How a Singaporean couple decided to embrace van life
Amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life, van life has emerged as an appealing lifestyle for those seeking an escape from the grind. Yet, the concept of van life remains unconventional, especially in fast-paced, career-focused Singapore.
For Singaporean couple Dom Chiam and Lim Hui Jing, embracing van life meant trading their full-time engineering jobs for the open road. Attracted to minimalist living and being on the road as a means to see the world, the couple decided to pursue van life in 2022. Their journey began when they first acquired their van, which they then had to refurbish from scratch.
If you’ve ever been curious about van life, or want to live vicariously through Dom and Hui Jing’s travels as you’re stuck in the 9 to 6 grind, this story is for you.
Read on to find out how the couple achieved this lifestyle, and their adventures along the way.
Minimalism and pursuing van life
Despite living in Singapore, Dom has always been fascinated by minimalism. “We have a lot of wants and are always trying to pursue more and more,” he reflected, realising that Singaporeans don’t really need all that excess to survive.
“[Singaporeans] have a lot of wants and are always trying to pursue more and more.”
At the time, he was also navigating a separation, which led to challenges with his housing situation, all while dealing with the hectic pace of his full-time job.
To cope, Dom, like many others, found himself attracted to the flood of tiny home and van conversion content on social media. This newfound inspiration led him to explore the van lifestyle more deeply. Soon enough, he was actively searching for vans in Malaysia.
This was also when Dom and Hui Jing met, and Dom introduced the idea of minimalist living and van life to her.
“It was like a series of unfortunate events aligning,” he said.
Starting out clueless
It took Dom and Hui Jing 3 months to find the right van. The process was far from easy.
Due to the high costs of owning a vehicle in Singapore, the couple decided to get a van in Malaysia instead. They ultimately decided on a Mercedes Vito, even though they were unsure if it would be suitable to be converted into a campervan.
“Neither of us had any knowledge of vehicles or anything; we just decided that this was the one”, Hui Jing recounted. This also meant that they had to do extensive research to turn their dream into reality.
“It felt like the process was never-ending. Where was the end goal?”
At the start of the van conversion process, both Dom and Hui Jing still held their day jobs. That meant they could only work on the van when crossing the border each week. They were working off a car park or the backyard of someone’s house, which was not ideal. Eventually, Dom left his full-time job to work on the van.
They had a clear vision of what they wanted their campervan to look like, but the woodwork proved too challenging, leading them to abandon their initial plans. Compounding their frustration was the inability to complete the van conversion even after delaying their journey multiple times, due to logistical issues around costs and their expectations of the van’s appearance
“It felt like the process was never-ending. Where was the end goal?” Dom questioned.
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Taking an unconventional path
There is a societal expectation that Singaporean adults, especially in their 20s and 30s, should have stable jobs with reliable incomes. However, 27-year-old Hui Jing and 38-year-old Dom chose to set themselves apart from this norm. The couple left their full-time engineering jobs behind to embrace an off-the-grid life in a van.
“The idea of having to give up a job and fully committing to this was quite stressful,” Hui Jing admitted. Some of her key concerns include financial stability, and how van life was something that neither her nor Dom had any experience with, but chose to commit to anyway.
Fortunately, their family and friends were mostly supportive of their decision.
Dom’s friends were eager to stay updated on their progress and trips. However, his family members had a more conservative mindset about this, likely due to the generational gap. So even though they supported his decision, they still expressed their concerns and doubts.
On the other hand, Hui Jing chose not to share her van life plans with her family and friends initially. Considering the social stigma surrounding such a lifestyle, she confessed, “I didn’t want to deal with what people were going to say about it”. Instead, she left her job one day to join Dom, who had already started the journey earlier.
“But in the end, they were supportive because I came back home alive,” Hui Jing joked. She also recently embarked on a road trip around Malaysia with her mother to expose her to van life.
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On the road after 6 months
Dom and Hui Jing’s van life travels were filled with many ups and downs.
From their van breaking down just 2 weeks into their first trip around Thailand, to battling mosquitos and monkeys at campsites, their experience is a stark contrast to the picturesque posts about van life typically found online.
Dom recalled the numerous times they got lost in the rural parts of Thailand without any network coverage: “We thought to ourselves, was putting ourselves at such risks really worth it?”
