Health & Wellness Wednesdays

On the road, you are stripped of so many outside filters and your intuition is your best, most vital gift. We are in love with the breadth and diversity we’ve encountered on the road. We adore high mountains and warm oceans, the cultural delights in big cities and the slow charm of small towns, deep forests and vast deserts so life on the road suits us quite well, wherever that may be.

The call of the road isn’t just attracting retirees. Millennials are embracing a new way of life: van life. The hashtag #vanlife has more than 6 million posts on Instagram. The nomadic lifestyle has likely become more popular because of flexible work arrangements, the gig economy, and the minimalism movement inspired by Marie Kondo.

Alaina Ann, 38, has spent the majority of the past eight years on the road traveling solo. "I’m able-bodied now and I can do the strenuous hikes and spend a lot of time outside. Making it to 60 isn’t necessarily a guarantee."  

After spending seven months traveling on and off, she decided to try van life full time. She sold most of her belongings and let her lease run out. She customized a purple van and named it Dandy. 

Ann says her friends and family have been nothing but supportive of her choice to live in a van full time: "Sometimes people are initially surprised to learn I mostly travel solo. Many women say they could never do it solo or realize it may be easier than they thought." 

To stay afloat financially, she works remotely as a marketing consultant, graphic designer, and photographer. 

"I’ve been able to focus on passion projects now that my bills have decreased,” says Ann, who was even inspired to write a children's book. "Dandy the Van," which she expects will be published in December, is meant to help kids understand the world of travel through the eyes of Dandy, a precocious purple van and her friends.  

Ivy Garrett, 25, worked for a year after college but found “corporate life can rob you of your creativity and you forget what it’s like to have your own creative thing.” She also wanted to learn new skills and travel.

"No one talks about if you're going to actually like the job," she told USA TODAY. "Many of my friends say they are bored and that their skills aren't being utilized. The idea of having a degree doesn't mean as much as it used to. They want more meaningful work." 

Rather than buying an RV, Garrett and her boyfriend Kasey Truong decided it would be more economical to buy and overhaul a 1993 Eurovan.  The couple worked hard to set aside money from their corporate jobs to have enough to live on while on the road.  And along the way, they traded in their first van for a less expensive one. 

Initially, Garrett and Truong say their families were supportive but concerned. They didn't understand the couple's decision to sell their belongings in favor of a more transient lifestyle.

Garrett admits van life hasn't been all Jack Kerouac.

She found the hardest parts were sharing such a small space and the unpredictability of life on the road. It was sometimes challenging to find a place to park and sleep. They also had to think about where to find groceries and access to water, which used to be everyday conveniences.

When it came time to find a place to rest, the couple used iOverlander, a volunteer-run app and website which allow users to share the locations of camping spots and Bureau of Land Management areas that allow free camping, many of which also have bathrooms. They did most of their cooking on the road, using a camp stove they kept in the van. 

Camping's corporate world has taken note of the van life movement and millennial concerns.

"We’re excited to see younger and more diverse customers joining our community and getting outside,” Airstream CEO Bob Wheeler told USA TODAY.

Airstream, known for its aluminum RVs and trailers, is designing vehicles that are smaller and lighter but also wired. The company teamed with AT&T to offer LTE connectivity kits and plans that work with every model, an attractive feature for customers who need reliable high-speed internet access to work remotely, watch streaming entertainment and find their next campsite.

Kampgrounds of America (KOA) has even begun covering van life and glamping in its annual Camping Report.

"As these cultural trends emerged and grew – likely via high rates of sharing on social media – we see another example of how campers have adopted the camping lifestyle in a way that works for them,” the 2019 study says.

Experience & Adventure

Would you ever try van life?