There’s not many things in the crowdfunding world that has compelled me to make a contribution, until I found out about the Driftr app around a month ago.

I had been following vanlife_jelena on Instagram for a while, when she posted up that she was working on a new app called Driftr. It immediately sparked my interest, so I started following the Driftr App on Instagram and patiently waited for more updates.

Well this week, Jelena and Thibaut finally announced their crowdfunding campaign for the Driftr app on Indiegogo. They have teamed up with some professional app developers and various vanlife companies to produce a range of crowdfunding options starting from as little as $5USD. The perks include everything from t-shirts, USB lights, weekend getaways and portable buddy heaters – and of course, you get your hands on their app once its finished!

There was something that made me want to back the campaign, I just felt I wanted to make a contribution. So anyway, I decided to back the campaign to the tune of $45USD – and in doing so I will grab myself a Biolite Powerlite Mini, as well as lifetime premium Driftr access, a Driftr Car Sticker and become part of the beta test team.

This is all well and good, but I am guessing your want to know what the Driftr app is all about, so lets get on with the details.

So what is the Driftr app all about

The Driftr App was designed to unite the vanlife community by connecting you to nearby vanlifers in real-time. Now, there is no need to spend hours on forums and social media trying to meet people and organize meetups. With the Driftr app, this can be done in minutes so you can get off your phone and get outside. Driftr focuses on the growing lifestyle, culture and brand around the vanlife community so there is something for everyone, even those not on the road!

So what can the Driftr App do for you?

Locate people drifting nearby you in real-time

Get to know the essentials about a driftr by viewing their profile to see their interests, latest checkpoints, future stops and vehicle type.

Use the chat to organize a meetup and share your location with new friends.

The Stories section directs you to the latest blog posts from fellow vanlifers and provides exclusive content on meetups and events organized within the driftr community.

Search locations visited by driftrs in the past. You can see reviews and even ask questions.

Worried about your privacy? Don’t be! With a click of a button, you can be on or off the driftr grid.

Don’t be! With a click of a button, you can be on or off the driftr grid. Input your entire itinerary from latest checkpoints to future stops so other driftrs can plan meetups with you along the way.

Hit up the deals section to take advantage of exclusive deals on must-haves for vanlifers and outdoor adventure enthusiasts.

About Jelena and Thibaut

Jelena and Thibaut are your typical millennial couple. You know, the ones that meet on Tinder, spend their second date at a 3 day music festival and eventually buy a used van to renovate into their home on wheels.

After nearly two years of dating and two years spent daydreaming of owning their own van, they had finally found the one. Thibaut and Jalena joined the vanlife community in July 2016 when they adopted our first vanchild, a 1993 Renault Trafic named Jean-Claude Van Dinic.

They quickly became addicted to the lifestyle and truly passionate about the vanlife community while on the road. However, they realized something quite quickly during their travels. It can get pretty lonely on the road. They would arrive at a certain location and crave cracking open a beer with some new friends to chat about life on the road – but there was no one around! Sure its great to swipe through photos on Instagram of other people doing the same thing as them, but they wanted real human interaction. So this is how the idea of Driftr App was born.

In conclusion

So there you have it. I know this app isn’t going to be for everybody – it may even stir up a bit of controversy as some people want the peace and solitude that comes with Vanlife, and don’t want to see their favourite spots overrun with vanlife gatherings. Time will tell if that is the case, but in the meantime if this app sounds like something that could be useful to you, then why not consider backing the campaign. I will be following this with interest and look forward to seeing the app for the first time.

And here’s the all important links: