Provocations from #vanlife

Abstract

Research on how lived experiences with technology intersect with home and work are core themes within HCI. Prior work has primarily focused on conventional life and work in Western countries. However, the unconventional is becoming conventional-several rising subcultures are coming into prominence due to socio-economic pressures, aided by social media. One example-#vanlife-is now practised by an estimated three million people in North America. #vanlife combines travel, home, and work by their occupants (vanlifers) living full-time in cargo vans that they usually convert themselves into living spaces. We present a portrait of vanlifers' current technology practices gleaned through~200 hours of fieldwork and interviews. Following a thematic analysis of our data, we identified unique opportunities for integrating technology across culture, design, homesteading, offline organization, and gaming. We have distilled these opportunities into eleven provocations to inspire critical design and informed inquiry for technological interventions for #vanlife. CCS CONCEPTS• Human-centered computing → Field studies; Collaborative interaction; Empirical studies in HCI .

‘Enjoyers’, ‘seekers’ and ‘vacationers’. Proposal for a typology of motorhome travellers in Europe

“…Although the official numbers show a global trend of growth in this form of travel, several authors warned about the lack of scientific research on the subject, which has generated some gaps in knowledge about the phenomenon of motorhome travel (Caldicott et al, 2022; Dias and Domingues, 2018; Eager et al, 2022; Espiner et al, 2023; Fieger et al, 2020; Hardy and Gretzel, 2008; Hardy and Kirkpatrick, 2017; Higgs and Quirk, 2007; Kearns et al, 2016; Lashley, 2015; Mahadevan, 2013; Rizvi et al, 2021). This article forms part of a broader investigation aiming to fill some of these gaps.…”

“…Until recently, most studies suggested that those adhering to this practice were retirees or people in a pre-retirement situation, namely those belonging to the baby boom generation (born between 1946 and 1964) coming from affluent countries (Counts and Counts, 1992, 1996; Holloway, 2007, 2009; Mahadevan, 2014; McHugh and Mings, 1991; Mings, 1997; Onyx and Leonard, 2007; Patterson et al, 2015; Pearce and Wu, 2018; Viallon, 2012; Wu and Pearce, 2017). More recent works, however, point to a growing diversification of the labour situation of motorhome users, as well as their practices and motivations (Eager et al, 2022; Gretzel and Hardy, 2019; Mundet et al, 2023; Rizvi et al, 2021; Zhao, 2020).…”

“…Vanlifers form ‘virtual communities’, comprised of digital nomads who constantly publish images and videos of their vans parked in idyllic natural landscapes, apparently far from ’civilisation’ (Bergstrom, 2019; Eager et al, 2022; Gretzel and Hardy, 2019: 6). The central element in these travellers’ lives is their vehicle, which is both their mobile home and, for many of them, their workplace (Dorn, 2015; Gretzel and Hardy, 2019; Rizvi et al, 2021). The aesthetic components of the vans often include retro and vintage decoration elements, both outside and inside.…”

The silver economy on wheels: a narrative review of the mature-aged, hypermobile gig worker phenomena

“…Advancements in technology have enabled hypermobile, gig worker lifestyles. A recent study by Rizvi et al (2021) which investigated technology practices within the vanlife community, found technology to be widely implemented across multiple dimensions of vehicle-based living, including finding and keeping community, navigation, recreation, and income generation. These finding echo Darley et al's (2017) investigation of Grey Nomads' engagement with internet and social networking sites, which was conducted with a cohort of Grey Nomads travelling in caravans.…”