You’ve found the origin. It begins with a puzzle, it ends with a legend. This is Self Evidence — part book, part game, part... something else. So welcome, wanderer... You've stumbled onto the starting line of something a little wild. Self Evidence isn't just a countdown — it's an open dare to the universe. Ready or not, the clock is already ticking. Let's see where it leads... ⏳ Calculating time until reveal... Access the Transmission ⚡ Join the Rebellion Think differently? Meme dangerously? Build audiences like fire? The Self Evidence project is open — but only to the bold. Choose Your Path Block 0002: [The Origin]
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
Those Happy Days of Travel...
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
-
Why Some People Trade a House for a Van and Never Look Back
Somewhere between a static caravan, a Ford Transit called Frida, a green removals van, an auto rickshaw in India, the Camino de Santiago, and the Arctic Circle in winter, two people quietly answered a question most of us are afraid to ask:
What if we stopped building a life around stability, and built it around aliveness instead?
The YouTube creators behind Those Happy Days have been full-time travellers and van lifers for over four years. Their journey has not been a minimalist Instagram fantasy. Engines failed. Vans had to be rebuilt. Plans broke. Borders and weather did what borders and weather do.
And yet — they kept going.
In their short video
(watch here on YouTube)
,
you see a tiny slice of that life: movement, open road, the weird peace of knowing your entire world fits inside a few square metres of metal and wood.
What Makes Someone Leave “Normal” Behind?
On paper, their timeline looks almost unreasonable:
2016 – move into a static caravan
2021 – buy a Ford Transit (Frida) and travel full time in the UK
Sell the caravan, convert a removals van into a tiny home
India in an auto rickshaw, Ireland in a VW T6, the Camino de Santiago (800km on foot)
Micro-camping in Italy, Ibiza, Corsica
The Arctic Circle in winter
Greece on the horizon
Most people look at that and see risk.
But psychologically, something else is going on.
If you’ve read our deep dive on
Tony Robbins’ Six Human Needs theory
,
you already know the pattern: humans will bend their entire lives around a small set of emotional needs. Certainty, variety, significance, love/connection, growth, contribution.
Van life and full-time travel are not random choices. They are an extreme but coherent answer to a simple equation:
what gives me more life than it takes away?
Van Life Through the Lens of the Six Human Needs
Look again at their journey through that framework:
Certainty: You know where your bed is. It’s always with you. Your “house” moves, but your tiny world stays constant. The routine isn’t nine-to-five — it’s daily rituals: pack, drive, cook, find a view worth waking up to.
Variety: This one is obvious. India, Ireland, Spain, the Arctic, micro-camping in island heat and crossing into polar cold. Variety is not a weekend break; it’s baked into the operating system.
Significance: Choosing a life most people find “impossible” creates a quiet sense of significance. Not in the egoic, look-at-me sense (though social media can feed that), but in the deeper sense of:
“I am not sleepwalking. I did something most people wouldn’t dare.”
Love & connection: Living in a small space with another human for years is either a slow-motion disaster or a masterclass in connection. You learn conflict, repair, patience, and the art of not running away when things get uncomfortable.
Growth: Every breakdown, border crossing, and rerouted plan forces growth. You become more competent, more resilient, more honest about who you really are when the Wi-Fi is gone and the weather doesn’t care about your feelings.
Contribution: Channels like Those Happy Days contribute in a surprisingly practical way: they let other people test a dream without burning their lives down. You can borrow their courage before you build your own.
When a lifestyle feeds three or more of these needs at a high level, the brain forms an attachment.
That’s why some people don’t “grow out of” van life.
They grow into it.
The Quiet Psychology of “Those Happy Days”
The name of their channel is almost ironic.
The thumbnails show sunsets, mountains, tiny kitchens, and wide roads — but the description quietly admits the truth:
“much of that time we have encountered many challenges equating in different camper van conversions.”
In other words: the happiness is not the absence of problems.
The happiness is having problems that feel worth solving.
Compare that with the life most people are sold:
A fixed salary, steady address, predictable commute
Exhaustion that spikes on Sunday night and never fully leaves
A thousand quiet compromises that never make it to Instagram stories
We romanticise the safe option, and we romanticise the wild one.
