WHY LIVE IN A VAN?

VAN LIFERS REVEAL WHAT ATTRACTED THEM TO THE NOMADIC LIFESTYLE

BY DUSTIN GRINNELL

SOCIAL MEDIA DOESN’T ALWAYS DEPICT A REALISTIC VIEW OF WHAT IT’S LIKE TO LIVE AND WORK FULL-TIME IN A VAN OR RV. WHAT’S THE REALITY? IT’S HARD LIVING, VAN LIFERS TOLD US, BUT SO WORTH IT.

“OUR ONE-YEAR ROAD TRIP TURNED INTO FULL-TIME VAN LIFE, AND EVENTUALLY, WE BUILT A BRAND AROUND IRIE TO AURORA AND TURNED IT INTO A BUSINESS."

FEELING LIKE THEY’RE LIVING SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE

When Noami and Dustin Grevemberg first met, they were living in New Orleans, working 9-to-5 jobs, feeling unfulfilled, like they were living someone else's life.

“We met at a college football game and bonded over our love of travel and the outdoors,” says Noami. “I shared the idea of travelling the United States in a van and visiting all the national parks.”

An immigrant from Trinidad, Noami grew up watching documentaries about America’s national parks, like Yellowstone and Glacier. At the football game, she told Dustin she’d made a promise to visit as many parks as she could when she came to the country.

They started dating. Every chance they got, they’d escape New Orleans for the mountains, often travelling to Georgia to hike parts of the Appalachian Trail (AT). It was on the AT, during a multi-day hike in northern Georgia, when Dustin proposed to Noami.

Not long after, they both decided independently on the same day that they were going to buy a van and travel the country in it. “We came home from work and nervously told each other, ‘I have something to tell you,’” says Dustin. “‘No, I have something to tell you.’ ‘You go first.’ ‘No, you go first." "‘Remember when we talked about seeing the national parks in a van? Why don't we do that.’" And they did.

It was February 2016. They wanted to be on the road in the spring, so they gave themselves three months. They knew if they waited too long, they might talk themselves out of it. They searched online and found the van of their dreams, a Volkswagen Westfalia in Mobile, Alabama. They bought it on the spot, naming it Irie. A month later, they embarked on a road trip to Alaska to see the Aurora Borealis.

“Our one-year road trip turned into full-time van life, and eventually, we built a brand around Irie to Aurora and turned it into a business,” says Dustin.

A Romanticized View Of Van Life Online

Noami and Dustin are members of a growing number of people in the US who have chosen to ditch the traditional notion of living in a permanent residence to live in a van or RV. In 2019, the US Census Bureau estimated that over 140,000 people have chosen this alternative lifestyle.

“Van life,” as it’s called, is often glorified on the Internet. Many folks who live in their vehicles craft professionalgrade stories of themselves doing whatever they want, wherever they want, on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and personal blogs. Owners throw open the back door of their vans to admire majestic views from their beds.

“Van life is presented online as all these pretty people in perfect vans in picturesque locations,” says Dustin. “Sometimes this is true, and that’s beautiful, but there’s definitely a romanticized view of van life on the internet. Real van life isn’t glamorous. It's raw, dirty, gritty. It’s tough.”

And yet, with all the challenges, most van lifers wouldn’t choose to live any other way. Despite the many difficulties and hardships van lifers face, they all say it’s worth it.

“WE'VE BEEN IN CRAZY WINDSTORMS WITH HAIL AND SNOW THAT CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. BUT THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH IF YOU’RE LIVING IN A VAN. ALL OF IT CHALLENGES YOU, BUT THAT'S ALSO WHAT’S SO EXCITING FOR US.”

"WE TAKE WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE ENVISIONING AND MAKE IT INTO A REALITY. IT GOES FROM AN EMPTY CARGO VAN, AND IT ROLLS OUT AS ONE OF OUR LITTLE, TINY, HOMEY, COZY, HOME-ON-WHEELS.”

- BETH & ERIC @ADVENTUREVANCAMP