The pictures make the book. Accompanied by the brief stories of the creators and renovators of the campers, vans, and buses, it’s a marvelous testimony to stoking one’s desire to live more independently and less encumbered.
I enjoyed reading about the freedom this gives people, a heady idea for retirement.

While mainly of interest, I believe, to those planning to refurbish or remodel a vintage travel trailer; still the array of photos showing creative ideas were interesting and inspiring.

A romantic look at the nomadic life of people who live and travel in caravans, campers, and Airstream trailers. Beautiful photography and stories of travel. Nomadland, this is not. These are mostly people who are privileged enough to make the choice to live this lifestyle, and have created Architectural Digest-worthy spaces for themselves in their tiny homes on wheels. Gorgeous to look at, but not realistic for every traveler.

Absolutely stunning! This is one of those books you flip through to live vicariously through others. So many beautiful Airstream, bus, and van remodels were documented on these pages - some in "snapshots" and some in lengthier and contain more pictures and more details on the design and remodel process. Reading through this coffee table book, I had a sense of peace and adventure. What I did really like, however, was that the author and documented families did talk about some of the things that were difficult in either the process of remodeling or in living on the road, preventing the book from being a look at only the romanticized version of life on the road.

A collection of caravans so thoughtfully pretty, they made a homebody like me long for the open road.

This is a nice little coffee table volume on modern caravans (just like it says on the tin) and the wanderers who live in them. The content touches on what it takes to undertake a vintage caravan renovation and how their owners live a roaming lifestyle on the road. The photography is lovely, and each 'chapter' gives a glimpse into the lives of caravan owners and their journeys.

Aside from an inexplicable decision to bisect each chapter with 2-3 pages of photographs, making the reader either skip past the photographs to continue the reading then double back, or peruse the photographs then forget what they left mid-sentence, the layout is clean and modern. I would have appreciated less 'snapshots' - brief one-page interludes between longer multi-page features - which provided little in terms of either visual representation of the caravan nor familiarity with the traveler, in favor of more in-depth chapters where the reader has more of a chance to get to know the featured family. Still, this is a nice introduction to those who are curious about nomadic living or just interested in design and traveling.

After much consideration, a year-and-a-half ago my son purchased a 1976 Diamond RV as a safeguard against homelessness--something we have experienced far too many times in the past 14 years. We have not yet begun any serious renovation, but it is constantly on our minds. Right now we are patiently waiting for Spring to arrive so we can begin some of the work on it.

It is always interesting to see how others have accomplished creating their own truly mobile tiny home, and reading this book (thanks to NetGalley) had renewed and inspired our visions of what we want to accomplish for ourselves.

The photographs are phenomenal, the stories are heartwarming.

#TheModernCaravan #NetGalley

I learned about an Airstream after I read The Modern Caravan. The Airstream is a travel camper that you can see on the cover. This book opened my mind to new ideas and possibilities.

As we grow and accumulate more and more stuff, at some point it becomes liberating to own less. To be able to wake up in a new place and have coffee in the company of a new landscape is a dream of many. Not everyone has the patience, perseverance, and guts to take this route. I am glad that the author of The Modern Caravan, not only took this route but also helped others achieve their nomadic dreams.

I did not expect to read this book in one sitting but I did. It was eye-opening to read the journeys of singles, couples, and families that loved to live free and how they modeled their mobile homes after what is close to their hearts.

If you love traveling, this book is a must-read. The Modern Caravan is a book about dreams and wide horizons, and how to have a diverse world as your backyard.

Thank you to @netgalley and @chroniclebooks for an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This beautiful book tells the stories of individuals, couples, and families who have renovated campers (often Airstreams) to live in part-or full-time. Some are featured more prominently, with extensive photographs, advice, and specifics of their remodels. The imagery is beautiful—equal parts caravan porn and stunning vistas. Written by a woman who is a veteran caravan renovator, the book also includes social media handles and a buyers guide. This book is a useful resource both for caravan buyers and those who just like to look at pictures. #TheModernCaravan #NetGalley

THE MODERN CARAVAN showcases the life of trailer travelers in a stunning coffee table book that features gorgeous photos and design. A great gift for road explorers of all kinds and an absolute blast to page through!

Thanks to author Kate Oliver, Chronicle Books, and NetGalley for the ARC; opinions are mine.

