After 14 years on Wall Street, alum Kevin Jornlin wanted to spend more time outdoors, with less hassle. Believing that others might feel the same way, he left his job at an investment firm to launch New York City’s first luxury camper rental company, Vanish, in early 2021.

“This is an idea that my wife and I had during those first few months of the pandemic, when we were cooped up in our New York City apartment, just itching to get out into nature, and not really loving the options that were available to us,” said Jornlin, a 2006 Robins School graduate.

With Vanish, guests don’t have to cope with driving oversized RVs, packing camping gear, or putting up tents. The vans offer kitchens with utensils and cookware, composting toilets, indoor or outdoor showers, camping chairs, and memory foam beds. And they’re pet friendly. Guests range in age from their mid-20s to the upper 70s.

“The mission of the company is to make the outdoors easier to get to and more fun,” Jornlin said.

In November, Jornlin and his wife, co-owner Mallory MacDonald, opened a second location in Austin, Texas. The couple recently welcomed their first child, who rode along on a trip in one of the newest vans, which includes a child seat. Travel is a perk of the job.

Growing up, Jornlin said he was fortunate to have parents who often took the family on month-long RV trips across the country during the summer. Once he landed at UR, a study abroad experience in Australia had a lifelong impact. “That really reinforced the idea that I wanted travel to be a big part of my life.”

In addition to having “van” in the company name, Jornlin said, “I wanted to convey that sense of escape from the ordinary, and escape from what in most cases are urban settings, and vanishing into nature.”

According to GPS tracking data, last year the Vanish vans traveled to all 48 contiguous states except two — Washington and Oregon. “This year, Jornlin said, “maybe we’ll hit all 48 of them.”