Ready, Set, Go...

Have you ever been in a rush to make something happen only to have the rug pulled out from under you? I should begin by saying that I am very spiritual and always seeking synchronicity.

I have had this incredible urge to travel, so I did. I travelled to Seoul, South Korea. Then I travelled to Thailand for 6 weeks. I loved that it was warm all the time. I travelled to Ireland and the UK.

In July of this year, I received shocking news from my Brother that triggered me to figure out how to travel more steadily. So, I purchased a van to travel in. I hope to travel to the west coast of Canada, the USA, and possibly South America.

I have not yet figured out the logistics of this trip, and as we are heading into December, I will likely head south to avoid the snow and ice. My van is fully equipped to handle the cold weather, but why would I do that? I have lived in a cold winter seasonal area for my whole life. I want to change that starting in 2024.

Life somehow always gets in the way. Beyond the usual delays caused by family commitments, I have had some electrical issues that I do not know how to fix. I will just need to learn this as I travel because troubleshooting is just a fact of life in vanlife.

One such issue is the bed. It has lifts attached to it so it can fold up like a futon, giving more cabin space. The problem with this is that it is electrically powered. I would rather it be man-powered so that you could push it back into place, making it a little simpler and one less level of complexity.

Also, I would like a better office set up in the van. Currently, I have a table that gets set up near the front passenger swivel seat. This is fine; however, I hope to stealth camp in Cities. To use the front-seat office, I would need to put the blinds in the windows, which is not conducive to stealth camping. At any given time, a person's eyes are attracted to light. Anytime light is shown in the dark, your eyes will go there. Even in the picture below, your eyes will go to the light on the right first.

My work requires me to use a computer and access the web. I have this capability, but I need a workplace at any time of the day or night. I have blackout curtains that cross behind the driver and passenger seats, giving the illusion that the van is unoccupied. With light dimmers inside, I can limit the light exposure to passersby.

I would like to have a work area in the back, similar to a U-shaped sitting area around a table. This table would allow extra space to put an additional monitor. It would also allow me to sit and work on my ipad.

The people I purchased the van from were athletes who would travel to mountain bike events. I intend to travel around to do street photography, nature photography and my work. Have my cake and eat it too, as one person mentioned this week.