We are three months into our trip and wanted to take some time to do a quick check-in.

The last few weeks have had us venturing through the Pacific Northwest chasing beaches, waterfalls, hot springs, and sunshine. 

When we set out on this trip, we established rules for ourselves that would govern how we approached our trip, and now, it seems like an appropriate time to revisit these rules and see how we are doing so far!

The Rules of the Road

1. Drive time is limited to no more than 4 hours a day

How are we doing: Surprisingly, we are doing pretty good at following this one! The catch is though that when we add in getting gas, running errands, stopping at roadside attractions, etc. 4 hours of drivetime often turns into a 6-hour day in the car. We have balanced this out by staying a minimum of 2 days in each location so that we are not always in the van or assembling camp only to turn around and pack it all up again. This slower pace also works to give us more free time to relax, recoup, and enjoy where we are. This approach also helps stretch our budget. 

2. As much as possible, we will depend on free campsites

How are we doing: Up to this point, we have not paid for a single campsite! In two instances, we splurged on a hotel or cabin on a couple of occasions when the van needed some maintenance, but aside from that, we have stayed for free everywhere.

Believe it or not, we have found that free campsites are FAR better than paid ones. We have stayed on riverbanks, mountaintops, at campgrounds with natural hot springs, and much more. All for free!

3. If a place sounds exciting to either of us, we will make it a priority to visit

This rule has not come up as of yet. So far, both Bryon and I have been pretty in tune about what we want to do and what we want to see. I do not believe there has been anything on the trip that has come up that one person has wanted to do that the other has not. Most of our outings revolve around hiking – which usually means we have found a trail close to where we are staying.

4. We must consider all recommendations that people give us and try our hardest to visit

This is one that we could do better with this one simply because we get A LOT of recommendations. Friends and family back home see where we are and offer tips of locations to visit. In addition to this, the people we meet on the road also are great and tell us about the places they have been to.

Honestly, if we tried to visit everywhere that we told to visit, we would never have made it to the coast. As a result, this has altered to “We must consider all recommendations that people give us and try our hardest to visit AS LONG AS IT IS ON OUR ROUTE.” I wish we had more time and more resources to be able to visit everything that is on our list, but for now, we have to write everything down to be filed away for a later date. By all means,  let us know of places we should go! If there is anything we have learned on this trip, it is that the United States is incredible and vast and that there are so many places to see and things to do. We want to do them all, but we are running out of time as winter approaches. 

5. We must visit every national park on our route

So far, so good on this one! On this trip, we have visited 16 National Parks in 7 states, and we are not slowing down any time soon! As we travel, we are reviewing national parks based on our experience. More information can be found here!

Below is a collection of pictures from Crater Lake National Park

6. Visiting family and friends throughout our trip is of the highest importance (even if it means driving a little bit out of our way)

Friends and family on the road have made our trip so far! We have visited folks in 5 states and are forever grateful for the support we have received, the home-cooked meals we have eaten, and the hot showers we have taken. This trip has allowed both of us to connect with family and friends that we have not been able to see in years! We cannot thank those people enough for opening their homes to us (and our dogs).

7. We want to leave every place a little better off than it was when we found it

Life on the road has taught us so much and has changed both of us dramatically. One of the biggest lessons we have learned is a newfound respect for nature. Nature is sacred and life-giving. Without it, we could not survive as a species. It is because of this that nature deserves our respect. As a result, we spend hours at each campsite picking up trash, hunting down cigarette butts, and living in such a way that we minimize our impact on the environments we are in.

Along with this, we have worked diligently to educate ourselves on best practices to reduce our waste and leave no trace while on our adventure. 

For more information about how you can limit your impact on natural ecosystems while in nature, check out Leave No Trace, an organization whose goal is to “provides research, education, and initiatives so every person who ventures outside can protect and enjoy our world responsibly.” A link to their website can be found here! 

8. We each want to live frugally and spend money intentionally, but we will not stress about a budget

 Since neither of us are working at this point, we have no choice but to stick to this. Living frugally is what we are good at. The part that we struggle with is not stressing. 

 No worries, neither of us are at a point of financial jeopardy – we both had enough saved to support ourselves for about a year before leaving. That being said, not having any revenue can create some stress. This is especially true when unexpected expenses pop up.  

There have been two such occasions at this point where we had to shell out for van maintenance.  Both times came with hefty price tags that were an excess of $1000.00. 

On the bright side, we are slowly on the way to having a brand new engine under the hood of our 1999 Chevy Express!

9. We are wanting to find ways to engage with the cultures that we visit and embrace the communities that welcome us

A transient lifestyle can be very lonely. 

We spend hours isolated in a vehicle driving to new locations where we are total strangers. 

It is because of this that community is so important. Without our communities, both our families and friends back home and the incredible people we have met on the road, we would have thrown in the towel months ago.

So first, thank you to everyone back home who has offered their support to our little experiment. Second, thank you to everyone who we have met on the road that has made a space for us at their tables and made us feel like we are not so alone on the road. 

For those people back home who don’t know, the vanlife community is vibrant and welcoming. We have met so many people from all walks of life. These people have always welcomed us in. The community of vagabonds is unique in its diversity, like a mosaic of different experiences and backgrounds. It is a community that we are proud to be a part of.

In addition to our personal community, we wanted to invest in the communities that we visit. We do this by trying to shop local. We visit farmer’s markets and mom and pop stores on our way. We also try our best to visit local museums in tiny towns we visit so that we have a better understanding of where we are.