“You can’t know if van life is for you by looking at your Instagram feed. You have to get your feet dirty – literally.”

I met Nikky Love a couple weekends ago in Byron Bay.

We pulled up in a side street, our vans side by side, hugged like old friends, chatted for all of 30 seconds and then she asked me to sit on the floor of her campervan and interviewed me for her podcast The Humans of Van Life.

I love this about podcasting and van lifing – everyone feels like an old friend and it's a safe space to open up.

Like any good conversation with a mate, it went deep and wide in all directions:

• My van life journey, my experience with burn out, how I healed and how this impacted the way I now choose to live my life

• the pros and cons of being a single van lifer

• part time vs full time van living – and my experiences with both

• The realities of van life (outside of what's romanticised on Instagram)

• Generating income on the road (and the challenges that come with the laptop lifestyle)

• How to know if van life really is for you

If you’re craving a light-hearted conversation between two women that’s playful, a little philosophical and full of ideas for living a life that’s different from the norm, get this one into your ears.

“The more stuff you have, the more you have to think about. It’s more of a mental load.”