My van life story started in September 2018. After a long-term relationship that I was trying to rebuild for more than a year, I decided it was time to end this toxic relationship once for all. This is when I decided to move away from this man with whom I was still in love with. I put all my belongings inside my SUV (GMC Jimmy) and moved six hours from where I was living. I didn’t know where I will sleep, didn’t know where I will work but I knew I needed to make this drastic move.
At that time, I told myself I will only sleep in my car for a month while looking for a place to rent. What I didn’t know is that one month became another month and then several months. In the end, I ended up sleeping in my car for the whole year. Even if people will consider this the downfall of my life, this experience was the best thing of my life. I took that year to focus on myself, to decide what I wanted, and most importantly, to decide what I didn’t want. That year also made me realize that for so long; I was chasing the wrong dreams. I was chasing what society wanted me to be: to have a big house, a steady job, get married, have kids… None of those dreams were making me happy.
In September 2019, while I was actively looking for a van, I received a phone call that someone had found my cat (Kelly). After, trying for hours to communicate with my ex-boyfriend (who was taking care of her), I decided to drive the six hours to go pick her up. Without going into too much detail, it turned out he wasn’t able to take care of her anymore. So I brought her in a cat kennel for a couple of days until I found a van we both could live in. I put all the saving that I had accumulated while living in my car and bought my van (a 2011 Ford Econoline that I end up adding a hightop).
In the beginning, it wasn’t so glamourous. My cat and I were sleeping on a mattress on the floor of the van. We both had to adjust. Now, my cat loves this lifestyle as much as I do; she looks out of the window while I’m driving and she loves exploring new places.
Since then, my cat Kelly and I are have been living full-time in my self convert self-converted van.
THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ME…
- Born and raised in a small town close to Quebec City, Canada. That’s where my lovely French accent comes from.
- I moved at 23 years old to British Columbia, Canada, alone, with just my backpack.
- I owned a dog walking, dog training business for more than 6 years.
My van life story started in September 2018. After a long-term relationship that I was trying to rebuild for more than a year, I decided it was time to end this toxic relationship once for all. This is when I decided to move away from this man with whom I was still in love with. I put all my belongings inside my SUV (GMC Jimmy) and moved six hours from where I was living. I didn’t know where I will sleep, didn’t know where I will work but I knew I needed to make this drastic move.
At that time, I told myself I will only sleep in my car for a month while looking for a place to rent. What I didn’t know is that one month became another month and then several months. In the end, I ended up sleeping in my car for the whole year. Even if people will consider this the downfall of my life, this experience was the best thing of my life. I took that year to focus on myself, to decide what I wanted, and most importantly, to decide what I didn’t want. That year also made me realize that for so long; I was chasing the wrong dreams. I was chasing what society wanted me to be: to have a big house, a steady job, get married, have kids… None of those dreams were making me happy.
In September 2019, while I was actively looking for a van, I received a phone call that someone had found my cat (Kelly). After, trying for hours to communicate with my ex-boyfriend (who was taking care of her), I decided to drive the six hours to go pick her up. Without going into too much detail, it turned out he wasn’t able to take care of her anymore. So I brought her in a cat kennel for a couple of days until I found a van we both could live in. I put all the saving that I had accumulated while living in my car and bought my van (a 2011 Ford Econoline that I end up adding a hightop).
In the beginning, it wasn’t so glamourous. My cat and I were sleeping on a mattress on the floor of the van. We both had to adjust. Now, my cat loves this lifestyle as much as I do; she looks out of the window while I’m driving and she loves exploring new places.
Since then, my cat Kelly and I are have been living full-time in my self convert self-converted van.
THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ME…
- Born and raised in a small town close to Quebec City, Canada. That’s where my lovely French accent comes from.
- I moved at 23 years old to British Columbia, Canada, alone, with just my backpack.
- I owned a dog walking, dog training business for more than 6 years.