Firsthand Interview With Geertje Heijnis!

Today on the blog, we have a very special, unconventional and uncommon guest. I would have loved to tell you more about her but she already did us the favour by telling us in details about herself, including what she believes and what drives her. Her journey to following her own dream instead of fitting herself into society’s standards and how she went about doing it despite the odds and uncertainties is one thing that fascinates me real hard. Few times have I met a being so resolute, dogged and suave like her. 

Just like the rest of us, she had her fears, her worries (especially for someone who confessed to being a worrier) and anxieties as it were, but she did it anyway- which is what is really fascinating for me- moving from a place known to a place unknown facing headlong the seeming impossibilities, challenges and uncertainties. Her journey into where she is today, and how she got there is what I have brought here to inspire us all since this blog is everything about inspiration and sharing. So, without further ado, here we go:

SWB: So many things looks exciting and inspiring about you, and I can’t wait to dive into the questions that popped up on the inside of me when I read (and actually watched) your story, coupled with the ones I believe my readers would love to ask/ know; but just before I overwhelm you with the questions (*smiles*), Can my readers meet you please?

GH: Hi! My name is Geertje Heijnis, I’m 27 years old and I’m from the Netherlands. I love learning and studying, travelling, foreign languages and cultures, and doing creative things like arts and crafts. In my life, I always look for new challenges and things that I’ve never done before.

SWB: How was growing up like?

GH: I grew up in a very small village on the country side. There were no shops in our village, just a cafe and a lot of farms. As a child I was outside a lot, playing in the fields with other kids. When I was little, this was an ideal situation, however when I got older the environment got a little boring, and I was longing for more excitement and adventure.

SWB: At what age did you discover you love travelling? 

GH: I think somehow this feeling of exploring new places has always been a part of me. Being in a small village in my youth has probably contributed to that. Life was so predictable there, and I desperately wanted a change and discover new places and people.

SWB: When did it move from being a hobby to a dream?

GH: As I got older, I was able to travel further. When I was 16, I made my first trip on my own to Paris. I stayed in a host family for three weeks to study French at a language school. That was my first real solo travel experience. The busy city of Paris was a huge contrast to my little village, there was so much going on. I loved all the different influences, cultures and languages I saw there, and it made me hungry for more.

SWB: Going through your profile, I realized you studied Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology for your first degree, why Anthropology?

GH: Anthropology is all about studying cultures and beliefs of groups of people. Therefore, it touches on my interest in travel. The best thing about travel for me, is the possibility to open your mind to other ways of thinking. When you talk to people who live life differently from you, you get an opportunity to learn from them about your own situation. That is a very valuable source of reflection and self-improvement.

SWB: Any satisfaction after study?

GH: I loved learning about different cultures, however my studies focussed on being a researcher. I knew very early in my studies that I didn’t want to become a fulltime researcher, I was looking for a more practical job. I specialised in migration and religion and I wanted to contribute to the acceptance of refugees in western societies.

SWB: For your second degree, you had a masters in Management, why the course? And why a different field entirely? What did you think was missing? Did you find it?

GH: My studies in Anthropology were very theoretical. I was missing the chance to improve my practical skills. In the previous years, I worked for some projects in the NGO-sector. I realised that NGO’s often have the passion and drive to achieve great results, but can also benefit from the tactics that big corporations have. My goal was to learn about the ways of successful multinational companies, and bring those strategies into the non-profit sector, to make it more efficient. In a way, I felt a little like a spy during my studies. Some of my classmates wanted to work for companies like Shell, while I had learned during my Anthropology studies how harmful a company like Shell is to the people and the planet. I knew I never wanted to work for a big corporation like that, but I did want to learn from their strategies on marketing and finance, so that I could use that knowledge to contribute to positive things.

SWB: It’s almost no news that you had a distinction for your Masters, yet, you had a compelling social life during the same Masters as well, how were you able to strike the balance?

GH: During my Masters, I really got into the student lifestyle. There were a lot of parties and social events. I think being a student gives you a very unique chance to really explore and expand your social life, and you should definitely take advantage of that. It is so much easier to meet people, compared to when you work a fulltime job. And it teaches you a lot about yourself and other people as well. When I think back, I may have even learned more life skills from my busy social life, than from my university courses. But if you play hard, you also have to be able to work hard. Before an exam, I would sometimes study day and night, and not sleep. It was intense, but I didn’t mind. It was a consequence of my lifestyle; I was determined to do well in my courses, but I also wanted to enjoy my time and make the most of my social life.

SWB: On moving back home (in Netherlands), you got a great job, how was it like being in a corporate work environment? Was that your first job?

