Just like every great road trip, sometimes life takes you in a new direction. At Heartland, we’ve launched a new journey to make our RVs better than ever. We’ve doubled down on seeking out the highest quality materials, creating fresh and inviting interiors and giving every unit the kinds of finishing touches you’d find in a new home.
Every unit goes through a top-to-tails inspection with a quality assurance expert—in fact, we have an 89,000-square-foot facility dedicated to walking each RV through a series of checklists to ensure it works exactly as it should. And with updated floor plans incorporating features our customers love best—spacious bathrooms, designer kitchens, furniture meant for cuddling up together—we’re confident every trip in a Heartland will be a happy one.
After all, that’s what RVing is all about: hitting the road with people you love, having adventures, making memories. So when you buy a Heartland, just focus on taking the journey of a lifetime. We’ll take care of the rest.
Experience the all-new Heartland online and check out 360-degree model tours, detailed floor plans, all-new features, galleries of updated decor and more.
Just visit HeartlandRVs.com.
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How a passion for cooking is more important than the size of your kitchen.
Check out some of these foodieapproved glutenfree restaurants on your next road trip!
This family started a whole new lifestyle by revamping more than just RVs.
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62
Boondocking
Padre Island
Oceanfront camping on a budget!
Ring Road
Explore the land of fire and ice with a family of seven.
77
Banff and Jasper National Parks
The ultimate Canadian road trip through the Canadian Rockies.
Mike started his journey in the digital community by doing reviews on holsters. When his following began to grow, so did his areas of expertise. Today, Mike is a well-known influencer in the outdoor community. He started his journey in overlanding and expanded to luxury off-road camping in a 2022 Jayco Terrain Class B Motorhome. Mike has been up-fitting and upgrading his newest rig to inspire his followers to do the same. His journey, tips and tricks can be found on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
IF YOU’VE BEEN reading our magazine regularly, you might have caught on that we categorize our stories into three sections—“travel,” “work,” and “explore.” And if we put these in order of importance to becoming a full-time traveler (aka living rootless), we probably would have started with “work.”
Working on the road seems to be the biggest stumbling block for people when deciding to travel full time, but it doesn’t have to be. Don’t get me wrong—if your job is location specific or customer facing, I understand it may not be possible from the road. But if you currently work remotely or own your own business, the transition can be pretty smooth.
If you were one of the millions of Americans who began working remotely due to the pandemic, you got a taste of no commute, no overthinking about what you were going to wear, and no wasted time around your desk, water cooler, or in meetings. You may have been shocked at how much more work you got done and how much more personal time you had. It might be hard to ever transition back to the office or, even worse, the cubicle life.
The hard part is that work culture in the United States often means having a boss or manager that feels the need to keep a physical eye on you while you’re working. They literally hire people they don’t trust to get their work done unless they can watch them.
In my own personal life, I encourage everyone to find work that isn’t location dependent and that allows for multiple streams of income. Everyone who works with me has other clients or other income streams, and they are better partners, employees, or contractors for it.
I think the old way of managing is dying, and I’m glad. The idea of having to watch over people as they work, and making sure that your employees are financially dependent on this one job they’re stuck in seems to be going away in many cases.
When interviewing people on the Rootless Living podcast, a common theme came up—the degree they earned has nothing to do with the career they’re
in now. I truly believe the entire system is broken from the bottom up—asking an 18-year-old to decide what they want to do for work for the rest of their life seems insane!
I say all this to encourage you to look at the work you do and see if there is a way to take it on the road, or to find something new if your current career path doesn’t allow for remote work. There are many examples in this issue of ways to make full-time travel work with your career. Dive in and get inspired. Remember, you don’t have to live on the road forever to be rootless. But having a season where you work while living on the road will change you forever, like it has changed me and countless others.
Until the next issue … stay Rootless.
Demian Ross, Publisher @demianross demian@rootlessliving.com Nikki Kirk, Chief Editor @nikkirk7 nikki@rootlessliving.comROOTLESS LIVING MAGAZINE
Volume 3 • Issue 16 • July/August 2022
Publisher Demian Ross
Chief Editor Nikki Kirk
Managing Editor Jess Stiles
Editorial Assistant L. Merredith
Art Director Melinda Gonzalez
Operations Manager Jamie May
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REBECCA BLACKWELL
@ofbatteranddough
Tiny Kitchen, Gourmet Cooking
Rebecca is a recipe developer and food photographer, traveling the country with her husband Steve in their fifth wheel toy hauler. You’ll find her recipes and a monthly travel journal at ofbatteranddough.com and on Instagram @ofbatteranddough
ADAM AND KATHRYN FRAZER
@adventuresofaplusk
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Adam, Kathryn, and Kona, an adventurous married couple (+ pup!) living on the road in their self-converted sprinter van! You can often find them driving all around the U.S. and Canada scoping out the best coffee shops, eating tacos and ice cream (we're a 5+ taco and 2+ scoop household), and enjoying nature. For their travels and our detailed travel guides, check out adventuresofaplusk.com and subscribe to their YouTube channel, Adventures of A+K
KARLA PARRA
@aventuraroad
RVers Gone International
Karla is a travel and fiction writer and a life and career coach for women. While her husband photographs, Karla writes for their travel newsletter on Substack called “Aventura Road” aventuraroad.substack.com. Together, they also run a thriving Facebook group called “Casita Full Timers”.
ERICA ANDREUCCETTI
@raisingontheroad
Resources for Roadschooling
Erica, her husband, Mike, and their three kids have been traveling full time in a Class A motorhome since June 2021. They’ve traveled through 19 states, exploring parks, looking for educational opportunities, and searching for ways to positively impact local communities.
“Between the spicy food, live street music, colorful alleyways, beautiful architecture, and warmth of the locals, Guanajuato, Mexico has over-delivered.”
“Zion now implements a permit system on Angel’s Landing to minimize the overcrowding that happens in the summer, so you’ll have to plan ahead!”
“We are so thankful to have spent over five years married to grow stronger and change together to be the best parents we can possibly be.”
“We had this camp spot for ourselves. We enjoyed collecting sticks and wood for the campfire, then roasting the marshmallows and making hot drinks. It made me feel like we were truly experiencing caravan life.”
IN SEPTEMBER 2018, I spent a week in Italy cooking for a yoga retreat. We stayed on an old Tuscan vineyard in cottages that were originally built in the 1500s for farmhands and their families, and the kitchens were tiny. I was immediately overwhelmed at the thought of all the women who, for hundreds of years, had prepared meals in that same space.
The experience was humbling in the same way I feel humbled by travel itself. It connected me to the vastness of life on this planet beyond my own small existence.
The kitchen itself was about the size of a dining room table. It had a 2-burner stove and a finicky oven similar in size to one you might find in an RV. It wasn’t the first tiny kitchen I’d cooked in, but it solidified a truth that would come in handy just a couple of years later—the size of a kitchen has little relevance to the quality or quantity of the food that comes out of it.
Fast forward to April 2020—my husband and I had just sold our house of 16 years and moved into a 43-foot fifth wheel toy hauler. In comparison to many RV kitchens, mine is humongous. But compared to the kitchen in our former suburban house, it is absurdly tiny, especially for someone who makes a living as a recipe developer and food photographer.
Luckily, my previous experience in tiny kitchens had taught me that creativity, high quality ingredients, and organization are much more important than the size of your kitchen.
Since moving into our RV, I’ve cooked my way across 14 states, created and published more than 100 recipes, and hosted gatherings with as few as two guests and as many as 40.
Here’s what I’ve learned so far about cooking and baking in a tiny kitchen on wheels.
#1 I always need all the space I have, even when I don’t. If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that nature abhors a vacuum. I always need all the money I make and all the space I have. Somehow, even when I let go of commitments, I still manage to fill up all my time.
For me, the only way to need less of anything is to limit what’s available. That plethora of kitchen appliances, pans, and dishes I had been collecting over the years? Turns out I don’t miss them at all.
#2 You can make almost anything with just a few pots, pans, and baking dishes. The most anyone needs to make pretty much anything is a skillet and three saucepans—small, medium, and large. And honestly, you could get by perfectly well without the small and large saucepans. Also useful, especially for bakers:
• A 9x13 rectangle baking dish, a 9-inch square baking dish, and a loaf pan
• A cookie sheet
• A cupcake / muffin pan
• One or two 8-inch round cake pans that are 3 inches deep
Creativity, high quality ingredients, and organization are much more important than the size of your kitchen.
#3 Creative storage solutions are a must. RVers excel at maximizing space. I am constantly learning from other nomads who post photos of their creative storage solutions on social media. Here are three ideas that have worked well in our tiny kitchen:
Using the space under cabinets—I didn’t want to give up mugs or wine glasses, but didn’t have the cupboard space for either. The solution was to hang them underneath our upper cabinets. The mugs are suspended on simple hooks. The wine glass rack is a genius design created by my brother—it holds eight bottles of wine and six glasses, all nestled in felt-lined compartments so they’re secure during travel.
A flat spice rack built on the outside of one of the cabinets—another genius design by my brother.
Adding a couch and ottoman with storage—soon after moving into our fifth wheel, we removed the typical RV-style couch and replaced it with a couch and ottoman from Home Reserve. Besides loving the look and feel of our new sofa, we also love that there is storage in each seat, as well as the ottoman. People always laugh when I tell them our ottoman is full of baking supplies, but it’s true!
#4 Living in a small space doesn’t mean we can’t entertain! Since moving into our fifth wheel, we’ve hosted many small and large gatherings, with as many as 40 guests. There’s been a substantial amount of trial and error in figuring out what works for larger groups, but here’s what I’ve learned so far:
Soups, stews, and casseroles are great for feeding a crowd. They are easy to serve and keep warm, don’t require separate serving dishes, and can be made ahead of time. Also, aside from maybe a salad and some bread, they don’t require a bunch of side dishes.
