Like Dickinson, 37-year-old Hilaire Goldie has adopted a nontraditional, but sustainable, lifestyle. These days she splits her time between a 37.5-acre homestead and traveling across North America in her converted sprinter van. Her journey began when she and her husband purchased the homestead, allowing them both to connect with nature while maintaining a mobile lifestyle. Sure enough, Goldie found the perfect used van on Craigslist for $29,900. It’s become an integral piece of her life, acting not only as her home but as a radically changing environment.
Prior to this new chapter, Goldie was a consultant with McKinsey & Company in 2019. Her competitive job often sent her traveling, making it difficult to maintain consistency. Consequently, she found herself spending very little time in her Manhattan apartment. Longing for greater independence and adventure, she resolved to fix up the van her father had already found for her in Oregon. Over two years, she invested approximately $18,500 into renovations, which included adding a bedroom area, kitchen, IKEA cabinets, solar panels, and a desk.
Goldie’s life took an amazing turn after she became the first known woman with a cognitive disability to summit Mount Everest. This unforgettable experience had a lasting influence on her perceptions of life and travel.
“That moment of knowing launched the next chapter — van life, homesteading, and loving myself. The mountain did transform me. She gave me direction and that’s been the real gift.” – Hilaire Goldie
Throughout her two years living in the van, Goldie not only worked but embarked on a national tour, visiting major cities across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. The opportunity helped her learn some important lessons on opening herself up to relinquishing control and spontaneity. In her former life, she would’ve been a stickler for schedules—when she was in the army and at McKinsey. These days, though, van life is encouraging her to take a less rigid approach.
“I learned I needed to let go of control and it was a different way of traveling. Before, when I had a four-day weekend in the army or was working at McKinsey, I was scheduling every single second, but this was a lot more free flowing,” Goldie explained.
During her travels, Goldie realized how much there was to learn by showing up and being open. This type of thinking allowed her to enjoy the basics of living on the road. She savored beauty at the depths of a raging river.
“It was so simple, but it was so powerful, so having my little house with me throughout felt like I could not have planned anything better. I had my home, but was still in a very beautiful place,” she reflected.
Goldie’s van was a refuge on more celebratory occasions in her life. She and her husband spent some of their honeymoon living out of a van. Through this experience we are excited to explore how their mobile lifestyle complements and enhances their personal journeys.
Though van life has presented its own challenges, Goldie’s experiences on the road have led her to appreciate what matters most. She’s become more comfortable with the unknown, putting faith in the path that lies ahead.
“I realized that I can’t make plans that are better than what God has in store for me. I think I learned that lesson so many times in the van,” Goldie stated.
As Goldie looks back on her new adventure, she’s the first to admit she won’t be trading in her trusty—and adorable—van anytime soon.
“I will never sell this van. How could I sell the temple that I built? When the day comes, the van will become a little cabin on the property,” she affirmed.
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