I Left Everything Behind for a Life on the Road in Australia—And Built My Van from Scratch
- Francesca Frascona
- Jul 25
- 10 min read
Updated: Jul 26
A short story of myself, a 30-year-old backpacker. A dream, a few dusty roads, and a van called Mitsu. I traded my desk job to find freedom in the wonderful chaos of van life.
I honestly can’t even remember exactly how I first began thinking about Australia. I stumbled across posts and videos about Aussie— the stunning coastlines, the red deserts, and the adventurous spirit of people living in vans traveling full-time, and embracing life to the fullest while chasing sunsets and exploring wild roads. Something about it resonated deeply with me. That sense of freedom was something I wanted to experience for myself. That’s when I began looking into the Working Holiday Visa.
The dream was planted like a seed—but I wasn’t quite ready to act on it. After all, it was a huge decision to make.
At the time, I was still living in London—juggling life, a relationship, full-time work, and trying to figure out my next step in life. I’d always been curious about furthering my education. But this dream of a life on the road in Australia in a van life started creeping in more and more. It was 2018, and I knew I’d still be within the age limit for a Working Holiday Visa after finishing university (thankfully 35 years of age for the UK and Italy), so I decided to go for my degree first. I graduated at 28 with First Class Honours—proud of the journey, but even more excited about what was coming next. Once uni was done, it was time. Australia was no longer a dream. It was a plan.
I truly believe the travel bug was always in me. Living in a well-connected city like London made it ridiculously easy to travel. Airports were close, flights were cheap, and days-off getaways became part of normal life. Before I even made it to Australia, I had visited 35 countries. From solo trips to spontaneous adventures with friends and family, I was always planning the next escape. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that constant urge to go somewhere else? That was something deeper. Something that eventually pushed me to change my life completely. And the pandemic—oddly enough—made that desire even stronger. Watching people live on the road, travel full-time, live free… it opened up a whole new world. That’s when I realized: this is possible. This is what I want.
So I worked hard for another year, saved as much as I could, and started planning seriously. I already knew I wanted to travel Australia in a van. Not just any van—I had my heart set on a Mitsubishi Delica even before I landed. I did tons of research on the perfect vehicle for the upcoming trip and found out it was the perfect van to explore the wild side of Australia, especially with its four-wheel drive. Well, at least it was for me. Other travellers may, of course, have different opinions on the perfect vehicle, but that all depends on how you want to travel, what places you want to explore, and how comfortable you want to be while on the road. My little van has never let me down, and I do not regret the choice I made. He has taken me to places I could have never imagined, and I love him to bits! Even though I have to admit, he does require a fair bit of attention, but I already knew that. He is an old fella, a 90s kid like me, so no judgments for a bit of back pain every now and then 😛 But let’s go back to how all of this really began…
In London, I was working as a Security Analyst and night shifts were part of my routine. It was during one of my usual night shifts that everything became real! There I was, sitting at my desk, staring at my screen: Australian Government Website – Working Holiday Visa Application. I applied. My visa was approved within seconds. A sign from the Universe? I honestly didn’t expect to get my visa approved so quickly, so I stood up, went upstairs, grabbed a coffee from the staff kitchen and started thinking… I had 12 months to enter the country, that was it, the preparation started. My entire focus shifted towards that one project of mine: Project Departure.
After years of dreaming, I was finally doing it. In November 2023, I left everything behind. The city. My little rented flat. My career, my long-term relationship, a steady pay check, and every version of “normal life” I knew to jump into the unknown. That 'normal life' suddenly didn’t felt right. I was heartbroken and unsure about my decision, but there was no going back at that point, so heart pounding, palms sweating, I did it anyway. The fear of regret was much stronger than the fear I had for the unknown and what was to come!
My motto during those days: Feel the fear and do it anyway! And most importantly, I didn't want to look back in 10 years time asking myself 'what if'. So no regrets…
I felt terrified, unsure, excited and free… all at once. A secret I never told anyone? I was a complete mess somewhere over the Indian Ocean. Those who know me well know how emotional I can be a times. I cried tears of joy, fear, sadness, excitement—basically every emotion in the book—almost the entire flight to Australia. I chose Perth as my first destination. From one of the most populated cities in the world to the most remote capital city in Australia. That sounded about right to me after all those years in London!
I still remember looking out the plane window and seeing the Western Australian coast. That’s when it hit me: I’m really doing this. The fear disappeared and the excitement started.
Only six days later, I bought my van—Mitsu. Yes, that Delica I researched so carefully in advance. A 1995 Mitsubishi Delica L400, 4WD, turbo diesel. No hesitation. I didn’t even look for a room to rent first; I went from one Airbnb to another during my first three weeks in Perth. All I wanted first was my van and started hunting for it. Found Mitsu, and boom—my journey officially began. Not sure if I will ever be able to compare that feeling, but for the ladies out there, it’s like choosing your wedding dress. It was love at first sight :P
What did I do after I bought the van? Eventually, I did find a room in Perth and started working as a waitress. Let me tell you, going from a London office job—with a good salary and a career I had built—to hospitality, where my income was suddenly cut in half? That was hard. I knew it was coming due to the restrictions of a Working Holiday Visa, but still—it felt like a huge step back. Mentally, that was the hardest part. But it also humbled me. It made me realize how far I had come and how lucky I’d been in my professional life. At 30, I already had a solid career and a life I could always go back to if needed. (Spoiler alert: hopefully that won’t be needed anymore 😛)
Now back to Mitsu... The van was completely empty—just a metal box. I’ve always been a handy person, but building an entire home on wheels? That was next level. I bought a drill and a jigsaw, grabbed some wood, and got started. No workshop. Just the driveway of the house I was living in and a whole lot of determination.