Stick to finger food for dessert. Cookies, bars, brownies, and cupcakes are ideal. Avoid things that require slicing and plating.
I opt for paper plates when entertaining a crowd, but I draw the line at plastic utensils. To save drawer space, I keep a container for utensils on the countertop with easy access to knives, forks, and spoons for 36 people.
Set up an outside drink station on a folding table. Serve the food inside and the drinks outside.
Yes, hosting a party in an RV is crowded and chaotic. So what?
Everyone you invite knows what they’re getting into, and honestly, the sheer madness of all those people in a tiny space is part of the fun.
#5 Concentrated ingredients are a major space saver. These four ingredients have become indispensable to me because they pack a powerful punch, keep for weeks in the refrigerator, and take up very little space:
Pomegranate molasses: It’s fabulous in salad dressings and cocktails; brushed over beef, pork, chicken, or veggies; and used in marinades. You can make it yourself or purchase a bottle in specialty shops or online.
Browned butter: Browned butter is easy to make and will seriously up your baking game. It keeps for weeks in the fridge and is fabulous drizzled over pasta or roasted veggies.
Better Than Boullion: Better Than Bouillon is a concentrated paste in a tiny jar made of cooked meat or vegetables that you dilute with boiling water and use in place of stock. Chicken, beef, vegetable, mushroom, and onion are in my refrigerator at all times.
Aleppo pepper oil. Pour one cup of extra virgin olive oil into a skillet and stir in 1/3 cup Aleppo pepper, which you can order online. Heat until the oil begins to simmer, then turn off the burner. Let cool and store in an airtight container. Even better, fry some chopped garlic in olive oil until crispy and dump that into the same container. You can drizzle this on eggs, soups, tacos, toast, and sandwiches, or stir it into salad dressing.
Red Lentil Soup with Aleppo Pepper Oil
This simple, delicious recipe is one of my favorite things to make when we’re boondocking or entertaining a group. The soup is simple, mostly requires pantry items, and will be on the table in less than an hour.
3 tbsp. salted butter
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 ½ tbsp. tomato paste
2 tbsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 cup red lentils
¼ cup long grain rice
1 ½ tsp. salt (more to taste)
¾ lb. ham, chopped into bite size pieces
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ tbsp. Aleppo pepper
1 large lemon
¾ cup fresh flat leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped
Don’t double up on appliances. Our fifth wheel came with an outdoor kitchen equipped with a tiny refrigerator and a two-burner gas stove. Since we already have a refrigerator and gas stovetop inside the rig, we replaced the outdoor ones with a Blackstone griddle and Traeger smoker, doubling our options for what we want to cook with.
Rebecca Blackwell @ofbatteranddough
1. Add butter and chopped onion to a large saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5–6 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute longer.
2. Add tomato paste, paprika, and cumin. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
3. Stir in lentils, rice, 5 cups water, 2 tsp. salt, and the pieces of ham. Raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the pan, and let simmer for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are soft and breaking down. Lift the lid to stir from time to
time and adjust heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
4. While the soup simmers, add the olive oil and Aleppo pepper to a small skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2–3 minutes, until the oil comes to a rapid simmer. Remove from the heat and let stand until ready to serve.
5. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in about 1 tbsp. lemon juice. Taste, and add more salt and lemon juice if desired.
6. Serve soup in bowls topped with a drizzle of Aleppo pepper chili oil and a sprinkle of fresh, chopped parsley.
WHEN WE DECIDED to move our family of five into an RV in May 2021, I only had two months to prepare for our new roadschooling journey. I had no idea what that would look like, but based on previous experience with a purchased complete curriculum, I knew I wanted a different approach—one I could tailor to my children’s individual interests and skill level—so I got to work and created my own!
There are a variety of methods to homeschooling, but our approach combines benefits from a few, including the core subjects of the school-at-home method; the short periods of study paired with nature walks and nature journals of the Charlotte Mason method; and the interest-based, individualized learning plans of the Montessori method. We’ve also tried our hand at “unschooling,” but we found our family thrives on structure, which is why we keep the school-at-home element.
During a typical week, we practice math and language arts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and focus on history and science on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We try to base our studies on our location. For example, we learned about lakes, forests, and woodland habitats while we traveled through the Midwest, and learned about mountain formations and deserts while we traveled through California, Arizona, and New Mexico. We use “The Story of the World” books with the accompanying workbooks when we’re not visiting any locations or landmarks specifically geared toward history. For math and language arts, we use worksheets, games, and our journals. We also add in “life skills” with these subjects, like writing letters, addressing envelopes, and halving and doubling measurements to modify recipes.
Teachers Pay Teachers is a website where teachers can sell the resources they’ve made for their classrooms, such as worksheets, project templates, and even full lesson plans. You can search based on subject, grade level, price, and keywords. Many of their resources are free, and those that aren’t are generally very reasonably priced.
YouTube and Netflix are also great resources that allow us to support ever-changing interests. Whenever our kids come up with a question about a topic we’re not prepared for, we head to YouTube and search whatever that topic is, with “for kids” at the end to make sure it’s geared toward children. Netflix also sparks new interests and provides great insight for children, with shows like Ask the StoryBots and Justin Time.
For the days and locations where we don’t have a great Wi-Fi signal, we have a few downloaded ebooks that inspire interest in learning about various topics. Some of our favorites are “The Usborne Book of Knowledge,” “Britannica All New Kids Encyclopedia,” and “National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Why.”
When it comes to toys, some of our favorites are Magna-Tiles, puzzles, and MEGA Bloks. Magna-Tiles and MEGA Bloks are not only great STEM resources, but are also great for color and shape recognition as well as sorting. Additionally, if you get a pack of wet-erase markers, you can write on the blocks and use them for sight word practice, spelling, and all sorts of other things!
For older school-aged kids, Melissa & Doug makes great learning models. One of our favorites is a basic human body that is magnetic and comes with head, upper body, lower body, and feet magnets that help kids visualize the skeleton, muscles, internal organs, and circulatory system. There are plenty of other models and puzzles we love for learning as well—a simple puzzle of the solar system can be a great introduction to a discussion on the planets and can inspire investigative questions. Some other resources we love for older kids are colored counting cubes, which are perfect for demonstrating division and multiplication problems, and Logic Roots games—board games that allow kids to learn and practice math skills through play.
We’ve found there are endless resources to make roadschooling more efficient and less intimidating. The best tip I can give is to be open-minded and patient. Roadschooling is a journey, both literally and figuratively. It can be
difficult and stressful at times to make sure your kids are learning “enough” and aren’t “behind the curve,” but the beautiful side to roadschooling is that you, the parent, are the one who determines what is enough and where the curve lies. You determine the values that are stressed during history lessons and the life skills your children will master. Give yourself and your child grace—you’re both doing great!
Erica Andreuccetti @RaisingontheRoad@elementaryexplorers
Travel Style: Grand Design Solitude
377MBS Fifth Wheel
Experience: Three-plus years of full-time travel with two kids
Travel Style: 2017 Mercedes-Benz
Sprinter 4x4 170 WB
Experience: Three years of full-time travel
TRANSITIONING FROM A traditional home to a tiny one on wheels can feel daunting, especially when it comes to organization. How much do you need to bring? Where should you make sacrifices for space? The list of questions goes on and on! Fortunately, there are many nomads who have figured out how to optimize their RVs to not only live comfortably, but also maximize their space and reduce clutter.
@venturhaus.one
Travel Style: 2017 Ram Promaster 150
Experience: Three-plus years of part-time travel
LESLIE STRANATHAN LISA CARTER @roveandswig LAURIE RIVERSLet’s start with the basics. If you’re considering RV travel, the biggest thing you’ll need to consider is how much you can take for the space you’ll be in. To make this easier, start by writing down your must-haves versus the things you want. Consider what you’ll need to use every day and what might get used once or twice.
“I’m an organized person, but living in a small space can challenge even the most organized individual,” Leslie said. “I work with my husband and our kids to decide what’s important enough to keep with us and what we need to leave behind. Living in a small space has helped us all prioritize our belongings and make our spaces multipurpose.”
This tip is key to reducing clutter, which can get out of hand quickly if you don’t have a designated area for all items.
“We overcame the hurdles to staying organized by setting up the van so everything has its place,” Laurie said. “We have exactly what we need and treasure, and nothing more. Remember that at some point you will find yourself passing by a big box store! There is always the chance to buy something if you realize you need it, so except for emergency items, there isn’t a need to pack anything ‘just in case.’”
Leslie and her family store items like extra coats and all their winter gear under the bed. They also have a “donate bag” in the back of their closet where they add any outgrown clothing, and then take it to a donation center every three to six months.
“We also have a rule—one in, one out!” Leslie said. “If anyone gets a new pair of shoes, or a new shirt, they need to retire the one that we currently carry. This keeps our closets from becoming overstuffed.”
We have exactly what we need and treasure, and nothing more.
In an RV, every possible space can be optimized for storage. Nomads tend to be creative when it comes to making the most of their space. Got an oven? Store your pots, pans, and cutting boards in it when it’s not in use. Have nice clothes you’d like to store separately? Laurie suggests hanging a slim garment bag behind the driver and passenger seats.
“Our coats and hats hang on hooks behind the driver’s seat—we love large cup hooks in black! If we are in consistently warm weather, the coats and other winter gear are stuffed in the very front of the cab overhead,” said Laurie. “The overhead is also where we store our bedding. I have a tote bag we store in a lower cupboard that doubles as the laundry bag.”
