Victoria Ansaldo, 29, is the owner of Octavia, a 1985 Volkswagen Kombi that she travels in in from the Atacama Desert in Chile's north to Puerto Williams in southernmost Patagonia to capture the natural beauty of her country with a camera.

 

An industrial civil engineer, she put her career on hold nine years ago to devote herself to landscape photography and creating content for social media. So far, her images and envious lifestyle on the road have attracted a tremendous following in social networks, with 386,000 followers on Instagram and counting.

 

Long before van life became a massively popular trend worldwide on YouTube and social media, Octavia's story began in 2016, while she was still an engineering student. She had been looking for a van for a while, driven by a clear vision: she wanted a van that she could turn into a home, allowing her to move around and wake up in different places across Chile. The van would also allow her to be in the places she wanted to photograph at the optimal times for photography, while also giving her her own rent-free mobile tiny home.

 

“I still didn't know exactly where I wanted to live, so it was a perfect way to be everywhere and in one place at a time; to go wherever I wanted and stay as long as I wanted,” she explains. “It gave me the flexibility and freedom I was looking for.”

 

The search for the right Kombi was not easy. Victoria visited several for sale, but most were in very poor condition. “I knew it would be a challenge because it's an old car and problems can arise, such as getting stuck,” she admits.

 

She finally found one in acceptable condition, though it needed several repairs to the engine and bodywork. She spent a whole year restoring it. “I had the engine and bodywork repaired, and when it was ready, I took it home and started making the furniture,” she says. Some of the modifications included installing all the necessary amenities for living, such as replacing the seats with a bed, adding a kitchen, bathroom, outdoor shower, and a closet, and installing a dishwasher.

Octavia's first destination was Pichilemu on the coast. Then came the longer trips: from Valparaíso to Quellón in Chiloe, because she wanted to reach the end of Route 5 and visit Tantauco Park. Those were her first goals.

 

In these past eight years, Victoria has traveled across all of Chile, accumulating experiences and unforgettable places, and she has a clear top 5 of her favorite places:

 

1. Tierra del Fuego, specifically the southern sector, which would be her top one.

 

2. The Seismiles Route in Atacama.

 

3. Achibueno, where she went on her first trip in the van and has recently returned to do more trekking. “Now that I've been discovering it more, I love it!” she says enthusiastically.

 

4. Puelo, or rather, the Llanada Grande sector near the Argentine border.

 

5. Futaleufú and the Patagonian Verde area of Palena province. “I absolutely love it there, for me they are places of peace,” she says.

 

When asked which place in Patagonia she would return to again and again, Victoria answers without hesitation: “Futaleufú and also Puerto Natales, which I love. Those are the two places I always want to return to.”

Victoria says a typical day living in a Kombi is never normal; the only thing the days have in common is that they are always different. In general, she says her life in a Kombi is constant improvisation: parking in a quiet spot, waking up with the sunlight, or going for a hike. One constant, however, is going out to take photos.

 

Victoria's photography is primarily focused on travel, nature, and the outdoors, and she especially likes telling a story behind her photos. “I like to portray everyday life in nature,” she explains. “I really like wildlife; I don't always seek it out, but it's one of my main interests. I also like travel photography, whether it's of people I know or places, showing the immensity of the landscape with oneself as part of it.”

 

When asked what advice changed the way she takes photographs, Victoria distinguishes between two aspects.

 

Regarding social media, the key advice was to diversify content. "I had my van, and I wanted to take only photos of my van on the road, and once someone told me not to just upload photos of the van, but also of the landscapes and the people. “Basically, they are much broader stories,” she explains. “That way you can reach a wider audience, more interests, and more people who resonate with your photography.”

 

Regarding photography itself, the most important advice was simple: “Always carry your camera with you, always have it on hand so you don't miss the moment.” Being organized and backing up her work brought her peace of mind, because it's her job and it allows her to always be ready in case something interesting happens.

After years of constant movement, Victoria has decided to largely settle down. Although she grew up in Viña del Mar, she says she always wanted to live in southern Chile and has chosen to make her main home base Futaleufú, both because she likes it there and the location is convenient for escapes along the Carretera Austral. “In three days, I can be in Caleta Tortel or Pumalín, Cerro Castillo, etc., and take it easy at the speed of the van,” she says.

 

But her plans go further. Victoria has entered the travel business and has started organizing group trips to hard-to-reach places. She has made several trips to Torres del Paine and recently completed her first trip to Robinson Crusoe Island. New destinations are in the works, many of them some of her favorite places.

 

For Victoria, what's most important is that those travel experiences must be authentic. “I want my groups to get to know the local people, talk to them, not just be served and leave, but have a conversation and learn about how people live there,” she explains passionately. “That's the approach I want to take with my trips, because that's what happens to me when I travel.”

 

Victoria and Octavia's story is one of a dream come true: the freedom to move around, a passion for capturing Chile's natural beauty, and now a desire to share those special places with others who seek the same connection with nature.