GH: Actually, my first job was with an NGO, the largest refugee organisation in the Netherlands. When I graduated, there was a big increase in refugees coming from Syria mainly, so they were looking to hire new people. I got hired as a teamleader on the largest refugee centre in the Netherlands. Our organisation assisted the refugees that lived on the centre with their legal procedures to get a residential permit. We gave legal assistance and advice, translated documents and filled in forms. It was a very responsible and sometimes stressful job, but I really loved the fact that no day was ever the same.

SWB: After working for almost 2years, you left your job, how easy (or hard) was it? Besides, how was burning the bridge like?

GH: The hardest part of leaving my job, was staying true to my decision. I decided to leave my job in a time where most of my friends were unemployed, and jobs were scarce. People thought I was a little crazy to leave such a good job for my travel adventures. On the other hand, they also recognised that I was free; I didn’t have a partner or children and I didn’t own a house, so most people understood that this was the right time for me to do it. Especially the older people said to me: “I wish I would have done something like that when I was your age!”

"If I find something I like to do, I always dive in head first. I think it’s very important to live a conscious life, and to be mindful of what you do and what your impact is on the planet and the people around you. In 2016 I quit my job and bought a Ford Transit van. I didn’t have any experience with building anything, but with the help of Youtube and Google to look for information, I turned it into a home on wheels myself, and then travelled through Southern Europe for 6 months."

SWB: What ignited the van life in you?

GH: I discovered vanlife through research on tiny houses. When I got my job, I just got back from my studies abroad, so I didn’t have a house yet. I decided to move back with my mother for a while, until I found a house of my own. My two options were to buy a house, or to rent a house. However, neither of those options seemed appealing to me. I didn’t want a mortgage at such a young age, and I also felt like paying rent was a waste of money. That’s why I started learning about tiny houses. Tiny houses are very small houses, built on trailers. That means you can move them very easily, by pulling it with your car. I thought this would be the ideal option for me; a very small house, not too expensive to build, and also easily moveable from place to place. However, I would still needed to find land to put my house on, as this is not (yet) a legal way to live in the Netherlands. That’s when I got the idea of building my house in the back of a builders van. It would be even more flexible, and I wouldn’t stand out much. People would not be able to see from the outside that I was living in my van. That’s how the idea started!

SWB: How afraid (or unafraid) were you stepping into the unknown? How easy (or perhaps uneasy) was it transitioning?

GH: I love doing things that I have never done before, or that scare me a little. For me, those two things are even more reason to go and do it, because it means I will probably learn a lot from it. I enjoy improving myself through challenging myself, and getting to know what my capabilities and limits are. I found that often, you are capable of much more than you initially thought!

SWB: What in the future scared you when you took the ‘scary’ journey of living a van life as opposed to having a settled job and living in a home?

GH: To be completely honest, having a settled job and living in a home scared me a lot more than vanlife! I had such a free, unpredictable life as a student, and suddenly ‘reality’ hit. The thought that this was going to be my life from now on, working 9 to 5, five days a week, buy a house, marry, have children.. I could see it all in my mind, and the idea suffocated me a little. That said, the thought of travelling and living in a van on my own was also a little scary, but in an exciting way. True, there are many things that you could be afraid of when you travel alone. But most of those fears aren’t realistic; the chance of something really bad happening is not so big, if you are a little careful. On the other hand, staying at home doesn’t mean that you are immune to bad things either. An accident can happen anywhere, so it didn’t stop me from doing what I really wanted.

SWB: You built your van yourself without having built anything of such before, what gave you the confidence? The intensity of the dream inside of you?

GH: I think it was more stubbornness and naivety than confidence, to be honest! I naturally am a person who worries a lot. But every once in a while, I have a dream or a wish that is so strong, that I cannot ignore it. So you are right, I felt my dream very intensely. So much so, that not trying to achieve my dream, wasn’t an option anymore. I just had to do it. So I bought the van, and thought: OK, I will just figure it out from here, starting with a floor. I opened Google and Youtube and started researching. There is so much you can learn on the internet, and once you know how to do it, you have to pick up a little courage and do it. And that’s how all those tiny steps eventually led to a house on wheels!

SWB: Can you say you are in a happy place now?

GH: Yes, I am. Right now, I am back from my travels and about to start a fulltime job again. It may sound a bit boring after such a big trip, but to me this job feels just as much like a new adventure. I have realised about myself that I need travelling in my life, but travelling for the rest of my life will not make me happy. I also want to develop myself as a professional, in a job that really matters to me. Vanlife has given me the courage to carve my own path, whether that is travelling the world or working fulltime.

