The Journey Begins..
This is my book bait for the book I am beginning to write and self-publish in 2023. I am looking for interest, for feedback, for reactions!
Are you yearning for some adventure in your life? You follow Vanlifers on TikTok and YouTube, yet you have no idea where to start? You don’t have all of the latest gadgets and aren’t looking to drop $100K on outfitting your vehicle? Take it from us. We spent 3 months of 2021 doing just that. We bought stuff we didn’t need, wasted tons of food due to poor food storage, and overloaded our Jeep Wrangler as we embarked on our version of overlanding.
Just as Vanlifers only post their beautiful pics and not everyday life, it seems so many people focus their efforts on selling you the best lift kit or tires that will cost you thousands of dollars, but no one tells you how to find free places to stay or how to keep your generator powered without staying at a campground with power or investing in a crazy expensive solar panel.
More and more people want to head out on the road for a few weeks or even months at a time. How do you do this without spending a fortune AND also enjoying yourself? How do you manage to work on the road but also see beautiful sites? If you are someone looking to venture out but want a bit of a playbook, well, you’re reading the right book!
So how did this journey begin…
My husband and I made the decision in the beginning of 2021 to leave New York, sell most of our belongings and live on the road in our 2018 Jeep Wrangler. Where did this come from? We were living comfortable lives in the suburbs of New York City. We had a great apartment, had enough money to visit a restaurant and brewery whenever we liked. Yet we both yearned for more adventure!
During Covid, we had the privilege of traveling to see our families and spent about half the summer of 2020 on the road. We saw some amazing sights and loved the freedom and simplicity of living out of our car. We knew that we wanted to make this more permanently but weren't quite sure how to start.
My husband began to research what gear we needed and how we could travel. Since we planned on using the Jeep, our options were limited. We couldn’t pull anything or carry much. So we settled on an iKamper rooftop tent and went from there.
Those 3 months on the road were tough. We didn’t have a solid food or energy plan so we were constantly having to stop. We didn't know how to pack so our car was overloaded. And I had no clue how to work on the road, especially being in a Jeep that is EXTREMELY loud.
We traded in our Jeep for a new Tacoma Truck and ventured back on the road last fall. This is where our book begins. We spent roughly 6 months of 2022 on the road and learned so much. We felt that we garnered so many tricks of the trade that no Youtuber or Van Life TikTokker could have shown us (no offense).
Too many times this way of life is portrayed as this paradise where it’s all beach cameos and snuggling with coffee as the sun comes up. And it’s just NOT. It’s an amazing life, but it doesn’t just happen overnight.
This is our story, our lessons. Let’s get this shit started.