My home on wheels is not a camper, this is truck life! It is a rugged and stealthy truck. I love the fact that it is scratched and dented, with 50+ shades of NATO green. This gives me the advantage of camouflage meaning I can park in the city and nobody knows it’s my home. I can even park on top of a mountain and only mountain climbers will see me. It’s so damn PIRATE! The imperfections make it easier for me to get to exciting places. I have no need to worry about adding some new scratches which may be what holds others back from leaving the beaten path.
Meet Flo the Land Pirate
Flo is my name, I’m 38 years old and a PIRATE by profession. I’m an enthusiastic sportsman, traveller, offroad trucker and… A wealth creator, collecting as many experiences and stories as I can. This is my personal wealth. I have a wonderful 6-year-old daughter that is living with her mother in Germany.
How Did Your Truck Life Begin?
I’ve travelled since I was 19, mostly hitchhiking or riding old motorcycles in South/Central America and Asia. When my daughter was born, an offroad truck was my solution to keep my family and me together. Unfortunately, the attempt was not successful, but I learned a lot along the way.
Buying the truck was simple. Two friends and I got tickets from Munich to a Warsaw military scrapyard. Between us, we had 1 driving licence, and 4 cases of beer to celebrate our return. The truck had been in the scrapyard for years. I could write a book about the number of breakdowns that we had on the way back to Germany.
What Was It Like Turning a Truck Into a Home?
The truck clearly needed a lot of work. I rebuilt the engine once, but it was still smoking and performing weakly. The second time, I invited some friends who helped me get the truck running healthy. I upgraded the rear cabin to a bigger one and built an access hatch through to the front. Originally, I built the interior with Styrofoam to see how the design would feel. In the end, I tried many crazy things. Even spent 3 hours driving along the highway trying to heat water from the engine coolant system, which was completely DIY. This was definitely not successful, it actually set fire to a part of the truck.
After 4 years, my pirate truck was finished. It cost me 80k, with a lot of silly ideas, and wasted time and money. It is a Soviet-Polish Offroad 6×6 Star. I chose it because it is extremely lightweight, can house 3 to 4 people comfortably, and its offroad capabilities are almost incomparable. It’s definitely old and noisy, but I love it.
What Is Truck Life Like?
On one hand, this lifestyle makes it harder to keep in contact with friends, though, it gives a chance to make new friends on the way. No longer do I feel the need to buy another house, build another financially lucrative business, or study for another useless degree. Before moving into my truck, I was focusing on building a financially wealthy future, now I am building myself. And maaaaaan, sometimes I feel it may be easier to become rich than to deal with myself at some points!
How Do You Manage This Lifestyle?
I am fortunate to work as Captain on Gas tankers. Basically, I work for 3 months worldwide, and then I have a 2-3 month vacation. This gives me the ability to travel in my truck, generally to the east of Europe. Before my schedule starts, I park the truck wherever I am in a safe place. I am very grateful that I don’t need to ‘finance’ my truck lifestyle or give up any comforts or securities.
I never understand why people buy a van with the hopes of an alternative life, only to park at a sunny beach with others of the same nationality, and no interest in their surroundings. For me, I can only enjoy a few days before the need to discover returns. The need for personal growth is real, to gain what I can from each country and culture as possible. I am a pirate after all!
Words of Advice
For anyone that is considering this lifestyle, I have a few points to introduce to you.
- Make sure you are able to give up precious things in life.
- Some friendships will not last.
- Some relations will not survive the van life.
- Start with a low budget and try what you need or want before upgrading.
- Don’t spend all of your money on an offroad truck if you don’t go offroad for real.
- Don’t just stay in your vehicle, get out, talk to people and mix with them. Otherwise, you’ll miss the point of it.
- Don’t be afraid of locals, some may be anxious around tourists, but generally, they are great once you break the ice!
- Don’t be too silly
- And… NEVER TRUST A PIRATE!!
Find Him Here:
Instagram: a pirates life for meee
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