Van Life, living while travelling

Small experiences, nuances and personal discoveries, this is what makes travel meaningful and unforgettable. And it is this thought that guides those who make travel their daily life, leaving the daily routine behind to embark on an four-wheeled adventure and an opportunity to explore.

The Van Life owes its name to Foster Huntington but the unlimited travel and nomadic lifestyle has origins that go back much earlier : we think of the gypsies, of the Persian merchants (hence the etymology, karwan).

But it was in the 1950s, when the American west coast surf scene adopted microbuses for both surfboards and sleeping, that we saw a boom, with the counterculture developing into the 1960s, with the iconic The VW van has become a symbol of the free lifestyle.

What is Van Life today?

Today, in 2023, Van Life has risen to the next level: it is not only a lifestyle, but also a social movement and an industry.

On TikTok, the hashtag #vanlife has been viewed more than 12 billion times, while on Instagram there are over 15 million posts a regard. What about books, YouTube channels? Ever increasing.

Choosing to live in a motorhome is much more than just a lifestyle: it's a way to embrace simplicity and nature, and find beauty in every single moment.

A trend that in the last two years has seen exponential growth going from two to three million registered as nomadic travellers. Surely the global pandemic has accelerated the growing desire to live more economically, freeing ourselves from constraints, four walls and 9 to 5 jobs.

E i senior costituiscono una grande parte di coloro che decidono di staccare la spina e rallentare, rimettendosi in gioco per vivere nuove avventure.

The Van Life and the design

But where do you live? What are the possibilities of nomadic homes on wheels? The French designer-carpenter Serge Propose follows the motto "live simply free" and in addition to transforming any van into a mini bijoux house, he also offers prêt-à-porter kits for thevan Transporter from Volkswagen.

Small architectural projects that use natural materials, such as wood and simple lines with Scandinavian reminiscences.

Similar business idea for the English Studio Vans which, in addition to the modular design kits to be assembled te, pays attention to the environment and has managed to create a community of passionate vanlifers .

Design and innovation, also for the German Nils Holger Moormann Art Direction who for over five years he collaborated with Custom-Bus Camper Vans creating design motorhomes where every single minimum space is transformed into an accessory, piece of furniture or useful object for nomadic life.