What could be more aspirational than freedom? Shake off the shackles of mortgage or rent—and associated financial obligations—to travel about as a deliberate vagabond. You aren’t homeless because your vehicle is your residence. Cost-effective. Safe and contained. Simple. Free. All are allures of vanlife.
But what happens when aspiration falls far from reality? I guess that’s the state of the Featured Image, captured using Leica Q2 Monochrom, yesterday. I came upon the van for sale along Alabama Street in San Diego neighborhood University Heights. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/1600 sec, 28mm; 11:33 a.m.
What are the challenges that ruin roaming aspirations or, for some, ignite them? Better that you see for yourself. Some quick primers:
- “I Lived the #VanLife. It Wasn’t Pretty” (New York Times; April 2022)
- “#Vanlife, the Bohemian Social-Media Movement” (The New Yorker; April 2017).
- “As costs rise, free spirits trade ‘vanlife’ for minivan life” (The Globe and Mail; March 2023).
- “They changed everything and adopted #vanlife. Here’s what they learned” (The Guardian; January 2023)
- “The Unglamorous Realities of #VanLife and How to Make Life on the Road Work” (Outside; April 2017).
- “Social media makes living in a camper van look like the simple life. The reality is a lot more complicated” (Insider; February 2021).
There are a bazillion blogs, Instagrams, Patreons, Substacks, and YouTube Channels about vanlife. Have a look, if interested. My reading list—albeit from more traditional media—means to quickly consolidate various voices into smaller reading collection.