Reality lives in the boring middle:
every path has a price; you just get to choose which price you’re willing to pay.
Why We Keep Watching Other People’s Adventures
If you’ve noticed your feed filling with travel reels, van tours, and wilderness shorts, that’s not an accident.
Our attention goes where our unmet needs live.
We watch Those Happy Days roll through Arctic light or Spanish backroads not because we all secretly want to live in a van,
but because something in us recognises:
“They chose their hard. I haven’t chosen mine yet.”
That’s the same psychological engine behind the rise of new creators and storytellers — including people like
C. J. Cauldin, one of Miss Referee’s first official author endorsements
.
Different medium, same underlying pattern: one day you realise the “sensible life” you built does not feed the parts of you that actually want to be alive.
And then the dangerous thought arrives:
“What if I took myself seriously enough to try?”
So What Do We Do With This?
You don’t have to sell your house and move into a van.
You don’t have to trek 800km across Spain or drive into the Arctic winter.
But you do have to tell yourself the truth:
Which of your human needs are starving?
Where are you outsourcing your courage to other people’s YouTube channels?
What is the smallest, non-dramatic experiment that would move you one step closer to your version of “Those Happy Days”?
Maybe it’s a month in a cheap rental in a different city.
Maybe it’s a long walk alone, without headphones.
Maybe it’s starting the creative project you’ve been “researching” for three years.
Whatever it is, remember this: adventure is not a personality type.
It’s an accumulation of small, slightly scary choices that eventually turn into a life.
And until you’re ready to take your own first step, you can borrow a little courage here:
Those Happy Days on YouTube
.
Become part of the founding community behind Self Evidence.
Early access to future e-books (you’ll receive 3 for free once the library is created),
creative missions, digital experiments, and — eventually — real-world projects and
opportunities as SE expands.
Start Minimalist Living Today: Unlock Freedom and Joy | Self Evidence Why Minimalism is the Ultimate Superpower (And How to Start Today) Category: Self Evidence Minimalism Advise If you were told there was a secret superpower — one that could give you more time, less stress, greater clarity, and even more money — would you want it? Most people would. And yet, the power sits quietly, tucked behind overflowing closets and packed garages, behind daily purchases we barely remember making. That power is called minimalism . Not the cold, sterile version you see on social media. The real kind — the version where you build a life around what matters , and release everything that doesn’t. Minimalism isn't about owning nothing. It's about owning yourself again. Why Minimalism Isn’t Just About Less Stuff Minimalism has gotten a strange reputation over the years. Some imagine it as an aesthetic contest: white walls, a single chair, and a dramatic lack of socks. B...
You’ve found the origin. It begins with a puzzle, it ends with a legend. This is Self Evidence — part book, part game, part... something else. So welcome, wanderer... You've stumbled onto the starting line of something a little wild. Self Evidence isn't just a countdown — it's an open dare to the universe. Ready or not, the clock is already ticking. Let's see where it leads... ⏳ Calculating time until reveal... Access the Transmission ⚡ Join the Rebellion Think differently? Meme dangerously? Build audiences like fire? The Self Evidence project is open — but only to the bold. Choose Your Path Block 0002: [The Origin]
🫀 The Best Food to Unclog Arteries Naturally (And It's Not What You Think) Forget the side effects of daily aspirin. According to Dr. Eric Berg , there’s a food that may clean your arteries naturally, reduce plaque, stabilize inflammation, and even boost your mood — all without the risks. 📽️ 480,000+ views in 3 days — this one’s a must-watch for heart health and longevity fans. 🧬 Why Cod Liver Oil? This video breaks down the difference between traditional blood thinners (like aspirin) and a potent natural alternative: EPA (an omega-3 fatty acid found in fatty fish and cod liver oil). EPA reduces inflammation and platelet stickiness — two major drivers of heart attacks and strokes. Dr. Berg also explains how cod liver oil combines EPA with vitamin A and vitamin D — forming a trio that reduces arterial stiffness, boosts nitric oxide, stabilizes plaque, and repairs the artery walls. Subscribe to Dr. Eric Berg on YouTube Visit DrBerg.com for member...
Comments