KUSA – People are ditching conventional lifestyles and high rent in favor of travel and exploration.
It’s a growing movement called “van life.” Social media is full of images of converted vans serving as homes on wheels. More than 2.5 million posts on Instagram have #vanlife in their post.
One “van lifer,” Matt Alexander, recently used Denver as his home base. He travels with his small dog in his converted Mercedes Sprinter that he affectionately named Vanna White.
Matt was inspired to live on the road after discovering that a life in corporate America just wasn’t a
good fit.
“I went to school for engineering, I got a big engineering job, I moved all over the country, I worked my
life away, and I realized I hated every minute of it,” Matt said.
Matt also described spending thousands of dollars a month on rent. He just felt that lifestyle wasn’t
worth it anymore. So he found his inspiration through the van life community and decided to take the plunge.
He bought the van for about $8,000 and spent the past summer building it out into a livable space.
Vanna White almost functions like a studio apartment on wheels. It has features including a solar panel
on the roof, a fridge, a stove, and a sink. A space that functions as a couch conveniently folds out into a
bed. Matt says he has about 60 square feet of living space.
And if you were wondering about hygiene, Matt has a Planet Fitness membership. He uses it so he can
have a place to shower and exercise no matter where he goes.
A life on the road means that Matt needed to find a job that he could take anywhere. He works as a
video producer and picks up projects around the country. He uses his phone as a mobile hot-spot to
work on the go.
Matt’s journey from Orlando, Florida eventually led him to Denver, Colorado. He stayed in the area from
August through January.
Matt made a Colorado bucket list and checked off activities that ranged from visiting Rocky Mountain
National Park to visiting Colorado Springs. The biggest feat he never got around to was summiting a
14er.
While he doesn’t know how long he’ll keep up this lifestyle, Matt says he’s enjoying his journey day by
day.
“We only have so much time in this world, and we gotta spend it doing what we love,” said Matt.
If you would like to follow Matt’s journeys, you can visit his website or follow him on Instagram.
If you would like to follow Matt’s journeys, you can visit his website or follow him on Instagram.
