Van Life has slowly become the new trending hashtag on social media channels and is fast becoming a favorite way to travel for many people across the US. With small roots and simplicity at its core, van life is about how to live comfortably in a van, exploring, working and adapting to your adventures along the way.

Instagram currently seems to be the best social channel on the platform with over 13 million posts using the hashtag #vanlife! What we are seeing is a growing desire to go beyond the norm and walk the path less traveled, which has led to many people starting to live on wheels in their home! Vanlifers (windwheelers) choose to live in a van for many different reasons, and many are documenting the entire journey to accompany us all.

From the reasons people choose Van Life to how to modify your own van, where to find a van for sale, legalities and how to use the bathroom in a van. As more serious questions are all topics that people find not only interesting. Find out about yourself on a quest to live in a van one day, but just because they’re curious!

Today we’re featuring Vanlife influencers we just know you’ll enjoy hanging out with! If you want more information on living small – check out our ultimate guide to living small including the pros and cons of living in a van, schoolie, RV, and tiny house!

Theses vanlifers all have their own special sauce and we think it’s fun to feature people doing different things, who also offer great information to the travel community. Many of the people below will also be speaking at the One Life Virtual Summit, which you can attend for free from July 21st through July 23rd.

Kristin Hanes

Kristin Haynes is the owner of The Wayward Home, a site dedicated to helping people live more simply, whether it’s in an RV, campervan, sailboat or tiny home. Kristen splits her time between a sailboat and a converted Sprinter van.

Naomi Grevemberg

Noami Grevemberg is a Van Life OG (since 2016), avid outdoorsman, digital nomad and dog mom, who lives on the road in her classic Volkswagen Vanagon. In 2019, she founded the Diversify Vanlife community organization with a mission to increase the representation of BIPOC and other marginalized people in Vanlife.

A visionary creator, Noami uses the power of storytelling as a tool to break down barriers and promote intentionally inclusive spaces for road trips and the outdoors. She is also the host of the Nomads at Intersections podcast and a (soon to be) published author.

Ben and Katie Zweber

Katie and Ben have built 3 very different campervans from scratch. And after welcoming their daughter, Juniper, last December, they’re about to embark on the van life journey as a family of three. Katie and Ben have been running their own travel blog, Two Wandering Souls, since 2014.

And in 2021, they launched the Van Conversion Academy, an online course with video and written tutorials that walk you through the exact steps of building a camper van. Instead of getting lost in YouTube rabbit holes, this hands-on course will help you transform your dreams faster and with less confusion.

John and Jayme Cerbal

In 2016, John and Jayme sold everything they owned, bought and converted a 2016 Chevy Express into a solar-powered rolling home, left their comfortable suburban life, and hit the road. For more than three years, he traveled across America from east to west and from north to south, helping build vans and providing detailed resources for aspiring vanlifers along the way.

From living in a van to living off the grid in the middle of nowhere, John and Jaime have done it all, and want to show you how.

Hilary Bird

Hi, I’m Hilary! After 7 years in the corporate marketing world, and at the age of 30, I knew I needed a big change in my life. I felt incomplete and found myself thinking, “Is this….is this it?”.

So after reflecting on my personal goals, I set out on a mission to start Van Life (without spending all of my savings), transition into freelance work, and live life with purpose and intention. Two and a half years and a $12K budget van build later, I’m very happy to say I’ve made it happen. Let me share what I’ve learned!