Veruca: A Summary

A few years ago we caught wind of the growing vanlife movement and knew this was an itch we would inevitably need to scratch. I expected it to be challenging. I expected to be dirty. I expected adventure. I expected to see some pretty nice places. I certainly did not expect that 38 days in a Ford Transit could teach me much about myself. However, it turns out that Veruca is a bit of a guru. When I talked to people about our plan to quit our jobs, give up our house and take to the van I heard a lot of different reactions. Mostly it was "Wow, I wish I could do something like that." There was a little bit of "Don't you feel bad spending your money on a holiday when you should be buying a house?" But mostly it was "maybe one day" that slipped from the mouths of the people around me. I hadn't thought much of it until I recently read a quote that resonated with me and our decision to take off travelling for five months. It resonated with our decision to spend our savings, put off houses deposits and move away from what was expected. It was a quote about Adolf Eichmann, a leader in Nazi Germany, who did what was expected of him, nothing more or less.  

"The trouble with Eichmann was precisely that so many were like him, and that the many were neither perverted or sadistic, [but] they were, and still are, terribly and terrifyingly normal." -Hannah Arendt. I can say with certainty that our time in the van was a step away from 'normal' and that it was this movement away from the expected that made our time so much more fulfilling.  

There are a few things I would like to take with me into the new phase of our life in Brisbane. Things I learned from spending time in the van. I imagine there will be a few more bits to add after visiting the spiritual destination that is Nepal, but for now, my goals are as follows: One is to never feel obliged to be 'terrifyingly normal.' The other is to get in the salt water whenever I can because Veruca taught me that for me, salt water really can cure anything. Some days it was sweat, other days it was tears, but most days it was the sea that left my heart happy. But mostly, my aim when we return to life in Brisbane is to see more sunrises and sunsets. I figure if I'm doing that, the rest will come. For those who are curious, on the practical side of things, a monetary view, we came out on top. In the van, we spent $926.22 on food and drinks and $207.07 on utilities, which included $77.60 worth of ice for our esky (instead of electricity), $102.47 for phone data (instead of our usual wifi bill) and $27 on gas. We also spent $768.30 on diesel. That's a total of $1901.59. At home we would spend approximately $1024.72 on food and utilities (including electricity, water, gas and wifi). That would be in addition to $2440 in rent. For just over a month we would spend about $100 on petrol. That's a grand total of $3564.72. In the van we spent $1663 less than we would have living in Melbourne and got to see 5172 kilometres of incredible Australia. My gratitude is through the roof. With adventure comes challenges and possibly a few injuries. Here's our summary of physical ailments: • Cold sores • Mosquito bites • Ant bites • A sliced finger from a surfboard • A sliced finger from a saucepan • Bruised thighs in the shape of the slack line • Bruised ankles • Blisters. Oh so many blisters. • Multiple cracked toenails • An unidentifiable itchy ankle. • A week of vertigo • Multiple blood noses • A bruised head from a cave • A bruised head from a surfboard • Sliced fingers and toes from sharp rocks • Tweaked necks and backs because...vanlife In conclusion, bring on Nepal! And, as Ken Ilgunas suggested, may we continue to feel in our bellies the euphoria of rebellion.