An Indian couple's four-year honeymoon crossing fifteen countries in a self-restored 1977 Dodge camper van
#HUEVOICES: Meet Kartik & Sim of @thebrownvanlife.
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All images are courtesy of @thebrownvanlife.
We are Kartik and Sim, an Indian couple who decided to have a never-ending honeymoon after we married in 2020. We have been travelling full-time in our self-converted 1977 Dodge camper van for the past four years now.
The journey started in Toronto and took us to the southern tip of Argentina, Ushuaia. Over the four years, we travelled and lived in 15 countries, and the first major leg of our journey has come to an end now.
We are enjoying some time to plan out what's next while we live in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with our two dogs, Everest and Bali. Our journey is documented through our social channels @thebrownvanlife, and we hope to inspire other South Asian folks to break out of the norm and live life on our own terms.
The love story…
Sim and I met in Toronto. Sim is my brother's friend and he kind of introduced us. We started hanging out a lot during the summer, just doing a lot of summer things, you know, like going to concerts, festivals and whatnot.
Somewhere during the end of the summer, I suggested to her that we should do a road trip together. That road trip kind of sealed it for us. We were perfect travel partners and ended up taking many trips over the years together while we were working our corporate jobs.
At the end of our short overseas trips we would always long for more slow immersive travel. Sim showed me a BBC article about a German legend named Gunther that travelled the world in his badass old-school G wagon for 26 years. Something about that article struck me and inspired us both to live a story worth telling. The Pan-American journey is a small step towards the goal of seeing the world together now.
A personal note from, me, The Happy Hue:
Kartik is an old classmate. We went to the same school in Jakarta, Indonesia, when we were teens. Although we’ve lost touch since then, the beauty of social media is that it has allowed me to reconnect with Kartik online.
Following Sim and Kartik’s journey via social media throughout the pandemic, their story aligns with this segment's spirit. They’re mavericks, dreamers, and inspirational individuals living life on their own terms.
So, yes, although I realise that Kartik and Sim are proudly South Asian and not Southeast Asian, which is technically the theme of this segment. Their story is truly remarkable! I hope you’re as excited as I am to learn more about them because they built an incredible life, and being able to share their story with you is a true honour.
Our hometown is New Delhi, India, but home is wherever we park the van currently.
To us, home is a sense of feeling associated with safety, comfort, and love. Any place that provides us with all three elements essentially becomes our home for the time being.
We live in a camper van travelling around Latin America currently (if you’ve lived in multiple cities, please share), but I (Kartik) have also lived in Libya, Cyprus, China, Indonesia, Canada and India growing up.
The one thing we miss most about our hometown is delicious authentic Indian food.
If I, Kartik were an ice cream flavour, I’d be coffee because I enjoy the finer things.
If I, Smriti were an ice cream flavour, I’d be pistachio because it's unconventional, like my choices.
Kartik: My spirit animal is a rabbit because much like me they are calm and peaceful.
Smriti: My spirit animal is a dog because, just like them,, much like me, I love unconditionally.
The soundtrack to our life is “yuhi chala chal rahi” (“that’s what’s going on”). It is the song that inspired our travels. It’s about a wanderer who is being told to keep walking the paths of life.
Kartik: As a child, I honestly used to never dream of becoming something in a specific profession. I guess I was more lost then and a little lost now. I am in the phase where I am finding avenues of doing things I love day in and out without it feeling like work and still generating income from it.
Kartik: Now I am a consultant and I tell stories through social media platforms.
Smriti: Now I am in digital marketing and I tell stories through social media platforms.
Kartik: But, in another life, I’d be a Bollywood actor.
Kartik: The “pinch-me” moment in my career so far was when I was sitting on a beach in Nicaragua taking work calls and realising I can literally be anywhere in the world and have the life I want without having to worry about when my next vacation would be.
Kartik: I am currently listening to Jungle the most. It’s a vibe.
Kartik: My last three liked tracks on my Spotify are Jungle - Back on 74, Jungle - Time, Bonobo - Polyghost.
Kartik: The last movie that left an impression was Gran Turismo because it really goes to show it doesn’t matter how good you are at something, there is an aspect of luck that plays a major role in life changing moments. Really great watch, super entertaining also.
