Hi I'm late to the discussion but I'm a little closer to Barbie than a goth vampire but either way I don't have the energy to analyze, categorize, or compare myself with anybody because I'm too busy surviving out here full time. Living the real thing. That's the reality.

This is IMO and I don't intend to gatekeep. Since you asked...

What does the term “Vanlife” mean to you?

It used to mean living in a van; the term was used that way back in the 90s on yahoo email groups, IIRC.

/cynic mode ON
Then it blew up and was co-opted by carbetbaggers and the van-curious. Now it means influencing, watching influencers, posting bikini and/or foot pics, spending way too much money on a conversion then saying "hashtag-vanlife is overrated" and bailing. Most people on popular YT vanlife channels, forums, etc, do not own a van and will never spend a night in a van.
/cynic mode OFF

Speaking generally, and not about present company.

Personally, I align more with being a weekender, despite having traveled extensively for several months

Still working on coffee, but I'll suggest a spectrum of approaches/attitudes

• dreaming <-- most people are here
• weekending
• weekending in a rig that is capable of longer outings. An underrated option, since it gives us the ability to deal with life challenges, natural disasters, etc.
• traveling for months - practically indistinguisable from fulltiming since it presents many of the same challenges: power, water, food, etc. The only things missing are exposure to both summer and winter, and the sobering realization that this is home and there is no other home to return to.
• fulltiming

TLDR

Vacations and campouts are fun. Living off-grid fulltime is serious business. I am reminded of the joke about different animals' contributions to breakfast: the chicken is involved but the pig is committed.