I’ve always wanted to live on the road. Traveling to a new place every day, never having to worry about “heading back home”, living by the motto “home is where you park it”; I loved it all. The summer after I graduated college, I worked two jobs and 70+ hours a week. I drove a minivan for most of the summer, so my first instinct was to put a bed in it. It wasn’t really a bed, just a mattress pad and a bunch of blankets, but hey, it worked. I wanted to make it as “homey” as possible, so I added a little table, a portable fan, a hanging light, and of course, I always had a bag packed with extra clothes and a toothbrush. I never actually spent the night in the van, although I did lay in it between jobs in the parking garage. I was obsessed with that van; but I was upset that I couldn’t add more. I wanted a real bed, and a mini kitchen, and plenty of storage, and of course, curtains, so no one could see me sleeping. However, the van wasn’t big enough for all of that (plus, it wasn’t actually my van) so my dream of living in it never worked.
Recently, I had a week and a half off from au pairing in Perth, Western Australia. So what did I do? I rented a van, with a bed, and a mini kitchen, and plenty of storage, (I had to improvise with the curtains but I made it work.) I spent hours preparing for this trip. I went out shopping and bought everything I could have possibly needed while on the road (even a 20 liter portable shower). I may have overpacked that van, but I wanted to be prepared for whatever came my way that next week. I pre-made a bunch of food, packed up the van, and headed down south on a 5 hour drive to Albany, WA.
I spent the next few days traveling around South Western (and a little part of North Western) Australia. Here’s a basic outline of my trip:
Albany → Denmark → Walpole → Yeagarup → Hamelin Bay → Margaret River → Busselton → Bunbury → Jurien Bay
I stood over the ocean crashing against rocks, climbed and walked along treetops, wandered through a cave, drove winding roads through vineyards, visited an underwater observatory, stumbled upon a forest of garden Gnomes, and strolled through a desert of mysterious rocks. Overnight, I stayed at campgrounds in the van, my dream had finally come true; until I had to give the van back. A week seemed too short with that van, but it did help me realize that I could potentially have my own some day. The day I returned that van, I started planning a layout for my own van. My dream of living in a van is still just a dream, but one day, I know I’ll fulfill it.