It’s not all about sunsets

Why We Don’t Want to Romanticize Vanlife — and What Truly Matters

Before we made this decision, we did our research. We read blogs, browsed YouTube channels, compared packing lists. We saw stunning campsites, admired the coziest van builds, and were inspired by bold new ways of living. Much of it was helpful. Some of it felt a little detached from reality.

There are plenty of tips out there — but not many honest accounts of what it actually feels like to give everything up. What it’s like to try and fit your whole life into just a few square meters, while pressure builds outside and quiet doubts whisper within.

What we often missed were real stories. About the back pain after hours of sorting. About realizing just how limiting a 3.5-ton weight cap can be. About the heaviness of decisions that weigh on more than just the van — but on the heart, too.

We upgraded our weight limit. Not because we wanted to carry more — but because we didn’t want to force ourselves to do everything “right” when it didn’t feel right. We realized that letting go takes more than just space.

On days like that, there’s no room for clear thinking. We didn’t make decisions because they felt good — but because they had to be made. Because another day passed and the garage still wasn’t done. Because by the fifth night in a row, we were too tired to ask whether there might still be a better solution.

We sorted. Packed. Unpacked. Reconsidered. We weighed every single item — literally. Every kilo a thought: Can we leave this behind? Might we need it later?

And at some point, “Let’s think about it again” becomes: “We decide now. We have to keep going.”

That kind of pressure is quiet. It’s not coming from outside. It’s an inner countdown ticking louder as the departure date nears — and you realize that the time for thinking is simply over.

And maybe that’s not a bad thing. Maybe some decisions need that kind of urgency.

Vanlife isn’t always romantic. Not when you're sweating inside a stuffy van, trying to optimize storage while the temperature outside hits 30°C. Not when one of us suddenly can’t drive — because the license isn’t valid anymore. Not when you wake up sore from days of lifting, sorting, and scrubbing.

And still: we regret none of it.

Because important decisions rarely feel easy. And excitement can exist right alongside exhaustion.

We’re not here to complain. We just want to show what’s often left out.

The in-between moments. The uncertainty. The truth.

Because that’s where what truly matters begins.

Maybe vanlife isn’t a dream — but a path. And on this path, everything belongs: the doubts, the mess, the small victories. We’re walking it with open eyes. No filters. No illusions.

Not because everything’s figured out —but because it’s time.