Three Inspiring People Who Live in Volkswagen Buses

May 2, 2016

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The Volkswagen Bus is forever associated with adventure and the kind-hearted attitudes of hippie culture. These three people each show the potential a reliable, livable Bus has to completely change your life. All you have to do is hit the road!

Hippie Van Man

Aaron Neilson-Belman is a freelance photographer and web designer who created the Hippie Van Man project, cataloging his adventures and experiences as he travels across the Americas in his 1972 VW T2 Bus. He started his journey to spread positive energy and to share everything he saw and did out on the road with online followers. The initial plan was to travel with his mother and three friends to Burning Man in Nevada, but the journey didn’t stop there.

Starting in South America in August, 2013, Hippie Van Man’s travels continue to this day, and after crossing the width of South America, up through Mexico, and tracing along the west and north side of the United States, Aaron’s journey has recently crossed into Toronto, Canada as well. His site has some amazing photos, so check them out and you just might get in a travelling mood yourself.

Daniel Norris

This millionaire baseball player is an inspiration. Daniel, a highly skilled pitcher, signed a $2 million bonus to play for the Toronto Blue Jays right after high school. However, once the money was his, he didn’t buy a ritzy sports car. In fact, he didn’t even buy a house. Instead, he lives his way, in a 1978 Bus. Sometimes he’s parked near a store with any necessities he could ever need, or right on the beach.

Daniel’s free and thrifty lifestyle fits him perfectly, and he said “just because money’s there doesn’t mean you need to have nicer things than you used to have.” This plus his more introverted lifestyle makes life in a VW Bus the happiest home this big-league baseball player could ever want.

Nathan Swartz

Nathan Swartz of Wand’rly Magazine has traveled by bike, Airstream, train, and VW Bus, and he wrote an article on what to expect and how to save money when living in a VW Bus. He offers some vital tips for others who were asking him questions. For instance, he suggests spending a night in a Wal-Mart parking lot, as they don’t mind people staying overnight (but not for more than a day).

Nathan also has a great point about travelling: it doesn’t always mean being on a constant road trip. You can move somewhere, stay for a few days, or really as long as you want, and when you decide it’s time to move along, you move to another place. Travelling is all about avoiding the urge to settle down for good, and if you move at your own pace, you’ll not only from longer-lasting bonds with the people you meet, you’ll also save on expenses and enjoy yourself more.

Free spirits will always find a way to move and explore, and VW Bus models continue to encourage this alternative lifestyle. We’re proud to put a spotlight on these three people living as they please.

Image provided by Shutterstock