Trading routine for the unknown

For years, Adam worked twelve-hour day and night shifts. First at Ford's engine manufacturing plant, where he spent thirteen years, and later as an engineer in the pharmaceutical industry.

The work was demanding, and eventually the constant pressure caught up with him.

In 2023, stress forced him to take six months away from work.

During those months he discovered yoga and meditation, practices that helped him slow down and reconnect with himself. That journey eventually took him all the way to Rishikesh, India, where he completed his 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training.

“Yoga is something I'll carry with me for the rest of my life.”

The dream that finally became reality

Vanlife was not a sudden decision. It had been sitting quietly in the back of Adam's mind for years.

Then one day he came across a simple question:

“What would your 80-year-old self tell you to do?”

That was enough.

He left behind the corporate world and started building the life he had always imagined.

Today he lives full-time in his self-converted 2006 Ford Transit 350, a bright yellow van that started life as a minibus before becoming his home. It is his very first van conversion.

Learning to slow down

Before heading to Portugal, Adam spent seven weeks exploring Devon and Cornwall, discovering some of southwest England's most beautiful beaches and coastlines.

His next stop is Aljezur, Portugal, where he plans to spend around two months volunteering at SURFinn Algarve while documenting his journey.

For now, he is not rushing back into work. He saved enough money to give himself the chance to travel, volunteer, vlog and see where the road takes him.

What surprised him most was not the freedom. It was what happened when everything slowed down.

“My body and mind have relaxed. I feel less of a sense of urgency to be anywhere except where I am in that moment.”

Home looks different now

Vanlife has changed more than Adam's address. It has changed what home means.

It has made him realise that he is happier with fewer material things, and that being surrounded by nature gives him clarity and stillness.

Sometimes, the biggest changes happen when you remove things instead of adding them.

The best part? The people.

Ask Adam what he loves most about vanlife, and freedom is only part of the answer.

“The community.”

For someone just a few months into full-time vanlife, that sense of belonging has already become one of the biggest surprises. People helping people. Sharing stories. Meeting strangers who quickly become friends.

Of course, vanlife is not always picture-perfect.

When I asked Adam what the hardest part was, he laughed before answering.

“Probably peeing in a bottle.”

Luckily, he says, he has become quite good at aiming.

Jokes aside, it is those little inconveniences that quickly become part of daily life. You adapt, laugh about it, and carry on. That is vanlife in a nutshell.