We Picked Up The Van!
During the Summer of 2018, right around my birthday, Reed and I decided to travel around the United States together. At the time, it was in my dad’s small travel trailer. We made plans to fix it up and spend six months to a year on the trip. We planned on venturing to every state that we could reach via road travel. Maybe we would find a new place to settle down and call home along the way. We would soon find out about van life, and things would take a turn for the better.
Finding a community
Around November of that year, I desperately searched for other people doing something similar. I searched for blogs, but I didn’t yet have a name for what we were doing. Was it a road trip? Kind of, but not really, but that was somewhere to start. Believe it or not, Reed and I hadn’t even heard about van life at that point. I thought that what we were planning on doing was this new thing! When I think about it now, Reed and I chuckle to ourselves. We had been oblivious to this vast movement that has been building momentum since 2012!
Around that time, I had somehow come across the Women on the Road podcast hosted by Laura Borichevsky. To this day, I have no idea how I found her podcast, but it had me hooked immediately. I remember running into the living room of our place in Boulder, Colorado, and playing it for Reed. “Other people are doing this, Reed!” I exclaimed. I had no idea how right I was.
Getting the van
Fast forward to March 3rd, 2020; we were driving our future home on wheels back to Boulder, Colorado, from Reed’s parents’ house in Atlanta, Georgia. We had bought the van right around Christmas, and we consider it our Christmas gift to each other. Reeds parents had been kindly keeping it safe for us.
The start of something new
The day we were planning to fly out was my last day nannying. So off we went to start the grand journey back. After months of it being a side hustle, I was diving headfirst into my freelance writing career. At the same time, Reed was finishing up the month as a manager at an organic grocery store. So we were coming to the end of a chapter in our lives and starting a brand new one! It was both exhilarating and terrifying.
We flew out to Atlanta, Georgia, and spent three days there. First, we spent time with Reed’s parents and grandparents on both sides of his family. Then we set the GPS and watched the eleven and a half hours to Plano, Texas tick by, finally in possession of our future home on wheels. We spent that night in Plano with Reed’s brother, Joey, his sister-in-law, Caty, and his niece Mckenzie.
Setting an intention
We set an intention for the trip to be present as much as possible. We did not want to obsess over the time it would take to get back home. Instead, we wanted to enjoy the different landscapes we moved through throughout the next few days. The weather predicted rain for the majority of the drive. I watched Reed white knuckle the steering wheel when we first began the trek. His eyes were wide as he began to get used to our future home on wheels. Here is a blog post about following through on goals.
We both were a bundle of nervous excitement that first hour or so as we allowed the reality of the situation to sink in. This van wasn’t just a way of transportation; this was our home. Or it soon would be!
Our dream meets our reality
I stared out the window at the rolling green hills and tall trees around us. Then, finally, the sun came up and greeted us with brilliant light on this cloudy morning. At that moment, I felt the same sincere gratitude that I had felt just yesterday. When we had first laid eyes on the van, I could not stop smiling. An uncontrollable, almost delusional laugh had bubbled up from my chest—finally, one of my biggest dreams collided with my present moment reality. Finally, the two worlds were coming together.
It was another reminder that small, intentional steps towards your dreams will bring you to where you want to be. I sat there and thought about things we had been doing to get here. I was aware of everything that allowed us space even to dream this up. Reed had worked hard to be at a place where he was financially comfortable, which granted us privileges. Neither of us has financial debt, and we have our parents’ (wary but loyal) support. We also live with a friend who has always been kind and generous about rent. Reed and I also have each other and our education to pull us through. I talk about the privilege of choosing this lifestyle in an Instagram post that you can find here.
Dreams do come true
I sat there thinking about the moments that had utterly stressed us out. We had pulled our hair out over finances and logistics and all that goes into picking up and building out the van (with zero building experience).
Yet here we were, inside the vehicle that was literally and metaphorically moving us closer to our goals.
Tears fell from my eyes almost unexpectedly as I settled into these truths. Nothing else mattered but the present moment and the open road. It was a taste of what was to come, and it tasted great. If I were to take you through a play-by-play, you would see that it was an accumulation of imperfect moments that got us to this place.
Money stressors like how we would make money, the money we were spending, and the money we weren’t spending wisely. Fears about instability, safety, and breaking away from all we have known. The feeling that we weren’t doing enough and whether we could do it all. That’s what made the moment so sweet. We had to overcome the mental, emotional, and physical barriers to getting here. I am grateful for the privileges that have allowed us to get here. I am thankful for the journey and our hard work paying off.
The turning point
It felt like this moment was our first peak on the expedition of our dreams. Being here had given me perspective. I was able to look over the side of the mountain and see the moments that brought us here. I could see all of the things we had to do to make it this far. There were more peaks on the horizon, but I now knew we would make it to the next. I could conceptualize the process and the barriers our minds make to keep us in our comfort zones. The obstacles to success were no longer barriers; they were blips on the road. We needed to pay attention to and take caution and be mindful of, but not impossible to overcome.
So what are our next steps?
After we spent one night visiting with Joey, Caty, and the adorable Mckenzie, we hit the road to Alamosa. Once we got to Alamosa, we decided to spend a night there to break up the journey. We got back on the road the following day and made it to Monte Vista. We met up with a close family friend and his beautiful family who owns a solar company. They welcomed us in and spent hours upon hours of their busy day talking through our solar system. Meanwhile, we nodded and tried our best to keep up. We spent the night there and left the following day and hightailed it back to Boulder.
It’s been about a month since we got back. We are now making our plans for the next few months. Initially, our goal was to finish the build in April and hit the road. Many people tried to warn me about the pitfalls of setting deadlines and not allowing for flexibility. After all, living on the road is all about being flexible. Nonetheless, I stubbornly set impossible deadlines, but I have now come to see the error of my ways.
One step at a time
Therefore, moving forward, we are playing it by ear. We are going at the pace that makes the most sense without completely overwhelming ourselves. There’s no point in creating an arbitrary deadline and freaking out over it. Instead, I choose to enjoy the process for what it is.
We will be doing the build-out from Colorado. I will update the blog with the following steps as they happen.
Here is an Instagram post talking about our next steps. Follow us on Instagram to get more updates!
I challenge you to find a way to start on whatever you want to achieve or experience. Even steps that feel tiny and insignificant can set you on a trajectory towards success.
Creating the life of your dreams isn’t easy, but I promise you, it’s so worth it.
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