Whether it's a trip lasting several months or leaving everything behind to live in a van for good, here are some French people who have succumbed to the charm of roaming. To the point of making it a way of life for some.
Last April, the Oscars put vanlife in the spotlight with the film Nomadland, which won awards for "Best Film", "Best Director" and "Best Actress". But make no mistake, this production, which flirts with documentary, is far from glorifying the clichés of the vanlifeers most followed on Instagram. Nomadland is about those who have adopted this lifestyle out of obligation, not choice. Shot in the USA, the feature film by Chinese director Chloé Zhao (whose trailer can be seen at this address) highlights these people who are forced to live in their cars or vans because they cannot afford accommodation, even though many of them have a job. If the phenomenon is less present in France, the van is still associated with adventure and the desire to be elsewhere. More and more people are choosing to go on holiday in this way, on road trips across France, Europe or the world. Here are some French people who have taken the plunge and are now the dream of many budding adventurers.
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Pierre and Camille / On the roads of France and Canada
Creators of the theroadtrippers.fr website (where any vanlifeur can write), Pierre and Camille have also self-published three books on the subject of van road trips. In "Roadtrip Makes Me Free: Canada", they provide the keys to preparing and living a trip to Canada. It's a country they visited themselves during a trip in a converted van. If their Instagram account is obviously full of beautiful images taken during their various adventures, they recognize on their site that "van roadtrips are no picnic. We loved all those months on the road, both in France and in Canada. But we also realized that the incessant movement also led to a lot of fatigue. As we went along, it only reinforced our need for security and roots. After two long road trips to Canada and then France, and a few stays abroad, we decided to settle down in a permanent home for a while. For the time being, we've found our balance with vanlife and road trips by saving our adventures for improvised weekends and vacations. There's no perfect model, only one path to follow."
Claire and Jérémie / At the heart of orca habitat
Originally from Bordeaux, this photographer and filmmaker couple set sail for Australia in 2019. "We spent two unforgettable years traveling around this immense land, which we fell under the spell of," they explain on their website. "Its little neighbor, New Zealand, also became our home for a year and a half...". Since then, the lovers have decided to make traveling their way of life. While the van is obviously the vehicle of choice for their adventure, as can be seen on their Instagram accountThey can also land as they did at the end of 2019. "We put a road trip to British Columbia on hold to embark on a different kind of trip. A volunteer trip to the heart of orca habitat where we realized the completely crazy dream of getting involved with OrcaLab, which has been studying whales for 50 years without interfering with their lives." Here's the video they brought back.
Clémence and Thomas / 13 000 km on the roads of Norway
Accompanied by their cat Nel, Clémence and Thomas left for Norway for a two-month road trip in a van. Their final destination was the Far North, after 13,000 km of driving and 18 ferry crossings. She (a designer) and he (a sports journalist) covered the whole of Norway from the south to the far north. The couple have produced a 223-page book (Drive Your Adventure / La Norvège en van) published with the van rental company "WeVan", in which they reveal maps, routes to take, good addresses and all the practical information you need to make the most of your adventure in this country.
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Dana and Stéphane / Initiation road trip in North America
Like the couple Claire and Jérémie mentioned above, Dana Tentea and Stéphane Boitel are also photographers and videographers and relate their adventures through their Instagram account "The World of Tikal". Among their various trips, they made one that took them from California to Alaska aboard their van christened "Tikal" (in which they've been living since 2016). Leaving in March 2019, the two Frenchmen returned with a 52-minute self-financed documentary, the trailer for which you can watch below. "Wild" tells the story of how men and women are committed to protecting ecosystems on a daily basis. From the Mojave Desert to the Arctic tundra of the Yukon and Alaska, Dana and Stéphane set off to meet the men and women who are fighting to preserve them, on an initiatory road trip that will plunge them into the wild beauty of North American spaces.
Read more:
- Week-ends in a van. 52 destinations in France / 453 pages, 17,90 euros
- Vanlife in France: Roadtrip Makes Me Free /212 pages, 22 euros
- Partir en Van by Pierre Rouxel and Camille Visage / 148 pages, 14,90 euros
- Drive Your Adventure - Guide to a van roadtrip to the far reaches of Europe / 320 pages, 29.90 euros
- Travelling by van: The essential guide for travelling alone or with your family / 304 pages, 18,90 euros