We’re a family of four who ditched everything to live in a van – we can afford it with what I make on the road
PRETTY much all of us wish that we had a bit more time away from work and chores so that we could travel the globe.
But by the time most people have kids, they feel somewhat more pinned down because of schools, family and the like.
That’s certainly not the case for one influencer, however, who – along with her two kids and husband – has upped sticks to live in a tiny van that allows them to wander the world.
Maddison Cate is an Australian based lifestyle blogger who regularly posts clips for her 61K followers on her account @Maddison_Cate.
And in a recent video, she shared that “my little family and I made the plunge over six months ago now to pack up our lives and move into a van”.
“We were just done feeling stuck,” she explained, “we weren’t thriving, and we wanted to shake things up and have some more adventure and freedom in our lives.”
The family of four – Maddison, her husband, their toddler and their husky – live full-time in the van which they got a bargain deal on from a second-hand marketplace.
The gorgeous vehicle has everything they need – there’s a kitchen with a deep sink and a tap that swivels so it can also be used as a handheld shower; a full-shower with hot running water; a pull-out pantry; and an induction hob.
And most importantly, there’s a huge double bed set at the back of the van so they can open it up and take in the gorgeous view while they’re dozing.
But the influencer shares that despite their collective wanderlust, they couldn’t afford to stop working to pursue their new lifestyle.
“There are so many jobs that you can do while living on the road,” Maddison advises her viewers.
“I used to do the surveys, I’ve been a social media manager, I’ve taught English online, I’ve built websites,” she lists.
Now, she runs an online business with her friend offering virtual workshops, meaning, as Maddison puts it, “all I need to keep doing to keep earning money is make sure I have my laptop, a way to power it and a good connection to the internet.”
She then showed off her “remote work set-up”, which consisted of her sitting on a bench in the wilderness with her laptop attached to a huge portable charging port.
The power station is in fact charged by the sun, so all the travelling whizz has to do is lay out a large solar panel which automatically loads up the box.
“My morning emails can be done in front of the river or at the beach, and the freedom this gives is amazing,” she shares, while adding some clips of her working surrounded by some absolutely stunning scenery.
Her clips regularly rack up millions of views, with users so impressed by the swanky set-up and their pared-back lifestyle.
“This just proved that most of us live with so much [sic] unnecessary items,” one wrote.
“Woooow this is the best one I’ve seen!!” another added. “This is amazing! Soo many memories made, I can only imagine. Pure dream.”
And for Maddison, it’s evidently the most perfect lifestyle she can imagine.
She recently shared a series of clips of the gang’s September travels, adding the caption: “open roads and endless possibilities”.
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