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Taking ‘Lotje’ for a spin!

The start of vanlife with my campervan Lotje.

The first trip is a fact.

This weekend I had the first trip with and in my camper; Lotje. Together with a great friend of mine, we had no plans, just the camper, time and our stuff. After having been busy these past few weeks with preparations, the time had come to take her for a spin. Also as a sort of ‘trail-run’ to see whether, so far, everything was working properly and to figure out what might be missing.

The past weeks have been a bit crazy. Time is going by fast and even though a lot is done and being arranged, I still feel kind off stressed out. I guess it’ll probably stay that way for a while longer… However, I do have to say that I’m pretty proud of the bed/couch that I’ve made. Which, turns out, sleeps really well, also thanks to great new mattresses. She is now also equipped with a very functional solar panel, thanks to a dear friend, who has been and still is an awesome help. All the wiring is now in the right place and traceable, which makes life easier. Got a new battery and some tires and other little things that will make living a bit comfier. There are several other things going on, but that’s for another time, back to the trip!

 

Like I said, no plans, just some ideas.

Fortunately, the weather was absolutely awesome (very sunny), but unfortunately nice weather usually means no waves and no surf. Luckily there is more in life, so we just drove north and ended up around the IJsselmeer. We stayed there for the night at a parking lot surrounded by nature and 1 other camper, which was great cause this tends to be a crazy busy camping weekend.

The next day we continued our roadtrip and headed for the sea. We found another parking lot, where we stayed. Right next to the dunes, absolutely beautiful. We had some nice walks, great laughs, bit of morning-yoga, good talks, fun games, pancakes for dinner and breakfast (how versatile are they!) icecream.. twice :-), sand everywhere, beautiful sunsets and an overall awesome time! It felt like a week, but were just about 2 days. If you slow down, there really isn’t that much time in a day to do stuff, but much more time to enjoy what you’re actually doing 🙂

A short break from the busy times,

 where I could really feel my body relax and my mind quiet down a bit. Experience living in a van, which was great and again, confronting. For now, I had company and wasn’t alone. Meaning I didn’t have to make all the decisions by myself. In this case (although it probably does really depend on whom you’re with) I really liked that. I have been doing quite a lot things by myself the past years, which has not always been easy. The realisation that I will be alone (still or again… whichever way you want to put it) in a while, for a while, leaving all that I have built these past years behind feels confronting and in a way totally stupid. Because my life at the moment has some lovely people in it and is pretty comfortable. And I’ve put a lot of energy into rebuilding my life into how it is now.

However, adventure awaits!

I know that the people I care about, and who care about me will not just disappear from my life and not leaving also doesn’t feel like an option. All the energy I’ve put into the rebuild of my life and myself will continue to support my growth. So, I guess this is life in its full form. The choices I make, their consequences, taking responsibility for it, noticing how I feel about it all and allowing that to be. Freedom… The insights of my first trip… You can follow my story on Facebook and Instagram!