Foster Huntington, the #vanlife godfather

It's about a guy who decided to take a flying leap in his life. A guy who chose not to get on the freeway, preferring the nice back roads. A lot of guys talk about it, few do it, and even more those who do it well and share it with an annoying talent and success. This guy's story is pretty and pink as a sunset on the outskirts of Oregon. Foster is bored out of his mind in a godforsaken college in Maine he came to unwittingly. He cheats his boredom by releasing A Restless Transplant, a blog quickly spotted by a Ralph Lauren designer who offers him a job in New York.

Too much time spent behind a desk ends up annoying him, and makes him work on a personal project, The Burning House.  This Wabi-sabist-inspired (!) materialistic-minimalist (!) photo blog is in turn quickly spotted by a publisher who offers him to make a book out of it.

Foster cashes the cash advance and immediately disburses it to buy a van (VW Synchro), quit his job and go on the road to create the famous #vanlife and release Home Is Where You Park It, a book that has been sold out in successive editions.He finally let his engine cool down to take the time to build his home and office in the trees on the Columbia River Gorge. And to retrace the adventure in The Cinder Cone, then to make a book of it, of course! 

Foster Huntington's van life (#vanlife) allowed him to build his philosophy of life, refocused around things essential and sufficient for his/ her happiness.

« I’d love to get people to think they don’t need a ton of shit to be happy and maybe see how rewarding living and traveling in a van can be. I think living, or at least spending some time, in a van is such a good way to get out and see the world ».

Home Is Where You Park It compiles photos of vans crossing the road and anecdotes of people travelling or living in vans. #homeiswhereyouparkit

Further reading

Explore other vanlife articles to start travelling before renting a campervan!