Frances McDormund’s Performance in Nomadland is Inspiring Others to Join The Vanlife Movement

Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland is about a 60-year old woman who loses everything in the Great Recession. It has recently won three accolades at the 93rd Academy Awards including the Oscar for Best Picture and the Oscar for Best Actress. The movie follows Frances McDormand’s character, Fern, as she discovers the joy of the road as a van-dwelling, modern-day nomad.

Nomadland has been described as an “ode to community” and is forcing audiences to evaluate their own lives and values. It is even inspiring some to find out more about living life on the road.

What is Vanlife?

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In recent years, growing numbers of people are abandoning their conventional lifestyles, choosing instead to embrace a modern-day nomadic existence living and traveling permanently in vans. This trend has become well-documented on social media and is known as the #vanlife movement. On Instagram, you will find over 9.8 million posts from members of this community.

Things You Need To Consider

It’s easy to be inspired by the dreamy social media posts of full-time vanlifers. Imagine waking up each day, making your morning coffee and enjoying the breath-taking landscapes of where you parked up the night before – deserts, mountains, beaches, forests… what could be better? It’s a simple life but there are things to consider:

1. Converting a Van into a permanent mobile home isn’t easy and it isn’t cheap.
2. A van is a very small space, especially if you’re planning on living with a partner.
3. #Vanlife is a community but if you’re traveling alone you might experience lonely moments.
4. If you want to be a modern-day nomad, you need to figure out how to earn money.
5. The USA is a fantastic place for living on the road, but if you plan on traveling through its 50 states, beware, the country is vast so set off with a plan.

Thanks to the internet, there are plenty of resources online to help you begin your journey. The extensive mobile data network in the US has allowed for growing numbers of people to work remotely and it’s never been easier to stream your favorite TV shows and movies on apps like Netflix and Amazon. There are even websites that compare the best online casinos in whichever state you’re currently parked in, so if, for example, your road trip takes you to the beautiful state of Pennsylvania, sites such as bonusfinder.com can help you navigate through the options.

Are You Really Serious About Becoming a Modern-Day Nomad?

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Watch Nomadland if you haven’t seen it yet and read the non-fiction book which inspired the movie, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder. There are also sites where you can find everything you need to know about how to give up conventional life and begin your new adventure on the road. With the right preparation, you can follow in Fern’s footsteps and join the #vanlife movement too.