Live in his van, from Quebec to California

Paul Dussault

Frédéric Mercier

Thursday, January 4, 2018 12:02

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Thursday, January 4, 2018 12:02

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Last summer, Anthony Roberge decided to throw itself into the void.

He left his apartment, got rid of the majority of his possessions and moved… in his vehicle.

Not by obligation, not because it was broken. By choice, simply.

Read also : I have tasted the vanlife, and I’m hooked

“I’ve done more than 50 shows throughout Quebec in the last year and I started to find it hazardous to do as much of the road,” says the singer-songwriter 26-year-old. Attempting to combine his passion for music and its endless travel, Anthony had the idea to buy a van big enough in which he could sleep after his shows.

Instagram Anthony Roberge

Then, little by little, his Mercedes Sprinter 2010 is past simple vehicle tour… home. A partner to roadtrip, even, that he has known Estelle.

Since its purchase in may, Anthony Roberge has undertaken a range of changes in the aim of making his stay at the edge of Estelle’s more user-friendly. “I added a bed, installed flooring of vinyl, put the insulation in polyethylene on the walls, made of barn board to the ceiling, added some drawers and a propane stove “, lists the musician born in Saint-Fortunat.

At the end of the month of June, a few days before the expiry of the lease of his apartment, Anthony was ready. Ready to leave behind him a bit of stability for the benefit of a life more adventurous. “This is something that I joined a lot more,” he confirms simply.

Instagram Anthony Roberge

Go West, Young Man

After a few months to go to Quebec on board of the Estelle, Anthony has seen the days shrink and the nights cool off. With the winters that we know, difficult to live in their vehicle full-time in Quebec.

On 4 December, Anthony has therefore taken the road to the United States, in quest of temperatures a little more lenient, but also new people and new landscapes. “I’m descended rapidly toward Nashville, where I spent a few days. I then rode to the west through Memphis, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, outlines there.

At the time of the interview, a few days before Christmas, Anthony was not concerned about the flakes or the wave of cold weather hitting the province of Quebec. He was rather under the sun of Santa Maria, California.

Paul Dussault

Not so complicated, the vanlife

The transition to apartment life on the road, Anthony Roberge welcomes it with open arms. And contrary to what some may believe, you get used to it rather quickly. And quite easily.

“My van is very subtle, so I never really had a problem to find a place to sleep “, he says. The rest areas along the road and the parking lots of Wal-Mart quickly became his best friends.

For a good shower and access to a toilet, a subscription to a chain of cinemas training is of great value. “They are everywhere in the United States and they have private showers very clean. It is a little bit like home, ” he says, laughing.

This solo trip, Anthony Roberge to savor fully. “It allows me to make the vanlife more pleasant by avoiding the winter, but also to inspire me to create new songs “, he explains, adding that he took the opportunity to discover local artists and to promote his own music.

Paul Dussault

Its winter, it will browse the California, Utah and Arizona. And then, next march, when winter will relinquish his place in the spring, he will return to Quebec, where it already has a few shows to the schedule.

But don’t believe that he abandoned Estelle.