Noami Grevemberg and her partner Dustin (and German Shephard Amara) are the trio behind the vanlife account @irietoaurora, though Noami is decidedly the visionary behind it all. The founder of podcast Nomads at the Intersectionand the platform Diversify Vanlife, Noami has channeled her passion for traveling into advocating and creating space for BIPOC and other marginalized groups within the nomad community. Name: Noami Grevemberg Age: 38 Vehicle type: 1985 Volkswagen Vanago

Name: Emily Coffman Age: 30 Vehicle type:  2002 GMC Savana AWD Time spent in van: On and off (mostly on) for 2 years. Hometown: Boise, but I call Ketchum, Indian Creek, and Yosemite National Park home Average monthly expenses: $200-500, depends on my proximity to cheaper groceries and gas! What made you decide to move into a van? Emily: That story has a lot of heartbreak and a lot of gratitude. It’s something I’d always thought about; I spent time “flipping” vintage campe

Maryland native Ellie Hoover and her cat Moose (@the_moosecaboose) moved into a converted Sprinter van a little over a year ago. Vanlife seemed more attainable to Ellie than her previous goal of tiny house living and she couldn’t be more thrilled with the experience. Read on to learn about her life as a solo female vanlifer. Name: Ellie Age: 29 Vehicle type: 2005 Dodge Sprinter Time spent in van: A little over a year Hometown: Takoma Park, MD Average monthly expenses: Appr

Finnish-born Minna Kulmala has been living the minimalist lifestyle for years—even before moving into the first of her vans. Her current van, Kiito, is home to her and her rescue dogs Chaos and Kaino and is parked in Spain, her favorite locale to live in to escape the arctic winters of Finland. The web designer and photographer works on the road under the name of Bhakti Creative and spends her free time in nature as much as possible! Name: Minna Kulmala Age: 34 Vehicle type:

Native Australian Shari May (@vanlifewithme) sold most of her belongings two years ago and moved fulltime into a converted camper van called “Milly.” In addition to the usual reasons for moving into a van like lost cost of living and ease of travel, Shari was drawn to the minimalism of this lifestyle, the smaller environmental footprint of this lifestyle, and the freedom overall to go where life takes her. Working for National Parks and Wildlife Service keeps her busy and mos

Annekathrin Rothe or Anni (@travelingbybus) has lived in numerous vans over the year before settling into her current 42-year-old Mercedes bus Elsa. The freelance digital designer and content creator from Germany has traveled the world living in various vehicles, a lifestyle she embraced rather than go the standard path of working in an office all day for the rest of her life. Name: Annekathrin Rothe Age: 33 Vehicle type: Mercedes Benz L407d Time spent in the Mercedes van: so

Names: Natalie and Abigail Rodriguez Van name: Towanda Ages: 34 and 36 Vehicle type: Sprinter Time spent in van: nearly 2 years (1 year, 10 months) Hometown(s): Charleston, SC Average monthly expenses: $1,460 What made you decide to move into a van? A desire to travel and live minimally. Natalie was pretty tired of her demanding job as a sous chef in a restaurant. She worked 60 hours a week and we didn't have much time to spend together as a couple. We decided to save money,

The culture of “vanlife” isn’t just based in the U.S.; there are people all over the world taking to their vehicles to explore the planet on their own. Issia (@issia85_vangirl), a French model, sold her possessions and left everything behind to move into her camper van “Cacou” to travel across the E.U. She made it to 28 countries in six months on her own before COVID struck and she “passed the torch” by selling her van to another young woman. Name: Issia Age: 35 Vehicle type:

Names: Natasha and Rowyn Van Horne Ages: 30 and 5 Vehicle type: 2003 Ford Econoline e350 Time spent in Van: Full-time since July 2020 Hometown: Tehachapi, California Average monthly expenses: $1,100 (gas, insurance, phone bill, food, and paying off debt) What made you decide to move into a van? Tash: For years I had dreamt of vanlife. The idea of being able to travel or drive out deep into the woods, explore nature, and all for a fraction of the cost was appealing to me. I do

The new influx of “van life” Instagram accounts may have you convinced that living in your vehicle is full of gorgeous photos taken out of the backdoor of your van overlooking a vista, ultra-sleek buildouts, and adventuring daily to somewhere new. For Steff Carter who first lived in her Subaru and then a Toyota Tundra, “van life” was more of a necessity and a lifestyle choice to save money, not something to be glamorized on social media. The avid skier, snowboarder, and rock

I first met Charlotte Kilborn at a Friendsgiving dinner party years ago when she rolled into town from Bellingham with her friend Kim and her dog Beacon (also known as “Beacon Bones”). Guests at the party took turns going outside to check out the amazing van that Charlotte was living in, a setup that was both practical and whimsical with its small details like animal skulls, plants, and art on the walls. She spent three years living in that van which allowed her to save enoug

Everyone knows Kim in her adopted hometown of Sun Valley, Idaho. The native Hawaiian turned in a life of surf for the mountains when she moved to Bellingham, Washington for college and then migrated around the west before settling in Sun Valley. Whether she’s giving free drinks to her friends while bartending, getting first chair on pow days, or shredding up the single-track on her mountain bike, Kim lives her life with fierce passion and a contagious energy. And her hound-do

When you think of “van life” or living in a decked-out car, a Honda Element isn’t usually at the top of the list. But when Kami Doan moved to Provo, Utah for physical therapy school and ran into some roommate troubles, she decided to save herself some money and drama by moving into her car. She lived in it for a full year and a half while in school (roughly all of 2018 and half of 2019). She’s since graduated and is about to start her first real job as a physical therapist, a