I Traded My Stressful Job for Van Life. Here’s How I Stay Safe and Truly Enjoy the Solitude

Abigail Joselyn, a self-described “extrovert,” says she used to rarely do anything, including buying groceries, solo. That is until the (now) 26-year-old decided to throw caution to the wind, quit her promising accounting job, buy a van, and live in it while traveling around the country. Joselyn says the journey has been pretty lonely during the last two years, but she never regrets her decision: The solitude has made her a stronger, more resilient person. Here’s her story, as told to associate health conditions director Julia Sullivan.

After earning my master’s degree in 2021, I immediately got my CPA and started working at a major accounting firm in Lakeland, Florida—one of the “Big Four.” Though I took pride in my performance and was good at what I did, I was miserable, logging super-long hours. I remember my mom saying to me at one point, “When you’re not working, you’re a completely different person.” My career was sucking all of the joy from my life.

During this time, I started going on excursions any time I had a long holiday weekend—I was desperate for a break. On one trip in particular with a friend, we started talking about “van life”—nomadic solo travelers who live, and explore the country, in their vehicles. We followed some people on social media who posted about it, but it never clicked in my brain that it was something I could do until that conversation. (I had never even been camping in general, let alone traveled anywhere by myself!)

When I got back home, “van life” was just something I just couldn’t get out of my mind. I’m a pretty impulsive person—I thought, Why not me? Why couldn’t I do something like this? So I told my parents I wanted to (a) buy and build out an empty van, and (b) see if my job would let me work remotely on the road. Of course, they (especially my dad) figured it was a “whim” kind of thing. I had what everyone wanted, right? Why would I try to blow up my life like that? I just knew I couldn’t stay on my current path for much longer. Something needed to change.

About two months after returning from that trip, I began test-driving vehicles and got really excited. This felt like something I could actually do. I think my parents were still a little skeptical, but after I made a down payment on one, things suddenly became real. In the next few months, they helped me put in 20 or more hours per week to build out my new four-wheeled home. My job was surprisingly on board—(they agreed to let me work fully remote). However, I knew I wouldn’t have the experience I wanted—or the energy to do this—if I was still working a ton of hours each week. So with some money saved up (and the hope that I could make a little more by boosting my social media presence), I quit my job and prepared to set out on the road for at least a year, I told myself, to see if this was something I could achieve.

Abigail Joselyn

Abigail Joselyn

My mom joined me for the first 16 days, traveling from Asheville, North Carolina (where my parents were located), to the California coast. It was a really special, beautiful trip. I think because she was with me, it didn’t feel real at first. When my mom finally left, I remember crying the entire day. I was so afraid. I recall finding a little spot on the California beach to park the first night by myself, unsure where I’d go next. I realized I wasn’t going home anytime soon. This tiny van was my home now.