If you’ve read about How we met in Thailand during COVID-19, then you must be dying to hear the rest of the story of how we started our Van Life journey.
Arriving in the Netherlands
Arriving in the Netherlands felt like a nail-biting experience. It was far from normal. COVID-19 restrictions kept me on my toes the whole time. The plane carried only half its capacity; most passengers had already evacuated back to their home countries, and travel for tourism wasn’t encouraged. Luckily, I received a boarding pass in Malaysia, allowing me to enter the Netherlands for love.
Reuniting with Denise
Denise waited—very impatiently—at the airport. She had no idea what to expect; the last update I had given her mentioned my boarding pass and that I was on my way.
We greeted each other excitedly, both at a loss for words yet feeling relieved. We walked around the airport parking lot until we found the car and then nervously drove out of the city. Denise’s parents kindly agreed to host me initially, even though we hadn’t yet met. Setting the stage for an interesting introduction to the Netherlands.
A New Start Together: Before Our Van Life Journey
The first few days went well; thankfully, we all got along. Denise and I set up a temporary room in the attic above the garage. It had two single mattresses in an A-frame room where neither of us could stand. Unfortunately, Denise’s job remained on hold, and with the city in lockdown, we couldn’t socialise much.
We spent the next few months waiting out the lockdown, hoping to regain some freedom soon. At least we were together, but we knew we still had something to fix.
Navigating Visa Challenges
My tourism visa only lasted three months, so we planned a quick trip to the UK to apply for a longer-term visa. The last requirement was that I be outside the EU while applying, making the UK a great option.
Little did we know, this wouldn’t work out in the end. The restrictions tightened, leaving me no choice but to return to Australia. This thought sickened both of us; reuniting quickly seemed difficult, and it felt like we were approaching a goodbye.
Returning to Australia: A Struggle
Returning to Australia felt confrontational. Quarantine became mandatory, which meant I spent the first two weeks locked in a fancy hotel room alone. I struggled with the European time zone, unable to regain my rhythm. Netflix helped pass the time through the night, while sleep kept me busy during the day, waking only to collect my food deliveries whenever the door knocked.
I longed to get outside, to see the sun and feel the grass. Finally, I received permission to leave, but I never realised the impact of isolation until then. It felt like the biggest culture shock just to reconnect with people!
It took a few days to settle back into society, and then I had to jump back into work. My goal remained to get back to Europe as soon as possible, but until then, I passed the time at my old job.
Visa Approved: A New Hope
My visa eventually received approval, though it felt like an eternity. The next hurdle involved obtaining a border exemption to leave my own country. I faced multiple request denials, and only when I nearly gave up did my application finally get accepted.
It took me a week to pack everything again and arrive at the airport with a ticket in hand. Four months later, I could finally return to Europe.
Life in the Netherlands
I received a warm welcome back into my Dutch family and retreated to our A-frame room. We were determined to stick together this time, but we needed a place of our own. Financial difficulties struck us; we couldn’t find any work, and the lockdown had closed most places, seriously hurting our bank accounts.
With no income, justifying renting an apartment became hard. We still had a small amount of savings, which we needed to stretch for the foreseeable future—or at least until things returned to normal.
Finding Our Van: The Next Step in Our Van Life Journey
Here we were, facing limited options, a small budget, and quite a bit of spare time. The logical choice involved buying a van. The biggest challenge lay in where to begin. Neither of us had any experience with campers in the Netherlands, and we didn’t know where to look.
We searched on marketplaces such as AutoScout and Marktplaats to find a few options. Our only criterion at that point was that it needed to be cheap. At a glance, the number of options overwhelmed us, but we quickly narrowed them down. Of course, we wanted a running engine that was roadworthy. After some research, we learned about the important things to check when buying a second-hand van to avoid purchasing a defective vehicle.
Getting Started on Our Van Life Journey
Eventually, we found a cute little van: an Opel Movano from a used car dealer. We drove to see it for ourselves and instantly fell in love. Luckily, Denise’s father joined us for the visit, as he had a knack for bargaining. We negotiated the price to fit our budget and received permission to take it for a test drive. This became our first van and, soon after, our first big lesson in our van life journey.
The van had remained unregistered for a few years and had served personal use by the company. We expected they would have cared for it well, being a garage and car dealer themselves. Now, we always recommend having a vehicle inspected by a good third-party mechanic before making a purchase.
Lessons Learned the Hard Way
The Van Build itself was a journey in itself, but buying it was one of the best decisions we ever made. Stay tuned for our adventures in van life and the lessons we continue to learn along the way!
