How a Box of KFC Chicken Nuggets Inspired Me to Build Out a Van
Hi! 👋 I’m Josh Gordon. I’m 27, living in the PNW, and turning my dream of vanlife into a reality. I’ve got a 2016 Ram Promaster 3500 High Roof 159 EXT. It has 77k miles on it currently, and is in full on build mode!
So why did I choose to pursue this project?
Well, it starts with a story about KFC. Back in ~2013, KFC was struggling as a fast food chain. Sales were down and innovation was needed in order to stay competitive and boost revenue. The solution? KFC introduced the the To-Go Cup, a container that holds chicken tenders, fries, and fits into a cars cupholder so that you can eat on the go. On the surface, this idea is simple. But I think there are a lot of lessons to be learned from this. The great innovators of KFC showed that sometimes to come up with new ideas, you have to see things differently. For almost four decades, the car has had cupholders and those cupholders have been used for holding cups, which hold liquid. But when you strip away the word “cupholder” and instead look at that space in a vehicle as a place to store things, you suddenly open up the possibility to do so much more.
I applied this concept to vanlife. I removed my pre-conceived notions of what home looks like to me. I reframed my definition of home. Home isn’t just a place. In fact, the physical location of my home is its least important factor. It can be both with you and away from you at the same time. Really, it’s the people – the family that turns a kitchen table into a room full of conversation, the friends whose laughter and tears move you. The comfy couch by the window that's shaded by an old oak tree, the light filtering in just so.
Home is the most interesting place I have ever been to because it is redefined with every trip I take, every culture in which I immerse myself, every memory my heart and mind notch up.
I fully realize I am yet to spend my first night officially living in my van, and I may hate it, but right now the idea of being able to turn home into an ever-changing motion picture of landscapes, friends, family, and adventures is calling me. My “why” is to do the activities that make me feel alive, with the people I love, in the locations I want to be in. I also want to recognize that my job offers me the privilege to work remotely. All I need is an internet connection and a laptop, and for that I’m very grateful.
My first day with the van!
Chicken nuggets on the go are cool, but time-travel is also pretty inspiring.
This idea really resonated with me when I read this short blog post by Brian Chesky, co-founder of Airbnb. In it he says:
“Repetition doesn’t create memories. New experiences do. Our perception of time is really driven by our perception of the unfamiliar, vivid and new. Of course, it turns out time slows down the most during life threatening experiences. [1] A safer way to slow down time is to travel. Travel is a new experience that can transport you out of your everyday routine to create memories with the ones you love.”
I love this and think it’s really true. When you live in one place, a lot of your memories get folded into one another. Whereas if you live in many places, your brain creates distinct memories for all those meals and sunsets and other activities that would otherwise be routine and done in the same location across many different days.
It's about showing up.
I want to share one more reason (out of 1000) that I’ve finally decided now is the time to start building my van and pursuing this lifestyle. My good friend Kyle wrote this and I couldn’t have said it better myself:
“I’ve learned that all I really want to be is me. The best me, the kindest me, the most loving me. Over and over again, I’m learning through photography that I’ll never get that kind of character if I only ever focus on me. Not a camera pun, I promise.
I picked up a camera a few years back, and while it’s helped me find a career I love, it also sort of… unlocked me. I grew up on a farm in rural Pennsylvania and spent most of my life learning to work with my hands, but never quite figuring out how they could be so connected to my mind. Now, I’ve learned that it’s possible. Photography for me has never been just about ‘getting the shot,’ but being there for the shot. It’s not about ‘blowing up,’ but showing up.”
Wow. So much to dissect in that. I think that vanlife has the same potential for empowering me to show up — where I want, when I want, with whom I want. Get rid of the 12 month lease. Get rid of the stuff in storage and the things that society makes me think I need in order to feel like a successful and purpose-filled adult should buy (that I don’t need). I feel like my van will unlock the ability for me to show up in a way that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to. And yes there are sacrifices. Lots of them. Many I haven’t even experienced yet. But better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all!
Thank you for reading. I plan on posting articles covering vanlife, how-to build breakdowns covering the build process, materials, and lessons learned, as well as posts to accompany podcast interviews I’ll be doing with other vanlifers. If you’d like to stay up to date with everything, subscribe to my email list, One Step Ahead, where I'll be sending monthly emails covering the detailed steps of the van build. You'll also get access to my master file of every item i've purchased to make the build possible, including links, costs, descriptions, and tags so you can filter by van project. This spreadsheet took months of research to combine as I meticulously chose every item and wanted to document it to expedite the process for others looking to build. I found a lot of guides online that include some pieces, but couldn't get my hands on an all encompassing list, so I made what I would have found invaluable when planning my build out. It’ll be continually updated as a I finish my build over the next few months. I hope it helps :) And as always - please reach out through IG, Twitter, email, or YouTube comments with any questions.
See you on the road,
Josh
