‘Van life felt like a way to pay off my debt’

LAUREN 30, copywriter, wherever her van takes her

They were right there. Jumping through the waves directly in front of us. I was watching, cup of tea in hand, a shoal of dolphins flinging themselves gleefully out of the Scottish sea. We’d parked our van on the edge of the beach for a few nights – it’s our home now. There’s little space but this new life of ours makes me happy in a way I could never have imagined nearly two years ago.

I was working in marketing for an estate agent in a world I found toxic and competitive. At one interview, I walked in with this big afro and one of them just looked at me as if to say, ‘Why are you here?’ That was the vibe. I was going into the office every day and counting down the clock.

I’ve been in debt most of my adult life. At first, it was because of my own stupid impulses. I have ADHD and, if I’m feeling down, my impulse spending is more likely to come out. My job was making it worse. Once, I was having an awful day at work and, in the evening, I bought a £450 TV on my credit card. We didn’t need a new TV. Even when my mindset with money improved, I was in a hole that I couldn’t get out of. Then Covid hit and we all got pay cuts, so I took out more credit cards. It became a vicious cycle.

Moving into our van (we previously used it for weekend trips) full-time felt like a way to pay off my debt, so I convinced my partner and we handed in our notice on our house and started selling all our things. I needed my laptop for work and the iPad we use as a TV. Pretty much everything else went.

The day that we moved into the van, I was offered my current role, as a copywriter for Quirky Campers. Everyone works remotely, so I’m not the odd one out. As we travel around the UK, moving on every few days, it can be hard to find a routine. I’ve got to think of practical things such as internet signal and where I’ll be for meetings. My partner works as a freelancer on festival builds. If we’re both working from the van, we alternate between the table and the bed, depending on how we’re feeling. I have an outside table and, if it’s sunny, I work outside.

There are, of course, tricky days. We have a compost loo that needs emptying, which is... not fun. And if the van breaks down, it’s a challenge financially, but you have to fix it, you don’t have any choice. Thankfully, other parts of van life are cheaper, so I have paid off a lot of my debt. And my entire perspective on life has changed. I used to be the most materialistic person. At first, I was nervous about getting rid of all our stuff, but once I started doing it, it felt addictive. We may have a smaller space, but I no longer feel trapped.