Film Producer Living & Working in a Camper Van – #VanLife Traveler

Film Producer Living & Working in a Camper Van – #VanLife Traveler

Julien is an entrepreneur and video producer from Montreal, Canada who lives and works in his camper van full-time.

In the last few years, road tripping in campervans has become a popular way to travel on a budget, and many people are taking the trend one step further by living the van life full-time to save money and to enjoy the special freedom and flexibility that a life on wheels can offer.

While living and travelling in a van can be a cheap lifestyle, it’s certainly not free. We caught up with our friend Julien from Go-Van http://www.go-van.com/ while we were on Prince Edward Island (PEI) in August 2016 to find out how he’s turned his awesome camper van into a mobile office so that he can be a digital nomad and earn money on the road.

At 30, he sold his first business, an online skateboarding magazine called 33mag, and invested the money he made in a condo, but he preferred to travel as a digital nomad in his 1989 GMC Vandura camper van looking for adventure and good surfing.

The freedom he experienced on his trips in the van, and the people he met on the road increased his passion for the van life and inspired him to start his second business: the Go-Van website, where he shares road tripping stories from fellow van dwellers, and videos about his travels.

To finance the Go-Van project, Julien needed a business model so he started creating video content for brands and tourism bureaus while he travelled.

When he’s working on the blog, applying for contracts and planning his upcoming video projects, his mobile office is very simple. He uses a cell phone to create a wifi hotspot for his laptop, and he has a bag full of hard drives with his video footage.

To power his laptop and cell phone, he’s got a couple of house batteries that can be powered by the van’s alternator, or by the solar panels on the roof.

When he’s producing a new video, the van turns into a full-on mobile production studio. For each week-long video shoot, he hires 1 or 2 videographers to live and work with him in the van, along with all their camera gear.

There’s usually two people sharing the bed, and a third person sleeping in a tent outside.

One of his first video contracts was for a Quebec-based camper van conversion company, Safari Condo, in 2015 that led to a long-term partnership with them that allows him to use one of their super functional camper vans year-round.

Now that he has all the comforts of home on the road with him, like running water, a shower, and a kitchen, he’s been able to make a big change in his life by renting out his condo and transitioning to living and working in the van full-time, which allows him to enjoy his passion for travel, camping, the outdoors, and adventure.

The one challenge that Julien sometimes finds hard with this lifestyle is being away from friends and family. But aside from that, the more he learns and experiences on the road, the easier this extreme lifestyle becomes.

Check out the Go-Van website http://www.go-van.com/ to keep up with the latest van life stories from around the world and follow them on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/go_van_com/ for some amazing van life inspiration.

A special thank you to Naulé for sharing his song, Motion, with us (first song in the video). It’s so good! See his social media links in the credits below to listen to more of his music.

Thanks for watching!

Mat & Danielle

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STAY IN TOUCH!
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Blog: www.exploringalternatives.ca
Facebook: /exploringalternativesblog
Instagram: @exploringalternatives

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COMMENTS
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Please discuss and debate with respect, and report inappropriate or hateful comments directly to YouTube.

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CREDITS
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Music & Song Credits:
The first song in this video is Motion by Naulé:
– Song: Naulé – Motion
– Spotify: smarturl.it/MotionSpotify
– Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/naulemusic/motion
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naulemusic/

All remaining music in this video was composed, performed, and recorded by Mat of Exploring Alternatives.

Filming Credits:
Mat of Exploring Alternatives
*A few video clips, drone shots, and photos were provided by Julien from Go-Van.

Editing Credits:
Mat and Danielle of Exploring Alternatives

50 Comments

  1. Max Jimenez on January 18, 2023 at 4:24 am

    the narrators audio and voice is so annoying it makes me so mad and i don’t know why

  2. debo on January 18, 2023 at 4:24 am

    The van are so good. I liked it😁😊

  3. CHOWA on January 18, 2023 at 4:26 am

    what is the name of the company that you got the van from , i would really like to consider purchasing an identical van!!

  4. Theresa Quindiagan on January 18, 2023 at 4:26 am

    Where does he go to do #1 and 2 especially,lol!

  5. Demsy YouTube on January 18, 2023 at 4:27 am

    you can take a shower nationwide, just sign up for Planet Fitness $9 and you can shower and gym everywhere,plus you can bring friends also lol

  6. 04dram04 on January 18, 2023 at 4:29 am

    I dont get that pop top. A fixed hightop would have been much simpler

  7. Matteo 70 on January 18, 2023 at 4:30 am

    Very beautiful van, indeed

  8. Godzilla on January 18, 2023 at 4:30 am

    Aren’t there companies you can work for, handling calls long as you have a cell and laptop? Like you don’t have to have housephone landlines phone?

  9. Alexander J on January 18, 2023 at 4:30 am

    You Guys are amazing! You actually inspired me to FINALLY start my Youtube channel about Growth, Minimalism and Self-Development. Keep it up!

  10. rene29200 on January 18, 2023 at 4:33 am

    👍❤️👍😎👍🤡👍

  11. VAN SOLO on January 18, 2023 at 4:35 am

    My advice to anyone, for what it’s worth: Stay single, stay away from Doctors and learn something new each day, and live in a van with a good shower and toilet !

  12. Kirsten — Sobriety Bestie on January 18, 2023 at 4:36 am

    LOVE this one 🙂

  13. Matt McMonagle on January 18, 2023 at 4:39 am

    Super cool idea. Especially inviting other film crews along with you. Very nice!

  14. yompyz on January 18, 2023 at 4:40 am

    This must be a cool way of living.

