Van life
Manifesting Van Life
Instead of movies and addictive series, Omar and I have been watching Van life Youtube videos a lot on our evenings to wind down. It’s been a fantasy in the back of our minds since forever. And now living this adventure, in our early 30s thinking that if we don’t do this now we’ll probably never do it.
We may add van life into the equation…
So we spend most of our sunset sessions fantasising about Van life, how it can best fit our lifestyle and how many things are we ready to compromise for a nomadic life. Because above the stylish hippie Instagram shots, van life is not easy and we need to be completely honest and realistic about the level of comfort that we need in order to be happy.
Alternative way to travel
However, I don’t picture van life as a full time living situation, but more as an alternative way to travel. It made all its sense to me during our Spain roadtrip (click here). I think that I would’ve enjoyed the trip much more if I had a traveling home. In this case, I won’t have to think everyday of last-minute sleeping arrangements or eat unhealthy food all the time. In my early 30’s, I am more attached to my little routines, and I love having a cozy nest of my own even if it’s tiny. That’s why we moved to Bouznika this year, while the plan was just to stay at our familiy’s before starting to travel.
Full-time van life can be a good idea though if we want to spend more time in expensive places like L.A, where living outdoors is very easy and van life is a culture. It’s quite an investment, so we’ll have to figure out if it’s worth it financially or if it’s just a fantasy. In the second case, we can still rent a van in Spain or Portugal and live this dream for a while. I think it’s a good idea anywayto give it a try out of a rental, where no long term commitment is made, before engaging in any nomadic life. Just like Jaqueline & Klemens adventure in Portugal, this is one of my favourite articles of Mikutas, they are the definition of visual story tellers, their photography stories are the most dreamy. Articles here & here.
@desfenetressurlemonde How amazing would it be to wake up to this?
Des fenêtres sur le monde
All this to say, that we’ve been thinking and talking so much about van life, that we found a beautiful Westfalia van parked in Rio Lagartos with a beautiful French couple. What are the odds of meeting a van couple in a small village in Yucatan? They were kind enough to answer our thousand questions and they even gave us a van tour.
Is this a sign?
Joana & Eric also have a blog: Des fenêtres sur le monde. The articles are in French, but you can use a translator plug-in if you need to. They have been living in their van for 3 years now. Their checked-in places map is just crazy. It was amazing to have the perspective of a real couple, to hear their stories and anecdotes about van life, especially in Mexico. We wish them all the best for the rest of their adventures.
Check their Instagram for a dose of wanderlust: @desfenetressurlemonde
Adding to that, the owner of the Hacienda that we stayed in Izamal is a seasoned vanlifer as well. He traveled for over 20 years nomadically in his vehicle and we spent lovely evenings listening to his stories and tips.
Mexico is definitely a favourite van life destination right now, especially for those escaping Canada’s cold!
Thank you for reading this article, leave a comment if you have any thought or suggestion.
xo xo Dalal
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