10 Things That #VANLIFE Has Taught Me

Oleksandr Tereshchuk
4 min readJun 9, 2022

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  1. GETTING COMFORTABLE IN UNCERTAINTY
    Living in an RV, “on the road”, puts you in a midst of great uncertainties. You learn to be okay with not knowing where you will sleep tomorrow. You will be okay without having a plan. Anything is possible when you are up there in the World and you learn to be okay with it. This is especially relevant for those who need to control, be always ready and have a plan. Like myself.
  2. SELF-RELIANCE. COUNTING ONLY ON YOURSELF
    In the World so big and unpredictable — there are many things that can go wrong. Self-reliance is a personal quality that is necessary to live such a lifestyle. No matter what and no matter where I am — I will figure things out. If someone helps — thank you so much! If not — still great, I’ve got myself and I am my biggest support and help.
  3. STICKING UP FOR YOURSELF
    There are many people with not-so-good intentions, who will want to benefit at your own expense. At some point, you will meet them and you will learn to stick up for yourself.
  4. COMMUNICATION / PEOPLE SKILLS
    Inevitably, at some point, you will need help. You will learn to be vulnerable and ask for help. You will learn how to approach total strangers and start conversations. Life can often get lonely on the road. You will learn to make friends with different people.
  5. LEARNING BEING ALONE
    In times of complete solitude, you will get an opportunity to connect with yourself. You will learn what you are not. What is yours and what is adopted or foreign? Times of solitude will be the most transformative. If you are attentive enough, perhaps, you can meet the real Self.
  6. ENJOYING THE LITTLE
    Minimalism. You will learn exactly how much or little you need to live comfortably. Non-negotiable and things that are “nice to have”. The little space you call home might suddenly become enough and you won’t understand why will you ever need more. The more you let go — the more freedom you will experience. A beautiful sense of having enough.
  7. GETTING A “LOCALS FEELING” — EVERYWHERE
    There will no longer be any rush. You can stay anywhere for an unlimited amount of time. This will help you to slow down, relax and really soak in the experiences that the place has. Monday comes and all tourists are gone. You stay.
  8. BECOMING MORE CREATIVE
    You will expand your pallet of experiences. You will see more. You will feel more. All the accumulated knowledge and experiences will make you a better decision-maker and a more creative person. Creativity comes as a unique combination of knowledge and experiences the person had. The more you experienced — the more colours you have to play with, whether it’s work or anything else in life.
  9. BECOMING MORE COMPASSIONATE
    You will meet many people. You will see many different ways of living. You will learn many ways to look at life. You will learn many stories. It will make you empathetic and compassionate towards people in general. We are all just trying to do our best living our short lives.
  10. A CONFIDENCE BUILDER TO EXPRESS YOUR TRUE SELF
    With the self-growth that happened during your time travelling, you learned yourself better and build more trust in your own capabilities. This self-confidence will help you take bolder and riskier decisions. You know that no matter what — you will figure it out. You will no longer be choosing jobs or relationships out of fear. You are strong on your own. Your decisions will be based on who you are, even if it means temporary discomfort. You will say NO easier, without guilt.

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