SWB: What else apart from your van house makes you happy?

GH: This could be a very long list! For example, as I am answering this question, I look outside my window and the sun is rising on a chilly morning, nature is waking up.. The orange light of the sun is reflected by the damp grass, the birds are singing.. Those ‘little things’ definitely bring me joy, you don’t need to travel to far away places for that!

SWB: What brings in the bucks for you?

GH: I payed my van and my travels from my savings, so I didn’t need to work when I was travelling. When I still worked in my previous job, I was very lucky that I could live with my mother. That way I could save almost all my salary for my journey. I met a lot of people who were working on the road, they either gave surfing or yoga lessons, or worked remotely, or did online jobs like copy writing or translating.

SWB: Seeing how well you built your van, are you at the moment thinking of studying something related to engineering?

GH: I sometimes get asked this question, the truth is that before someone asked me this, I never considered it! You may think that, because I built my van, I know a lot about engineering, but I’m not sure I do! I just know little things, like how to install a roof light or how to build a kitchen. Building a van was fun because I was constantly thinking about how this was helping me to achieve my dreams. I’m not sure I would enjoy the process of building so much, if it would be my job. But you never know, I still have a dream to build a house for my family one day!

SWB: As written on your blog, your initial idea of success was going to school, having great grades and securing a great job, all which you achieved, what changed that for you, especially so much so that you knew it is not the life you plan to live despite having dreamt of it for so long?

GH: What changed for me, was when I realised that my idea of success wasn’t automatically making me happy. I believed that if I had the kind of life that society thinks I should have, I would also be happy. But I was surprised to realise that all those successes like a good job, money, security, were not contributing to a sense of achievement. That’s how I realised that my ideal life, is not what society expects of me. I value actual freedom more than financial freedom, for example. I didn’t want security and routine, I wanted challenges and adventure. So I decided to make the change.

SWB: Considering the phase you are in now and the fact that you have achieved what initially meant success to you, what can you say is success to you at the moment?

GH: I think my new definition of success is to truly live your potential and do what makes you happy. To have the courage to be yourself completely, in spite of how other people might judge you. This is a very challenging thing to achieve, because I think almost all of us are sensitive to the opinions of other people. I know now that my sense of success is always changing, because what I want is always changing. For example, when I was working in my first job, I was feeling trapped and wanted freedom. But now, after 2 years, I’m going back to work and I’m really looking forward to it. Maybe in 2 years from now, I will be travelling again. Who knows!

SWB: Is living in a van a temporary thing or something you wish you could continue after marriage, especially while raising kids? If you plan on raising kids with a van home, how convenient do you think it would be?- for you and for them?

GH: It would be an absolute dream to live vanlife with my family, to give them the sense of freedom that I experienced myself when I was living vanlife. I would love to show my children that they can achieve so much, when they put their mind to it. I believe they would benefit from exploring new worlds and broadening their minds. But yes, it would also be challenging to live in such a small space. Luckily, the world is your living room, so I think we would be outside a lot!

SWB: What excites you as an individual?

GH: Maybe I’m repeating myself a little, but I love to explore new ways in which I can improve myself and grow as an individual. Developing myself is very exciting to me.

SWB: What do you think lies in the future for you?

GH: I hope it will be more adventures, more love and more challenges to overcome!

SWB: What repulses you about life besides the inability to have freedom per time?

GH: I really hate narrow-mindedness. There is so much prejudice from people towards other people, and it limits our feelings of love and togetherness. Travelling is a great cure for that, because it makes you realise that although as people we are all different and unique, we are still also very much the same.

SWB: When you came to the crossroads in your life, besides walking the Camino in Spain to Santiago de Compostela (*smiles), what (factors) made you decide so quickly?

GH: The biggest factor that made me want to change my life, was the realisation that the way I was living my life, wasn’t making me happy. If you are unhappy, and you can do something to change that, then for me it’s a no-brainer. You should always take responsibility for your own happiness.

SWB: What made you know or feel everything would be alright despite you leaving a well-paid and settled job for something seemingly exciting but not yet established at the time?

GH: Haha, at times I wasn’t sure if everything was going to be alright. I had a lot of worries, like: ‘Am I making the right decision to quit my job?’ ‘What if I don’t like vanlife?’ ‘What if I won’t find a job after I return?’ But in the back of my mind, I always knew these thoughts were not helpful. You simply don’t know what the future holds. You can think about the future and make plans, but worrying about it will not help you in any way. Whenever I would worry, I would tell myself: ‘Ok, all the other times that you worried, it was unnecessary because in the end, everything turned out alright. So it is very likely that this time, everything will be alright as well.’ I was also lucky to have a good education to fall back on, so I trusted on that to help me secure a job after I got back from my journey.

