Four years ago today, we left our home in San Francisco with two backpacks and our best friend Holly. And just a few weeks ago, we unceremoniously returned our minivan camper Red Delicious back into a regular ol’ minivan and moved to Santa Barbara. We transitioned hard and fast into “normal” life: we have a “real” bed and “real”… Read more →
When we first planned to travel by van, we had no idea whether we’d love it or hate it. It’s one of the reasons we kept our minivan conversion very simple: if we only traveled for a few months, it would be easy to turn the van back into a car and sell it. Now that we’re winding down our… Read more →
Red Delicious is retiring. That’s right: Beginning September 1, we will no longer be van-dwellers or full-time travelers. We’ll have been on the road for four years, with nearly three of them in our van. For those of you considering van life, do not despair! We have loved adventuring and do not regret van-dwelling at all. But we always said we’d do… Read more →
Looking back on our two and a half years of van travel, there are six stretches we especially enjoyed. All of this is highly subjective, of course. But people often ask us, “What are your favorite places you’ve been?” And we find that the same answers pop up. So, without further ado, our favorite U.S. road trips: 1. Dark… Read more →
Van life isn’t always fun. Hip Instagram portrayals make it seem like one long, perfect, carefree daydream. We think van living is pretty great… except when it’s not. Sometimes, van living sucks. Sometimes, you don’t wake up to ocean waves or a bucolic park — you wake up outside a Walmart. It’s really important to us to be honest with you… Read more →
When you have a two-burner propane stove — and the occasional campfire — what are your meal options? We struggled with this when we first started van-dwelling. Most camping recipes involve preparing something in a full kitchen in a house, then reheating it at the campground. Or food for 8-year-olds who only eat hot dogs and hate vegetables. Regular cookbooks don’t… Read more →
If you’re not familiar with IAmA on reddit, it’s when someone says who they are and encourages users to AMA, or “Ask me anything.” It usually looks something like this: I am a van-dweller who has lived in a minivan-turned-camper for 2+ years while traveling full time. AMA There are so many questions we get about the miscellaneous ins and outs of… Read more →
It’s not polite to talk about money, is it? But, hands down, the most popular thing friends and strangers ask is: How the heck can you afford to travel full time? The point of this blog is to make full-time van travel feel more accessible, so we’re disregarding what is polite and tasteful in favor of letting you take a peek… Read more →
It’s hard to believe, but we’ve been living the van life for TWO YEARS. Here we are, about to embark in January 2015. So fresh-faced and full of anticipation! Since then, we’ve put 53,000 miles on Red Delicious. We’ve visited breathtaking national parks, hiked hundreds of miles, said tearful goodbyes to our best furry friend, prepared countless meals… Read more →
You live in a van and have unreliable refrigeration — or none at all. Which foods should you keep in your van? This is an adjustment for people used to house-dwelling. A fridge and freezer make perishables possible for longer. One thing we’ve noticed about folks our parents’ age is a love of buying lots of meat and stocking it… Read more →