Laurie organizes their toiletries in one of the wide drawers under the cupboards using drawer organizers and travel pouches. They also use Earth Breeze laundry sheets for detergent, which are a huge space saver!
Lisa and her husband did a two-month test in their van to figure out how they should build their custom compartments in order to better use the entire space in each cabinet.
“The compartments and shelves we added into our cabinets are definitely bespoke,” Lisa said. “Don’t be afraid to change around your cabinet interiors if they aren’t optimized for how you want to use them. If you don’t have the skills to build it yourself, carpenters are usually easy to find and shouldn’t need to charge much. The value it will add to your enjoyment of your space is more than worth it!”
When you’re living in a small space, it’s important to make the most of your limited square footage. Consider using wall space for storage so you’ll have more room to walk around. This can also free up counter and table space.
“We use a magnetic backsplash along the length of the kitchen galley, and this helps so much in keeping frequently-used items secure and quickly at hand,” Laurie said. “Specifically, we glued magnetic strips to IKEA bamboo caddies that store our kitchen utensils, as well as disc magnets to adhere candy tins that we use for spices. We use hook magnets to hang our keys or other loose items.”
Laurie also strategically installed large black cup hooks all around their van ceiling, which allows them to hang hats and coats or create a makeshift clothesline for laundry. The couple also left the wall above their couch/bed open so it can function as a flex space to hang fishing rods or other long items, like their guitars.
Lisa and her husband have added more storage options over the years as they’ve found the right products for the job.
“About a year ago, we added slim racks inside the cabinet doors under our sink and stove top to store things like dish soap, sponges, aluminum foil, garbage bags, spices, and our immersion blender,” Lisa said. “It was completely unused space! So now, instead of all those things awkwardly piled between our fresh tank and propane, they are easily accessible and neatly arranged.”
Any long-time nomad will tell you that multi-use items are your friend! For example, Mason jars can be used as everyday drinkware in addition to food storage. Turkish towels, which don’t take up a lot of space, can be used as shower towels, beach towels, or a shawl. It’s easy to find collapsible mixing bowls you can use as a serving dish or for leftovers.
“A truly amazing item is the collapsible mini BBQ chimney / BBQ grill in one! This treasure was a bargain at $20, takes up hardly any space, uses about 12 briquettes total, reliably requires only newspaper and a match to light the coals, and will grill four delicious hamburgers at once,” Laurie said. “When we’re finished cooking our food, we dump the coals into the fire pit and they make an excellent fire starter!”
Most nomads who have been traveling for a while will tell you that one helpful way to stay organized is to constantly rethink what you have and where it’s located. Things change, and it’s okay to take a step back and determine whether the items you brought with you are adding to the clutter. Don’t be afraid to rearrange your space as needed!
“We reorganize a couple of cabinets once or twice a year because we think of better ways to use them or because we trade out some objects for others,” Lisa said. “It doesn’t take much time or effort to make your space work well for you, just some creative thinking!”
After a few long-term trips, Laurie and her husband realized the Marie Kondo method works great for the campervan.
“If you don’t look at an item and say to yourself, ‘Yes! I love having this in the van,’ then out it goes!” Laurie said. “In fact, I try to leave some storage space open, knowing we might have days where we haul in a bounty from a farmer’s market or acquire an item or two along the way.”
Even with the best intentions, RV life can get messy quickly, simply because you’re using every inch of your living space. Don’t let those messes pile up!
“In any small space, a small mess feels like a big one! The benefit is that it can always be cleaned up quickly,” said Leslie. “We have assigned spaces in the RV that each of us clean up every morning. The kids clean up their rooms, and I take care of the living room and our bedroom. It usually takes about 10 minutes to clean the whole RV, and once the space is clear, we feel like we can begin our day.”
Whether you’re living in your RV full time or a weekend warrior, keeping everything in order and in its place will allow you to focus less on the mess, and more on your experiences out in the wild!
Living in a small space has helped us all prioritize our belongings and make our spaces multipurpose.
Lisa and her husband have added more storage options over the years
ONE OF THE best things about having a heart filled with wanderlust in America is the freedom to travel all over in an RV while exploring its many parks, attractions, and food. But eating and exploring food across America when you have celiac disease, or any allergy, isn’t always the easiest. It takes time, research, and planning to find what’s safe—and that’s just for any one meal!
When the pandemic began, life felt like it was fading out, and my husband and I decided we wouldn’t wait any longer; we were going to retire and hit the road as soon as we could. So in the summer of 2021, we purchased a 29-foot Class C, carefully mapped out a route, and researched gluten-free restaurants to try along the way. When fall hit, we left for the great open roads of America.
Our adventure has been an absolute dream so far. We’ve traveled and explored across 14-plus states, all of which have been their own beautiful and unique experience. We’ve seen so much, from the West Coast to the southwestern and southern areas of
this great country. We’ve swam in blue ocean waters, driven along historic Route 66, hiked desert trails at sunrise, and even climbed high in between the giant Redwoods in the fog and mist. We also boondocked all along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast while camping out and exploring its spectacular beaches.
Of course there were bumps in the road, including a long bout of COVID that took weeks out of our trip. Our budget took a large hit due to a broken slide, and we evacuated from the area of a tornado before it touched down. But the bumps and hiccups are the building blocks that helped our adventure and relationship grow stronger, and helped us experience even better days. Our retirement test trip was shorter than we would have hoped, but we plan to be back out on those great open roads full time as soon as we can. We’ll explore more of the North and the East Coast, and find even more mouthwatering gluten-free bites along the way.
By Mandy BraviroffI’ve been writing and advocating for gluten-free food across the northwest since 2009. I’ve truly enjoyed helping build more knowledge on gluten-free food where I live, and now I’m here to share the same finds across America with you. I’ve added some of the best stops so far on our Beautiful GlutenFree America tour. And while this list definitely doesn’t cover everything, these places were some of our favorites along the way.
Before we get into the list, I want to remind you to always vet any place you plan to visit. Be sure to speak up about your needs and always double-check the preparation and ingredients, as they are always changing. Not every place on the list is 100% gluten free, but as a celiac, I’ve personally found the servers at these establishments to be knowledgeable, and the entire food experience to be enjoyable. I hope you all get a chance to get out, explore, and enjoy America’s gluten-free eats.
110 San Antonio St #170, Austin, TX 78701
Located in downtown Austin, this restaurant has tweaked the formula on traditional Mexican food—they’re known for taking conventional Mexican fare and giving it a contemporary touch. With dishes like queso fundido and their famous sopes, their fresh and fiery recipes will leave you completely satisfied and craving more long after you leave.
This casual dine-in restaurant serves a bold explosion of traditional Japanese flavor and techniques while using only plant-based ingredients. As the first vegan sushi restaurant in Vegas, Chikyu creates beautifully curated dishes appealing to both the palate and the eye. Their menu features a variety of small, shareable plates, sushi rolls, sake, and craft cocktails. While the restaurant is not 100% gluten free, most of the menu is, and the knowledgeable chefs make it a stop you can’t miss. Be sure to try the sweet potato tempura roll and the blazing star roll for a fiery tableside surprise.
726 N 4th St, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814
Located in beautiful North Idaho, Izzy’s Comfort Kitchen offers its gluten-free diners more than just a dull burger with a lifeless lettuce wrap. They bring casual chicken sandwiches and burgers to the next level. The facility is 95% naturally gluten free and they have a dedicated fryer, so you’ll be able to order anything off the expansive menu. Be sure to try the fried chicken sandwich, or the midtown madness burger, which is a pot roast meal smothered with a savory peppercorn gravy between a bun. The big city flavor and knowledgeable staff at Izzy’s will have you coming back more than once during your trip.
Florida
With several locations to choose from, Bolay shines as some of the healthiest “fast food” one can get. With fresh ingredients and a focus on providing diners with bold flavors and healthy, gluten-free options, it’s easy to see why this chain’s popularity has grown so quickly throughout the state. Try the cilantro noodles with the BBQ chicken and garlic sauce, and be sure to grab one of their delicious cookies, too.
624 NE 3rd St, McMinnville, OR 97128
Located in one of the most historical cities in Oregon, Bierly Brewing has upped the ante on how to create true gluten-free beer. Using grains not many would think to use, Bierly’s modern approach to creating beer everyone can enjoy has created a following in the area. In addition to their amazing brews, their food menu has people lining up for blocks. A 100% gluten-free process and facility also provides sweet and sumptuous bites like beignets and traditional bar-style pretzels to pair with their famous brews.
7501 MS-57, Ocean Springs, MS 39565
A needle in the haystack of BBQ blues joints located off Interstate 10, The Shed takes pride in their recycled wood walls, old tin roofing, and slow-smoked meats and sides. Built from the ground up with recycled materials and an idea to feed people the best BBQ in the state, The Shed provides their visitors a large, interactive space to hang out in while enjoying their meal. The whole facility isn’t gluten free, but the offerings are plenty. Be sure to try the ribs, with a salty, crispy crust and a sweet, tender, smoky interior.
Mandy Braviroff travels the world educating and promoting awareness on gluten-free food and proper labeling. Mandy currently lives in Eastern Washington with her husband; find her on Instagram @gluten_free_gourmandy
By Chris Schatz
OUR JOURNEY INTO the alternative living movement began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when our experience of the world changed forever. Finding ourselves in each other’s close company all day every day, responsible for managing our four children’s schoolwork while working from home, and no longer tied to commutes and punching clocks, we had a lot of time to talk and discuss life.
