Singletrack: The Real #Vanlife

As I scroll through the endless reels of glossy photos on social media, the “vanlife" movement is in full effect with hipsters taking to vans for touring and alternative living like the 60s were back in fashion. Blogs are awash with perfectly framed images of vintage VWs parked up on beaches with bikini-clad women contently performing yoga in the doorways, or parked up in Moab with an Evil Reckoning hucking off the roof. These glamorous images conjure up aspirations of fun-filled lives free from the constraints of fixed abodes and nine-to-five jobs, with trails forever on your doorstep and jaw-dropping views at your bedside.

I had stolen a moment to myself to indulge in Instagram’s bottomless slide-show of inspiration, but the view behind my phone was a much less filtered reality. There I was, sat in a converted Ford truck with a shed-like caravan on top, sticky plastic seats and turd-coloured veneer cupboards. My only consolation was that I was in Canada. My adventure partner looked a little shell-shocked after a night parked up in a lay-by near the Vancouver Island ferry terminal and he was sporting a hairdo inspired by Doc from Back to the Future. There was no bikini yoga here, only shapeless jumpers and the occasional stretch to reach for the porridge oats that had rolled to the back of the corner cupboard yet again. This is vanlife alright, but not as the media-hungry Millennials will have you know.

Canada had always been a tempting mountain bike destination for me, but the airfare alone was off-putting. September to early November offered a more frugal time period to explore this foreign land with out-of-season discounts. Flights were shaping up to be half the usual £1,000 price tag and a quick flick through RV rental companies’ websites revealed that a campervan would not only be as cheap as a hire car, but it would also eliminate accommodation costs. In fact, it became apparent that I could travel for a whole month on half the amount it would usually cost me to visit for only two weeks during the summer. And so the plan was born; a road trip across British Columbia (west coast Canada) by campervan. What could go wrong?

see April edition for the rest!