New Yorker #vanlife

[rallypanam]

Did this make it here yet?

#Vanlife, the Bohemian Social-Media Movement - The New Yorker

[arctictraveller]

I never knew one could make a bit of a living posting van photos. Now all I need is a bikini model, a better camera and it's time to hit the road again. Thanks....

[rallypanam]

Originally Posted by arctictraveller

I never knew one could make a bit of a living posting van photos.

Yeah, we can't. One has to be younger and better looking.

Also, you need to be able to live on $18,000 gross income, as the two them apparently did last year. That's pretty tight.

[BrianW]

Apparently "vanlife" is now also a verb. Sigh.

From the New Yorker article:

“Their wives work office jobs and they work on the vans so the family can go out and vanlife on the weekend.”

[rallypanam]

Originally Posted by BrianW

Apparently "vanlife" is now also a verb. Sigh.

From the New Yorker article:

“Their wives work office jobs and they work on the vans so the family can go out and vanlife on the weekend.”

Yes, but that sounds pretty perfect to me.

[BrianBlair]

My girlfriend and I always crack up at the perfectly staged photos of the attractive woman in a bikini looking out the open rear door of a Westy at a perfect beach sunset with a well behaved dog laying next to her and a perfectly curated selection of stickers/logos on the Yeti cooler and a bunch of fresh vegetables on the counter.

People see these photos and think "that's the life for me...I need to buy a van!"

Sadly, that's not really what van travelling is like. The truth of the matter is that you probably argued for 15 minutes about whether or not the van was level....that was after wandering about for 45 minutes looking for somewhere that the cops wouldn't kick you out of at 2am. The Westy will likely break down tomorrow and you'll spend a few hours/days crawling around under it. The dog will likely throw up inside the van at some point and it'll smell like it for a few days because it's summertime in California and it gets hot here. Oh, which means that you're probably hot as f$%k at night while you're trying to sleep because these things don't have AC. Finally, at no point during any of the previous happenings did your girlfriend prance around in a perfect bikini and strike yoga poses on the roof of the van. Not. Once.

All that said, I'll be out there this weekend looking for that perfect sunset and trying to find a place down by the river that isn't filled with partying teenagers or weirdos.

[rallypanam]

Originally Posted by BrianBlair

Sadly, that's not really what van travelling is like. The truth of the matter is that you probably argued for 15 minutes about whether or not the van was level....that was after wandering about for 45 minutes looking for somewhere that the cops wouldn't kick you out of at 2am. The Westy will likely break down tomorrow and you'll spend a few hours/days crawling around under it. The dog will likely throw up inside the van at some point and it'll smell like it for a few days because it's summertime in California and it gets hot here. Oh, which means that you're probably hot as f$%k at night while you're trying to sleep because these things don't have AC. Finally, at no point during any of the previous happenings did your girlfriend prance around in a perfect bikini and strike yoga poses on the roof of the van. Not. Once.

LOL. Well said. My girlfriend has never been on the roof of my van, let alone in a bikini doing yoga.

[BrianW]

The overwhelming take-away I had is how much work they have to invest in their "carefree" lifestyle. Sure, it's great not to have a 9-5 job and be able to go surfing, etc., but being a social media "persona" takes a lot of work. Not that I'll ever have to worry about it, but once "vanlife" starts to become that much work it's just another job. Kinda defeats the whole idea IMO.

[caideN]

To each their own.

It's nice to think about living in a van and not having to work but to me, it's just a thought. Fun to think about but I cant imagine actually doing it. It is a lot of work and a lot of boredom.

There's people on YouTube who pretend to go 'homeless' to live in a van. They do this to get views. I guess it's just another way to make money on YouTube. Act as a hobo and get paid. Not a bad idea I suppose.

[BroncoHauler]

Originally Posted by BrianW

Apparently "vanlife" is now also a verb. Sigh.”

The beginning of the end.