
The Modern Caravan
Stories of Love, Beauty, and Adventure on the Open Road
by Kate Oliver
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date Mar 01 2022 | Archive Date Feb 28 2022
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Description
The Modern Caravan is a warm invitation into rolling homes designed for life on the open road.
Brimming with evocative storytelling and hundreds of photographs showcasing modern living space and stunning landscapes, this book features more than 35 stories from solo travelers, couples, and families who traded the comforts of a rooted life for ever-changing vistas and eye-opening experiences.
Readers will meet a family exploring Australia in a cozy vintage camper filled with plants and natural wood finishes; a young couple designing a modern trailer inspired by the colors and textures of the high desert; and a couple who renovated their chic Airstream with green velvet seating, floral wallpaper, and herringbone wood floors.
Balancing style with function, each carefully crafted tiny home is the result of long-held dreams, ingenuity, and imagination.
EXPERT AUTHOR: Kate Oliver is a celebrated Airstream builder and designer. Her work has been profiled in Dwell, Remodelista, Domino, Apartment Therapy, and Design*Sponge, among others. Here she draws on her experience as a designer, builder, storyteller, and photographer to create a one-of-a-kind book full of wanderlust and inspiration—the ultimate guide to beautiful small-space living.
SPEAKS TO WANDERLUST AND BOHEMIAN LIVING: For anyone eager for experiences that offer an escape into a world of simple pleasures and exploration, this gorgeous volume filled with travel photography, engaging stories, and practical tips holds endless appeal.
BEAUTIFUL GIFT: Perfect gift for anyone who loves road trips, outdoor adventure, or interior design. A thoughtful present to pair with any adventure accessory or décor object—a destination road guide, a flannel shirt, a ceramic bowl, or a beautiful blanket. The eye-catching package will add beauty whether displayed on a coffee table or love shack bookshelf.
Perfect for:
- Interior design enthusiasts, armchair travelers, and anyone who dreams of a life of adventure
- People interested in travel and alternative living spaces
- Minimalists and those who practice hygge
- Weekend adventurers and road trippers
- Followers of the #vanlife movement
- Fans of Tin Can Homestead, Cabin Porn, The New Bohemians, and The Tiny Mess cookbook
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9781452183275 |
PRICE | $27.50 (USD) |
Featured Reviews

This book is beautiful, Sleek and stylish. A very cool take on a modern RV lifestyle. The perfect coffee table book for adventurers.

The Modern Caravan: Stories of Love, Beauty, and Adventure on the Open Road is a book you'd find on a living room countertop, not for its content, but for its aesthetic as a decoration. Even perusing the pages seemed more like something I'd skim through words here and there if I was sitting on the host's couch in a time lack of conversation. Definitely something you'd find in a home that doesn't feel homey or during an open house tour of a desert mansion.
That being said, the short stories gave glimpses to the lives of Americans who prefer a nomadic lifestyle, how they make their homes work, and thensome. A good gateway to conversation and the topic at large at that.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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 !!

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!

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."

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.

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

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