After Foster Huntington left his corporate job in Manhattan, he spent three years living in a van.
He travelled the US, backpacking, surfing, and connecting with a nomadic community who’d left their own stationary lives behind for something different.
In his fourth book, “Van Life: Your Home on the Road,” Huntington gathers photos from the community, and interviews some of its members to learn more about their lives – and their vans.
Here, see 12 of the photos featured in Huntington’s dreamy depiction of van life, a world unto itself.
Foster Huntington is credited with creating the viral hashtag #vanlife, which people use to showcase minimalist lives based in vans, constantly on the move.
The pictures generally depict a lifestyle punctuated by dawn yoga on the beach and clear desert nights stargazing through the sunroof.
“I knew that I wanted to have this book be really authentic stories,” Huntington told Business Insider. “I wanted it to be an expanded perspective that wasn’t just mine.”
He asked the #vanlife community about their beloved homes on wheels: How many miles have you put on it? When did you add the circular windows?
“For a lot of these people, it’s self-evident why they would live like this,” he said. “I wanted to let their lifestyle come out through their discussion of their specific vehicle.”
His latest book provides a lens into the romantic life of the modern nomad …
… living in a home on the road.
Huntington said the concept of van life has developed in the past few years. He wants his book to reach readers in all stages and walks of life.
“It could be for an older couple that’s like, ‘Instead of getting an RV, let’s get a van,'” he said. “Or for a younger person who says, ‘This is how I want to spend my 20s.’ It could be for someone getting out of a tough time, being like ‘I want to travel and expand my perspective.'”
Today, Huntington no longer lives in the van. Instead, he lives in a treehouse he built in Washington State.
See Huntington’s treehouse »
He’s spent the last year assembling his book, building a production studio, and creating a stop-motion film specifically designed to be distributed via Instagram.
See Huntington’s short film »
He doesn’t have immediate plans to get back on the road. “For the time being, that stage of my life has passed,” he said.
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