Van-dwelling

In the late 2010s, an idealized version was popularized through social media with the hashtag #vanlife[2][3] which gained significant momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[4] Van-dwelling is a compound word that denotes the fact that motor vehicle living takes place typically, but not exclusively, in a van.

One of the first uses of the term "vandwellers" was in the United Kingdom Showman and Van Dwellers' Protection Association,[12] a guild for travelling show performers formed in 1889.

Mobile wheeled homes became popular in the US following the Great Depression in the mid-1930s as house trailers first entered mass production.

A New York Times article in 1936 described "hundreds of thousands of families [who] have packed their possessions into traveling houses, said goodbye to their friends, and taken to the open road.

[17][18] Its spirit of adventure and low-cost travel influenced the modern vanlife movement, which embraces similar ideals of freedom and alternative tourism.

[19] In the US, individuals who lack a permanent address and stable living situation, including vandwellers, are technically considered "homeless".

In the Western United States, the Bureau of Land Management allows vandwellers and other campers to remain in many areas of their vast administration for up to 14 days at a time.

[23] Van-dwellers should research local regulations and use resources like the detailed Vanlifezone map[24] to check for Natura 2000 zones and avoid these protected areas.

The map is regularly updated to provide more global resources and inspiration for better and more sustainable vanlife and overlanding experiences.

Some vandwellers choose to remain in one general area, and work full-time or attend school while living in their vehicles.

A conversion can be as simple as a few personal items thrown in the back, such as a sleeping bag or folding bed along with a few pieces of clothing, while using only the engine battery for power.

Upscale van conversion can provide most of the amenities of a conventional home including heating, air conditioning, a house battery system, a two-burner stove, a permanent bed, and other conveniences that make the vehicle fit for full-time living.

Vandwellers often pay their bills and conduct business online through the use of public Wi-Fi,[36] which they can access at libraries or in eateries such as Starbucks.