SWB: For some reasons, my greatest regret no doubt in life would be not writing the books formed in my heart for humanity’s sake; what would you say would be your greatest regret in life if you do not do/achieve that status?

GH: Whenever I’m not sure that my life is going in the right direction, I ask myself: ‘If I would die right now, what would I regret to not have done?’ Because I believe that you always feel more regret about the things you didn’t do, than the things you did do. Before I started vanlife, I knew that if I would just continue with my life and never go on this adventure, I would regret it for the rest of my life. If you feel like that about something, you are obligated to yourself to take action. Otherwise, you deny yourself a chance to be happy. You may be afraid that it will go wrong. But sometimes it is worth taking a big risk. You only have so many years in your life, so you should make the most of it. If you don’t do it, you will regret it even more.

SWB: In times to come, are you willing to go fully into van house design and interiors, seeing how well and customized you built yours?

GH: Thank you for the compliment! I don’t really see myself doing that as a job, but I will always be interested in building and making things. I am already fantasising about what my future house will look like, I am planning on building that myself too!

SWB: Besides boredom and living a stereotype life, what made you leave the known for the unknown despite the challenges you know lied ahead and the seeming uncertainty of the future at the time?

GH: Besides what I described above, the fear of regret when I wouldn’t do it, I also felt a very strong longing for change and adventure. When I started vanlife, I wasn’t really sure what kind of life I wanted. I wasn’t sure vanlife would be my kind of ideal life. But I knew it was a step in the right direction, and I knew it would help me to figure out what I really wanted. So even if it would ‘fail’, it would still be a step forward because at least I was taking action to change and trying out something different.

SWB: What advice would you give to a reader reading about you now? Especially about following their dream and never leaving it to chance?

GH: I think when you follow your dream, you are always taking a lot of risks. So sometimes you have to accept the idea that you are taking a lot of chances, and that it might not work out the way you wanted. When I started vanlife, I didn’t know if it would be a good experience, or a bad one. But I was willing to accept that chance. In fact, failing is good, because it gives you a chance to learn from your mistakes! So if you have a dream, but your worries or fears are stopping you, then just accept the fears as part of the process. Acknowledge that they are there, but don’t let it determine your actions. Fear has a function, it makes you think rationally. Most people are afraid of jumping off a bridge, because it is probably a bad idea. But sometimes, fears of the unknown aren’t so rational. Just think: ‘If I fail, what is the worst thing that could happen?’ Most of the time, it’s not the end of the world if something goes wrong. Just remember that you have the power; fears are normal, but you can make a decision on how serious you want to take them. You can decide whether to act on your fears, or put them aside. So if you have a dream, something you have been wanting to do for a long time, I would say: ‘Do it!’

SWB: As someone who has seen life in some ways, and is old enough to give advice, especially to teenagers, what advice would you give about life? And what lessons or observation(s) have you come to discover in your progressive while of being on earth?

GH: I would say: ‘Always stay true to yourself, no matter what other people say to you.’ I think as teenagers, and as people in general, we tend to focus too much on what other people do. With social media like Instagram, it is very easy to look at photos of somebody else, and think: ‘Wow, I wish my life would be like that..’ Or ‘If I would have all those things, or look like that, my life would be perfect..’ But the truth is, your life would still be the same because changing the externalities of life doesn’t change who you are as a person. It is so much more important to focus on who you are, than on what you do. Vanlife is a tool to develop yourself as a person, but it’s not a solution. The things that can really make us happy, aren’t stuff or money, despite what companies and marketing wants us to believe!

SWB: On a scale of 1-10, how important is it to follow one’s dream?

GH: I would almost say it’s the most important thing in your life. Dreams are there for a reason, they are very strong desires that can give your life meaning and direction. If you follow your dream, you get so much energy and satisfaction out of it, and you will inspire others. So in a way, you are not just helping yourself, you are also positively influencing the world around you.

SWB: What would you say are the key things (virtues) in life to possess?

GH: I know it sounds a bit corny, but I would say it’s to be kind and gentle, not just to other people but also to yourself. We live in a society that puts a lot of pressure on us; we need to achieve our dreams and live our talents, we need to aim for the stars, and preferably also look healthy and strong and beautiful along the way. If you enjoy getting the most out of every day, that’s something really positive. But if it feels like you have to give your all to everything you do and it feels like a pressure that’s weighing heavily on your shoulders, then you should take a breath and reflect on things. So be kind to yourself; think about what matters to you, not to other people. And remember that you are good enough as you are.

