The Escapism Series where we share inspiring stories and adventures about people who are traveling around the globe comes from Vanajeros. Four professional photographers and film-makers, driving their VW van through Mexico, Central America including Oregon and California and South America, capturing images of people and places that usually elude tourists and travelers, while giving something back to the communities they visit.
We are Vanajeros. Four artists in our twenties, on the move in our ’85 VW Westfalia van, headed to South America. After graduating with degrees in film and photography, we are finding ourselves hungry for the opportunity to flex our artistic muscles and put what we’ve learned to good use.
Millions of tourists travel the world every day taking photos. As we travel, we would like to upend this dynamic by giving the pictures back to the people we photograph, as we create lasting images and stories to share with our followers.
For us, there’s always been a draw to Latin America. From the poetic language to the pura vida lifestyle, the passion for cultural expression is something we can’t wait to experience. It's something we are excited to fully embrace, and it’s also the foundation for this project: to expand our cultural worldview and explore another.
At 29, our van Pecan Sandy is the eldest member of our crew. We have had her for about a year and in that time we have rebuilt her into a very capable adventuremobile, ready to take on the trials and tribulations of the bumpy south american roads. By traveling in our own vehicle, we travel at our own speed and can keep plans to a minimum. In fact, beyond “getting to Ecuador” we’ve left the door for our travel very wide open. We want to welcome the ability to let unexpected things happen… to hitch a ride on the good vibes of the fellow travelers and locals we meet along the way. Also, it means we’ll spend more time in smaller communities that generally get passed by when traveling from one big city to the next. Staying off the beaten path is right where we want to be.
Please join us as we embark upon this nomadic lifestyle by following along with our photos, videos, and blog updates.
www.vanajeros.com
facebook.com/vanajeros
@vanajeros on twitter and instagram