The love of kitesurfing inspires people to do some "weird" things, but it takes a fellow kitesurfer to understand that "weird" is the only way to live! Roosi and Madis were more than ready for an escape, and they had their sights set 5,000km away on the promised land of Tarifa. Did they find the escape they were looking for? Find out in this exclusive article!

The story starts a little over two years ago when we decided to divest ourselves of most of our material possessions and move into a van - not just for a weekend getaway, but indefinitely. It may seem like a crazy decision, and we certainly heard our fair share of questions and comments about our "weird" lifestyle, but to us, it made all the sense in the world. Join us for some insights into the adventurous roller-coaster that is our life in a van!

There are three main characters in this story; Behind the keyboard is Roosi (that's me), my partner in crime, Madis, and, last but not least, our van life-loving dog, Luna. We are writing from Europe's kitesurf capital of Tarifa, where we've been van life-ing for a few months. So how did we get here? And what was our driving force in choosing to live in a tiny home on wheels?

We'll take you back to where these adventurous roots first sprouted. We come from Estonia, a place not known for kitesurfing or its van life culture. Luckily, we found these two incredible passions, and we're happy to see that their popularity is growing amongst the people of Estonia. Kitesurfers are a big reason our country's van life culture is growing!

Our nature at home is breathtaking. We have lovely kitesurf spots, and we can session all year round. Of course, all year round means that we're often snowkiting or riding in freezing conditions! We only have three months of warm weather every summer, and that's if we're lucky. When it comes to the wind, we wish we had more. We can go months without a good windy day, which is just what happened this past summer. We did, however, enjoy some strong wind in spring, but we still pray to the wind gods daily.

When you're going months without wind and only dreaming of the next session, you start going a little crazy, or maybe you get extra creative! So, Madis and his partner Andreas took on a personal mission: introducing kitesurfing to Estonians by starting a surf club, school, and shop called No Work Surf Club. Their hard "work" - which we don't consider work since we want to do it with all our hearts - has paid off, and we now have many ambitious kiters in Estonia, and our community continues to grow. 

No Work Surf Club and the rather chilly weather in Estonia were two things that inspired this idea of having a kite van and eventually moving into said van. Now that the van is decked out, it's hard to imagine dealing with the earlier inconveniences of kiting, like not being able to have a hot shower immediately afterwards. Also, we no longer have to chase wind all around Estonia with the risk of getting skunked because everywhere we drive, we are at home.

Our van is entirely handcrafted by Madis and was designed to be the ideal kitesurfing companion, with an ample, ventilated space for our kitesurfing gear. The interior has a surfy, beachy vibe that makes us feel at home in an environment that matches our chosen lifestyle. The van is our home, and we love it.

So why did we choose Tarifa as our primary road trip destination for this year? It's simple; it's reasonably close to Estonia if you consider that 5,000 km is close. Mostly, it's that it's a windy kitesurfers paradise, and our time here has been a dream. Tarifa has so much to offer, with excellent kiting and van life infrastructure. Many accommodation options are kitesurfer friendly and will make you feel at home, even if you're not in a house on wheels! It's a complete package; beautiful, full of nature, and a coastal city filled with like-minded, awesome people. 

It's also a place that allows us to grow as kitesurfers. Tarifa is full of amazing riders, and seeing them in action is a major source of motivation for us. We push ourselves harder by sharing the water with so many talented people. 

We were in this paradise late enough in the season to be able to ride at Balneario, a famous big air spot with mainly side-offshore wind and the Isla de Las Palomas with the immediately recognisable Punta de Tarifa lighthouse in the backdrop. It's graced many magazine covers and been the site of some of the most epic big air sessions ever had.

Our next favourite spot near Tarifa was a bit further away from the old city centre; a spot called Los Caños de Meca. More exposed to the ocean than Balneario, this spot had massive waves and conditions better suited for advanced kiters. Unfortunately, it's another spot closed to kitesurfers in the summer, but arriving later in the year allowed Madis to enjoy some solid surf sessions in this spot. A bonus, being nearly an hour away from Tarifa meant more places for van camping! 

Why now? To be honest with you, with the situation in the world, we were looking for an escape. Now that our road trip is coming to an end, we've had time to reflect on the lessons we have learned. Our perspective has changed. We realised our problems are minor; we just make them bigger with our thoughts. The people we met gave us hope. People like us, families living in vans, made us feel normal. We fell in love with Tarifa and this newfound feeling of freedom.

As the weather got colder and rainy days became more frequent, we decided to end our road trip with one last stop at Obidos, in the neighbouring country of Portugal. We caught some wind at the flatwater lagoon of Obidos, with big Atlantic Ocean waves outside of the lagoon. The environment is wildly different from the kite spots in Tarifa and a definite must-visit when in Portugal. 

Going home is much easier than we thought it would be. We are proud to say we have grown as a couple, a family, and individually. We strongly recommend taking time for yourself, especially amidst all the stress and frustration in the world. It doesn't have to be for months, and it doesn't mean you have to live in a van. Wherever you go in the world, as long as you're focusing on yourself, you can find this same opportunity to renew yourself and refresh your perspective. 

We don't know when our dream life will come to an end, but most certainly, van life will always be in our hearts and, in some ways, always with us. Tarifa has become and will remain our number one kitesurf van travel destination, and we are looking forward to coming back here next year. 

Follow our van life adventure on Instagram at @bussielu. And to teach a little of our language to you - bussielu means van life!

By Roosi Natali Nogisto

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