Growing Van Life Culture in the US- Nomadic Sustainability

Flourishing van life culture (nomadic lifestyle) in the United States is gaining popularity and sustainability.

Hira Arshad
5 min readSep 4, 2023
van life culture

Beginning of Van Life Culture:

In the United States, there is a growth in a van life culture among those who prefer a nomadic life. It best suits those who want a simple life and avoid crowded places. This tremendous increase in the van life trend is for those who love adventures and hit the road to go random places. The van life community has shown a diverse rise after COVID-19 took over the world. Instead of sitting in one place under lockdown, van life culture increases freedom to live, in a safe environment.

In 2017, around 40 million people packed their luggage and moved on to road life. However, the number was one in five Americans in 1946 and this number goes to one in nine. Back then migration in the United States culture was a struggle to flee poverty, gain freedom, accommodation, and a better lifestyle.

From 1910 and 1960, there were around fifty years, leaving America with increased van life and migration culture. Over 9 million people left South America in an effort to improve lifestyles, sustainable wages, escape poverty, racial oppression, and other factors in their way to seek a healthy lifestyle.

However, now there is an increased van life culture because they want to live like that and not they are forced to live.

nomad life

Why do people start living in vans?

There are many factors that may add up when asked about the different people who started living in the vehicle. The reason why many people choose to live in a van is as follows:

  • Freedom to live life by choice
  • Reducing the cost of living
  • Aim to live an adventurous lifestyle instead of a typical boring life
  • To connect yourself with nature and breathe the fresh air
  • Living in a van to pursue minimalism, a lifestyle that chooses to add value and meaning to life without all odds.
  • Avoiding any catastrophe and unfavorable weather
  • To start a new life from scratch without societal norms and old cultures
  • To earn more and move to different places for living
  • To work remotely from anywhere in the world, some people prefer to choose a nomadic lifestyle
  • To join your partner in a new beginning and live happily on their own
  • To live by yourself without family and pursue your goals.
  • To forget anyone and leave behind a partner

Although there may be other reasons combined when someone chooses a nomadic lifestyle. But these are some of the listed facts ranked from top to bottom.

Other than that, we have seen an increased trend of van life culture among youngsters. Regardless of anything else, vehicle tenants tried to be free. Whether they were a retired person in a $100,000 Mercedes van, or youthful Canadians working from a $5,000 van. They have the option to move their home to any place that is best for them.

As far as some might be concerned, vehicle living gave a method for getting by while limiting the typical cost for many everyday items was the second reason why van lifers decided to live in a vehicle.

Pros and Cons of Van Life Culture:

There are many pros and cons linked with this van life lifestyle, which you should take into account before you begin living with a van.

Pros:

  • Freedom and independence: Van life offers the freedom to live, travel, and explore the world
  • Cost-effectiveness: Living in the van gives you the liberty to live minimally by cutting costs. You cut many costs of living by buying trucks, SUVs, or RVs.
  • Convenience: It increases convenience to park a van anywhere and go anywhere you want.
  • Environment-Friendly vans: You live in vans using less fuel and more solar light to operate your compartments such as bathrooms, kitchens, and sleeping spaces. This is very effective, if we look closely, at living a low-key life.
  • Flexibility and Adaptability: The van life culture helps you adapt to any circumstances. There is an increased flexibility to move freely and quickly.

Cons:

  • There is limited space in vans for one or two people with or without pets.
  • There is no such privacy in van life.
  • In some RVs small or big, there are no in-built amenities like kitchen bathroom, and sleeping area.
  • It costs you to maintain and repair the van every now and then. If it needs regular maintenance, you have to park it near populated areas.
  • You may start to feel lonely if you are living in a van without a partner.

The Term #Vanlife and its Origin:

The term van life was first used by Foster Huntington, a designer at Ralph Lauren who opted to take a trip to Central America. He left his job in New York and started living in a 1987 Volkswagen Syncro. Moving to the coast of California, he started a social media platform to share his views on a newly adaptable lifestyle.

He is one who started hashtags “Homeiswhereyouparkit”, #livesimply, and #vanlife.

Frankly speaking, this attempt to live in a van, leaving a stable job was not to flee poverty, starvation, failing crops, or anything else. It was instead a new aspiration to live by your own terms like camping, yoga, meditation, a simple cup of coffee, music, pets, parking at a deserted land, and vintage photos.

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He started this new journey with hashtags #breakawaytribe, #furryvanlifers, #thevannation, and many more.

This new culture gained recognition after these hashtags started circulating on social media platforms.

I am working on a blog to support a lifestyle that works even if someone belongs to a nomadic culture. Feel free to give it a read. Thanks!

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Hira Arshad

Blogger| Writer| Love to share my perspectives and experiences on life, manifestation and meditation