Through these conversations, we realized we were living a life of expectations that were not our own—expectations set by society, culture, and generations of “this is how we’ve always done it.” Internalized narratives began to unravel and we imagined a life of our own creation. We eventually
decided to purchase a classic Mallard travel trailer we named Penny.
On Instagram, we documented Penny’s transformation from an abandoned trailer in a farm field to a cozy tiny home on wheels. The response we received was overwhelming, and people began asking us if she was for sale, which told us we were on to something. We knew we weren’t alone in seeking out a life of adventure and freedom. This gave us the confidence to continue to work from home and begin working on travel trailer renovations full time. After the success of our first project, we decided to create Wayland Ventures, LLC. We currently specialize in travel trailer renovations for full-time tiny living, weekend camping, and vacation rental investments. We do all the work ourselves and sometimes employ our four children to help in the process. Our teenagers love demo day and our littlest enjoys helping prime surfaces and modeling for us. We had never renovated a camper before, but we knew we could translate the skills and experience we did have.
I have a doctorate in education with a background in criminal justice. After taking time to reevaluate what a life on my terms looks like, I felt more drawn to apply my previous 15 years of experience renovating and maintaining homes as a property investor. My favorite part of the process is woodworking and creating unique pieces that add beauty as well as function to small spaces. I enjoy problem-solving and being creative on a daily basis, and this was missing from my 9–5 job.
Tiernee has degrees and training as a fine artist, medical lab scientist, art therapist, and professional counselor. She has a strong understanding of the fundamentals of design and materials, as well as the influence these elements have on creating a warm and inviting space. With nature as her muse, she approaches renovations as an artwork, considering details of line, shape, light, color, and texture. After a meandering journey starting with an art degree, winding through medical healthcare and then mental healthcare, renovation and design feels like she’s finally found her home! When we start a renovation project, we try to keep in mind who might be using it and for what purpose.
Sometimes we already have a client lined up with specific wants and needs, so we work with them to bring their vision to life, incorporating their preferred design and style. When we don’t have a client lined up, we envision ourselves using the space and determine what changes and updates to make so it’s more comfortable and functional. All our renovations include new interior paint, lighting, sinks, faucets, counters, flooring, and cabinetry hardware throughout. We also update window treatments, furniture, and styling, which we include in the final sale.
Sometimes we also upgrade the exterior with a black and white paint job our followers have become very fond of! We check and replace all mechanicals as needed. Lastly, we tend to exterior sealing, caulking, tires, and awnings. When we are finished, our renovated travel trailers really are like new.
It’s also our goal to incorporate an innovative space saver or design feature in each project. In our most recent renovation, the main sleeping area was completely open to the living and kitchen area. We saw this as an opportunity to create a unique feature and add some much-needed privacy to the space. By building an additional wall and installing a sliding barn door, we added both comfort and function.
Working together and for ourselves has been one of the most challenging and rewarding things we’ve ever done for our family. As we got started, there were days when we doubted ourselves and struggled with communication. We are both visual learners and also need hands-on, tactile understanding, so trying to communicate our design ideas verbally over the dinner table led to much frustration!
We now sketch our ideas to share with each other. We also set boundaries around when we have these conversations so we don’t interfere with family time. For our children, we hope we are modeling and instilling teamwork, dedication, integrity, and the volition to follow their interests and apply their gifts to careers that bring them joy and fulfillment.
Looking back, it seems this was always the path we would take. With my childhood love of forts, I became absolutely enamored with the process of creating adult-sized mobile forts on wheels that can go anywhere the heart pleases. Tiernee, who grew up surrounded by nature and spent long days with her bare feet in the dirt, loves that she can help others to enjoy a life close to nature with ease and comfort.
By Anna Culp
OUR RV JOURNEY started out pretty similar to everyone else’s—we wanted something different. When we decided to go full time in a 2018 Jayco Northpoint 377RLBH RV, we had been living in New Mexico while my husband Dave finished up his four-year apprenticeship to become an IBEW Journeyman Lineman. I was a new mom of two and had just quit my teaching job to stay home and raise our children.
With my husband’s trade, he is able to work anywhere we dream. We’ve always been pretty non-traditional, and it’s always worked for us. One of my favorite stories to tell people who ask us about this life is that before my husband and I were married, I asked him to promise me two things: that we’d
never live in a trailer and that we’d never live like nomads. Well, the joke’s on me, because while he had always dreamt of traveling and seeing the country, I’m the reason we finally went for it. In 2017, the RV dream came to life in a matter of weeks. First, we listed and sold our home, then we bought an RV and a truck. We weren't sure what life would look like, but we were in for the ride.
I am a stay-at-home mom to our three children—Camden, age seven; Ellie, age four, and Makenzie, age three. I homeschool our oldest kids, and Dave works as a lineman for various locals across the United States, and also does storm restoration work.
From the beginning of our RV journey, we always had a five-year plan of living
in our rig. We knew we wanted to travel and show our kids the United States, but we also had financial goals of becoming debt free. August 12, 2022 will mark five years for us. During our time on the road, we have met our financial goals and shown our children 44 states. The real icing on the cake has been making many new friends, even some lifelong ones.
In the beginning, we weren’t sure we wanted to do anything too drastic in terms of renovation, because I was concerned about resale value in case we changed our minds. Thankfully, Dave pushed me to renovate and improve the RV to better meet our family’s needs. We started out simple, with removing a couch and adding peel-and-stick wallpaper—nothing permanent, just small changes here and there.
After about two and a half years of living in the camper, bigger changes really started to happen. One morning I’d get a bug to renovate or paint, and by the end of the day I had usually executed those changes—Dave never knew what he was going to come home to. Our RV has seen many changes in the last four and a half years. Most renovations happened over time and room-by-room, because we have always lived in the camper while doing them.
Some bigger projects that I needed help with had to happen slowly, as Dave works 80 to 90 hours a week. I got most of my RV renovation inspiration from Instagram and Pinterest. I would also follow accounts with the same Jayco trailer as ours to see how they used their spaces, because with such a small space you really have to be intentional. I think this played a big part in our renovations, because when it was time to actually do the projects, we had a good game plan for how to make it work.
My husband and I had zero experience with RV renovation, so I got most of my knowledge from other RVers’ blogs and from my fair share of trial and error. In the beginning, there were many times when we would walk inside and it didn't feel like our home—it felt like a camper. My advice for anyone new or hesitant to make a change to your rig is to just do it. Your home should always be a place where you feel happy, warm, and welcome. While the RV industry is drastically stepping up their design game, there is always room for improvement.
Follow Anna and Dave on Instagram @keeping.up.with.the.culps
MERGING HIS PASSIONS to create, travel, and get out in nature, Keith Cronin purchased an ambulance and converted it into a liveable space. His shiny white 2009 Ford E450 named Amboghini was not just any ambulance, though—it was a children’s transport vehicle. Keith was so moved by its history that he decided to leave many features intact in his renovation in an effort to pay homage to the emergency responders, kids, and families who interacted with the vehicle before.
“Being a parent, it had a strong meaning for me,” Keith said. “Children are our future. They inherit the planet. We need to provide them a positive chain of custody.”
While Amboghini’s outside decals have been removed, the inside has pops of color thanks to “Sesame Street” stickers that decorate the surfaces. Big Bird, Elmo, Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster, Oscar, and more are present. Keith said the muppets served as a reminder of his youth, and they helped make each day of his build fulfilling. “It’s a great metaphor,” he said. “Don't be a grouch, right?”
Under the Oscar sticker, Keith left primary components of the ambulance intact, such as the command center for paramedics. Near that is a DVD player, which he joked even included a gift. “They actually left ‘Shrek’ in here,” he said. Other major bonuses include heating and air conditioning. The impressive features don’t stop there, though. It should come as no surprise that this vehicle and all the elements inside were well-built, well-maintained, and durable. From unique locking cabinets to slide-out closets to a rubberized floor that prevented gurneys from rolling, other van builders may want to borrow inspiration to improve their homes-on-wheels.
Keith did make some tweaks—he replaced the light bulbs with LEDs and created a liveable layout in a 14-by-8 foot space. He removed chairs to allow for a memory-foam sofa that pulls out to become a bed, and he added a fridge, induction two-burner cooktop, sink, Lagun table, shower, and toilet.
When it comes to the outside of the 22-foot ambulance, Keith repurposed many exterior storage compartments. One of those spaces houses a 42-gallon water tank that connects to a second shower with hot and cold water settings. A second compartment that previously held oxygen tanks now holds an extensive electrical setup. Keith noted his ambulance originally had a 1,000-watt inverter, but he intercepted wiring to boost it to 3,000 watts at 12 volts. “I have multiple ways to make electricity—I have solar, I can charge from the alternator, and I can also charge from shore power by plugging into a house, a campsite, anything.”
With a back-up camera and an access step that lifts and extends six feet, this ambulance makes it easy to pause, set up, and enjoy the outdoors. “You can even cook and barbecue,” Keith pointed out.
In the end, Keith’s build took four months and was wrapped up in California. Since then, he has begun traveling within the Golden State, mostly staying in the mountains, where he has stopped at Big Sur, Big Bear, and Idyllwild. He says one of the pleasures he takes from his adventures is having conversations with the heroes who stop to talk to him. “No matter where I go with this, I get a first responder who shows up in an ambulance and wants to know the story. I think that’s great.” Keith also visits emergency crews in an effort to gain a deeper understanding of their jobs and their vehicles.
On a recent day, as he stepped out of his ambulance, the woodpeckers chirped loudly from trees as if welcoming him back outside. These moments are what he wants others to notice. Creating, building, and stepping away from society is therapeutic, and it’s something anyone can do. “It’s great for your mind, your spirit, and your soul,” he said. “I'd love to help everybody work with their hands and work with their hearts, because you can say you actually did it yourself.”
