How It All Started (and Why We Bought a Van)

Hi friends, and welcome to Filling Up Philup!

That’s the name we’ve given this crazy, wonderful van life adventure—and we’re so glad you’re here to share it with us.

So, what’s this all about?

Living on the road and traveling the country in a van has been a dream of mine (hi, I’m Julia!) for the past six years. When I started working fully remote three years ago, the dream began to feel a little more within reach.

Fast forward to about six months ago: Nate and I were discussing what to do when our lease ends in January 2025. Half-joking, I suggested selling everything and living in a van, fully expecting him to laugh it off. But instead, he paused, gave me a thoughtful smirk, and said, “I don’t totally hate the idea.” That’s all I needed to go full steam ahead!

A week later, I showed Nate a list of vans I’d found online. That’s when he realized I was serious.

A bit about Nate: He’s been in Nashville for 16 years, working in the restaurant and hospitality industry—bartending and, more recently, managing Teddy's Tavern. (If you’re ever in Nashville and enjoy cold beer, live music, and awesome people, give it a try!) As you can imagine, 16 years in the bar industry can take a toll. So when I suggested trading it all for life on the road, Nate was ready for a change—and to my surprise, fully on board with the idea.

From there, things moved fast. Years of my “what if” research become our reality—and then... we bought the van (a.k.a. Philup)!

We decided to start with a blank canvas and do the build ourselves. Why? Well, according to Nate, it’s because there’s no way he could live with me in a van unless I designed and created it exactly how I wanted. (Honestly, fair point.) Building it ourselves lets us tailor everything to our specific needs—budget, kitchen layout, storage solutions, and even some fun features for our two dogs.

We created Filling Up Philup to document this adventure from the very beginning and share the highs, lows, and everything in between. This is just the start, and we can’t wait to bring you along for the ride.

’Til our next pit stop...

Julia + Nate