SWB: What does happiness mean to you now?

GH: I think the only way to be happy, is to live in the ‘now’. I used to dream a lot about my future, and sometimes that makes it hard to enjoy the present, because you always want things to be more exciting than they are now. It is very tempting to think: ‘If I do this, or live like them, or have this, THEN I’ll be happy.’ But I can assure you: if you want to be happy, you have to change the way you perceive and experience things. Changing your house, your car, your job, etc. will only change the context, but if you don’t change the way you think, you will still be unhappy.

SWB: Your biggest dream yet?

GH: I still would like to achieve so much, like building my own home, and growing my own food, and maybe setting up my own business some day.. But I think my biggest dream would be to have a family one day, and hopefully have children. I think that would be my wildest adventure yet!

SWB: Any regret so far in life?

GH: I cannot think of anything, which is a good sign I guess! The only thing would be to enjoy life even more, and to stop worrying about things. They always turn out fine in the end.

SWB: How supportive (was) is your family towards your dream of a van life?

GH: Very supportive. There were some family members that maybe thought I had lost my mind. They thought it was dangerous and a little reckless, I guess. But my parents have always trusted me, and they always said that if I get in trouble, I would probably be able to solve it as well. I was very lucky to have parents that understood the value of following your dreams. They have always supported me to live my life in a way that makes me happy.

SWB: Do you Miss them sometimes? Especially your Mum?

GH: My father died when I was 18 years old, so I miss him very much. I think he would have loved to help me with building my van. When I was travelling, I kept in touch with my Mum through Skype and WhatsApp, so we always informed each other of our lives. I think social media really help, because if you miss somebody, you can still always talk to them.

SWB: What inspires you?

GH: I get most inspired by people who are totally following their own path, and stay true to themselves. That could be anybody, they don’t have to be famous. In fact, famous people are often less inspiring to me than for example an ‘ordinary’ man or woman that has truly learned to be happy without having a lot of money and means. I think society puts a lot of pressure on us to be a certain way. If you can break out of that, that to me is very inspiring.

SWB: Growing up, you used to have Dutch travel presenter- Floortje Dessing and Musician- Shakira as your heroes, any recent/current heroes/role models?

GH: Not really, I don’t have particular heroes any more. I believe everybody should be their own role model! Comparing yourself to other people is never a good idea. Social media all make us believe that other people’s lives are much better than ours, I think it would be very healthy to let that thought go and instead focus more on your own life.

SWB: Where do you see yourself in 10years?

GH: I really hope that in 10 years, I will have a family and a nice plot of land. I would love to live on that land mostly self-sufficient and sustainably, according to permaculture principles. Me and my family would live in our small house that we built ourselves, growing our own food, enjoying the simple things in life. But of course we would still travel a lot and explore the world! I hope I’ll do some kind of work that gives me satisfaction, whether that’s being a fulltime mother or setting up my own business.

SWB: Given 30seconds, or perhaps less, how would you convince readers to choose a van life, and what would you highlight as the advantage(s)?

GH: I would say, choose a life that gives you freedom and happiness. If that’s vanlife, then go for it! But maybe your dream is to have (financial) security, and you love your job, your local network of friends and your house. If that’s more like you, then that’s great as well! We all have different wants, needs and dreams. Just find out what makes your heart beat faster, and go after it!

SWB: Anything you want the readers to know about you?

GH: I am so curious what you as a reader think of all this. Maybe you’re thinking: ‘Wow, that girl is a little crazy!’ Or maybe you would want to do something like this yourself too. I just hope that you remember that I’m just a normal girl. I’m not any different from other people. I don’t really see myself as doing something special, I just followed my dreams and my dream happened to be something that some people think is cool. I hope people realise that the thing that helped me most to achieve what I wanted, wasn’t talent or ability. I think it was determination, most of all. So maybe you want something, but you don’t have the degree, or the experience, or the talent.. Just forget about that for a minute, and think about how much you want it. Because in my opinion, that’s what will get you there.

If you have any questions about ‘vanlife’ (fulltime living in a campervan) or just want to send me a message, you can! You can find me on Instagram (vivalavanlife.geertje), Youtube (vivalavanlife) and Facebook (vivalavanlife), and you can also send me an e-mail at vivalavanlife@gmail.com.

SWB: It was nice having you on the blog. I’m so inspired. The tenacity with which you follow the things you desire is so amazing. You are a huge inspiration. Thank you for being you, and for being here on the blog.

GH: You are very welcome! :)