I built everything from scratch. Watched countless YouTube videos. I learned basic plumbing, battery setups, alternator charging, solar power, water tanks, how to build a working shower and a sink—how to build shelves, drawers, install a roof rack, and especially how to hunt good second-hand stuff on Facebook Marketplace! I also basically lived at Bunnings for a while—Australia’s holy grail of hardware stores. I’d walk in for screws and come out two hours later with random timber and another bunch of stuff I hadn’t even planned to buy.
The electrics were the scariest part. Learning how power systems work—and how not to electrocute myself—was intense. And don’t get me started on the measuring. Nothing in a van is straight. Every corner is curved or blocked by something weird like a wheel arch or a random bolt. So every single thing had to be custom-built and securely fastened. It’s a moving vehicle, after all. However, no matter how much you try to keep things tight, there is always something rolling around in the back on gravel roads! (Mainly because I forget to secure them 😛 )
If you are curious about seeing my van build step by step, go check out the stories in 'Van Build Highlight' on my Instagram Profile!
Why the name Mitsu? Mitsu got his name on our first road trip trial. I was with some friends on a three day road trip north of Perth, we were driving through soft sand somewhere north of Lancelin. Full of adrenaline, trying not to get bogged, I started yelling in Italian: “Vai Mitsu, vai!” (“Go Mitsu, go!”). And that was it. The name stuck. And he is also a Mitsubishi so I just shortened the name like a proper Aussie would do!
The first night I spent alone in the van? Terrifying. My friends had left, and I had one solo night before heading back to Perth. I parked at a remote gravel pit at the end of a closed road. Pitch black. I was making plans on how to survive a possible serial killer and how not to get bitten by a poisonous spider or get punched by a kangaroo in the middle of the night! Slowly, the fear I had turned into peace. I just listened to my gut and only chose places I felt secure at. And now I crave that peace. That stillness. That silence you experience when it’s just you, your little home on wheels, and pure untouched nature all around you under a sky full of stars.
By the end of the Australia summer Mitsu was fully ready to go. The day I left Perth to start my journey is one I will never forget. That one first night alone in the bush was nothing compared to what was to come. This was something way bigger, it was the official start of my lap around Australia. Now it was all about empty roads, adventure, experiences, new friendships, and overall a new me slowly coming out…
Since then, I’ve driven all across Western Australia. I explored the southern coast and the stunning beaches of Esperance. Drove around white sand dunes at Lancelin, the Pinnacle Desert and my very first Pink Lake! Saw nature through a Window in Kalbarri, walked on a beach with millions of tiny shells. Hiked the gorges in Karijini, dived in the Ningaloo Reef, and watched humpback whales breach right in front of my eyes all while sipping my morning coffee in Mitsu. I chased sunsets and watched the camels ride along Cable Beach in Broome every day for an entire month. I had time, and life was finally slowing down. I knew what ‘live life to the fullest’ really meant at that point. I learned about Aboriginal history and bush medicine, caught crabs with Neville—aka my “Dad in Broome” his Buddy and a friend in the mad flats of Lombadina—and found an amazing travel buddy to cross the Outback with.
We drove along the Kimberlys with a constant of 42 degrees almost every day, it was though but we survived and learned to never give up on our goals even when things get hard. We arrived in Darwin, picked up another dear friend of mine arriving from Italy who joined us for part of the infamous Stuart Highway, a scenic route through the red center from Darwin to Adelaide, cutting the country in half.
Together we watch the tide change on Alligator River and the Crocs waiting for their pray at Cahills Crossing in Kakadu, swam in crystal springs with millions of flying foxes above our noses, and reached the heart of the country where we took a sunset helicopter ride over Uluru and Kata-Tjuta to celebrate my first year in Australia, before embarking on a little opal mining mission in Coober Pedy. I have to admit, some days were really hard. The planning, the heat, the flies, the permanent SOS on your phone. It can hit hard, not to mention how stressful it could have been in case of any mechanical problems with our vans. That is unfortunately one of the biggest fear during a trip like this. It is not just a vehicle it’s your home, and if it breaks down.. Well, then you are literally homeless in the middle of nowhere!
But is all of this worth it? Yes, yes, and again yes. It is an amazing, fascinating, and life-changing journey I would recommend to everyone. Just always remember to never give up on your dream and don't let fear stop you from being where you want to be and who you want to become. Get out there and start chasing red dirt roads, turquoise waters, and star-filled skies, people! We only live once, always remember that!
Eventually, I also had to chase a little bit of money to finance the rest of my trip around Australia. So we parted ways with my two months long travel buddy and I ended up on a magical little place called Kangaroo Island, another chapter of this amazing journey.
Looking back, I can see how much I’ve changed from the version of me that lived in London. I thought I was happy—but I was always booking holidays just to escape. The chaos, the noise, the concrete… it disconnected me from what really matters: nature, presence, simplicity, love and most importantly: myself. And the sad true is that I didn’t even notice—until I left.
Now, I feel connected to something. To the moment. To myself. Every morning I wake up somewhere new. Just me, my van, and the world outside my door. The freedom. The people. The wild beauty. The adventure. The peace.
Vanlife changed me. It made me stronger. I learned to trust myself, my gut, and my ability to solve anything that comes my way. I experienced on my own skin that fear is mostly in our heads and that nothing (and I want to underline NOTHING) is impossible if you truly believe in it. Of course it’s not always easy. Things go wrong. You break down. You get stuck. But you figure it out. You grow and continue your journey no matter what.
On a final note. I truly believe that every kilometre in Mitsu is a journey of self-discovery and constant growth, bringing me closer to the person I was always meant to be.
To new adventures to come ❤️