On the bright side, they visited numerous places in different countries, from Malaysia to Cambodia and Thailand, some of which they hope to revisit in the future.
As Dom and Hui Jing embarked on their van life, they started documenting their journey on several social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube. This led them to meet other like-minded Singaporean van and bike lifers like 2travellingaunties, Sabbatical Living, All Terrain Over Landers, and theproperpaupers, and they are grateful for these connections.
“We thought to ourselves, was putting ourselves at such risks really worth it?”
Despite having no prior experience with campervan living, they did not have much difficulty adapting to their new space. Their van includes a bed, a full kitchen, a fridge, and even a computer table—all in the back.
“We kinda like the little cramped space that we have. In fact, it helped us a bit with our relationship”, Dom shared.
“We kinda like the little cramped space that we have. In fact, it helped us a bit with our relationship.”
Travelling on the road while living in a van requires good chemistry for things to go smoothly. So, despite having arguments on occasion, Dom and Hui Jing revealed that they can reconcile quickly.
“I think we are a bit more forgiving to each other because we have to be together and work together on almost everything”, they revealed.
“We need so little to survive, but we keep wanting more”
During their various trips, Dom and Hui Jing encountered many people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. One particular experience, however, holds a special place in their hearts.
On one of their trips to Thailand, their van broke down, leading them to mechanics Joe and Bin. Joe and Bin took exceptional care of them during that time, providing them with a place to stay at their workshop, 3 meals a day, and even a place for them to shower.
“They are not well to do but they have the heart to give so much. Why would you want to provide meals, a place to stay, and a shower to someone who is dropping by to fix their lousy 16-year-old campervan?”, Dom recalls.
Joe and Bin also invited the couple on family fishing and mushroom-hunting trips. These experiences were eye-opening for Dom and Hui Jing, as they learned how simple and fulfilling life can be.
“In our society where it is so busy, this is something that is very eye-opening and very wild to me”, Hui Jing mentioned.
Dom and Hui Jing were exposed to different cultures and lifestyles on their trips there, and they now regard Joe, Bin, and their families as their own kin as well.
“Of course [van life] is nice but we have to be realistic also.”
While living in a van and travelling to different parts of the world may seem like a great escape from the stress of work, a lot of effort is required to make sure that everything goes smoothly.
TL;DR: It’s not cheap. Dom and Hui Jing set aside a combined budget of about $20,000 just for purchasing and converting the van. However, when factoring in maintenance and fuel costs, expenses can quickly add up.
“I think the difficult part was planning the budget and working within it”, Dom shared.
“As much as it sounds like a very nice thing to do, of course, it’s nice but we have to be realistic also.”
For those who are kaypoh like us, Dom and Hui Jing shared that, aside from the initial costs of starting their van life, their monthly expenses are relatively low, especially since they have their own place to stay while travelling.
Their monthly expenses total around $1,600, with a significant portion going toward fuel. They also noted that they aren’t people who usually splurge on non-essential items, which contributes to their lower expenses. They have also taken on some freelance and part-time design jobs in the renewable energy industry to help alleviate some financial strain.
“As much as it sounds like a very nice thing to do, of course, it’s nice but we have to be realistic also”, Hui Jing admitted.
Currently, Dom and Hui Jing are planning their finances to see how they can support their van life in the long run. They are also looking to build and upgrade their van soon, and we heard they’re trying to incorporate a shower space.
“We don’t know if we will exactly do it for life, but if we have the ability to, we hope to do this for as long as we can”, Hui Jing expressed.
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Choosing van life over the Singaporean grind
Dom and Hui Jing encourage those looking to venture out of their comfort zones and explore unconventional paths to take that crucial first step.
“There’s no single right way to live your life, and it’s perfectly fine to pursue what you want,” Hui Jing reassured. She also reminded us to be realistic and act within our means.
Dom also added, “Not all advice holds the same value, and taking guidance from the wrong people can hold you back significantly.”
“Not all advice holds the same value, and taking guidance from the wrong people can hold you back significantly.”
If you are ever looking to explore van life and convert your own van, Dom and Hui Jing mentioned that you can hit them up anytime and they will be happy to share their experience.
For those that want to follow Dom and Hui Jing on their van life journey, you can check out their Instagram and YouTube pages to stay updated on their travels!
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All images courtesy of BokChoyTravels (@bokchoytravels)
