Women Choosing a Solo Van Life
Ready for an adventure….or do you have to make a change?
The decision to sell up, cash up and escape rent, mortgages, land tax, electricity bills and council rates is becoming more of a necessity to many mature women. But wait, slow down and gather as much information as possible, try it out for a couple of weeks or a month to make sure it is right for you.
There are almost 12,000 members of the Solo Women Campers Meetups Facebook group
journeywomen.com is a wonderful website for mature women who travel
weareglobaltravellers.com has tips for solo women living on the road
rollingsolo.com.au asks you to ‘Join the Tribe’.
funlifecrisis.com is for whether you are planning for your first trip or have done a few.
sisterhoodwomenstravel.com.au specialises in women’s adventures
"You can be at the beach, you can be at the mountains," says a mature female traveller. "It's a nice opportunity to live in the van and be a bit more free and not be bogged down with bills. You can meet people … when you're in the van people are more open to talking." Many live in van because they can't afford to rent a unit by themselves.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics doesn't have any data on how many people are living a 'van life' in Australia, but figures for 2021 show there are 772,627 caravans and camper vans registered across the country.
Aarha Stewart has been living in her bus for seven years and is currently in Whyalla, South Australia.
Accompanied by her cattle dog Dusty, the 59-year-old said her decision to live in a bus was driven by money. "I was unable to continue working due to health issues," she said. "I couldn't really afford to continue living in a house and pay bills and just live from week to week. "If I'm going to live in a box I'd rather live in a box with a different view."
Aarha Stewart has been living in her bus for seven years. Ms Stewart said there were many benefits of solo travel including visiting amazing locations, chasing warmer weather and meeting new people. "There are a whole lot of solo people out there on the road at the moment, especially in my age group," she said. "I don't think I've been anywhere where there hasn't been another solo female." Ms Stewart said there was a sisterhood among women on the road, but it could also be a bit cliquey.
"I'm in a little bus, so if you see another bus you go running over and say "g'day" whether [they're] male or female," she said. "Females do tend to check each other out a bit more. "The ones in the motorhomes tend to stick with motorhomes, little campers or tents seem to stick together, it's funny.
Despite some early hesitations, former Olympic swimmer Brooke Hanson says a van holiday with her family is about living simply. "Certainly if you see someone broken down, if it's another solo female, we certainly look after each other." The long-term traveller recommends that women contemplating a solo travel experience have money in the bank or the ability to work so they can access funds for unexpected expenses."When you have breakdowns you've got to have somewhere to go," Ms Stewart said.
"I was broken down for the best part of five months and for a lot of that time I was unable to live in my van. "If you've got a house and can rent it out, and keep it as a back-up, do it."
Solo sisterhood
The growth in the number of lone travellers prompted Candi Kelly to start the Solo Women Campers Meetups on Facebook in 2017. The Brisbane-based traveller said the community had grown to almost 12,000 members."We've got a lot of what I call 'cashed up baby boomers' and an enormous amount of single women seem to be in that age group," Ms Kelly said. "We are finding there's a very strong movement of women getting onto the road. "We've got a lot of marginalised women as well who may not have come out of a marriage very well, financially." Women are buying a range of mobile homes including small campervans and caravans.
According to the 63-year-old, a large number of women say the catalyst for travel is the breakdown of a relationship, estrangement from children or metal health conditions, including anxiety and depression. "Obviously the ideal is women that are 'doing the lap' of Australia, they're going on an adventure," she said."They've broken up with their partner, their kids are off their hands or whatever.
"Particularly there's a lot more of that happening, because these are the same women that might be going to Italy once a year or at least Bali. "Getting behind the wheel with your little home on wheels and setting off can be quite liberating." Actress Frances McDormand plays a woman aged in her 60s who travels through the United States as a van-dwelling, modern-day nomad. (Supplied: IMDb)
Ms Kelly says many women do end up "finding their tribe" in a new community, after starting afresh.
The feature film Nomadland, released in Australia in February this year, centred on a woman in her 60s embarking on a journey through the American West in a van. Actress Frances McDormand won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the lead character.
Ms Kelly said the film resonated with women in Australia. "It may have inspired some, but this has been going on for a long time," she said. "Women have a lot of resources now to go forth like some kind of warrior woman and be empowered."
Plenty of advice available
Women travelling solo in vans are advised to connect with other female travellers online. Ms Kelly recommends any woman contemplating solo travel should connect with a community of women through social media. "There is advice that is given to women even about what type of van to buy … batteries, solar power," she said. Ms Kelly also advises women to start with smaller road trips over a few days or a week to build up their confidence.
Kellie Campbell says she's looking forward to travelling on her own. "A lot of them have no choice but to move out and go and live in their cars. "I've seen them with their cars, with their surf boards stacked up, and they've got to use the beach toilets. "The poor devils have got to go and find a shower and a lot of councils turn off the hot water to keep the backpackers away from the showers."
"If it's in your heart to go and do it, then search it out," she said. "It's nice because you can really wake up somewhere different every day and that's the blessing of it. "Why….. They’ll Never Be Too Old for Travel!