In 2011, Ralph Lauren designer Foster Huntington gave up his job and apartment in New York City to travel along the California coast, living out of his 1987 Volkswagen Syncro. He began documenting his adventures on Instagram and coined the hashtag #vanlife.
It’s easy to scroll though #vanlife Instagram posts and be tempted to quit your job and hit the road asap. But don’t get carried away. If you’ve never lived out of a van before, it would be smart to start with a test run of taking a weekend or week-long trip in order to experience the more unglamorous parts of the lifestyle before selling all your furniture and giving up your house. You also don’t have to go all in.