A WOMAN quit her boring 9-5 job to travel the world in a converted van.
Amy Nicholson, 35, from Kent, revealed she converted the van for just £10,000 during lockdown.
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Amy now lives in Cornwall and has left her office job to work as a marketing consultant.
Amy moved back into her childhood home after losing her flat during Covid and worked as a marketing assistant in London before realizing the 9-5 wasn’t for her.
Her van is fully electric, which means Amy can shower outside and every night she converts her sofa into a double bed so as not to miss out on the comforts of home.
“I decided to buy my first van so I could have some freedom while I was forced to live back home with my parents,” Amy told Need To Know.
“I fell in love with the simple life and decided to trade my van for a bigger one that hasn’t been converted yet.”
Amy spent the third lockdown of winter 2020 converting the van herself to minimize costs.
“I disassembled the van and treated any rust, then added soundproofing and insulation.
“Then I put in three windows and a skylight, added the floor and got the electrical system and solar panels.
“Then I paneled and painted the walls and ceiling.
“I then built and added my headliner shelf and bulkhead, which I then covered with the surf mural wallpaper.”
“I bought my MWV High Top Mercedes Sprinter as a shell for £11,000 and the total conversion cost just under £10,000,” she added.
Amy then built and added furniture including the sofa and table that converts into her double bed.
Then she finished the kitchen area and added all the wall cabinets.
Amy said, “The entire build took about six months, but I only worked on it a few days a week.”
The digital nomad has spent the last year traveling across Europe including Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, Devon, as well as Portugal and Spain.
She said: “As a nomad, I’ve met people from all walks of life, been inspired by different cultures and had some amazing adventures.
“But the difficult thing is being away from my friends and family at home and also not having a routine. It can be exhausting to always be on the move and always looking for what is next.
“Of course there are small annoyances, like having to empty my toilet or running out of water while washing my face.
“But having the freedom to park my house where I want tops all of those downsides!
“Through my van adventures, I’ve made some amazing connections – mostly through meeting like-minded people who just understand this way of life.
“But always being on the move also makes it difficult to maintain those relationships when I’m always walking.”
Amy is currently looking forward to her future travel plans which will include trips outside of the UK.
She added: “My plan is to come back to Portugal after a summer in England and do a big road trip there in a van, chasing the sun and surfing.
“I don’t need to make any changes as my van is already set up to live full time.
“I would also like to explore Italy by van, especially the lakes and the Dolomites, and I would like to go back to Africa and do a road trip there. There is still so much to see!”
Amy has provided some advice for anyone looking to fulfill their nomadic dream.
She said: “I would suggest renting a campervan first and going on a trip. That way you can really experience that way of life before investing in one of your own.”
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