  15. Sean Webb on January 18, 2023 at 4:40 am

    Over the last couple of weeks I have watched many of these different videos about living in camper vans and small recreational vehicles. It’s not terribly appealing to me as a fulltime thing, but it would be cool for long road trips. Most of the time I pack up my van with some clothes and a little bit of photography gear and go for a few days at a time. If it’s not too much trouble I would like to ask some of you about some logistical challenges regarding this lifestyle. 1) If you don’t have a fixed address then which jurisdiction do you pay your taxes? I’m assuming that in the U.S. personal taxes and deductions and eligibility for some social programs differ from state to state as they do in Canada from province to province.2) Where do you register to vote? Or do you forgo voting in federal, state and municipal elections?3) How do you maintain your driver’s license and vehicle registration? This would also vary state to state or province to province.4) How do you explain your residency and employment status to financial institutions like banks? Does this nomadic life make it more difficult to get personal loans, lines of credit and credit cards? 5) In terms of healthcare do you ever run into any issues receiving treatment? It would be very difficult to have a regular relationship with a general practitioner. In addition in Canada our healthcare is provided by the provincial government. If we require treatments out of province or out of country we can incur out of pocket expenses. Does the American private healthcare system allow you to seek treatment at clinics or hospitals in each state without additional out of pocket expenses?

  16. Marc Duchamp on January 18, 2023 at 4:41 am

    With wife prob need a bigger van

  17. tomchii on January 18, 2023 at 4:43 am

    What van is that?

  18. bailey tindell on January 18, 2023 at 4:44 am

    Omg when he pulled back that curtain just wow

  19. marvona on January 18, 2023 at 4:45 am

    👍✳️👍✳️👍✳️

  20. LowG N on January 18, 2023 at 4:46 am

    sick house van office!

  21. Red Mish on January 18, 2023 at 4:47 am

    Can u hire me as a cook hehehe I’ll do all the entertaining while you do your stuff 😜

  22. Hermaeus Mora on January 18, 2023 at 4:47 am

    I’m more interested in stealth Camping

  23. Harambe on January 18, 2023 at 4:48 am

    im a photographer and this is what im going to do!

  24. Action Monkey on January 18, 2023 at 4:48 am

    i love the interior o the van with the surf board on the roof

  25. Grant Loperfido on January 18, 2023 at 4:50 am

    These people are hd conformists. Mainstream music overpayed hivemind

  26. haute03 on January 18, 2023 at 4:52 am

    That camper van is gorgeous. He really lucked out with that partnership!

  27. George Holliday on January 18, 2023 at 4:53 am

    Love this!!!! Featured our bus on Dylan Magaster’s channel, would love to meet up with you guys someday too 😊

  28. Muhammad Salman on January 18, 2023 at 4:53 am

    Love from Pakistan _:)

  29. As 0109 on January 18, 2023 at 4:54 am

    This van is my dream van rlly

  30. Eddie B on January 18, 2023 at 4:55 am

    Good story and editing!

  31. Bill Beck on January 18, 2023 at 4:55 am

    Fantastically designed van. Who made it?

  32. Emir Zec on January 18, 2023 at 4:55 am

    Best van I’ve ever seen

  33. Gino Conte on January 18, 2023 at 4:55 am

    The data bills alone must be crazy…?

  34. zayvier69 on January 18, 2023 at 4:56 am

    Great video and very inspiring. Question? What is the exact year and model for this van ur using? Also…how long is this van from bumper to bumper. How high is the van from ground to roof?

  35. Eternal on January 18, 2023 at 4:56 am

    I wanna live this life.

  36. Ashwin Pathak on January 18, 2023 at 4:57 am

    I feel like he is sad inside for not being able to catch up with family and friends ☹️😥

  37. GEAUX FRUGAL on January 18, 2023 at 4:59 am

    I want to see a 3 wheeled hybrid powered with a slide. 900 watt of solar panels to dump power into the AC. STORE SOME BUT DUMP as much as possible into small chest freezer , hot water heater if you want to keep warm at night.

    3 wheel classes as a MC , insurance is $111 a year vs 504 for a car. Top speed 55 mph.

  38. Nathan Robbin on January 18, 2023 at 5:00 am

    Living in a van down by the river. Chris lied to us.

  39. Max Mikkelsen on January 18, 2023 at 5:07 am

    All of his poler stuff is so sick. My friend has a nap sack and I have one of their backpacks and they are amazing n

  40. Dan DCC91 on January 18, 2023 at 5:07 am

    Is this guy hitting the gym and getting punched in the jaw how Sylvester Stallones are made?

  41. Edward Fritzius on January 18, 2023 at 5:08 am

    these things are so expensive though

  42. Waterman Mikes Adventures on January 18, 2023 at 5:10 am

    great van

  43. Eric Walsh on January 18, 2023 at 5:11 am

    God enough of this baby talk trendy music already! Cool can though.

  44. Nette Leverett on January 18, 2023 at 5:15 am

    Super nice van!!❤️❤️

  45. Eric Crouch on January 18, 2023 at 5:15 am

    If he used a 12 volt charger for his computer, It would use less energy on his batteries.

  46. eve sos on January 18, 2023 at 5:15 am

    What kind of refridgerator is that? Can’t find online

  47. Dan Malec on January 18, 2023 at 5:18 am

    A producer and you dont know you’re not using film? Where’s your darkroom and splicing machine?

  48. Crap Game on January 18, 2023 at 5:18 am

    I’m a screenplay writer. Tell your van-subject that I have a screenplay for sale. If he finds a buyer I will compensate up tp 10 percent of the yield!

  49. Parvu Alexandru on January 18, 2023 at 5:19 am

    How much a car like theat cost ?

  50. MaxVirtual1 on January 18, 2023 at 5:21 am

    What kind of roof is that? Looking for a retractable roof and this one looks awesome.

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