Some people keep van life super simple, with just a bed and a bit of storage. Others go all in on comfort, with proper kitchens, solar power, and bathrooms.
But the core idea remains the same — people move from place to place instead of staying in one city. Some do it full-time, living in their van all year round. Others are part-timers or weekenders, using their van only for trips, vacations, or seasonal travel.
A lot of van lifers have remote jobs, while some freelance, run online businesses, or pick up seasonal jobs along the way.
Experts trace the roots of van life back to the hippie movement of the 60s and early 70s. It was a time when people were pushing back against traditional routines and choosing freedom.
Back then, vans (especially old campers and buses) were used by surfers, musicians, and travelers who wanted to live on the road without spending much.
Today, the crowd has expanded to digital nomads, influencers, retirees and even young families seeking adventure.
The big shift came when social media started showing a more curated version of life on the road. Movies like ‘Into The Wild’ showed both the fun and the dark side of this lifestyle. Remote work also made it easier to actually sustain it.
Over time, rising rent and living costs pushed more people to consider alternatives like van life.
As #vanlife movement was picking up speed, the pandemic hit. Suddenly, more people were looking for flexible ways to live and travel.
Recreational Vehicle (RV) shipments jumped from around 400,000 in 2019 to 600,000 in 2021.
In a 2020 survey in the US, 74% of people said they would choose van life if it meant they could retire comfortably.
“The pandemic put the van life industry on steroids,” Brian Jagodnik, marketing and creative director at Outside Van, a luxury van conversion company in Portland, Oregon, told CNN Business.
“People wanted to get out. They wanted to get away from other people and stay safe, and we were all limited in what we could do. It pushed people outside and to travel away from others and take the road less traveled, and so the industry just continued to grow.”
A lot of people also like the flexibility of living on the road. You’re not stuck in a fixed routine or location, so you can change plans on a whim.
You can stay longer in a place you love or move on if you don’t. There are no hotel bookings or flights that you need to reschedule or cancel.
While van life and camping come with freedom, it doesn’t mean there are no responsibilities. They just look different from traditional living.
Everything from insulation and flooring to installing a bed, water system, and a small kitchen can set you back quite a few bucks even before you hit the road.
Instead of rent, you’re managing things like cold mornings, water and electricity use, keeping the heater running, cooking simple meals, and constantly figuring out safe spots to park for the night.
Then there’s the unpredictability of bad weather, finding reliable internet for work, and the occasional breakdown that can throw your whole plan off track.
“Unless you have a really luxurious motorhome, after a while you do miss your four walls and a hot shower, especially in winter. That’s why I don’t recommend this life if you only want to save on rent. At the end of the experience, I felt like an astronaut returning from space. It took me a while to get used to life indoors,” says writer and van lifer Antonio Armano.
This lifestyle has also raised questions about the movement’s sustainability and effect on the environment.
Vans run on fuel and add to emissions. Older or diesel vehicles in particular tend to have a higher carbon footprint compared to staying in one place.
Other concerns include waste management on the road, water use, and the strain of having lots of vans parked in natural or quiet areas for long periods.
The surge in demand has been “bittersweet,” says Bryan Walker, co-owner of Cascade Vans.
“Five, six, seven years ago, some of the places we’d go, you’d be up there alone. Now, there’s no trespassing signs, and they’ve banned camping in a lot of places because it’s just gotten so trashed. You see the places that you love and get to experience doing that lifestyle, and now you’re seeing it become kind of exploited.”
With all its pros and cons, van life isn’t a straight-forward story. Not everyone can afford to travel in an RV or build a fully equipped van — even though Instagram often makes it look easy.
The reality is, it takes money, planning, and a lot of flexibility to actually live that way by choice.