Kartik: My most recent well-spent splurge was a trip to Antarctica. Everyone has to go there once in a lifetime.
Kartik: I can never leave the house without sunblock and poopbags for my dogs.
Our go-to outfit of the moment is baggy black jeans and a t-shirt.
The shoes you’ll see me wearing most are just some plain vans or comfortable clean sneakers.
Kartik: The scent you’ll smell on me is Diptyque Do Son.
Kartik: On my bedside table, you’ll find a glass of water.
You’ll always find carbonated water stocked in our my fridge.
Kartik: My idea of self-care is getting a full body massage and a steam room session.
Kartik: The one healthy habit I cherish most is walking one hour with my dogs first thing in the morning without my phone.
Kartik: The type of vacation I crave for most is the one where I can go back home to India for longer periods of time with my dogs. Currently we have not figured out how to do it yet.
Kartik: My ideal Saturday afternoon is getting brunch with my wife and dogs, followed by long hours at a park.
If you knew you had one day left to live, how would you spend it?
Kartik: I would celebrate the life I have had with my loved ones around me and eat all my favourite dishes. Keep it light and just relive some of the best moments in my life with laughter, joy and gratitude for what this life has given me.
What does success mean to you?
Kartik: It really is an evolving definition. Right now it means being a good husband, a great dog dad, and providing a fulfilling life for my family and myself. Tomorrow it could mean something else.
Can you share a pivotal moment in your life that helped shape your path to your current success?
Kartik: I would say trusting my gut and making a risky move to go independent. This happened during the pandemic when I got laid off my full time job and I started looking for freelance gigs instead of applying to new positions. I guess that lay off was a blessing in disguise and helped me break out the conventional path.
What is one piece of advice you’d like to give to your younger self?
Kartik: I know a lot of people say to not be hard on yourself when you are younger, but I think the opposite would stand for me, I was way too easy on myself growing up. I would probably tell myself to keep things light as I always do as that is the joy of life but perhaps not keep my chin up super high even when I made mistakes. This probably did not let me learn as fast from my mistakes.
What is your secret to life or what’s your life motto? Why?
Kartik: Kindness. Give kindness without expecting it back and you will be rewarded with more kindness from the world than you would have imagined.
What’s something people often misunderstand about you?
Kartik: My silence. People often misunderstand it for being less caring or identify me as being extremely introverted.
What values/legacy/perspective has growing up in Southeast Asia impressed you?
Kartik: Cultural diversity and how everyone lives in harmony. You can be among so many diverse ethnicities, languages, religions and traditions yet they all blend in together perfectly. The second would be a strong sense of community. The society is so tight knit by the community and family ties. You feel like you belong and have less tendencies to be individualistic.
How do you define your cultural identity, and how has it evolved?
Kartik: I am a confused desi. My cultural identity is very much deeply routed to my Indian origin but with a blend of American/western influences. So most of the time I am very confused but I have learnt to navigate it better over the years. My cultural norms, traditions and values are a blend. I take what I believe makes most sense to me from my upbringings from either side and discard the other. For eg, I speak two Indian languages as that is what is spoken at home but I also often mix in english, as I can’t find translations to specific words.
How do you hope to influence or inspire the next generation?
Our messaging on our platforms is mainly directly towards South Asians and Southeast Asian, as there are very few reference points for the next generation to look up to when it comes to living alternate lifestyles. We just want them to not box themselves to the norms our society has drawn up for us.
When we started out we had zero reference points that looked like us and that certainly caused a lot of self doubt in convincing ourselves if this lifestyle is really for us. The more representation there is the more likely someone that looks like you and feels the same way as you will follow a similar path, in our case the nomadic lifestyle. That’s our hope in our message to the next generation.
What is a tradition or custom from your Southeast Asian heritage that you hold dear?
There is a saying in Sanskrit “vasudhaiva kutumbakam” which means the world is one big family. That us humans are connected beyond the man made borders. The goal of our journey was to experience these connections of humanity for real. Throughout the 15 countries of the PanAmerican highway we were constantly reminded of the good in the world and how deep down, us humans strive for similar things, and find ways to celebrate life no matter how poor or rich we are.
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