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Nohma

Don’t wait for “someday” – go for it!

Climbingvan

Nohma

Climbers, Charlie and Dale, met in 2016 in the mountains of northern Italy. Today they’re following their shared dream of living in their van full-time, running their own business and spending as much time as possible in the wild.

What is it that you do?

Since quitting our full-time jobs, we’ve started our own little business helping other aspirational van converters with their campervan builds. We just recently released our first book, The Van Conversion Bible, which is the ultimate guide to converting a campervan.


What kind of vehicle do you have? And what is its name?

We have a bright yellow ex-DHL LWB Mercedes Sprinter called Ringo.


Who/what inspired you to start your hobby/more traveling/new mobile lifestyle?

Campervans are incredibly popular in the climbing community because they mean you can follow the weather and conditions. Instead of being stuck in a rainy tent at a wet crag, you can park up in the sunshine and climb beneath a blue sky.


What is the best thing about doing what you do?

Moving into the van full-time and starting our own business will mean that we can swap our work life balance. So instead of living for weekends, we can work two days per week and have a five day weekend!


What does it mean to you to be a Dometic Ambassador?

We are super excited to be working with Dometic as they have similar values to our own. As well as being focused on making it easier for others to live a more mobile, outdoor lifestyle, they also have a strong sustainability focus, which is something that's very important to us. For Dale, as someone who has spent the past 10 years designing products, it's really nice to see how well considered Dometic products are!

Charlie, Dale and their Climbingvan
What is your dream trip?

We'd love to ship Ringo out to South America and drive through Patagonia all the way down to the tip of Tierra del Fuego.

What is your greatest goal in life?

To live a life full of meaningful experiences, and to do something that has a positive net impact on our planet and its inhabitants.

What is your go-to song(s)/ musician for road trips?

We have a pretty bonkers mix of music tastes, so our road trip playlist will go from techno and house music to old 80s pop songs and 90s hip hop!

Do you have any advice for someone looking to start a similar lifestyle?

Don't say, "I'd love to do that someday." We read a quote recently that perfectly summed this up for us, “‘Someday’ is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you.” If you want to convert a van or live a more nomadic lifestyle, just take the plunge and go for it! Living in a van massively reduces your overheads, so you really don't need much to be completely self-sufficient.

About Charlie and Dale

Dale and Charlie are from the UK. Until recently, Dale was a Lead Design Engineer in a large tech company, and Charlie was Head of Data Analysis and Digital Marketing for an online adventure travel agent.

However, after growing tired of daily commutes and a lack of flexibility, the urge for adventure was overwhelming. So, they decided to give up the security of their full-time jobs for life on the road.

Stay up to date with Charlie and Dale by visiting the Nohma website or following them on Instagram.