Press Release

What does it take to stop and ask yourself the most fundamental question: how did I get here?
For Vanessa Pinnington, the answer was a campervan, an open road, and the courage to leave behind a home that no longer felt safe. Selling up, setting off alone, and winding her way across the UK as Nessie the Nomad, Vanessa used the solitude and freedom of solo travel to do something she had never truly been able to do before: think.

HOW DID I GET HERE?

Vanessa Pinnington  |  Memoir · Travel · Women’s Interest

BOOK DETAILS

Format: eBook(published) | Audiobook (forthcoming)| Paperback (forthcoming)

Genre: Memoir / Travel / Women’s Interest

Publisher: Self-published

ISBN: e-book 978-1-9192625-1-2 https://amzn.eu/d/0g2JWVtN

Paperback 978-1-9192625-0-5

Audiobook 978-1-9192625-2-9

Blurb

When Vanessa Pinnington sold her home and set off alone in a campervan, she wasn’t just escaping — she was finally looking back.

How Did I Get Here? is the memoir of a former teacher’s solo road trip around the UK, and the lifetime of experience — trauma, domestic abuse, grief, single parenthood, and the menopause — she unpacked along the way. Honest, accessible, and deeply human, it is a book that works on multiple levels: as a vivid UK travelogue, as a frank resource signposting readers to support, and as a deeply human story that has made early readers feel understood, and seen.

“I couldn’t put it down. By reading your words, it has made me feel normal.” — Shell Waters, early reader

About The Author

Vanessa Pinnington is a former secondary school teacher and solo traveller, known online as Nessie the Nomad. Her teaching career gave her a front-row view of shifting cultural attitudes towards women and girls — a perspective that grounds this deeply personal memoir in something urgent and universal. She is available for media interviews, podcast appearances, speaking engagements, and guest features.

Reader Endorsements

“A wonderful story of strength, recovery, and adventure. Beautifully written and an effortless read.”Olivia Davies, early reader.

“Easy to read. I can’t wait for the next one.”— Siâny Griffiths, early reader

Key Themes

  • Solo female travel across the UK
  • Domestic abuse & coercive control
  • Trauma, anxiety & PTSD
  • The menopause & women’s health
  • Single parenthood & motherhood
  • Misogyny & gender equality
  • Finding identity later in life

Interview Topics

  • Solo female travel in the UK
  • Domestic abuse & coercive control
  • Women’s mental health & PTSD
  • The menopause & identity
  • Misogyny in schools
  • Memoir as healing

Contact

email address: author@vanessapinnington.com

instagram: www.instagram.com/vanessapinnington/

tiktok: vanessapinnington (@vanessapinnington) | TikTok

Facebook: www.facebook.com/vanessapinningtonauthor

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-pinnington-3bb10278

Journey Notes
Straight to Your Inbox

Let’s keep traveling together!
Get updates, stories, and inspiration delivered to you.