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 “I may not have everything I want, but I have everything I need” was a phrase I often used when people were incredulous about how I could live in a tiny camper van AND LIKE IT. It’s been awhile, though, that my phrase no longer describes how I feel. Here’s the honest truth about why Bruno and I are searching for a new home-on-wheels.      On Christmas Eve morning, Bruno and I woke up to a flat tire and rain in a Planet Fitness parking lot, airplanes from the next-door airport whizzing over our heads. On Christmas morning, we woke up in a charming cottage with leafy garden views and toasted with mimosas while streaming Christmas music on a high-tech sound system. Over two weeks later, I still cannot believe how wonderfully Bruno and I managed to rescue Christmas.  2016 may not have been a year of great travel stats for Wandering Footsteps – it’s been more one of house-living, social visits, and the search for our new home-on-wheels. Yet, as I sit in a Walmart parking lot near Los Angeles reflecting on the past year, I can safely say it’s been one filled with important moments, special memories, challenges, and lessons learned. Happy New Year from us to you!  We’re leaving Phoenix tomorrow. Been here over two weeks looking for a shuttle bus to convert into an RV. We’ve spent so many hours in so many libraries doing so much research. We’ve looked at so many Craigslist ads, sent out so many inquiry messages, looked at so many busses. Still, nothing.
 I don’t know why it is, but whenever I think of U.S. National Parks, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t the Grand Canyon, the rock arches throughout Utah, or the arctic wildlife of Alaska. It’s Yogi Bear. It’s obvious that I need a proper education in America’s National Parks, isn’t it? At Petrified Forest N.P. and Saguaro N.P., I finally got it.
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Alice - I actually met Phil (from Phil and Angie) while travelling in my micro camper. I’ve up sized too as I couldn’t cope with any more baby wipe washes and want to head to Scandinavia next. I love my new van and I hope you love yours too 🙂
Brittany - Oh my goodness, I can totally relate to the baby wipe showers!! Small vehicles are wonderful for warm climates – cool bucket showers along tropical beaches are pretty amazing, actually! – but I couldn’t agree more than upgrading for Scandinavia (or North America, for that matter!) is a great plan. We’re pretty pumped because we’ve made space for an 80cmx80cm shower which is massive! We’ll still mostly do bucket showers in there (with hot water, though, haha!) but it’ll be nice to throw out the wet wipes!
Where did you meet Phil and Angie? Best of luck in Scandinavia – it’s on our list for the future!!
Angie - What a brave piece of writing Brittany. I can absolutely and totally identify with all of what you have said in such an open and honest way and I know how difficult it must have been to open up as you have.
“People”, I.e. Friends and family and faithful blog followers so oftentimes identify this nomadic lifestyle as idyllic, which of course it most often is and we appreciate that fact.
However, there is a flip side of course and apart from the mundane ( which the general process of life and living throws in, such as shopping and laundry) there are those things that we miss.
Some of these things can be found in some measure, I.e. Your joining a sport club for some exercise but yoga, I’ve found has been remarkably difficult to maintain. Maybe I can too easily find too many excuses….it’s too public, it’s too windy, it’s too uneven, but the fact remains, nothing beats those regular classes with a known and trusted teacher!
Being a member of a library and just being able to come out with armfuls of cookery and art books, is something else I miss.
At the moment, the only way I seem to be able to appease these desires is to take more frequent visits back to Wales( though to be honest, I still don’t do as much yoga as I should!) This isn’t really an ideal solution though as Phil is still very much in travel mode and thinks we don’t have enough time to visit everywhere.. however, he, like Bruno, is caring enough to give me the opportunities that I need and compromise his own needs.
You now have a new vehicle, an exciting new project, which will take you some time to complete but which I think will give you the injection of enthusiasm to continue.
Don’t worry about what the future may bring………life has a curious way of springing change upon us, when we least expect it.
In the meantime, thank you for allowing me to speak my thoughts too!
A huge hug to you both.
Xxxx
Brittany - Hi Angie, your message (which you also sent to me via email) was the first thing I read when I woke up this morning, after posting this late last night. I felt like I could finally exhale deeply, and something truly lifted off my shoulders. I think the sharing of my inner thoughts has ended up being very cathartic for me, and I’m seeing the benefits of having a little community (or a few girlfriends!) to vent to or to unload that on when I need to. This life is wonderful but it can be lonely sometimes. Today I feel very much un-alone. Thank you.
Nicole - Hi Brittany,
This is a beautiful post. You succeeded in showing gratitude & honesty. We made the step from a Jeep Wrangler with rooftop (but with a better kitchen than yours & an a few closets instead of cardboard boxes) to a large self-build expedition camper truck. We understand the importance of feeling home on the road and that it requires some comforts. Especially on cold, rainy days we’re very happy with this “upgrade”.
Best wishes,
Nicole &Elmer
Brittany - As I’ve just noted to the kind comments of other nomads and overlanders, I REALLY appreciate your message. I was so hesitant to share this post and come off as ungrateful or overly-negative, but I’m feeling a lot better about sharing it now that I’m seeing I’m not the only one to feel this way from time to time. It’s really good to hear that your vehicle upgrade has done just the trick – I think it will for Bruno and I, too!
Thank you both, and hope to introduce our upgraded rigs to one another someday! 🙂
Phil n Angie - So good.
I read this and can so understand exactly where you are coming from, but I also read it knowing the next vehicle is just around the corner, so not only do we understand where you are coming from but also where you are going to.
With love.
PnA
Brittany - Really appreciate the nod of acceptance and encouragement I’ve been receiving from other nomads and overlanders. Thanks a bunch you guys, it really means a lot. Where we’re going is totally unchartered territory, but we’re both really excited for the new adventure ahead. Can’t wait to show it off to you all!
Tiffany - Hey Guys! This post makes total sense to me. Oh my gosh, after living so long in a small camper van I can only imagine the urge to enjoy a bigger one. This life on the road, it is such a great privilege, but there are certainly two sides of the coin. I know you’re not alone that sometimes there is a struggle to find and regain that balance. I hope a bigger bus brings you well into the next stage. All the best.
Brittany - Thank you so much for the kind words, Tiffany. I feel good about having shared this post because, finally, I have received more encouragement and compassion than anything. It has helped make me feel like my feelings are legitimate, OK, and that they don’t necessarily mean I’m not cut out for this nomad life. Really, really appreciate the message, Tiffany. Thank you. 🙂 And yes, I hope this bus will be just the trick, too, at least after the conversion process is over!!