Meet Stephanie Van Hoeijen

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stephanie Van Hoeijen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Stephanie, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

By accepting there is no purpose. That might sound silly or to some even depressing, but honestly, it’s a very liberating thought. It takes away all the pressure. Accepting the inherent meaninglessness of existence allowed me to finally stop searching for a pre-ordained path and start forging my own, doing whatever the hell I please while trying to be what I consider a good person. If there’s no cosmic script to follow, no religion telling you what (not) to do and no other people’s lifepaths to copy, then suddenly, everything is permissible, everything is a possibility. I might as well grab that backpack and roam the planet for a decade or two, why not? I’m just a passenger on Planet Earth, and I take that role very seriously. I’m just along for the ride and as I only am granted one, I’ll make sure that’s going to be utterly enjoyable.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Once upon a time, I was a possessor of all the trappings of a well-ordered, pre-packaged life: the shiny degrees, the respectable job, the apartment, the pet, the car – the whole shebang. A sparkling trophy life displayed on a societal mantelpiece. Except, there was one tiny, rather significant, problem: I was living someone else’s dream. So, with a healthy dose of audacity and a pinch of existential angst, I decided to rewrite the script. I bid adieu to the corporate ladder, surrendered the keys to my accommodation, amicably untangled myself from all existing social connections, purged my belongings like a zealous minimalist, and booked a one-way ticket “outta here.” That was over a decade ago, and today… I’m still on the same journey,

Initially, the grand escape was fueled by a quest for purpose, a desperate search for a definitive ‘somewhere.’ The irony, as life often dictates, is that the ‘somewhere’ turned out to be the ‘somewhen.’ I discovered a nomadic spirit I never knew existed, a restlessness that settles in the bones when stationary for too long. It’s not about disliking the places I visit, but rather loving all the places I could visit. Staying put began to feel like squandering precious moments, a cardinal sin when the world is bursting with unexplored corners. This constant change, this endless horizon, this daily grab for the metaphorical jugular of existence – this is what makes my life sing. Folks used to inquire when I’d “return to normal life.” The punchline? Only when I shook off that manufactured “normal” did I truly begin to live. Now that I’ve tasted this particular brand of freedom, there’s simply no going back.

My website, Budget Bucket List, entails the tales of such an existence. It’s not so much about me: it’s about this approach to life and the destinations that cross my unpredicatable path. It’s my way of both concreticizing experiences and giving back. A trigger, an apostrophy.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

– Independence. You can’t spend your life waiting on others. Just go, and the right ones will follow.

– Bravery. Or better: a lack of fear. Fear is paralyzing, it stops you right in your tracks. It’s usually triggered by the unknown, hypothetical situations in our head. So… familiarize yourself with it. With everything, everyone and all those insane endeavours you think you could never do.

– Instinct. I don’t regard that as some high spiritual concept, it’s straightforward rational brain memory. Your subconsciousness stores certain cues that your consciousness might overlook. If something feels off, it probably is.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I exclusively collaborate with companies who share my somewhat… Spartan approach to exploration. Think intrepid backpacker, not the pampered tourist. To earn my endorsement (and more importantly, the attention of my equally rock-bottom-budget-conscious readers), you must offer genuine value – a tool, a service, an experience – that genuinely enhances the pursuit of unfiltered, local adventures without breaking the bank. After all, isn’t the best souvenir a good story, not an empty wallet? My mission is to prove that the most authentic, unfiltered travel experiences don’t require a king’s ransom, and I need partners who are equally committed to democratizing adventure.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.budgetbucketlist.com
• Instagram: @budgetbucketlist
• Facebook: budgetbucketlist
• Twitter: @budgbucketlist
• Youtube: @budgetbucketlist

Image Credits

www.budgetbucketlist.com