One bloke’s tale of swapping a fixed address for four wheels, a solar panel, and a laptop that smells faintly of instant coffee.
In 2019, a string of not-so-epic plot twists—sky-high rent, a contracting job that ate weekends, and a relationship that fizzled like a cheap camp stove pushed me to rethink “home.” One Friday I looked at my 2006 Toyota Hiace Campervan called “Old Squeaky” , looked at my bank balance, and thought, “Mate, you’re paying for two roofs. Pick one.”
So I christened my “Old Squeaky” and named her VanVibes, then fixed her up with more optimism than skill.
That first night on the west-coast clifftops near Piha was equal parts magic and mild panic: crashing surf, star-heavy sky… and me frantically Googling “Is condensation bad for laptops?” on spotty 4G. Spoiler: it is.
Turning Miles into Money (the messy version)
1. Printing My Personality
I doodled a cheeky “Camping Without Beer Is Just Sleeping in the Woods” slogan on a napkin, slapped it on a hoodie via Printful, and posted a selfie from the van doorway. Twenty-three orders rolled in overnight. That dopamine hit? Better than a double-shot flat white.
2. Digital Guides From the Passenger Seat
People kept DM-ing: “How do you find Wi-Fi out there?” So I wrote a 12-page PDF, “Wi-Fi Hacks for Wild Parking,” during a rainy week in Queenstown. Sold 40 copies the first month—enough to fund the ferry to the South Island and a celebratory pack of Tim Tams.
A Day in the Life (Summer Edition)
| Time | What’s Actually Happening | Internal Monologue |
|---|---|---|
| 06:15 | Wake to tūī birds & damp socks | “Did I leave the skylight cracked again?” |
| 06:30 | Brew plunger coffee on butane stove | “If the kettle whistles, campers will riot.” |
| 07:00 | Check Shopify sales on phone hotspot | “Three hoodie orders, fuel money sorted.” |
| 09:00 | Shoot a goofy Reel about van-shower hacks | “Please don’t drop the phone, please…” |
| 11:00 | Drive toward cell tower / scenic lookout | “If I park sideways, the solar and the view win.” |
| 13:00 | Edit blog drafts at fold-down desk | “Who needs legroom anyway?” |
| 18:00 | Customer emails + OLSP funnel tweaks | “Keyboard, meet sand. Again.” |
| 20:00 | Sunset livestream Q&A, Starlink saves the day | “Life goal: never trade this backdrop for fluorescent lights.” |
Five Lessons From the Gravel Road
- Romance ≠ Reality – Sunsets sell hoodies; condensation ruins stock photos. Balance the gram with the grit.
- Automate Before Adventure – Emails don’t send themselves while you’re chasing glow-worms. Zapier is life.
- Community Is Currency – Share the fails as loudly as the wins; people buy honesty (and mugs).
- Plan B Internet – I own three SIM cards, a Starlink dish, and a prayer candle for rural cell towers.
- Celebrate the Weird – The odder the design, the better it sells. Someone, somewhere, wants a “#UFOLIFE” tee.
Wanna Ride Shotgun?
- Snag a hoodie: Keeps you warm when the van heater quits.
- Join my fortnightly “Road Recap” email: income breakdowns, campsite reviews, and photos of me wrestling solar cables.
- Need e-commerce triage? Hit me up—free advice if you bring coffee.
Thanks for sharing the passenger seat for a few scrolls. If you’re dreaming about ditching rent for rolling horizons, remember: traffic jams feel shorter when your bed is three steps behind the driver’s seat.
Stay weird, stay rolling, and may your Wi-Fi be stronger than your coffee.
(Typed during a nor’wester in Kaikōura, edited at a Franz Josef laundromat, published wherever you’re reading this.)