By Kimberley Mok | TreeHugger
Is life about attaining financial security — potentially giving up one’s passions in exchange for a stable job — or is it about taking risks to live the life you really want to live or never even imagined possible before? These are the questions that Canadian couple Mat and Danielle of Exploring Alternatives asked themselves before quitting their jobs, selling their house and embarking on a two-year-long journey in a converted van that has brought them to various places all over Canada and the United States. In the process, they’ve learned that life is not about stuff, but unforgettable experiences. Here’s a recent video of the pair by Kirsten Dirksen of Fair Companies:
Video Source: Kirsten Dirksen
YouTube video description:
Mat and Danielle spent their first date bonding over Lloyd Kahn’s book “Home Work” and discussing their ideas for simplifying their lives. They became a couple, but “somewhere along the way, we ended up doing the exact opposite of what we wanted,” explains Danielle on their blog.
“Instead of simplifying, we bought a house and spent months hauling furniture, paint and knick knacks into it to surround ourselves with stuff that we liked. Our bills went up so we got better jobs, started working more, and eventually all we did was work during the day and watch Netflix every night because we were too exhausted to do anything else.”
“Mat was the first to suggest making a change because he found our lifestyle stressful, but I resisted at first. I was really caught up in the idea of owning my own place, maybe starting a family one day and planning for an amazing retirement. I was also excited that I had a new full time job with benefits and that we were financially stable. Eventually I realized that all I was doing was working and I didn’t even like my job anymore. We decided that we should do something crazy: sell our house, quit our jobs and travel the world.”
Today, Mat and Danielle are living full-time in a converted van. Their back seat folds down into a bed. Their kitchen is a cooler plus camping stove. Their bathroom includes a solar camping shower and a plastic bottle toilet (with funnel).
