The Joy of Letting Go, In Conversation with Priya Sharma

During these unprecedented times, many people have archived what was once considered their ‘normal’ life. From unemployment to home offices, it appears that there has been many a life evaluation and what truly makes individuals happy. Taking the plunge out of our comfort zones is alien and scary to many, but Priya Sharma has made the decision to do just this.

With her occupational status changing from Engineer to Traveller, Priya and her boyfriend Sid decided to sell their belongings and purchase a van to travel Australia. With her social media reach and views equating to thousands of viewers, her introduction has fast become part of people’s for you page.

“Hi my name is Priya”

Priya has documented her van life, and has adopted the mantra of living to work not working to live. Born and raised in Sydney, Priya and Sid worked together in mining engineering in remote and central Australia – nowhere near their hometown. Working long days to then coming home and waking up to work the next day again, this pair used any spare time they had to travel and gave them insight into how they wanted to live their life.

 “We wanted to work to live not live to work”

The couple then made the epic decision to leave their jobs, sell their belongings and move out of their flat. Following which they bought a van, which only had a bed frame in at the time. It was then kitted out with a small kitchen, fridge and decor, a great first van for travellers. This vehicle would not only become Priya’s home, but the tool for her adventures and vlogs.

“Little things make it feel bigger and homely”

I had the pleasure of video calling Priya whilst the pair were in the Queensland leg of their travels, and the cosy nature of the van matched that of Priya’s social media videos. It was funny to see that they couldn’t quite stand up fully in the van, but for later travels would invest in a bigger one. In all honesty it made me excited for when I could travel again and to have an element of fearlessness.

“We just wanted this tiny van, our home, to be able to travel from this tiny town…it makes sense, it feels free”

Showcasing their travel life, Priya began using Tik Tok to make short videos about their travels and sharing her recipes. Building a quick fire following, Priya admitted she was shocked and began using her new found community to sell her Dad’s famous spice mix! This mix was an amalgamation of spice blends that saw Priya through her childhood and often uses it to flavour the amazing fruits and produce she whips up in the van kitchen.

Finding that her van life meant less consumption over all, made it a more sustainable way to travel and explore. Using less electricity, water and power, this way of living contributed to a more-free way of life.

The lockdown rules in Queensland were so relaxed, which is contrastingly not the case in the UK at the moment, so it was interesting to witness some sense of normalcy on the other side of the world.  So as my day on this side of the world began, Priya’s was ending so I bade her goodnight and went about my day with a sense of adventure.