May / 17 / 2024
Magic

Vanlife: Make or Break the Impression You Make When Travelling

Hippie van. Photo by vasilios-muselimis

Why is it important to make a good impression while travelling by van?

Traveling by van, we are inherently connected to the territory and the country we are in. Every country is made up of people and the land they inhabit. Their unique way of life is intertwined in every sector and can be seen everywhere, from the cafes we pass by to the sandwiches we eat. In this situation, we are automatically in constant interaction with the culture.

The way we interact with the local culture, leaves a mark that affects the next travelers (to be sure other travelers and local people wont see and smell your personal “mark” read our previous article) We can either give a positive example, acting with great respect and tolerance, or give a bad name to the fellow van travelers. Unfortunately, or fortunately, that is how the human psyche works. By using this mechanism, we can achieve a lot of good! I will write about proposals for our actions in the next part.

Currently, this situation does not favor van users. In the local community of Western Europe (Portugal, Spain, France), we have a label attached to people who cause destruction, mess, and do not take responsibility for their actions. Through years of tightening relationships with the local population, the situation has turned in a way that the government had to intervene. At the moment, it is not possible to stay overnight in many natural parking areas such as cliffs, beaches, and forests. There are special paid campsites for this purpose.

Trash on the beach

A few years ago, the situation looked completely different. What has changed since then?

Undeniably, one of the most important factors is the increasing popularity of this way of lifestyle. Couple of years ago, you could literally park camp anywhere, which was a privilege taken for granted. However, if the majority of the people, who travel by van were friendly to their environment, the label attached to us would be radically different.

How we can give a good label to Vanlifers?

Treevangang crew is planting a tree in Fuerteventura

Plant Trees with Treevangang

You can support the Treevangang team in planting trees. Part of the funds from van rentals are allocated for tree planting to support environmental regeneration. It is also a good way to spend leisure time in the fresh air. 🙂

Beach & River Clean-ups

The more you travel, the more places you naturally see. Often beautiful beaches and natural areas are contaminated with human debris – most often plastic. Since 2021, together with https://cleanoceanproject.org/, we have been organizing beach/forest and river cleanups in Portugal. If you’re in the area, we encourage you to participate in the cleanup and meet many interesting people and places. Additionally, we encourage you to spend 2 minutes each day on a walk to clean up the environment. This is a minimal effort that brings significant benefits to the entire environment.

River Cleanup at river Lizandro in Portugal

Thank you for reading!

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