海角大神

For Carly Kraft, Justin Bartlett, and their dog, Maggie, a new and more mobile life is coming into view. As musicians with bands and day jobs in technology, the couple recently purchased a 鈥渟koolie鈥� 鈥� a school bus 鈥� to convert into a camper-meets-tour-van. Eventually, they hope to live in it and tour the country playing music.听

For now, they鈥檙e听staying in West Virginia as they听outfit it themselves, and are in the early phases of demolition.

The pandemic has in a way propelled them into pursuing a longtime dream.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want to be tied down to any specific place [and] we wanted to be able to tour America playing music,鈥� says Ms. Kraft.听

Her job and Mr. Bartlett鈥檚 were in-person before the pandemic, but now they鈥檝e both been told they鈥檒l be working remotely indefinitely. For them, that was ideal. 鈥淐OVID provided the perfect storm,鈥� says Ms. Kraft.

And even though they don鈥檛 have much experience with creating a home on wheels, 鈥渢here are so many forums online, there are so many Facebook groups, and people are just incredibly helpful,鈥� says Ms. Kraft.听

A niche community before the pandemic, the number of people devoted to what many call 鈥渧anlife鈥� is now growing rapidly. For many, this lifestyle has appeal as a relatively safe way to travel and to prize experiences over home ownership. The pandemic interrupted vacationing, socializing, and freely interacting with others, but van life offers a way to have new experiences and feel part of a community.听

鈥淭he pandemic is really accelerating it,鈥� says Jonathon Day, an associate professor at Purdue University鈥檚 School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. 鈥淧eople are keen to travel [and] frustrated with being stuck at home. When they鈥檙e traveling, they want to control as much as they can.鈥澨�

The trend comes in many flavors. Sometimes exotic destinations like Bermuda are marketed as places from which to work remotely. Sometimes the nomadic life is coupled with full-time work; sometimes it鈥檚 more of a part-time lifestyle 鈥� finding respite in rolling vacations or weekend getaways. But a common thread is the goal of blending quietude and community in a mobile lifestyle.听

And Dr. Day sees van life as a subset of a larger trend during the pandemic: Local travel and road trips are parts of tourism showing a strong recovery, as opposed to travel by plane or to crowded places like big cities.

Mary Mickler is one of the people looking to roam. She works as a nurse in Arkansas, and always planned to put down roots. But after the pandemic began, she started to rethink travel nursing as an option 鈥撎齭pending three-month stints working in hospitals around the country.听

It was pretty simple: 鈥淚f I鈥檓 going to buy a house anyways, why don鈥檛 I buy something that鈥檚 mobile?鈥澨�

She found an outfitter in her town and is having a van custom-outfitted before she hits the road in January.

She figures that if her travels land her in a spot she loves, she鈥檒l settle down there. Or, she鈥檒l return to Arkansas. Ms. Mickler is keeping her future open. For now, the 鈥渙ff-grid鈥� aspect and peacefulness of spending time in her van parked on open land is appealing.

Travelers across the board want to spend time with loved ones, are prioritizing nature and avoiding crowds, and are pursuing relaxation and peace of mind, finds an Aug. 24 update from Destination Analysts, which tracks travel and tourism data.听

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鈥淩elaxation is always important in travel,鈥� but it鈥檚 valued differently right now, and people are seeking peace of mind through nature, says Erin Francis-Cummings, the firm鈥檚 president and CEO.

鈥淭he wariness of other people is a big consideration,鈥� says Ms. Francis-Cummings. 鈥淪printer vans 鈥� that鈥檚 an easy way to achieve these things.鈥澨�

The Mercedes-Benz听Sprinter听vans,听along with some similar competitors,听are more affordable than recreational vehicles but large enough to be called a home on the road.

Not every community rolls out the welcome mat.

Van life is growing 鈥渢o the point where it鈥檚 getting [to be] an issue in popular destinations,鈥� and cities like Squamish, British Columbia, are passing bylaws to ban van life within town limits, say Antoine Gagne and Isabelle Richard, who were interviewed by email from their life on the road.听

Three years ago, the Canadian couple quit their engineering jobs, sold their house, and hit the road in a Sprinter van. They鈥檝e been loving 鈥渧an life鈥� since, blending remote work听maintaining their website,听faroutride.com听鈥� a go-to resource for people interested in converting vans 鈥撎齱ith mountain biking and other adventures.听The website听has seen nearly double the traffic since the pandemic.

For a time they rented an apartment in British Columbia,听partly because of travel restrictions within the province. 鈥淎s opposed to what you would think, it鈥檚 easier to isolate in an apartment than in a van. Indeed, we need to go more often to the grocery store and access facilities when in our van,鈥� they wrote.

Amrit Bhavinani always loved camping and cherishes the memories that come with it 鈥� like the time a bear looted his family鈥檚 provisions for s鈥檓ores.

When the virus held his travel plans at bay and grounded his work听in events and online marketing,听confining him to his home in Atlanta, Mr. Bhavinani started his own livestreamed show on听StreamYard, Camp Quarantine, as a way to connect people, encourage outdoor activity, and raise money for charities.听

But he yearned for more person-to-person interaction. And in June, Mr. Bhavinani realized the pandemic may continue to alter life for some time, so he purchased a van. He鈥檚 found a new community in van-lifers. 鈥淓veryone wants to help each other鈥� with their van projects, he says. 鈥淚鈥檓 reconnecting with people ... and seeing things that I definitely otherwise wouldn鈥檛 have.鈥澨�

Many millennials are purchasing vans, but so are retirees, and rental demand is up substantially too, says Janet Pace, marketing manager at Warner Vans of Utah, an authorized Sprinter dealer.听

For Rafi Caroline in Houston, van life has long been appealing, but his wife is training as a physician 鈥� not the most conducive to life on the road. They like to travel, but are avoiding planes right now, so using a van for weekend getaways is a good solution. Plus, their dog can join them.听

Mr. Caroline worked from home before the pandemic, but now that his wife is working and studying remotely as well, he plans to use his van as an office during the day. Since he and his wife aren鈥檛 planning on living out of their van, it鈥檚 more of a luxury item. 鈥淚t makes sense, because otherwise I would have to rent an office space.鈥�

It鈥檚 also appealing to have a change of pace, says Dr. Day of Purdue University. 鈥淭his notion of the pandemic being Groundhog Day and being stuck in your home, doing the same thing every single day 鈥� the ability to get out and explore a little bit with a camper or a car鈥� is popular.听

National and state parks have had strong attendance since the pandemic, so 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a real need just for people to get short breaks and still be safe. The van sort of gives you the ability to do both.鈥澨�

Ms. Mickler from Arkansas, who considers herself a 鈥減eople person,鈥� is excited for what the future may hold. 鈥淢y favorite thing is meeting strangers and hearing their stories,鈥� says Ms. Mickler. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait for the people I will meet in that way.鈥