MOO-Thoughts, observations & questions this morning:
1. Getting started on van life takes some up front investment. I wonder if the van was purchased with cash and by whom? If not, I wonder who holds the loan? It appears a 2012 Transit Van generally runs between around 7k to 13k, depending on mileage and condition. Outside of the van, supplies, customization, etc all take money. I believe they funded this trip together and/or were generously supported by their parents.
It appears both fathers owned their own businesses, so it may have been a goal or value to support this for their kids.
2. While having enough money and a decent budget to carry out a trip like this is important, (we saved 10k for a family of 4 for a 6000 mile round trip for a month on the road), they had done something similar before in a car and had a general sense of that, and I think I remember her father saying they had money. Without more information, I am not sure money was the main source of contention...it could be, tho...many people argue over money even when they have plenty.
3. The social influencer part of this confounds me a bit. Building a base following (say 5k active followers on the low end) is hard to get to by itself. To maintain and grow that takes an awful lot of time (often years) and work. There should be signs of that PRIOR to thinking one could make a living off it UNLESS sponsored by a number of companies prior to the trip.
Do we know if they had company sponsors?
If they were well sponsored, they could have made money from the sponsor, or have been gifted important supplies to market and make commission from along the way.
Also note, that in my experience, sponsors often include deadlines for posts and links used, including specific expectations for influencers, it can cause pressure. It could also be hard to meet these expectations if juggling more than one sponsor over a specific timeframe.
4. Whether it is true or not, Brian gives some insight on their plan during the bodycam vid, as I recall. I think he said they were headed to see g-ma best friend and then to Portland to do a stint at a World Wide Opportunity on an Organic Farm (otherwise known as WWOOFing) and then land in California. Don't know much beyond that...it is all quite a curious and exasperating case to try to figure out without more information to comb thru.
MOO and just wanted to share with this amazing group!