#NerdsUnite: The journey is the destination
<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Ali. She and I bonded on Facebook a few years back over our love of everything Pete Cashmore. ::SIGH:: so dreamy. She is here today to talk to you all about her new adventure which included quitting her job and hitting the road. Pretty rad right? I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT ALI!!! </editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @lifeon4wheelsUK
Well thankfully for us this last week has been much less eventful than the previous couple. We found some breath-takingly beautiful spots to chill out by the sea and recharge our batteries. We’ve driven some amazing routes, including up a mountain so high we drove through a cloud! You can read all about our adventures over at the blog www.lifeon4wheels.co.uk
This week also saw the anniversary of our first month on the road and <insert Carrie moment> it got me thinking about how things are going so far and how it all measures up to our expectations. My first thought is that this whole thing has been tougher than I’d expected. To be fair I didn’t really know what to expect, hey I hadn’t even spent 24 hours inside a campervan when we got on the road! Driving is the biggie really and I’ve gotta say I still haven’t had the balls! The van is massive, heavy and sluggish. We don’t have power steering and it exhausts my weedy arms to turn the damn thing. Plus people here drive like lunatics! Almost all the cars you see have dents and scrapes like battle scars, hell I even saw one HELD TOGETHER WITH TAPE (I shit you not)! The boyfriend is doing an amazing job of holding his nerve and to be honest I think he’s more frightened of me driving than I am! I guess I sort of had this idea in my mind of us blasting out tunes and burning up the miles in the sunshine. Whilst that is sometimes the case it’s more likely I’ll be yelling at the Sat Nav and he’s yelling at the other drivers whilst we both worry if the van is up to the job!
Finding places to stop off has gotten easier and I’m managing better than I expected with the lack of home comforts (although the things I’d do for a decent pizza don’t bear mentioning!) It’s really odd sometimes to go about our day using public toilets and showers on the beach and sort of feeling like a homeless person and then we come back to the van, cuddle up under the duvet, crack open a beer and watch Star Wars just like we would at home! It’s a bit surreal.
The solar panel is doing a great job of keeping us powered up but I do miss having the internet at my fingers 24/7! Most cities we’ve come across have their own free wifi and I spend a lot of time hanging around beside McDonald’s branches using their internet. It’s only a matter of time before the restraining order comes through!
Most of all I miss these wonderful people, my awesome friends. This picture was taken just before I left Nottingham at an event I labeled on Facebook as the Last Supper, so restaging the famous painting seemed a must - that’s me as Jeebus (obvs!) I’d love to be able to pop home and go out for a pint with them all.
All in all, it’s not exactly a walk in the park but I certainly wouldn’t change it and it *IS* getting easier. I haven’t woken up to an alarm in over a month which is utterly blissful. I spend my days exploring cities and or hanging out by the beach.
There are so many annoyances, it’s easy to get frustrated sometimes. I’d kill for a washing machine, a long hot shower and a meat feast pizza! Whenever I get annoyed though I can just put into context what I’m doing in the simplest possible way – I’m travelling the world with the man I love – and I doubt it gets better than that.