Living in Hawaii for more than two decades and southeast Asia for a year, Keith Cronin feels tiny homes, nomadic lifestyles, and a minimalist attitude come naturally for him. He teaches various subjects online, including solar and business strategies. His travels are documented on his Daily Destinations YouTube channel.
@caravandecasey
“I work as a full-time virtual and live event producer. I work remotely from my van until I’m needed onsite for the event.”
@wenowrv
“I work for a surrogacy agency sharing my story of our surrogate baby and supporting intended parents. I joined the program after we completed our own surrogacy journey, and now have a 7-month-old. I work remotely and am extremely grateful to be doing this important work.”
FINDING A WAY to fund your travel is essential, which is why this is the number-one question asked of full-time RVers. The answer, however, is not so simple, because there are many different ways to make it work.
From creative businesses to seasonal gigs to unique side hustles, our readers reveal how they make money on the road.
@angela.rreynoso
“Saved for years and have six rental properties in our home state that provide passive income.”
@viewfinderstravel
“Remote paralegal!”
HERE ARE OTHER UNIQUE JOBS FROM OUR READERS: Security work • Crane operator • Counseling • Pipeline work • Travel nurse Share your job by emailing us at collab@rootlessliving.com
By Christine Skelton
WHAT DOES IT cost for a family to RV full time for an entire year? We travel in a fifth wheel around the United States with two adults, two kids, and a dog, and here’s what we spent in 2021. We hope this gives you some perspective on what RVing costs can look like!
We have a monthly budget we’ve refined over the years as we’ve seen our actual costs. We adjust spending goals, and have realized cost savings from camping memberships and solar. We reevaluate our overall budget annually, but we review the actual costs monthly and make changes as needed throughout the year.
We are fairly good at sticking to our budget. Though we look at it by category, we manage it more strictly at the aggregate level. This is because costs can fluctuate quite a bit from month to month. We take these fluctuations into account so that we stick to our average monthly budget in general. Let’s dive into the numbers!
Our food category includes both groceries we buy at the store and restaurants we visit. We personally tend to cook at home more often than we go out, but we like to buy organic when possible, so our costs may be higher than some. This category cost us an average of $1,170 per month and a total of $14,043 for the year.
Fuel costs include diesel fuel for our tow vehicle; generator gas; and propane, which we use for our heating, water heater, oven, and propane fire pit. This category cost us an average of $371 per month and a total of $4,452 for the year.
Our general merchandise category includes anything we typically can’t buy in a grocery store. This includes things such as clothes, presents, toys and games, self-care, RV/household supplies, homeschooling curriculum and supplies, and electronics. This category cost us an average of $548 per month and a total of $6,579 for the year.
Medical, dental, and vision coverage, as well as long term care insurance and a legal coverage membership fall in this category. We paid an average of $88 per month and a total of $1,059 for the year.
These are the activities we do for fun! We generally try to find things that are cheap or free, but we do sometimes pay for fun events and things to do. Our monthly average cost for entertainment was $37 with a total of $445 for the year.
Our truck is insured through USAA for an average of $105 per month and $1,265 for the year. Our fifth wheel is insured through Progressive at an average of $82 per month and $984 for the year. In total, this was an average of $187 per month and a total of $2,249 for the year.
We currently connect through two Google Fi phone plans with T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular coverage, as well as Nomad Internet with AT&T coverage, which gives us the connectivity and redundancy we need. This cost us an average of $274 per month and a total of $3,284 for the year.
We use St. Brendan’s Isle in Florida to receive and forward our mail. This service cost us an average of $51 per month and a total of $615 for the year.
This category includes general maintenance as well as needed repairs and projects for both our truck and RV. The majority of the costs this year were due to a large brake job on our truck and a suspension repair on our RV. This category cost us an average of $269 per month and a total of $3,224 for the year.
This includes our costs to camp in campgrounds of all types, our Harvest Hosts membership, Thousand Trails membership fees, as well as dump station fees. We can use our memberships to boondock, which helps keep costs low. This category cost us an average of $357 per month and a total of $4,288 for the year.
A year on the road in 2021 cost our family an average of $3,353 per month and a total of $40,238 for the year. We hope this breakdown of our costs as full-time travelers was interesting and useful to you!
Cost
WHEN I INITIALLY decided to travel full time in the summer of 2017, I had some savings, but I knew I needed to earn money while traveling. I set out to find a job in the ecommerce and affiliate marketing space, but while searching for jobs I could do, I realized I didn’t want to work for someone else anymore.
Luckily for me, shortly before quitting my job in Los Angeles to hit the road, I’d heard about people who earn a living by selling on Amazon. Through Amazon FBA, or Fulfilled By Amazon, people were creating their own small businesses and replacing their incomes from regular jobs, and in some cases even doubling or tripling what they had
previously earned. I was familiar with selling on Amazon, having sold some old textbooks in college, but hadn't really thought about it as a way to make a real income.
Retail arbitrage was a term I had never heard of before, and when I found out about it, I was hooked. I head into any local store, wherever I am—think stores like Walmart, Target, Big Lots, Ross, or Marshalls. I scan items with my Amazon Seller app, which is tied to my selling account. I identify what will make a profit, purchase it, and package it all up in large boxes. I drop the boxes off
at the nearest UPS store, and they’re on their way to the Amazon warehouses— from wherever I choose to be that week!
The beauty of FBA and why it’s ideal for anyone, including RVers, is that we ship everything to Amazon and
they hold it in their warehouses until a customer orders it. By sending it in to be fulfilled by Amazon, customers are seeing my inventory as Prime eligible. This gives me the perk of selling it with two-day Prime shipping without having to pay that shipping price myself. Once a customer buys it, Amazon ships it to them and then gives me my portion of the proceeds. If there are ever any customer service issues, Amazon handles them.
I started my Amazon selling business in August of 2017 with an investment of just $1,000—$500 for supplies and training, and $500 for my inventory. By December of 2017, I had made that money back plus was paying myself a salary through my profits—the same salary I had made at the old desk job! The best part is that I only have to work part time. With just two to three days of work each week, I’ve been able to support my travel lifestyle, earn a salary, and get out of debt, all from my RV.
Naturally, I started telling everyone about it. While it really is so easy that anyone can do it from anywhere, there is a steep learning curve. Amazon makes it easy to get started, but learning all the ins and outs of the business is like learning another language.
As I began to help friends, family members, and other sellers get started, I created Facebook groups and guides dedicated to helping new sellers. I wanted to help as many people as I could to create their own business, set their own hours, and enjoy the freedoms I had come to enjoy. In 2021,
To hear more from Nikki, listen to Rootless Living Podcast Episode 53 at rootlessliving.com/rootless-living-podcast after selling and turning a profit for four years, I created my own Beginner FBA Amazon training course.
Now, after five years of selling, I have officially run my business from all the lower 48 states, entirely from my fifth wheel! I’ve helped hundreds of new sellers quit their 9 to 5 jobs or earn extra money as a side hustle. You will still see me out in the stores every week, or buried in the RV dinette under all the products I found as I pack them up to send to Amazon. I still have big plans for my own personal Amazon selling business, but now I get to help
others grow theirs as well.
Retail arbitrage has been the perfect way for me to travel the country and explore new places while earning an income doing something I love—shopping!
To learn more about selling on Amazon, you can check out my website or take the Beginner FBA Course at YourSellingGuide.com. I also have weekly Amazon videos on YouTube youtube.com/nikkikirk.
AS PEOPLE WHO never owned an RV growing up, and basically never drove anything bigger than a Toyota Prius, transitioning to full-time RVing came with a huge learning curve. We relied on sources such as Rootless Living, YouTube, and Instagram, and we had to channel our inner courage as we embarked on our journey.
My wife, Amanda, and I have now been on the road as full-time RVers for about two years. We work as travel nurses and love being able to take our careers on the move. I am a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit,
and my wife works in the emergency department. Traveling has allowed us to appreciate what we do even more. We still consider ourselves newbies in the RV world, but we have learned quite a bit!
The first piece of advice we were told is now the first piece of advice we always tell others—be sure to choose the right layout for your needs. We spent many hours wandering through RV lots to find one we could envision living in year-round. There is a huge variety, from Class As, to travel trailers, to fifth wheels, vans, and more. We knew nothing about these differences
when we started, but by browsing RV lots we quickly learned about the versatility and options.
We decided to buy an Airstream after falling in love with the brand and perks. We love every aspect of our Airstream, from the timeless design and aerodynamics of towing to the materials used for sturdiness and durability. Though we already loved the design, we were so excited to meet an incredibly talented couple that specializes in renovating vintage Airstreams—they turned ours into our unique home. Keeping the same floor plan, they updated the space to be more modern and added
exceptional details to meet our needs, such as a custom compartment under our queen-size bed to fit our dog’s bed perfectly!
Another bit of advice we received is to make sure you have more truck than you do rig. Research your tow vehicle and buy one that you’re sure will fit the needs of your rig and ensure safety when on the road. We have a 2500HD diesel truck that tows our 26-foot Airstream like a dream. We know the truck can handle the RV going up and down steep mountain grades with ease, which is huge for peace of mind. Speaking of tow vehicles, one item we
cannot live without is a weight-distribution and anti-sway hitch. There are tons of options and amazing products available that can cater to your individual truck and RV setup. We have towed with and without a weight-distribution hitch, and we can’t imagine going without it now!
