https://www.instagram.com/p/BFWzjGZwKqW/
Ahhhh, van life! Inspiring landscapes, an open-ended timetable, and nothing but the shirt on your back. It’s a dreamy impulse few have the guts to pursue. For those who do, there are endless lessons to be learned. Whether you fantasize about meeting everyone west of the Mississippi or escaping the confines of a cubicle, life in a van may present some challenges, but it certainly grants you extraordinary freedom.
Last week, the New York Times profiled 23-year-old filmmaker Zach Both who left his job as an art director for a 3D printing start-up in Boston to hit the road. Towards the end of 2014, Both spent $3,900 on a white 2003 Chevrolet Express van with 200,000 miles. Together with his dad, he transformed the van into “a rad home on wheels.”
The van, which he now calls Rocket, was originally a “dingy, rust-speckled shell,” but despite no carpentry experience, Both managed turned it into the envy of his friends. He constructed part the interior out of materials from Craigslist and installed a stove usually found on boats. Both told the New York Times that his friends say the van is now nicer than their own apartments.
But it’s not all glitz and glamour. Both told Mashable this week that always being in strange environments and around new people can become exhausting.
He’s also discovered that life on the road is often lonely. However, he’s grateful for the relationships he’s developed and experiences he’s had and knows he wouldn’t have been able to enjoy those things had he not taken the plunge.
If you happen to be interested in pursuing a similar path, Both created “The Vanual,” a step-by-step guide to pursuing a life on wheels. You can also follow his life on the road and keep up with his film projects by following him on Instagram — and be sure to check out our own guide to the #Vanlife.
(Via The New York Times and Mashable)
