Who is ‘Van Boys'? US vlogger goes viral for breaking myths about India, ‘all the propaganda you see..'
Who is Van Boys, and when did he come to India?
This American travel vlogger is 24-year-old and runs the YouTube channel Van Boys, which has nearly 100,000 subscribers. He started his solo journey across Asia in January 2024, beginning in Thailand, where he also celebrated his 23rd birthday. After sharing more than 20 videos from his life in Thailand, he moved to the Philippines and uploaded many videos comparing life in the two countries.
His father joined him in November after retirement, and together they spent more time in Thailand. In June, they visited Sri Lanka, and in July, they arrived in Delhi, India. Since then, Van Boys has traveled to Ladakh, taken a road trip to the Himalayas, and visited Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu.
Why is he going viral?
Van Boys has become popular for his honest and positive videos about India, challenging common negative views. In one viral video, he said, 'Does India look dirty and polluted to you? This country's one of my favorite countries. It's the cheapest. It's got amazing people and amazing different climates. I'm in the mountains right now at a waterfall. All the propaganda you see about India is just a little bit of the truth. I mean, look at this place.'
He shared a post on Instagram with the caption, 'India is more than dirty, overpopulated slums; this country has the best food and beautiful nature. Local Indians love hosting and have the best hospitality. I love India and can't wait to come back to meet more people.'
Another viral video showed him visiting Gurugram's upscale Cyber Hub, where he praised the clean and modern shopping area. He said, 'India is not all slums, overpopulated, and full of trash. Some air pollution is over here. But hey, at least it's looking like this. They got everything you could ask for.'
He added, 'Yes, there are beautiful Indian women. I've seen a lot of them. But I've been going to the wrong places. Look at this! Hey, this looks like America. Like better than America.' The video was captioned, 'Dirty Polluted India has a CLEAN shopping outlet that looks better than Miami. Did you know India had this?'
Background and journey
Van Boys started his journey in Asia last year and shares raw, unfiltered travel content about the places he visits. His videos show hidden beaches, bustling cities, and local life across different countries.
On Instagram, where he is known as Free Spirit Traveler and has over 2,85,000 followers, he writes, 'Somehow turned traveling into my job.' His YouTube channel, Van Boy's description says, 'Raw Travel Adventures Across Asia, We're one year into this incredible journey, and we're this close to hitting 100K subscribers! Thank you for every like, comment, and moment you've shared with me along the way.'
The vlogger continues to explore India and share his experiences through videos on both YouTube and Instagram, gaining more followers and attention.
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