The last two years in our RV have sparked a love for the open road and nature that we didn’t realize we had. We always loved being outdoors and soaking up the sun as much as possible, especially since as night shift nurses, getting enough sunlight can be a challenge! We have decided to take
travel jobs in climates where it stays mostly warm so we can fully enjoy our outdoor space as much as possible. With two little dogs along for the ride, we invested in an outdoor gate that we situate around the front door so they can come in and out as they please. This has allowed them to have an easy transition from a big yard to tiny living. When downsizing, more than just our pups came into play. We started planning for RV life about a year before committing to it, which gave us time to purge unnecessary items from our 2,000-square-foot house to prepare for living in about 160 square feet. We’re
often asked how we fit our clothes, and many are surprised to know we have four seasons of clothing in a small RV closet. We added some shelving and only kept what we actually wear, and it works! Thinking back to before we were RVing, I remember how often we would be doing our laundry with full closets because we wear the same five shirts over and over again. It’s alarming how many items we don’t need, and it’s insanely freeing to compile everything we own into a compact space. Of course, the dogs have their own drawer dedicated to toys, bones, and lots of treats!
Learning how to make the RV functional—not only when it came to the details of where items would fit, but also how to have safe electric and water hookups and correct tools to stabilize—was an adventure in and of itself. A few must-have items on the list of every experienced RVer were a surge protector and a safe potable-water hose with filter and pressure gauge. We quickly purchased those items along with leveling blocks, regular chocks, stabilizer pads, a coupler lock, an indoor temperature monitor (so we can keep an eye on the dogs when we’re away), a heated hose in case of cooler temperatures, X chocks to prevent movement while walking inside, and for those windy times, tire pressure monitors, an air compressor, and various
tools. And the list goes on! A piece of encouragement I’ve held onto is that it’s okay to not know what you need and what you don’t; as long as you start with the basics, you’ll figure it out. We started with the bare minimum, and then learned which items we found essential to add to our collection.
Going from never driving a truck to learning how to drive a truck with a trailer attached to it was a huge leap of faith, but with a lot of parking-lot practice, it has turned into a journey of a lifetime. We can now comfortably maneuver the trailer on small roads and in and out of tight back-in spaces. Taking this step has landed us in places we will not soon forget. From the Olympic mountains in Washington to the dry Saguaro desert of Arizona, we have explored a number of beautiful areas and national parks. We are fortunate enough to have explored the coast of California and enjoyed extended stays on the East Coast.
We know we still have much to learn and many places to see, and our adventures have only just begun! The only future we can envision for now is one that involves living in an RV. There is a whole world out there to explore, and while the fear of the unknown is real, the world that will be discovered makes it worthwhile. If two city-raised women who never knew what an RV was can do it, then I believe anyone can!
Follow Abby on Instagram @abbylerioux
ON A FRIDAY afternoon in November 2020, I was sitting in my fifth wheel, parked on Bureau of Land Management land in the Arizona desert. I closed my laptop, walked outside, and popped a bottle of champagne with the friends we were caravanning with. It was my last day of working for someone else—on Monday, my first day of entrepreneurship would begin. Some people dream of being an entrepreneur, but that wasn’t me! I enjoyed the stability, mentorship, and collaboration of being employed by a company. When I took my full-time, remote marketing director job in 2018, I figured I had it made—what could be better than traveling while collecting a paycheck?
But full-time RV travel changed me. Once I felt the freedom of taking my home anywhere, I found myself wanting more flexibility to spend my work energy on projects that aligned with my values.
I started a digital marketing agency on wheels, focused on helping small businesses grow. After a few months of accumulating savings, I gave notice at my job.
I was really fortunate to have a strong network that helped me find clients from the start, and a financial safety net in my partner’s job. Also, while the sudden shift of completely relying on just myself to generate an income was an adjustment, doing it on the road was, in many ways, easier.
Since I live in an RV, I’m able to easily scale back my cost of living when needed. This significantly lessened the financial pressures of starting my business. I’m always building a social community, and this paid off for my business too. By the end of my first year, half my client list was from my RV connections, and most of my vendors were fellow nomads.
It took time for me to learn focus and productivity strategies to manage my time when nobody was expecting me to clock in and out of work. Sometimes I still can’t believe I used to travel full time as an employee, using only weekends and 15 vacation days per year. I somehow managed to see half the country that way, but unlimited vacation and not having to stick to set hours has made travel much easier. I’m now able to enjoy the best weather, plan last-minute adventures, get a head start on long travel days, and take full advantage of my nomadic life.
Save money before you begin I saved the equivalent of five months of my previous paycheck before I quit my job. Fortunately, the RV lifestyle provided lots of opportunity to save. I was able to accumulate most of my savings by boondocking, moochdocking, and making more meals in my RV.
I was really fortunate to have a strong network that helped me find clients from the start, and a financial safety net in my partner’s job. Also, while the sudden shift of completely relying on just myself to generate an income was an adjustment, doing it on the road was, in many ways, easier.
Since I live in an RV, I’m able to easily scale back my cost of living when needed. This significantly lessened the financial pressures of starting my business. I’m always building a social community, and this paid off for my business too. By the end of my first year, half my client list was from my RV connections, and most of my vendors were fellow nomads.
It took time for me to learn focus and productivity strategies to manage my time when nobody was expecting me to clock in and out of work. Sometimes I still can’t believe I used to travel full time as an employee, using only weekends and 15 vacation days per year. I somehow managed to see half the country that way, but unlimited vacation and not having to stick to set hours has made travel much easier. I’m now able to enjoy the best weather, plan last-minute adventures, get a head start on long travel days, and take full advantage of my nomadic life.
An error I made when I started my business was thinking I had to sign enough clients to feel like I made the right decision before I incorporated as an LLC. I should have registered my LLC from the very start, before I even signed my first client. I used ZenBusiness to create my LLC, file with the state, and get a registered agent. It was honestly easier than most campsite booking processes.
Tell everyone you meet what you do for a living. They may need your services, or be willing to help you on your entrepreneurial journey. The better my clients and partners understand my lifestyle, the better we work together.
As a marketer, I’m a big believer that your business’s story can be a differentiator and relationship builder. I incorporated my travels and RV life into my branding, marketing, and client experience. If a client is excited about my nomadic lifestyle, that is usually a good
sign for our business relationship. Plus, being transparent about working from the road makes it easier to maintain my work-life balance.
I keep the expectation with all my clients and partners that my business hours are always 9–5 Eastern Time. I don’t expect my clients to remember whether I’m in Arizona or Florida, but they deserve to know when they can expect to get in touch with me. That doesn’t mean I work a strict business hours schedule, but setting the expectation that those are the hours I regularly check email and pick up my phone is helpful on both sides.
Accounting and bookkeeping are a necessary evil of owning your own business. I almost failed my accounting class in college, and honestly, it showed when I started my business. Before you dive in, get invoicing and bookkeeping software, an accountant, and a business credit card. People told me this many times, but I was so eager to start the fun parts of my business that I didn’t listen. Heed my advice—it will save you so much time and hassle!
Don’t tell my clients, but I really do spend the majority of my workday horizontal on my sofa in leggings, with my laptop on my belly and my dog snuggled next to me. But when it’s time for a video conference call, I brush my hair, apply a bit of lipstick, and sit up straight at my desk.
Yes, my clients all think it’s neat that I work from an RV, but they also expect the same professional experience they have with their other vendors, especially when additional contacts are on our calls. The same goes for internet connection. I try hard not to let poor internet impact my clients’ valuable time when we meet, and I’ll drive to a better connection for meetings if necessary.
It’s pretty easy to forget that the reason I started my own business was so I could own my time and live my traveling lifestyle to the fullest. While I have more flexibility to take off midday to meet up with fellow RVers, or go for a 3 p.m. swim to take advantage of peak sunshine, I also am guilty of letting work take over my time.
I remind myself to allow the experiences of my current location to take priority. For example, one day I pushed back some morning tasks to kayak with friends in Florida, and we saw manatees swim under our boat! Another day, I scheduled an afternoon off for a solo hike in Sedona that completely filled my soul. This lifestyle taught me that we should work to live, not live to work. I still put in some long hours to build my business, but if I lose sight of that, what’s the point?
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@thetasteforadventure
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By Kristin Halls
IREMEMBER BEING STUCK in my cubicle like it was yesterday. I was only four years into my career as a commercial interior designer when I realized it was not for me. Blame it on being pigeonholed or the suffocating industry itself, but every day I was left feeling burned out and unfulfilled. I spent all my free time reading travel blogs, binge-watching travel vloggers, and scrolling my Instagram feed, wishing I was out there in the world too. I started my own travel blog in 2017, intending to give myself a creative outlet and motivation to get out and explore outside of the 9 to 5. In 2019, I left my first job and moved to a new one that was equally overwhelming and un-creative. Every day felt more painful than the last. Over the years, I started to grow a bit of a following on my blog and I noticed friends and family were coming to me for travel planning advice! It felt good to be a source of information and inspiration.
In September 2019, my entire family traveled to Colorado from New England, and it changed the entire course of my life. My fiance, Kyle, and I fell in love with the state, the Rocky Mountains, and the idea of the unexplored country as a whole. We realized we couldn’t stay in western Massachusetts without seeing more of our own country. From that point on, we went into overdrive to figure out how to make these dreams come true.
I spent a few months looking at the travel industry and speculating on how it may change in the world of the pandemic. COVID caused a drop in cruising and international travel in general, but RV sales, domestic travel, and road trips were at an all-time high. This is where I had the idea for InMotion Adventures.
InMotion Adventures launched in January 2021 with the goal of building travel itineraries for adventurous souls. I loved planning these road trips for myself, but knew they could be a logistical nightmare for others to plan. I wanted to take the stress out of planning and organizing and hand people the trips of their dreams—anything from a road trip around the Utah national parks to a trip up the New England coastal towns, or even a train trip across Europe. On a smaller scale, I also sell curated trip guides for people who want to DIY their own trips.
