“Ooh I like your necklace! Is that a school bus?” The daily asked question of many, with the same, sighing but humorous response of, “No… haha, it’s a hippy van.”
Approximately two years ago, I became absolutely fascinated with the idea of a traveling van. It seems as if my generation has grown up in an almost make-belief world, where blessings become expectations and we don’t actually earn much of what we are given. Which leads me to my reasoning for this obsession; a yearning desire to learn the importance of water, food, space, heating and all of the other things that many often take for granted.
Now, of course I went through the phase of obsessing with the well-known, original Volkswagen Vanagon vans. But don’t be fooled, my dream was shot down fairly quickly after I had the opportunity of test-driving an ‘84 Westfalia. I’m prone to believe that my parents let me drive it for the sole reason of getting the obsession out of my system, but it didn’t work.
Since the day I stalled out six or seven times with the clutch too stuck to avoid it, the reality of mechanical problems with older vans hit me. I was now on to something different, more reliable and efficient; any van with a properly running motor that was hopefully not 20 years older than myself. That being said, I spend most of my free time researching empty van bodies, fully-equipped vans, smaller RVs, short school buses and moderately anything under the sun that could serve me a bed and limited kitchen supplies on wheels.
Despite the inevitable limitations of the van life, I think about the liberating freedom presented by a “home on wheels.” To awaken at the sight of a sunrise over mountains, canyons, deserts and so on, is simply more than I could ever ask for. Nature is my therapy, and I want to run with it. However, I do not intend to live this lifestyle forever, as I have other dreams and goals that a van couldn’t necessarily suffice. Nevertheless, the van life is essentially a piece of advice; a way to appreciate life.
– By Jessie Craig