I met Kate Alonso when I went to study abroad in Spring 2020. From the moment I met her, her energy was contagious. Easily she is one of the most interesting and positive people I know. She’s lived on a boat, a van, in multiple countries and has a sense of adventure unlike anyone else. Her most recent project — refurbishing her own van. I caught up with her to get the scoop.
Her Campus (HC): What made you get the van?
Kate Alonso (KA): I wanted an alternative to being stuck in my house during COVID. Also, living in a van is not new for me, and I wanted to be more self-sufficient with my own space.
HC: When did you buy the van? What kind of van is it?
KA: We bought it in July online. The model is a 1981 Volkswagen Westfalia, it’s sky blue, and everything was original.
HC: Does the van have a name?
KA: The name is widely disputed. It has multiple names. The initial name was Thomas, but no one liked that name. So now the van’s name is Beaux, courtesy of you Olivia. The van is genderfluid and uses all pronouns.
HC: What has the refurbishing/renovating process been like?
KA: With old vans, it’s ongoing. Always. Step one was to re-floor it — that’s cosmetic. The most important part was the bodywork, mainly the rust. Brakes were also an issue. For the rust, I had to clean it, treat it, grind down to the fresh metal, then paint it with special rubberized paint. The worst part is that the paint gets all over you, and then you’re covered in it for weeks. Honestly, the hardest part is that I’ve put in weeks and months of work into this van, and you’ll never see it because it’s not cosmetic.
KA: I really liked making my panels. I had to recut and reupholster the side panels inside Beaux. It was my favorite because I got to choose whatever fabric I wanted; I chose little kid rain jacket fabric. The fabric is navy blue with tiny light blue fish.
HC: What have been some challenges you’ve run into?
KA: Mainly, it breaks down every week. Without fail. A new week, a new noise. The big challenge is that I have to actually fix it. I carry my garage with me and know how to fix it all. The running joke with my Abuelo is that I am the mechanic boyfriend.
HC: Are there any specific places you want to go to in the van?
KA: In Canada or in general? I want to take the van to the west coast to Vancouver – it’s my end goal. I’d love to also go east to Nova Scotia or New Brunswick because I’ve never been there. For the US, I’d love to see the west coast or go to Wyoming. I went to Wyoming once, and I’ve been meaning to go back since. There’s just so much space there.
HC: Any pro tips on getting a van or getting involved with the community?
KA: It doesn’t have to be what you see online. The idea of #vanlife tends to be #expensivesprintervanlife. I was going to drive across the country in a Toyota Forerunner, but then I found the van at around the same price. Van life is having a sleeping bag and a propane stove. It’s living how you want to live. It’s freedom. Finding a community is a natural effect of living how you want to.
HC: Finally, what is your best van story?
KA: All good van stories have to do with breaking down. During the first week of class, I was in Algonquin National Park. I had stopped for the night at this beautiful forest, at the trailhead. I went for a quick hike, going to bed early because I knew I had to be up to commute for a class in the morning. That morning, I called my dad with a van update and told him I would text him when I got to where I was going. I spent an hour trying to start the van. I called my dad after it wouldn’t start and performed a telehealth van appointment with my dad and Abuelo on video chat. When we couldn’t figure out what it was, my dad left the house to drive nine hours with my spare parts. I went to class from the woods. About 12 hours later, my dad arrived and the van was finally fixed.
If there’s one thing to take away here, is that self-agency and travel are possible — sometimes you just have to be creative. Adventure is out there, even in corona times! Go forth and channel some Kate in your life!
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