Tech Exec Leaves California to Work Remote From $25K Used Van: Photos

  • Erica Horn bought a used Mercedes Sprinter for $25,000 and added a kitchen, bathroom, and two beds. 
  • Horn works has worked remotely from beautiful locations in Arizona, California, and Utah. 
  • Horn has no plans to return to the “vicious cycle” of renting in San Francisco. 
  • See more stories on Insider’s business page.

A 33-year-old tech worker who ditched sky-high San Francisco rents for a life living and working from her second-hand van told Insider that she has only just started her cross-country adventure. 

Erica Horn, an account manager for Mapbox, a platform that helps developers build maps, decided to kit out a used two-year-old $25,000 Mercedes Sprinter during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring. 

The inside of a van with a small couch, table, bathroom, and kitchen.

Horn’s van includes a bed, couch, bathroom, and kitchen.

Erica Horn


In July 2020, Horn took out a private loan to buy the van, which had clocked up 100,000 miles, from a local

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