#themoderncaravan #kateoliver #chroniclebooks #NetGalley #coffeetablebooks #tincanliving #trailortravelerbooks #bookstagramcommunity

The Modern Caravan is a wonderfully romanticized look at campers and life on the road collected and curated by Kate Oliver. Due out 1st March 2022 from Chronicle Books, it's 224 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

This is one of those gorgeous glossy hardcover books full of full-color inspiration and dedicated to the romance of a life of adventure on the road which has struck all of us at one point or another. There's a lot of intimacy in the author's honest and unvarnished account of her family's acquisition and remodeling of their first airstream camper from the beginning on a very limited budget, learning as they went along how to strip and rebuild whilst still maintaining an aesthetic restoration to wind up with a functional product at the end.

She's chosen to showcase 13 different profile stories with in-depth photos and background for each of the projects. This is, certainly, a love poem to the durability and iconic nature of the classic aistream camper, but additionally it's a really gorgeous book of instagram-worthy interior shots which are full of wonderful interior details and which reflect the individual personalities of their owners. There are some which are restful and calm, some which are exuberantly colorful, some which are whimsical with a wry humor and warm and inviting vibe. In between the larger profile chapters are little one page snapshot pages with abbreviated background stories and a picture of the people involved. Their stories are as varied as their projects.

I enjoyed getting a look at the stories behind the builds. It should be noted that this is not a tutorial or how-to book. This is a collection of stories of people who chose to travel part time or full time in a camper (there are a couple van rebuilds also, but only in the shorter snapshot entries). The profiles are diverse, representing singles, couples, families, and friends who collaborated on projects and enjoy traveling alone or together.

Four stars. Lots of inspiration here.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This is just a fascinating book of people living the American dream and becoming nomads by obtaining vintage Airstream trailers, renovating them, then hitting the road. A few have experience, others as they go, or by talking to others. Their stories and experiences are more than fascinating to read. Plus, the book is full of their before and after pictures along with themselves. I highly recommend this book.

This is a well photographed, beautiful book about the experiences of living on the road (ish) in a "caravan." Basically #vanlife. In the rise of the Gabby Petito case, this book offers living at its tiniest. I think I would kill my husband if I had to live in a caravan like this, but hey, the lifestyle offers a freedom from stuff that I could never achieve. And the travel. If you ever thought about being a nomad ... even a retired one ... then this book is definitely for you.

The Modern Caravan By Kate Oliver

Spectacular visuals capturing the shared love, outdoors, design, and tiny homes on wheels. Loved the notes, helpful hints, and sources. Captures the spirit of DIY design, renovation, and lifestyle crafting.

A beautifully photographed look at people living out of or with trailers, airstreams, buses, campers, and vans. There was a big effort to go beyond the rich white bohemian stereotype of van life and I liked seeing the different families and their designs and solutions for living in small mobile places. The spaces themselves seemed oddly sterile and not lived in but then again, this was them being shown at their "best."

What a stunning book! The photos are absolutely gorgeous and I loved learning about each of the families and their different caravans. Each family had their own distinct style, but all of them were gorgeous and homey. I loved that there were tips on how to create a stylish, comfortable space woven throughout the book as well. This would make such a gorgeous gift for someone who either enjoys caravanning, or just loves interior design and curating a space in general. Loved it!

What a beautifully illustrated book; it made me want to grab an old Airstream and go wander for years to come. I really enjoyed the stories and especially enjoyed the photos. Very well done !!

I loved this and I learned so much about how caravan homes differ from trailer homes and tiny houses on wheels. The photos were great and the author’s voice had a hint of curious it’s within every explanation.

Beautiful photography and lovely stories of those choosing a nomadic lifestyle. Many tips regarding restoration of various types of homes on wheels. This is a inspirational coffee table book sure to spark interesting conversations. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC temporary copy of this book.

The Modern Caravan is full of beautiful photos showing how people are embracing tiny living. Anyone who's interested in getting their own camper will be sure to get inspiration, but everyone will appreciate the interesting stories of the families and how they live their lives on a smaller scale. It's the perfect coffee table book for adventurer's!

The Modern Caravan is a beautiful book for the adventurer at heart! The pictures alone are breathtaking, and the stories of different people's lives are incredible.

It definitely made me want to hit the open road and travel the beautiful land.

This book is a great coffee table book!