I’m 19 and live in a van – it’s three years older than me but I don’t have to pay any rent… but it always breaks down
A TEENAGER has taken to TikTok to document the upsides of living in a van.
Although Jon Purcell admits it has a tendency to break down, he says all the "crazy places" he's been able to visit makes it all worth it.
In his latest TikTok video, Jon posted an envy-instilling video of the 1984 Volkswagen van he calls home.
Cast along the serene California coast, Jon's van glows in the rays of the sunset.
The camera pans, taking it all in, as Jon swaggers up to his mobile home.
He begins by revealing that the van, which is three years older than him, has given him the opportunity to frequently soak in such scenes.
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He tells his viewers: "My favourite thing about living on the road is being able to wake up in crazy places like this."
He's spent time travelling around world, having visited Iceland, Cuba, Italy, and the Swiss Alps just a month before heading to the Californian coast - just to name a few.
He admits that his 21-year-old van has broken down "many times" - but that this isn't worth talking about.
While his engine also barely works, a battery that fails frequently, a fridge that can't charge, and a sink that's full of gas.
For Jon, this is all minor, as he's come to view the ability to travel around the world, without paying rent, as a luxury.
The video, which quickly amassed a whopping 1.8million views in just a matter of days, has seen a wealth of users envying Jon's lifestyle.
One user wrote: "Now this is LIVING."
While another added: "Why am I so emotional ab this lol I want this so bad I’m literally crying."
And a third said: "Kinda curious about your relationship with your parents, what do they think of this? I’ve always wanted to try this but worried about them."
Although Jon is hardly revolutionising the way people are living, as van life has been on the rise in recent years.
Two university graduates have also taken to TikTok to show how they converted their van themselves, with a very small budget, and all the adventures they've been on since.
Families have also been recorded making the switch to van living.
Australian-based influencer Maddison Cate moved with her family from their house to live in the van.
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She explains on her channel the reason for moving the family into the van was to have 'more adventure and freedom' in their lives.
While another TikToker converted an old Land Rover into a fully functioning campervan.
