Vanlife 3.0 – With a Twist

Yes, that’s right, I am re-joining the vanlife community! But with a twist.

I was going to call this post Vanlife 2.0, but then I remembered I already used that term when I got my second van back in 2019. So, 3.0 it is. However, while the difference between Vanlife 1.0 and 2.0 was fairly minor, 3.0 will be completely different – both in terms of the van and the lifestyle.

But let’s start at the beginning.

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, or read my book, you might remember that I decided to sell my van back in 2022 because I wanted more stability, especially a more stable community.

Well, I guess it’s fair to say that didn’t happen.

After I returned to Auckland and sold my van, I quickly realised two things: (1) my old community in Auckland wasn’t really there anymore (at least not in the way I remembered it), and (2) I don’t like living in Auckland. All that resulted in me feeling lost and more disconnected than ever. When the opportunity to housesit in Nelson came up, I saw it as a sign and decided to move to Nelson. However, that clearly didn’t happen either.

Why not? Because whenever I really thought about it and started to make plans, the level of commitment required made me uncomfortable.

The financial commitment is a big part of that. I could afford to rent a place, but it’s a significant financial commitment. I also don’t own furniture anymore, and setting up a home from scratch is not cheap. I considered renting a furnished apartment, at least for a while. But those are usually in busy, city-centre areas, which is not where I want to live, and they are expensive.

I also can’t help but feel a bit like rent is wasted money. Yes, you get a place to live, but at the end of a tenancy, you don’t have much to show for all the money you paid the landlord. It makes sense when you have a location-dependent job or a family to provide for. But for someone like me, it seems like a lot of money without much in return.

Plus, renting a place would most likely require signing a 12-month tenancy agreement, which seems like a huge commitment for someone like me who hasn’t spent more than a few weeks in one place in six years. What if I don’t like living there?

I have considered renting just a room in a shared house. But honestly, I feel like I’m past that stage in my life. I flatted from my early 20s till I set off in my van at 33. It was fun at the time, but I can’t see myself enjoying it now. 

Buying a home isn’t really an option for me right now. I don’t think I would get approved for a mortgage. Even if I did, with the interest rates, insurance and rates as high as they are, the cost would be more than I would be comfortable with.

On top of all that, I’m still unsure where I want to live long-term, and committing to one place, whether by buying or renting, feels daunting.

For all these reasons and more, I’ve spent the last year and a half housesitting all over New Zealand instead of settling down as planned.

Basically, whenever I seriously thought about settling down, the commitments I would have to make didn’t feel worth it.

I love my nomadic lifestyle. But that desire for more stability and community, which made me give up vanlife a year and a half ago, is still there. In addition, I also really miss having my own home. My van might have been small, but it was home and my own space. As a housesitter, I stay in large, comfortable houses, but they are not my home. I’m always in someone else’s space.

I’ve often wished I could have it all: my own home, stability and community without the commitment and financial strains.

I thought that wasn’t possible, so I accepted that I would have to sacrifice one for the other. And so far, freedom and flexibility have always felt more important than stability and community.

However, as it turns out, there may be a way to have it all.

When I was in Christchurch last year, I visited the campground in South Brighton, where I had spent the first lockdown in 2020. A few of the permanent residents from back then are still there, including my lockdown buddies Sarah and Bruno (as they are called in the book). In the days after my visit, I kept thinking about what a good life they have there.

The campground is on lovely, park-like grounds, the beach is less than five minutes walk away, and the estuary is even closer. There is a nice little community there, but at the same time, everyone has their own space to do their own thing. The permanent residents have their own (mobile) homes in their own little areas, but they also have access to shared facilities like the laundry. At the same time, they don’t have the hassle of maintaining grounds or those shared facilities. And while the weekly fees have increased quite a bit since I was there in 2020, it’s still much cheaper than renting an apartment.

So, you may have guessed it by now: I’ve decided to buy a caravan and join the campground community in South Brighton for a while.

The idea is to develop a base in Christchurch over the next few month, that I can return to in-between trips.

The more I thought about it, the more it felt like the right thing to do.

I’m super excited to soon have my own tiny home on wheels again. I’m looking for a fairly large caravan, so compared to my van, it will be very spacious, but it will have that cosy feeling that I love about small spaces. The financial commitment is at a level I’m comfortable with. Plus, I always have the option to move to a cheaper campground if needed.

Settling in South Brighton feels right, too. I love the location, mainly because I can carry my paddleboard to the estuary on one side and my surfboard and kitesurfing gear to the beach on the other side. I love that I already have friends on the campground and more friends in Christchurch, which will make the whole “build a community” part so much easier.

As much as I love the idea of living somewhere remote, I think Christchurch is a good place for me right now. It’s much quieter and calmer than Auckland, but it has everything you could ask for, and I’m looking forward to trying new things and maybe joining some clubs or programmes – things that would be much harder to find in more remote places. As a bonus, it will be easy to fly up to Auckland from Christchurch whenever I want or need to.

I also love the flexibility of this plan.

If Christchurch doesn’t work out, or I want to travel again, I can simply hook up my home and drive off. I’ve always liked the idea of living in different parts of New Zealand, so maybe after getting my dose of stability and community in Christchurch, I move on to somewhere else. Or I could keep housesitting in different parts of New Zealand occasionally, returning to my caravan base in South Brighton in between. So many options. So much flexibility.

I’m not going to lie, I am slightly nervous about living on a busy, noisy campground. But the camp in South Brighton is well-run, and everyone seems very respectful. I’ve already mentioned to the owners that I would love to be tucked away in a corner, so hopefully, that will be possible. Besides, if you live in a house you never know how noisy your neighbourhood will be, either. At least with a caravan, I can easily move away whenever I want to.

Right now, I’m caravan shopping. As mentioned, I’m looking for a fairly large one with a full-size permanent bed, a lounge area, a kitchen and a full bathroom. It will be luxurious compared to my little van!

I will be caravan and pet sitting on the campground in South Brighton from next week, which will be an excellent opportunity to scope it all out. Ideally, I will also find the right caravan then. I have my eye on a few in Christchurch that I plan to check out once I’m there.

There you have it: (cara)Vanlife 3.0 is happening! I’m super excited.

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