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Many of us look forward to our travel plans because it provides a temporary escape from our (sometimes) stressful everyday routine. Not all of us have the luxury of doing it as often as we’d like, but for mom Katrina Quisil, a single mom of two, traveling around the country became easier after she embraced the “van life” and converted her vehicle into a tiny house on wheels.
READ MORE TRAVEL STORIES
- Tagaytay Opens Its Doors To Tourists
- Ang Hirap! But We Found Mom-Recommended Places To Escape To During GCQ, MGCQ
Katrina, who resides in Dumaguete, works as a pharmacist in the morning and a bank specialist for a BPO company at night. Since she’s also their family’s breadwinner and is juggling two jobs, she decided to give herself a break from the daily grind by customizing her van and traveling on the weekends with her friends and two kids.
“I love how the van gives me a comfortable space to rest whenever I want to and wherever I go to,” she shares in an interview with Summit Videos. She was able to buy the van on surplus for Php215,000 and spent around Php5,000 customizing it, with the help of her cousin and brother.
Katrina stays in the city on weekdays — yes, she eats and sleeps inside the van — and heads to different islands on weekends. All she needs is her van plus barge fare! “My week is fully packed, and I need a breather. Van life travel on weekends gives me a break from the day-to-day stress,” she explains. “It’s like a recharge button for me before I start another productive week.”
Katrina, who also vlogs about her travels, shares that living in a van helps teach her 12-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son to embrace the eco-minimalist lifestyle (being environmentally conscious and a minimalist at the same time). “When kids have less, they tend to value things more,” she says in one of her vlogs.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWThe van life also allows her to provide for the needs of her family while still enjoying her passion for traveling. “I’m definitely saving a lot, especially with my travel expenses. I don’t need to look for a hotel and I can cook and sleep here,” the mom shares.
Katrina is definitely living her best life and she is happy with her decision to pursue this kind of lifestyle. “The past 10 years I say I’ve never lived my life like the way I should have lived it. Van life travel for me is so liberating,” she shares.
Watch her video below and be inspired to live the life you’ve always wanted:
READ MORE TRAVEL STORIES
- Tagaytay Opens Its Doors To Tourists
- Ang Hirap! But We Found Mom-Recommended Places To Escape To During GCQ, MGCQ
Follow Katrina’s journey on her YouTube channel www.youtube.com/c/KatrinaQuisilVlogs.
CONTINUE READING BELOWwatch nowWant to get started on a tiny home? See how one couple did it here.
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