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 winning "Best Picture", "Best Director" and "Best Actress" awards. But make no mistake, this production, which flirts with documentary, is far from glorifying the clichés of the most followed vanlifeers on Instagram. Nomadland is about those who have adopted this lifestyle by obligation, not by choice. Shot in the United States, the feature film by Chinese director Chloe Zhao (whose trailer you can see 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 (on which 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 give keys to prepare and live at best a trip in Canada. A country that they themselves have crossed in a van. If their Instagram account is obviously full of beautiful images taken during their various adventures, they recognize on their site that "roadtrips in a van are not easy. We loved all those months on the road, both in France and in Canada. But we also realised that the constant movement also made us very tired. As we went along, it only reinforced our need for security and roots. After two big road trips in Canada and France and a few stays abroad, we decided to settle down for a while in a fixed place. Our balance with vanlife and road trips, we found it for the moment by keeping our adventures for week-ends and improvised holidays. There is no perfect model, only one path to follow. "
Claire and Jérémie / In the heart of the orcas' habitat
Originally from Bordeaux, this couple of photographer and director set sail in 2019 for Australia. "We spent two unforgettable years travelling through this immense land, which we fell under the spell of" they explain on their website. "Its little neighbour, New Zealand, also became our home for a year and a half...". Since then, the lovers have decided to make travelling their way of life. If the van is obviously a privileged vehicle for their adventure as we can see on their Instagram accountThey can also land as the end of 2019. "We put a road trip to British Columbia on hold to embark on a different kind of trip. A voluntary trip to the heart of the orca habitat where we realized the completely crazy dream of getting involved with OrcaLab that has been studying whales for 50 years without interfering with their lives. "Here is the video they brought back.
Clémence and Thomas / 13 000 km on the roads of Norway
Accompanied by their cat Nel, Clémence and Thomas went to Norway for a two-month road trip in a van. Their final goal was to reach the Great North after 13,000 km of driving and 18 ferry crossings. She (a designer) and he (a sports journalist) travelled the whole of Norway from the South to the Great North. The couple published a 223-page book (Drive Your Adventure / La Norvège en van) with the van rental company "WeVan" in which they reveal the maps, the routes to take, the good addresses and all the practical information to live the best 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 named "Tikal" (in which they have been living since 2016). Leaving in March 2019, the two Frenchmen returned with a 52-minute self-financed documentary, the trailer of which you can watch below. "Wild" tells the story of how women and men are engaged on a daily basis to protect ecosystems. From the Mojave desert to the Arctic tundra of the Yukon and Alaska, Dana and Stéphane decided to go and meet those who fight for their preservation, 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 in the farthest 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