A Kiwi woman who has been living on the road for almost a year has revealed how she funds her nomadic lifestyle through OnlyFans – and saves almost $1000 a month on no longer paying rent.
Violett Rose, 27, started her van life journey over 10 months ago after ending a long-term relationship and quitting her 9 to 5 job.
Originally launching her OnlyFans in January 2021 “as a joke”, the former teaching assistant and administration officer soon realised she was more comfortable getting her kit off naked for strangers than her partner – which was the final nail in the coffin for the couple.
In March, Rose ditched her job to become a full-time OF creator and a few months later in September, invested in a self-contained Toyota Regius Ace van.
“The idea [for OnlyFans] all came about as a joke around New Year’s, I never thought anything would happen from it,” she told NeedToKnow.online.
“I was already feeling such a positive change in my self-esteem and confidence levels after only being on there a few weeks.
“Doing OnlyFans also motivated me to end my relationship, as I felt like it was wrong to be more comfortable getting my kit off for strangers than for my partner.
“I went from having what felt like a bunch of responsibilities to only needing to worry about myself within a week.”
The model splashed out her savings on the $25,000 van, before setting off in December that year to live in the van full-time.
The previous owners had already done work on it, installing a mini kitchen, fridge, sink and pantry.
Rose added minor details including an alarm, extra storage and window tints and then set off on her adventure.
So far, she is yet to leave Aotearoa but has enjoyed sunsets and sunrises at Milford Sound, gone swimming in waterfalls – and taken a lot of saucy nature shots along the way.
She said: “The van is great to travel around in and I’ve not had any issues with finding places to park.
“I decided to add a few things to it to make it more comfortable for full-time living, including window tints, an alarm and extra storage.
“There were a couple of minor issues with the van that weren’t disclosed at the time of purchase but I was lucky enough to have friends that work with vehicles to help me get most of those issues fixed for free.”
Rose’s friends and family have also been super supportive of her choice to become a nomad, as well as using OnlyFans to support her new lifestyle.
She added: “My friends are so happy and excited for me and always love to ask questions and hear stories about my travels and OnlyFans.
“My family has seen the positive shift in my mental health since joining OnlyFans and love the van life adventures that I get to have.”
Rose said that she is a “huge advocate for mental health” and said followers have told her that her social media content “helped them feel happier and less alone.”
Rose’s OnlyFans career has also taken off in the past year, with the model now making six figures per year.
But her expenses have also been cut down dramatically.
“The great thing about van life is that it gives you so much more flexibility in terms of bills and life expenses,” she said.
“You don’t have a set weekly amount to pay as your ‘rent’ ends up being your petrol (or diesel) so you only pay as much as you need to travel that week.
“When I was renting a flat, my rent would be $230 a week before expenses, which would have felt a lot better if the money wasn’t going towards a damp room in an old house that had been split into two separate flats, with two people in the flat below me and two flatmates sharing the top storey with me.
“The money from OnlyFans is absolutely wild to me as I came from a very poor upbringing and never thought that I would be earning what I do now.
“Living in a van has been the most freeing experience of my life.
“It’s allowed me to grow and discover more about myself and the world than I would have personally been able to had I stayed living in a flat.
“Pushing myself out of my comfort zone and living this lifestyle has helped me more than I can even begin to express.
“In terms of how much I spend now per week, it can sometimes be $0 on petrol if I haven’t changed locations, my phone bill is about $80 and sometimes il top up $10 worth of data so I can upload my OnlyFans.”
Although she has seen a lot of success on the site, Rose has a few warning words for anyone looking to follow in her footsteps.
“Honestly, it [the income] changes each month and it can vary quite significantly, so don’t let the money side of things be the influencing or motivating factor if you want to join OnlyFans,” she warned.
“The experience is different for everyone and I know a lot of girls that work really hard and don’t earn nearly as much as they’re worth.”
COST BREAKDOWN (PURCHASE AND RENOVATION ADD-ONS):
- Van: $25,000
- Window tints: $300
- Alarm system: $1,000
- Van battery: $700
- Storage: $200-300
- Re-chargeable shower: $100
-By Katie Dollard