In 2020, we renovated and sold our house, bought a camper, and moved to Florida, all while still working our 9 to 5 jobs. At the end of August 2021, we quit our jobs, hopped in our camper, Roo, and began our road trip. We departed from Tampa, Florida, and drove diagonally across the country to explore the national parks of Wyoming, Montana, and Washington. Despite my meticulous budgeting, planning, and preparation, we couldn’t have predicted the increase in gas prices, and we blew through our trip fund in half the time we had planned.
Though some clients trickled in while we were on the road, it wasn't enough to cover the bills yet. However, all my marketing and social
media sharing had attracted the eyes of another new opportunity—an app startup called Upaway, designed to take the heavy lifting of travel chaos and planning off the shoulders of the traveler. The app will be a great tool for consolidating your travel plans when it launches this year, but they’ve already started providing on-demand travel concierge service ahead of the launch. I was brought on as part of the founding concierge team, and now I plan travel for a living.
The best part about Upaway and InMotion Adventures is that they are 100% remote, flexible, and manageable while on the road. Instead of suffocating in a cubicle,
Grand Teton National Park, WYI plan adventures for a living and financially support my own adventures in the process. Upaway was created by people with a passion for travel, so they fully support the travel needs of everyone on the team—as long as we have Wi-Fi, we’re good. We share a phone line we can all access remotely and it creates a completely seamless experience for the travelers we’re assisting.
We lived at a campground outside of Coachella, California, for this past winter. Kyle picked up a workamper gig to secure the campsite while I worked full time from the camper. We primarily worked full-time hours, but had a whole new world around us to explore on weekends. While there, we traveled to Joshua Tree, San Diego, Las Vegas, and plenty of local areas I had never even heard of before. The flexibility and
home base allowed a perfect balance between work and travel.
Kyle secured his next gig in Durango, Colorado, for the summer, and I’m continuing to work online. Though our travel isn’t as constant as we originally imagined, we are thrilled to find a sustainable balance. When we were road tripping across the United States, I struggled to set aside time for clients as we often found ourselves boondocking near the national parks with no cell service or Wi-Fi. Now that I’ve built a more steady workload, we will plan our travel in a totally different way and be sure to travel at a speed that supports our goals.
In a world of social-media-inspired
travel, there is endless opportunity to pursue travel as a career. If you want to pursue blogging, vlogging, or content creation, there is ample knowledge for how to work with brands or get into affiliate marketing. If you’d prefer to build a business of your own, finding your niche is the first step to finding your target audience. There is always someone watching and wishing they could learn to do what you’re doing!
If you told me five years ago I would be living in a camper and working as a professional trip planner, I wouldn’t have believed you. But once the fire was lit, there was no other option but pursuing our dreams! I’m happy to report that we don’t regret a thing.
Keep up with Kristin’s adventure on Instagram @kristininmotion
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WINTER ON THE water is the best type of winter, if you ask me, and what better place to be on the water than on an island? This year, we traveled around the islands of the Florida Keys for about two and a half months. The Keys are really special to us and are a great place to spend cooler months. After nearly five years on the road, this area has continued to be a favorite of ours.
Prior to RV travel, we lived in North Florida at the beach, and would tent camp in the
By Jenn Jackson
Keys every chance we got. Our love for island life started before that, though. In 2015, we had a destination wedding in Key West and spent the week with a small group of close friends and family. In all our years visiting, we have enjoyed a lot of time in the state parks, and, more recently, Dry Tortugas National Park as well. Being out in nature, learning about the areas we visit, and seeing wildlife are a few of our favorite things about full-time RV travel, and the Florida Keys are full of things to explore.
Visiting Dry Tortugas National Park was a highlight of our time in the Florida Keys. Of the 63 national parks, this was our 44th park visited, and one of our favorites. Getting to the island requires a trip by ferry, private boat, or seaplane—we chose the third option. The seaplane takes off from the Key West airport and lands on the water at the park. We had a smooth flight, and the pilot pointed out shipwrecks and sea turtles seen from the sky! We touched down about 70 miles from Key West and disembarked for our adventure on the island.
We started out by exploring the fort. Fort Jefferson is composed of more than 16 million bricks, making it the largest masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere. We had plenty of time to walk the grounds, learn some history, and see the breathtaking views from the top. The moat wall surrounding the fort is a great spot to walk, and along the outside of the moat wall is an area that is relatively easy to snorkel and see ocean wildlife. We put on our bathing suits, grabbed our snorkel gear, and went for a swim. Lots of fish swam around us, including a barracuda!
Overall, we had a fantastic time at Dry Tortugas National Park—plus, by taking the last seaplane trip of the day, we had the island mostly to ourselves. The seaplane adventure is four hours total and provided about two and a half hours of island exploration time. It quickly became one of our favorite national park trips.
In addition to being home to a national park, the Florida Keys are full of great state parks. A few parks allow overnight camping, and all state parks offer day use, giving you a great taste of the natural beauty of the Keys. Camping reservations can be hard to come by, but it’s such a treat if you can snag a spot.
This year, we were able to camp for a total of two weeks at John Pennekamp State Park, the only state park in the Keys with full hookups. The park is located in Key Largo, about an hour and a half south of Miami. This is a great location to camp and explore the Upper Keys area! For us, the best part of John Pennekamp State Park was the kayaking. Kayaking trail maps are available at the kayak rental area of the park even if you’re using your own watercraft. The Turtlegrass Creek and Boardwalk Creek trails are easy, open trails that provide great opportunities to see birds and other wildlife. We saw herons, egrets, a manatee, starfish, stingrays, and even a baby hammerhead shark! For an intermediate paddling trip, we continued past Turtlegrass Creek to Sandy Creek through the mangroves. This was a bit more adventurous and required us to separate our kayak paddles to navigate through narrow mangrove tunnels. John Pennekamp State Park also offers commercial snorkeling and scuba diving as well as other boat tours, but we stuck to exploring on our own.
Curry Hammock and Bahia Honda are the other two state parks that offer overnight camping for RVs in the Florida Keys, but they’re also open to day-use visitors without camping reservations. Curry Hammock State Park has a wonderful 1.5-mile nature trail through a rockland hammock full of thatch palms and other native plant life, as well as kayaking trails, a sandbar, and a small beach area with shallow water. Just on the other side of Marathon, over the Seven Mile Bridge, is Bahia Honda State Park, another great place to spend some time out in nature. Bahia Honda is known for its beautiful blue water, historic bridge, beach area, and spectacular sunset views. We, of course, spent most of our time on the water! Exploring the park by kayak gave us the opportunity to see the bridge from the water and enjoy more solitude at this popular state park.
There are also a couple of state parks that don’t have camping options, but are great to visit for the day. Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park is a fantastic place to explore quarry areas, take a walk through the hammock, and stand on the highest natural elevation point in the Florida Keys—18 feet! This park has limited hours, but is well worth coordinating a visit. At the pay station, the ranger gave us a trail guide to borrow. We learned about Poisonwood, Ironwood, and other plant life on the hammock trail, and a bit of history about Henry Flagler and the early development of bridge and rail building on the quarry trails. The highlight for us was searching the quarry walls for coral fossils, especially brain coral!
If you can’t make it out to Fort Jefferson at Dry Tortugas National Park, you still have a chance to brush up on some history at this much more accessible fort near the Southernmost Point in Key West. Fort Zachary Taylor State Park is easy to access by car or bike from Key West. The fort itself was the longest-serving U.S. coastal fortification, and also served as a radar installation during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Self-guided tour pamphlets are available at the fort entrance. If history isn’t your thing, this state park also has great snorkeling right from the beach and is one of the best spots to watch the sunset in Key West.
The Florida Keys are a popular destination for many travelers, and whether you stay for a long weekend or a whole season, there’s plenty to explore.
Jenn Jackson travels full time with her wife, Brandy, and their two dogs, Astro and Rosie. You can follow their journey @journeying_jacksons on Instagram
By Kestra Bronneke
• Be ready to relax
• No cell service on the beach
• Closest fuel and services are 14 miles from beach entrance
• Watch for jellyfish and Portuguese man-of-wars—keep vinegar handy
• Stay out of the dunes—there are rattlesnakes and coyotes
• Be aware of the weather
• Bring sunscreen
IF OCEANFRONT PROPERTY is on your wishlist, but not quite in your budget, then Padre Island National Seashore is your answer! With 67 miles of totally undeveloped beach, this barrier island on the Gulf of Mexico was on our RV travel bucket list since before we even moved into our fifth wheel.
Getting to Padre Island is simple. You’ll drive through Corpus Christi, Texas, on Highway 358 and cross two large bridges. The first is a little narrow due to ongoing road construction, so you’ll want to pay attention, but we were fine towing our 8.5-foot-wide fifth wheel. Highway 358 turns into Park Road 22 on the island and will actually take you directly to the beach, where you’ll drive right out onto the sand! We set up just over a mile down the beach.
You can stay for up to 14 nights at a time, and you can pay per day or buy an annual pass. Check nps.gov for current pricing. We were able to stay for free thanks to my husband’s military service. This perk is also available to senior Golden Age Passholders.
Once you’re on the beach, there are no services or fuel for 14 miles, so you’ll need to bring your own water and power and have a self-contained bathroom. There are restrooms and outdoor rinse-off showers at the visitor center, and a free water fill and dump station located on the left side of the road after you pass the ranger station. You can fill up your tanks here, and dump them when you leave.
