Slow living on the road with Kendall Baggerly and Glenn Ferguson
Tell us a little about yourselves; who are Kendall & Glenn?
Hey! We're an American/Australian couple who set off in Jan '20 to circumnavigate Australia in our 1982 VW T3 van named Vance. We've been on the road for almost two years now and have no plans to stop anytime soon. We work on the road as photographers and are incredibly grateful that we get to explore this beautiful country together every day. We've really fallen in love with this slower pace of life.
How did you end up living life on the road?
We were living and working in Sydney and originally bought Vance to escape the city on the weekends. Once we had a few getaways under our belt we realised how much we wanted to see all of Australia and could definitely live in Vance full-time. The little weekend trips really sparked a fire in us, so we both agreed to spend the next 12 months saving as much as we possibly could and getting Vance ready to go for our big lap.
Favourite thing about vanlife?
Having everything with you at all times; wherever we go, we have all our things with us. It sounds simple, but never having to pack or deal with forgetting things means we're always ready for any adventure! We also really love how we're able to spend as much or as little time in a destination as we'd like depending on the weather and how we like the area. This type of freedom – of having your entire home with you at all times – makes travelling much more enjoyable.
Least favourite thing about vanlife?
Getting stuck in bad weather is never a good time. It ruins plans and makes it hard for us to charge our fridge/electronics/etc. with our solar. It also means we're stuck hanging out inside Vance for a bit, which can start to feel a bit crammed after a while. But it's a small price to pay for the endless good times!
The 'life admin' side of vanlife is never that fun either – finding laundromats, showers, places to fill up our water tank...all necessary things but sometimes a quick clothes wash can turn into a whole day ordeal!
Do you have any sustainable vanlife hacks?
We try to limit the amount of plastic and rubbish we accumulate on the road, so we will reuse any sort of packaging or box as our bin, that way we don't really ever need bin liners or bags to pack our rubbish in. Looking into town markets and bulk food stores whenever you get to a new town so that you can use your own containers for produce is another great way to be more sustainable while also supporting local businesses. You very quickly realise how much you consume when you live in a small space, so only ever buying exactly what you need also reduces overall waste.
What are your top 5 vanlife destinations?
We haven't been everywhere in Aus just yet, but these are our top 5 so far:
The Red Centre
Esperance
Karijini
Eyre Peninsula
Exmouth
Any tips for someone thinking of taking the plunge and jumping into a van full time?
If you're even thinking of doing it – just do it! Taking the risk and leaving our comfort zones of a stable income, consistent work and a nice apartment was the best decision we ever made. There have been hard times, but the good ones outweigh them tenfold.
Do many little trips (by renting a van, using a friend's or your own if you already have one) before committing to it full time. You'll learn pretty quickly if the lifestyle is something you can do long term or not, and this way, you're not fully committed just yet.
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