When Erica Horn received a work email in May 2020 saying her company would be fully remote for the next year, she knew right away it was time to live

As offices shut down for Covid, workers bought vans and hit the road — and some don't want to return

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2021-06-21 21:30:04

When Erica Horn received a work email in May 2020 saying her company would be fully remote for the next year, she knew right away it was time to live out her long-held dream of living out of a van.

"Nothing else made more sense than van life once that reality became true," said Horn, who lived in Oakland before moving into her van. "I had no reason, nothing, tying me to that specific location or that amount of rent."

Horn is not alone. Many workers with jobs that let them work remotely during the pandemic left behind their sedentary housing situations and moved full-time into vans. These remote workers drive from location to location in their homes, working from internet hotspots in their vans and spending their free time in nature and exploring new places.

As vaccines roll out and states start to open up, some workers are returning to their offices. But many workers who've adopted the van life don't want to give it up.