While vanlifing has somewhat of an idyllic appeal on Instagram, one keen traveler has revealed that sometimes being on the road can get scary.
Katya Vorokhobova, 27, from Florida, has built a burgeoning social media following with her travels around the world in her converted van and motorbike.
But one of her most watched clips on TikTok – where she uses the handle @tropicalrussian – captures the terrifying moment she heard gunshots while relaxing in her van one evening at a camp site in South Carolina.
In the video, which has so far been watched more than nine million times, Katya can be seen playing the guitar, before a shot in the dark causes her to stop mid-song.
Katya Vorokhobova, 27, from Florida, captured the moment she heard gunshots while in her converted van in South Carolina and the terrifying clip quickly went viral
In the overlaid captions she explains: ‘The only time I’ve ever been afraid for my life in my van. I was minding my business, learning songs on guitar… deep in the woods in South Carolina.
‘I was so happy to find a secluded spot next to a lake but there was no cell service.’
While she was playing the guitar, Katya said she ‘started to sense there were people around’ so she lowered her singing voice.
It was then that she heard the fire of gunshot as she gasped: ‘What the f**k.’
At first, she said she did not know what to do, so she decided to stay calm and ‘evaluate the situation.’
The overlaid captions continue detailing Katya’s internal thoughts: ‘There are hunters out there, that’s kind of freaky.
‘I’m gonna close my van doors.’
Katya went to tuck her guitar away as a further two gunshots rang out.
Katya works as a project manager for an environmental consultancy firm along with being a content creator
Katya, who works as a project manager for an environmental consultancy firm along with being a content creator, then reveals that she ended up yelling at the strangers to ‘take their hunting elsewhere and they left.’
Hunting in South Carolina is permitted, but only by obtaining the correct license and getting the required permits.
After Katya posted the video of her unnerving incident, it quickly garnered thousands of comments from concerned viewers.
One commenter wrote: ‘That ain’t hunting, those were warning shots for YOU… you should leave the area, southern people are territorial.’
Another worried viewer mused: ‘Parking a van next to a secluded lake with the doors open, and no cell service is WILD!! This sounds like a slasher film waiting to happen.’
In response to the flood of concerns, Katya posted follow-up videos defending the way she acted.
Katya has built a burgeoning social media following with her travels around the world in her converted van and motorbike
In one clip she explains: ‘So a lot of times, just by standing your ground and being like, look, I know my rights, and I know that I’m allowed to be here is enough.
‘Most people are not murderers. I know the media likes to scare people.
‘[But] I try to just stay away from all that stuff because I’m out here living.
‘Of all the crazy things that I’ve done, all the crazy places I’ve traveled by myself.
‘I’ve crossed borders on foot alone as a blond girl, and I’m fine. So always listen to your intuition, but don’t let fear and paranoia steer you away from living your best life.’
Katya is currently in Costa Rica where she is driving her motorcycle across the country.
Unlike South Carolina, she says, she has encountered no problems so far and she is ‘having the best time ever.’
‘Never once did I feel unsafe. Never once did I hear gunshots in the middle of the night,’ she concludes.
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