A multimillionaire has revealed why ditching the lavish life and trading her mansion for a van was the ‘best decision’ she has ever made.
Caitlin Pyle, 36, from Orlando, Florida, once boasted a grand eight-story home complete with 18 rooms before deciding to give it all up to become a digital nomad and live on $30 a day.
After getting divorced in 2019 and selling her proofreading company for a whopping $4 million, she suffered a ‘breakdown’ and decided to adopt a minimal lifestyle.
Now, Caitlin is happier than ever after she gave up her designer goods and costly living situation to travel the world in her Mercedes Sprinter van, which has a full kitchen, and solar panels.
Caitlin Pyle, 36, from Orlando, Florida, has revealed why ditching the lavish life and trading her mansion for a van was the ‘best decision’ she has ever made
She once boasted a grand eight-story home complete with 18 rooms (pictured) before deciding to give it all up to become a digital nomad and live on $30 a day
After getting divorced in 2019 and selling her proofreading company for a whopping $4 million, she suffered a ‘breakdown’ and decided to adopt a minimal lifestyle (her van pictured)
Throughout her 20s and early 30s, Caitlin built a successful proofreading business and made $100,000 in her first year.
By the age of 31, she was making $4 million a year, which enabled her to purchase a 400,000-square-foot house in Florida with her ex.
Caitlin and her husband separated after eight years of marriage, and in April 2019, their divorce was finalized.
She sold her company for $4 million and had to dip into her ‘nest egg’ just to pay off her bills, with $180,000 in mansion maintenance fees as she was the sole owner of the property.
Caitlin says money worries, her divorce, and having to maintain a mansion on her own left her feeling depressed and burnt out, and she soon suffered a mental breakdown.
‘Looking after the house became a full-time job. We built it for us as a couple, we looked forward to entertaining people and maintaining it together. But being inside it all by myself was swallowing me whole,’ she explained.
‘It was always something – you’d need someone to tend to the lawn, but the guy would cancel last minute, or your mailbox would pile up and you couldn’t bring yourself to sort it.
‘I was scrambling to pay my bills, and had my nest egg as a last resort. I had a total breakdown. Now, I had too much freedom and the emotional intensity hadn’t gone away.’
Throughout her 20s and early 30s, Caitlin (seen in her van) built a successful proofreading business and made $100,000 in her first year
She sold her company for $4 million and had to dip into her ‘nest egg’ just to pay off her bills – with $180,000 in mansion maintenance fees as she was the sole owner of the property
Caitlin says money worries, her divorce, and having to maintain a mansion on her own left her feeling depressed, and she soon suffered a mental breakdown (seen is the inside of her van)
She felt an overwhelming amount of fatigue and never had any energy, she ultimately went to her doctor, and he diagnosed her with chronic stress and burnout.
She was told her brain needed a break and some ‘TLC (tender loving care)’ in the form of exercise, healthy food and rest – so she decided to spend four years in recovery, setting up a remote new business as a life coach in the meantime.
‘My brain and body just ran out of resources. I needed to rest, eat some good food and increase my immune system – the stress wore me down so much,’ she recalled.
‘I started doing these daily affirmations to help with my financial situation – manifesting abundance and trying to figure out any sacrifices I could make.
‘I’d been watching a lot of van transformation videos and I decided, maybe I could live and travel in one for a while.’
So, Caitlin decided to pull the trigger and finally purchased a Mercedes Sprinter for $88,000, before spending $120,000 on renovations – including a custom-built kitchen that boasts a large fridge, a juicer and a blender.
It took four months to get her dream van ready, and she still had to deal with her home, so she hired an assistant to take some of the stress off herself.
After her van was complete, she began renting out her home for $25,000 a month, and focused on her new life on the road.
She was told her brain needed a break and some ‘TLC’ in the form of exercise, healthy food and rest – so she decided to spend four years in recovery
After her van was complete, she began renting out her home for $25,000 a month, and focused on her new life on the road
She has now traveled to eight states and spends her days embarking on new adventures.
‘I set sail on the “land yacht,” as I like to call it. I’ve cruised up to Alabama, Florida, Nashville – even stayed in my mum’s backyard for a couple of nights.
‘I’ve met so many interesting people, both on the road and on dating apps – I went on a date once with this guy called Jeff, who lives in a yurt. We’re still friends now, and we go mountain climbing together.
‘I like to drive for three to four hours at a time, then I usually park up outside friends’ houses. I’ll work out, take a shower, use their WiFi for a while to do some work.
‘Then the next morning, I’ll take off.’
Caitlin has even mastered finding the best parking spots by using a camping app and has began using picnic tables as makeshift office spaces, as well as solar panels for Wifi.
She has now traveled to eight states and spends her days embarking on new adventures
Although she has been on the move for six months thus far, Caitlin has no plans to go home anytime soon
Although she has been on the move for six months thus far, Caitlin has no plans to go home any time soon.
Caitlin, who now works as a life coach, said: ‘I went from living alone in a huge, empty house to travelling full-time.’
However, despite the drastic change, she said she was much happier this way.
‘This way of life is much more aligned with me. I used to go on multiple expensive vacations a year, but it wasn’t sustainable,’ she said.
‘Now, I’m living on $20 to $30 a night, and I’m leading a life I’ve always wanted to live. My life feels like a choose-your-own adventure. I’m doing all of this to please my inner-child. I love to travel – and this has been the best decision I’ve ever made.
‘I’ve become so much more confident, I’ve made new friends – even gone on dates.
‘Life is all about growth – and I believe this is what I’m doing.’
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