surrounded by seabirds, with no running water or amenities of any kind. I’ve slept amongst moss and heather on forest floors. I’ve navigated through remote woodlands in semi-darkness. I’ve been eaten alive by countless biting insects and attacked by more than one feathered creature.
My early 20’s were essentially nomadic as I moved from one wild placement to another. And I took it all in my stride.
I was fearless.
Now I’m in my 30’s, I’ve noticed the complacency start to creep in.
I’ve built a comfortable life. I own my home and have a very capable partner who I can rely upon. I don’t have to face life alone anymore.
Although I still consider myself as fiercely independent, somewhere along the line, I’d stopped doing things that scared me.
That was until my first van trip. When everything changed.
In an attempt to combat my anxieties, I’d undergone extensive research before my first couple of nights away. Choosing to wild camp, I studied Google maps for possible parking spots. I saved screenshots of hiking instructions for when I inevitably lost signal. And of course, I pinpointed all possible toilet options.
And this preparation was useful. Until it wasn’t.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt from van life is that you can’t plan everything.
In my trips away, I’ve already faced unexpected road closures, abandoned parking spots due to gale force winds and suffered cleg bites that made my legs swell to twice their size. I’ve forgotten sunglasses, run out of gas and scalded my hand when draining pasta in the tiny sink.
I come back from these trips battered and bruised. But triumphant.
You see, I’d forgotten.
I’d forgotten how good it feels to push myself. To problem solve. To thrive in the face of adversary. To grow.
I’ve proven time and time again that I am more than capable of calmly facing any obstacle. And more than that, I enjoy it.
I knew I’d love van life. The slow pace, the simplicity and the hours spent in nature were always going to be things I’d enjoy.
But its being scared and doing it anyway that’s had the most impact. Its traversed all areas of my life. I feel more confident and capable. More myself again. And this is only the start.
We can do hard things and face our fears. And we should. One narrow driveway at a time.
If I can, then so can you. And this is something I truly believe.
You are stronger than you know.
Until next week,
Molly xx
P.S., you can subscribe to my YouTube if you want to keep up with my van adventures. There are many to come!
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I absolutely love this, Molly, and you've hit the nail on the head as to why I must do this too! Because I'm a boring old so and so, at 67, people don't understand why I must do it, suggesting I could stay in a log cabin or something instead. But it's the challenge, the relying on my own resourcefulness, the proving to myself that I can, that really appeals to me. I'm actually still a new driver, so maybe that's enough 'facing my fear' for now, but I definitely want to have my van in time for my next decade of adventures! Thank you for being the inspiration that you are.
This post has come right in time. I have been thinking of registering for a silent retreat, and solo. I want to and don't want to. Let's see! Thank you for the encouragement. Have a good week ahead!