Meet Foster Huntington, 28. He actually LIVES in this treehouse in Washington state.
But it was not always this way. He's also lived in this VAN, giving us even ~more~ goals.
Six years ago, Huntington was working at a fashion job in New York City. While he was working, Huntington started a blog on the side called The Burning House, where people shared pictures of items they'd frantically grab if their house were on fire. HarperCollins optioned the blog for a book, giving Huntington the money to quit his job and start an adventure.
At first, he spent his time surfing, camping, and doing freelance photo and social media work for brands like Patagonia.
He was one of the first outdoor photographers to learn how to make money off of Instagram.
But after a while on the road, Huntington began meeting and photographing other traveling van people and sharing his photos under the now-famous hashtag #vanlife.
“I got really into living in a van and seeing other people doing that, too, seeing how much fun they were having, how positive that way of traveling was for them," Huntington said.
The hashtag, he says, was more of a joke among friends, poking fun at how chill living in a van was. But it caught on.
Both the hashtag and his own Instagram following grew steadily. After meeting many fellow campers on his travels, Huntington used Kickstarter to fund the photo book Home Is Where You Park It, a collection of pictures showcasing the interesting rigs he'd encountered.
After a year and a half in the van, Huntington upgraded to a Toyota Tacoma with a bunch of custom camper add-ons.
"The van just kept breaking down," Huntington explained. “It’s one thing when your car breaks down. It’s another thing when your house breaks down." (LOL, true.)
Another year and a half after that purchase, Hungtington decided he wanted to settle down. So that's when he built the treehouse, AS ONE DOES.
The motivation was the same as moving into his van: living out childhood dreams.
"I used to build shitty treehouses when I was a kid,” Huntington said. “I always wanted to do it as a grown-up.”
Just LOOK at this thing! Remember, it is his actual house.
What the actual fuck.
And it also includes a skate bowl and a wood-fired hot tub, because #YOLO.
The build, located on a piece of land Huntington's family has owned for 20 years in Washington's Columbia River Gorge, took more than a year.
You can read more about the construction of the dual-level treehouse and the surrounding projects (collectively referred to as "The Cinder Cone") in this book.
He and his friends have even built a kick-ass mini camper.
Today, the treehouse property has become a hub of creative friends who share the #vanlife ethos.
So many campers coming through.
Wherever his path takes him in the next few years, it seems like Huntington has pretty much nailed this whole dream life thing — and given the rest of us mere mortals some serious inspiration.
