When we were converting our van we were huge into watching YouTube videos of van tours and conversions but specifically we wanted to see other UK people converting vans and how they were going about it. That is how we first found Possy and Dave of Finding Freedom. At that point they had only a few hundred subscribers but now that other people have found their wonderful channel and they have subscribers in the thousands we thought it was about time we got an interview from them about their travels and their van living!
Who are you?
Possy, Dave & Buster dog! Together you might know us as “Finding Freedom”
Where are you from originally?
Originally we’re all from Shropshire/Cheshire. Dave and Buster from Shropshire and Possy from Cheshire but fate found us in Wales
What type of van do you have?
We own a Ford Transit Minibus, she has a mind of her own but we love her none the less
How long have you had it?
In March 2015 we travelled to Cardiff on a whim with a credit card to pick her up for the sum of £1,500 and it’s been the best purchase we could have possibly made!
What do you call your van?
She’s called Jessie, but Jess for short.
What is it that drew you to travelling in your van?
For Dave it’s always been in his blood. He has Romany gypsy roots and has loved to travel and adventure. When Possy was the legal age to drive, the first thing she did was to search for campervans on the internet. But collectively what tipped us over the edge was seeing a blog about a guy called Vandog Traveller. Suddenly after seeing that it made it seem more achievable
What’s the best thing about living/travelling in your van?
THE FREEDOM! (and not having a letter box)
What’s the hardest part about living/travelling in your van?
Knowing that the van, if it wants to, can be temperamental (like she has been in the past!). If you’ve ever watched any of our YouTube videos you know how temperamental she can really be! But we have tried to cover our asses by joining the AA
What would you be doing if it weren’t for vanlife?
Who knows! Our lives have always been so unpredictable even before vanlife came along, so we’d probably be doing something crazy regardless. Back in 2012 when we first met we had a Vespa and a fold up tent and that got pretty interesting!
What’s your favourite feature of your van?
100% no brainer it’s the log burner. Free heat, free cooking, incentives to go walking for wood, a small work out preparing, sawing and axing the wood. Generally the best decision we made
What was the biggest surprise about vanlife?
The first thing that springs to mind is how easy it is! Sometimes people ask “How do you live like that?” for us our lives have become more simplified and it’s shocking how much you really don’t need. We don’t have a TV, we don’t have a fridge, we don’t have a bathroom. All we have is one room and the world as our garden
What advice would you give to anyone thinking about getting a van of their own?
Don’t think about it too much. If you want to do it, do it while you’re young when you have the time and the energy, while your life is still exciting! We guarantee you it will enrich your lives more than you could have imagined!
You can see what Dave and Possy are up to on their YouTube channel at Finding Freedom as well as their instagrams @possy_yoga and @pavvy_ and their Facebook FindingVanFreedom
Here’s a glimpse of their Youtube channel:
