What is a Vanlife Gathering? // Teton Valley & Colorado Van Meetups // The Van Project

What is a Vanlife Gathering? // Teton Valley & Colorado Van Meetups // The Van Project

Vanlife Gatherings vanlife meetups finding friends on the road vanlife community nomadic gatherings

What is a vanlife gathering and how do people who live on the road find community?

We’ve been traveling full-time in our 1964 Clark Cortez campervan for almost two years now. Along the way, we’ve found an incredible connection to the vanlife community through social media like instagram and facebook, and through vanlife meetups and vanlife gatherings like those hosted by the Vanlife Diaries team.

In 2018, we planned the Teton Valley Vanlife Gathering in June in Victor, Idaho. We also attended The Colorado Vanlife Gathering in Basalt, Colorado planned by Kathleen of @Tinyhousetinyfootprint and Vanlife Diaries.

These gatherings have completely transformed our time on the road, giving us a chance to pause and intentionally connect with other people living a nomadic lifestyle. We asked attendees at both gatherings to talk about what community means to them, and how they find community on the road. For us, gatherings have been a major answer to this question, and a way we’ve been able to connect with our instagram and other online friends in real life . These gatherings are pet-friendly, kid-friendly, and open to all. You don’t need a van to attend. We had plenty of tent campers, car campers, truck campers, skoolies, step vans and other vehicles at the Teton Gathering.

This piece is a collection of interviews from these two vanlife gatherings. Thank you to everyone who helped make this video possible by contributing their words and thoughts. In order of appearance:

Nico (@TeslaVanlife: www.youtube.com/teslavanlife)
Hadley (@hadleyfuller)
Brett (@wilhelmvisualworks)
Anouk (@frenchyinvan)
Eli (@eliz_hutchings)
Jeff (@balanceandpeace)
Mike & Anne (@honeytrek): www.youtube.com/thehoneytrek
Lisa (@vacayvans): www.youtube.com/vacayvans
Jess (@van.there)
Melissa (@outdoors_is_free)
Peya (@PeyaBass)
Julia (@wheredid.juj.go)
Lance (@easyvegans)
Nick & Pushkin (@driftinghouse)

We’re hosting the 2019 Teton Valley Vanlife Gathering at the Linn Canyon Ranch in Victor, ID from June 14-16th, 2019. You’ll be able to buy ticket on the Vanlife Diaries website soon! www.vanlife.com.au/gatherings

Subscribe to our channel The Van Project to follow along on our journey, sharing our real life stories from the road: https://www.youtube.com/channel/theva…


We’re Amanda & Matt (The Van Project): two major goofballs who gave up our San Francisco apartment, and sold most of our material possessions (although we somehow managed to keep *three* climbing ropes, and two tents ;-)) to try and live life on our own terms. After spending almost six months demolishing and then rebuilding her, we moved into Tezarae, our “van” (a 1964 Clark Cortez) in May of 2017.

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The Gear We’re Using For The VLOG:
Camera 1: Canon 6D: http://amzn.to/2AZsWme
Tamron 15-30mm Lens: http://amzn.to/2krVZZh
Canon 24-105mm Lens: http://amzn.to/2nxIBUg
Canon 70-200mm Lens: http://amzn.to/2kvvrq1
Camera 2: Fuji XT2: http://amzn.to/2ktOHUG
Fuji 23mm Lens: http://amzn.to/2kt6Jqa
Fuji 56mm Lens: http://amzn.to/2AXyLRa
Manfrotto Video Head: http://amzn.to/2AxjGVM
DJI Mavic Pro Drone: http://amzn.to/2AzyNyj
Joby Gorillapod w/ Ballhead: http://amzn.to/2nAYVUu

*These are affiliate links. Help fund our journey at absolutely no cost to you by clicking. Every small bit helps us pay for unexpected repairs and gas along the way!

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We love interacting on all the social medias! Find us on:

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/van.project
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thevanprojec…
Website: http://www.thevanproject.com

I Am The Coyote by Monplaisir, Courtesy of Free Music Archive, www.freemusicarchive.com, Licensed under Creative Commons.

Somebody’s Everything by Volunteer, Courtesy of Music Bed, www.musicbed.com, Licensed through subscription service.

22 Comments

  1. Daniel Johnson on September 30, 2021 at 7:51 am

    cool. tribal experience.

  2. J. G. on September 30, 2021 at 7:51 am

    Looks like fun

  3. zayvier69 on September 30, 2021 at 7:53 am

    Great video and Cortez RV! Question? How long is your RV? How many feet do you have from the inside of the back foot to the back of the back of the driver seat? How wide is it?

  4. TYPSYGYPSY on September 30, 2021 at 7:53 am

    Hey it’s Patricia just met again this morning .. hope to see ya in Colorado July 10th Buena Vista clear creek

  5. Living2nd childhood on September 30, 2021 at 8:02 am

    Campfire smoke shared forms a unique, special bond between the people who share it.

  6. Jerad Larkin on September 30, 2021 at 8:04 am

    Sweeeeeeet! Do you by chance recommend any good LUTS for editing in post production? I just got the DJI Mavic Pro 2 and I’m excited to see how the video turns out! I’m trying to find some great LUTS for the drone footage. 😀

  7. Calvin Heine on September 30, 2021 at 8:05 am

    trustafarians

  8. Bearfoot Theory on September 30, 2021 at 8:08 am

    I’m crossing my fingers I can make it!

  9. Rubber Tramp Adventurers on September 30, 2021 at 8:09 am

    Rose and I miss you guys! We will definitely be there and will hopefully have the van done. We made it in the video too at 5:19 😀

  10. Ana Quintanilla on September 30, 2021 at 8:12 am

    I thought you weren´t coming back again to youtube.

  11. Jeff : on September 30, 2021 at 8:15 am

    thank you great video!

  12. Tim Luigi on September 30, 2021 at 8:22 am

    What? Only 1800 views?? Something is wrong!!

  13. I_Dont_Eat_My_Friends on September 30, 2021 at 8:23 am

    How’s Tez doing?

  14. peacelovenvanlife on September 30, 2021 at 8:24 am

    Vanlife…the parallel universe we’re all parked on, having the same epiphany. How does this happen? Excellent content! I love seeing how congruent we all are in our quest.

  15. Robert Demeter on September 30, 2021 at 8:24 am

    Eye love it !! Humans that have not experienced vanlife meetups have no clue what they’re missing. Been to van gatherings from Victoria BC, to Quebec, to Colorado, to beautiful Arizona, all of them spectacular. Reminds of the Unity and non-judgment and Openness people have at rock and Heavy Metal concerts. Where you can chill before shows on the grass or in the lots and can talk to people about anything. Lookup youtube for ‘ Blind Guardian – Valhalla" , for a glimpse of the beauty.

    People are so open so you can talk to people about ANYTHING at van meetups and it’s because most love Nature and are connected to Nature ( which transcends to Art, music, love, Spirituality .. all naturally).

    This woman at this link describes it best when she says that Van gatherings completely changed her life for the better – http://herwildheartwanders.com/vanlife-gatherings-changed-my-life/

    Nature is my church, and Rock N Roll and Heavy Metal music ( and a touch of psychedelic trance) is my religion 🙂

  16. Adam Nelson on September 30, 2021 at 8:25 am

    When and where is next one?

  17. Oddly Specific on September 30, 2021 at 8:28 am

    Do these still happen?

  18. Jim Garrison on September 30, 2021 at 8:33 am

    Hippies. They get along because they have similar views. These people are the first to turn ugly once a differing opinion is thrown in the mix.

  19. Print Me A Coupon on September 30, 2021 at 8:34 am

    I have been binge watching all the van conversion videos. This video is like seeing an all-stars game. Go van lifers!

  20. Carson on September 30, 2021 at 8:35 am

    Wait wait wait….. there selling tickets for these events!? Whyyy

  21. linda pietrzak on September 30, 2021 at 8:36 am

    Am I at 69 too old to tag along with this group? Starting out my van travel this September.

  22. UNA CAMPER on September 30, 2021 at 8:39 am

    CHICKS & BEER…………..

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