A 27-year-old woman has revealed her unusual lifestyle living in a van instead of staying at home and working a typical 9-to-5 job, choosing what’s known as ‘van life’.
Nicole Keefe, who previously struggled to even get by monthly on her limited salary as a fashion photographer, now insists she can’t ever imagine returning back to her former structured life.
In 2023, after her car was written off, she purchased a £8,500 converted Ford Transit Van and decided to embrace an entirely new normal, abandoning her ‘unfulfilled’ and ‘miserable’ career for a life of travel with her dog, McCartney, a nod to renowned photographer Linda McCartney.
Having previously gained a degree at Coventry University, she had been working full-time as a photographer in a fashion studio in Washington, Tyne and Wear.
Far from the high cost-of-living expenses she had previously become accustomed to, she now spends just £650 a month on fuel, gas, wifi, a gym membership and van repayments.
The most amazing thing, she emphasizes, is that this has allowed her to ‘transform into the greatest version of herself,’ adopting a level of confidence and ease she never imagined was possible.
Speaking to
Manchester Evening News
She mentioned, “I allocate around £650 each month—which is actually lower than what I used to pay for rent. Now, I have greater flexibility with how I use this money.”
‘I used to live month to month, I couldn’t have a social life and I couldn’t just buy myself anything.’
Ms. Keefe, who thinks she would ‘barely ever’ have managed to buy her own house if she stayed in her former position, currently works as a freelance photographer and manages social media accounts. She also assists companies with generating content.
She accomplishes all this while journeying down the road with her cherished dog as a companion. Ms. Keefe mentions that she no longer experiences feelings of being ‘confined’ due to work and isn’t feeling isolated. She has explored places like Snowdonia, Warwickshire, along with some of Scotland’s most stunning landscapes.
Whenever she travels to various places, she just parks her leopard-patterned ESC recreational vehicle at 24-hour parking areas along the road. This RV comes complete with a kitchen, bed, an air fryer, and even has solar panels installed.
She stays closely connected with her friends, family, and remote partner through FaceTime, and lives simply along with her dog, which she mentions really enjoys the ‘routine’ and can be readily left alone in the van when secured with a steering wheel lock.
In addition to boosting her self-esteem in a positive way, this distinctive lifestyle shift has also improved her online profile. Her social media handle, @thevanclub_, now boasts over 4,500 followers on TikTok and counts around 1,800 supporters on Instagram as well.
When first making the unconventional move in 2023, Ms Keefe initially continued working her 9-5 job remotely, all while living in the van, before later picking up a campsite cleaning position that she discovered in a Facebook group designed for other nomads.
Basing herself in Dorset for three months, she then moved on to work as a barista in Winchester before eventually commiting to her freelance lifestyle.
And, far from having any regrets, she insists that she has zero plans to abandon her life on the road, hoping to remain living in her ‘discreet’ van for the next four years before she eventually turns it into a working office.
Contemplating her deep affection for her eccentric abode and lifestyle, she commented: “I am more self-assured and feel both liberated yet grounded. I cannot envision returning to a traditional nine-to-five employment.”
Although uncommon, Ms. Keefe’s choice to reside on the move isn’t completely unheard of. As reported for 2021, around 104,000 families resided in caravans or similar transient accommodations across England and Wales, representing approximately 0.4 percent of total UK households.
ONS.
Meanwhile, a
2024 council report
suggested that Bristol might have the most people residing in vans within the UK, estimating around 800 individuals living in approximately 600 to 650 vehicles throughout the city.
Marvin Reeves, who was the mayor of Bristol at that time, stated that he thought the increasing figures did not necessarily indicate a shift in lifestyle, but might instead be linked to escalating living expenses and higher poverty levels.
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