Life on the Road: What life is like when you live in a van

Photographer Liam Arthur questions the values vs the reality of ditching the 9-5 in favour of a free, traveller lifestyle

Liam Arthur spent a week living with Tim in his van in Fuerteventura, Canary Islands. (All pictures by Liam Arthur)

"Many of us have dreamed of dropping everything," writes Liam Arthur. "Walking away into the world and leaving the shackles of our jobs, mortgages and daily ties behind."

In 2011, the 36 year old photographer's step-brother did just that.

Leaving behind a stable job in construction, Timmo headed for Europe in his small, white van, to follow "sunshine and waves and a desire to experience the world as it is, not vacuum packed by travel agents or liked by Facebook."

Liam Arthur's step-brother, Timmo (Liam Arthur)

Having grown up together in a small fishing village in Cornwall, the two brothers found their lives moving in very different directions. Liam moved to London to pursue a career in photography while Timmo gave it all up for life on the road.

"I used to sit in my small rented flat in London wondering and dreaming what it would be like to wake up by the sea again every day, with no worries and no pressures," says Arthur. "No tube lines and no rent to pay. I longed for my only worry to be what the swell and wind was doing, and where to sit and watch the sun go down on another perfect day."

"The small van in the rocky landscape at dusk... it captures the feeling of being lost in the scale of the world," says Arthur (Liam Arthur)

Envious of his brother's lifestyle, Arthur went out to stay with Tim in his van for a week in Fuerteventura, a small volcanic landmass in the Canary Islands.

From a professional point of view, the photographer was curious: "What are the realities of living on your own, in a van with little income, and no responsibility but also no security? Have we got it wrong sitting in the comforts of our modern capitalist utopia or do we simply not appreciate how good we have it?"

Timmo lived and travelled in his van for near-on three years (Liam Arthur)

Tim had been slowly moving through Europe, following the warmth of the sun, and steadily moving south along the coast ahead of the approaching european winter.

When the winter came, van life would no doubt become tougher.

Free from his UK job, Timmo was free to travel through Europe, living simply (Liam Arthur)

"Cold nights in a van are hard," explains Arthur, "warmth can be found through covers, and the occasional fire, but the condensation slowly seeps in to everything leaving clothes and materials damp".

"Facilities are hard to find in the remote areas where many of the waves are, and a morning routine often includes finding a secluded spot to go to the toilet, sometimes the only option is to swim out to sea and tread water for a while."

"Have we got it wrong sitting in the comforts of our own modern utopia, or do we simply not appreciate how good we have it?" (Liam Arthur)

Ultimately he says, there are times where there is no better life than that spent freely travelling through warm climates. Tim enjoyed driving, and needed few possessions to live with in Europe. He spent his days surfing in the sunshine and warm waters, and his nights partying, meeting other travellers and making friends.

"The waves were amazing beautiful turquoise aluminise monster-like things that would appear and disappear just like that filling you with joy and leaving you exhausted in the best possible way," says Arthur. "Rolling hills full of vineyards bathed in warm sun would roll by in countryside that let you pass through its enchanting landscape like you were part of its story. Fish for dinner, fresh pastries for breakfast. Life as it was meant to be lived."

A keen surfer, Timmo followed the European coast for the waves and sunshine (Liam Arthur)

But eventually, the summer fades. There are times when there are no waves to surf and no companions.

"Days spent on your own in a small van with only your thoughts and a guitar. Music is therapy but sometimes nothing can drown the sounds of the doubts in your mind, or cover the loneliness when you haven't had a conversation with another human for weeks."

"People ask me why I came back, and to be honest I don’t know – something inside always tells you to come back i suppose" – Timmo (Liam Arthur)

"With money tight food becomes a monotonous routine cooked on a small stove top in the van. The smell of cooking long since becoming part of the fabric of the small space. You can never be too far from a tap and you quickly learn where the free and accessible ones are."

"We are all creatures of curiosity," says Arthur, "and most of us share a drive to live and experience the wonders that our beautiful world provides".

"Music is therapy but sometimes nothing can drown the sounds of the doubts in your mind" (Liam Arthur)

"Yes we live in a bubble, and the bubble is made of responsibilities that at times limit our freedom of experience, but the bubble can also protect us, not just from the world outside but also ourselves. There is no right way to live your life, dreams and fantasies often provide us with an escape from the storyboards of our lives, but reality is always waiting, and a fantasy is just that."

Tim spent the best part of three years living in his van, but eventually chose to return home. Coming back to a structured lifestyle was undoubtably a shock, and adjustment was hard.

While Timmo met fellow travellers and enjoyed partying on his travels, the solitude could be difficult at times (Liam Arthur)

Timmo told his brother: "People ask me why I came back, and to be honest I don’t know - something inside always tells you to come back I suppose".

Timmo's van in a secluded spot in the Canary Islands towards the end of his trip (Liam Arthur)

“If giving everything up for a simpler life outside of accepted norms is something that appeals to you, remember that not all the grass is greener,” Arthur warns, “you should be prepared for some of the best and hardest times of your life.”

“But as someone once said, life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Liam Arthur www.liamarthur.com