I was skeptical about driving on the beach at first. It seemed too good to be true—or safe— but after researching, we found the first 5 miles of beach are appropriate for driving and camping. This stretch of beach is technically part of the Texas highway system, so be sure to obey the 15 and 25 mph speed limits.
You’ll want to park and set up as close to the dunes as possible, but avoid stopping in the soft sand, which can result in a pricey tow truck bill. We had no cell service on the beach, so we picked up a tide book from the Visitor Center to keep an eye on the tides during our stay. They also fly handy color-coded flags to let you know about surf conditions each day.
Boondocking right on the beach is amazing, and well worth the sand you’ll find in the crevices of your RV for months to come. A large outdoor rug and a small bucket of water outside your door to rinse your feet helps to keep some of the sand outdoors.
We were not used to the humidity, and were surprised when the fog was so thick we could barely see half a mile down the beach on some days. The salt air also took its toll on some of our decorations—our Command hooks were literally falling off the walls! At first I tried to replace them, but it became almost
comical, so I waited until we were in a drier climate.
Living mere yards from the ocean means your morning run on the beach will be a breeze, but the undercarriage of your rig and tow vehicle might not fare so well. We noticed rust starting to develop on any exposed metal pretty quickly. We picked up spray paint for rust and coated a few things to combat it. You’ll definitely want to find a good place to give your rig a scrub and wash after leaving the beach. It’s also a good idea to elevate your generator and cover it when it’s not in use. Otherwise, you could end up with issues due to the sand and wind or your generator overheating from sun exposure.
Padre Island is truly a great place to unplug, relax, and reconnect with yourself and your family. I recommend turning off your phone and alarm clock and allowing yourself to settle into beach mode. Each morning we were greeted by the sea meeting the shore only 40 feet from our door, and the sun rising on the horizon of the Gulf of Mexico. The crashing waves lulled us to sleep every night and we woke to the sounds of gulls in the distance. We spent our days relaxing, beachcombing, fishing, boogie boarding and discovering different animals.
It’s a popular fishing destination for all kinds of fish, from red drum to small sharks, and even stingrays! In order to fish, you’ll need a Texas fishing license, which can be found at nearby gas stations or grocery stores. Be sure to get your saltwater stamp too!
We loved boogie boarding in the waves, and you can grab a fairly cheap board from one of many local surf shops. The learning curve is easy and it will prove its worth. Our 7-year-old son picked it up quickly and we spent hours watching him laugh, swim, and ride to shore on the waves, occasionally taking a tumble when they crashed sooner than he expected. We wish we had bought more than one, because everyone from our 4-year-old to my father-in-law enjoyed it. When we weren’t swimming, we got into kid mode for marathon sandcastle-building sessions.
We spent nearly every morning watching the plethora of bird species on the beach. Even when the weather didn’t cooperate, we enjoyed the diving pelicans, caracaras, royal terns, sandpipers, and great blue herons. Another favorite activity was searching for seashells on the beach. In our exploring we came across more shells than we could count, plus washed-up sea stars, jellyfish, and even Portuguese man-of-wars. Steer clear of these blue
guys, though, and keep vinegar handy to lessen their nasty sting if you accidentally step on one. If you come in the spring or summer, you might even be lucky enough to get to watch sea turtles hatching on the beach!
In the dunes behind you is a whole other ecosystem, with wildlife including coyotes, rodents, deer, and even rattlesnakes. We didn’t encounter any rattlesnakes, but had a close call with a tricky coyote trying to lure one of our dogs away. Keep a close eye on animals and kids after the sun goes down.
After dark, we spent our evenings stargazing and enjoying beach fires. Roasting marshmallows with your toes in the warm sand is a quietly epic experience you should not miss during your stay. Finding dry wood can be a little difficult, so you may want to buy some outside the park.
If you want to learn more about the animals and ocean, the visitor center has some great resources, plus you can check out the Junior Ranger Program. Even if you don’t have kids, try to pick up a copy of the Underwater Explorer book. As lifelong high-desert dwellers, my husband and I learned as much about the ocean as our kids did!
We loved our time at Padre Island National Seashore, and will cherish the memories forever, even long after we’ve finally gotten rid of all the sand!
Kestra, her husband, James, and their two kids share their crazy RV adventures on Instagram @boundlessbronnekes
GREETINGS FROM THE state of Guanajuato, Mexico, or more specifically, the city of San Miguel de Allende, a mecca of colorful art, history, enticing food, and expats. After nearly three years of full-time RVing throughout the United States, my husband, Noah, and I temporarily hung our RVer hats in search of global adventure. In January of 2022, we said hasta luego to our home on wheels and traveled to Guanajuato in Central Mexico.
Life here suits us. I’m a Mexican/American born and raised in Mexico, so almost anywhere in Mexico feels like home. My husband, Noah, is from western New York, but has grown to love the culture that shaped me. We are grateful to be in such a special place, which has
allowed us to interrupt a growing sense of comfort as RVers and experience a new type of adventure.
Our mantra is “live your someday now,” reminding us that the future is never guaranteed, so now is the time to take action on our dreams. And to do that, we need to take steps that make us feel uncomfortable!
Initially, our life as RVers felt uncomfortable—we feared we’d lose our camper on the highway due to our lack of towing skills, and emptying our tanks was an unpleasant but necessary ritual.
Often, I would feel anxious not knowing where we’d park for the night. Though challenging, our new life also felt thrilling as we developed new skills and routines.
Over time, our fears eased and our confidence grew. Hitching up and other rituals became second nature. Picking a place to sleep while driving was not a big deal. To our surprise, we felt a growing sense of comfort as RVers. For us, this signaled it was time to shake things up before we lost our passion for life on the road. We’d always talked about the possibility of going abroad for extended periods. Curious about that “someday,” and how it could provide new types of experiences, we began asking ourselves, “Why not now?”
In the summer of 2021, after our family agreed to watch our big dog for three months, we decided to stop dreaming and start doing. To “live our someday now” during a pandemic meant we needed to add an extra layer of caution and responsibility. We initially considered going to France, where my brother lives, but uncertain border restrictions there deterred us. We also considered Colombia, but ultimately decided on Mexico, a place I hadn’t lived in 19 years. It felt different from our daily life, but familiar enough to navigate a health system if necessary.
After deciding on the country, we needed to pick the city—where could we go that would keep our short, nomadic attention span engaged? I’d always known about the beauty of Guanajuato, a state known for leather, shoemaking, and its role in our battle for independence from Spain. San Miguel de Allende, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, seemed ideal, not only for what this picturesque town offered, but also for its proximity to Mexico City and other interesting locations.
With the city figured out, we booked our flights and hunted for a long-term Airbnb. We would have to set aside our pride of rarely sleeping under a “real” roof. Fortunately, planning six months out meant we had great options. Our main criteria were good reviews and
good Wi-Fi. Once I confirmed the internet speed at our future apartment, we were set!
As a bilingual dual citizen, I had little to do to prepare. Noah, however, hired a Spanish teacher to increase his fluency. We both use an online language learning platform (I study French) to learn from trained native-speaking language teachers around the world over video chat. This, along with hundreds of Duolingo classes, bolstered Noah’s vocabulary and confidence.
In addition to Noah’s language classes, we needed to figure out where to store our camper. Our Casita camper is our home, and we were leery of leaving it unattended. Fortunately, through word of mouth, we found an underground storage facility for boats and RVs. Security was extremely tight and the place was also temperature-controlled. We didn’t have to winterize, but we did
take the opportunity to deep-clean the camper and purge some frivolous items we’d accumulated over the years.
By November of 2021, we boarded the plane brimming with excitement!
As I write this, we are approaching one month as global nomads. Before heading to San Miguel de Allende, we took a few days off to explore the city of Guanajuato, the state’s capital. Immediately, we were enamored with the colonial architecture, colorful buildings, narrow alleys decorated with murals, history, food, and warm people.
We then headed out for our extended stay in San Miguel de Allende, which has also enthralled us. It’s easy to see why so many expats move here—walking through the city feels like walking through works of art. Every night, we hear mariachi bands competing for the attention of
those who wander about the main square. It’s a delight to observe the ornate architecture of the many churches that adorn the town while counting the chimes of their bells.
Compared to RV living, this life is interesting, but admittedly easier. How can we complain when we have access to hot showers whenever we want? We have a one-bedroom apartment, so when one of us needs to be on the phone, there is space for quiet. We don’t grocery shop—instead, we buy fresh food for the day at the bustling mercado next door. All the extra time we used to spend dumping tanks, finding laundromats, and driving is now spent maximizing our time here—engaging in the local community, sightseeing, and eating our way through town.
Does our new lifestyle tempt me to give up RV living? Only when I think about saying goodbye to San Miguel
City Center of the city of Guanajuato Living on the beach in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexicode Allende. This magical city is worthy of its nickname, “El Corazón de México,” and has captured my Mexican heart.
Adjusting to life in Mexico has been far easier than adjusting to RV life. Therefore, it has been important that we proactively seek new experiences outside our home that keep us engaged.
The most important action we’ve taken is to not just be observers, but rather, participants of our new community. We intentionally eat our dinners out of the home so we can buy from and talk to vendors nearby. We’ve also said “yes” to unconventional invitations. For instance, we met a couple that owns a beautiful leather shop. After buying a new hat for me and boots for Noah, the couple asked if I could teach their children English. I was tempted to say no at first, but realized this was a way for me to do something out of the ordinary and make new friends, so I said yes! I teach their kids English, and in exchange, the parents teach Noah about their leather workshop in Spanish.
We’ve also learned to be more present. As RVers, we loved the constantly-changing scenery and looking forward to our next destination. Here, we wake up to the same view every day, but this isn’t bad because we’re pushed to take notice of the details that make this city hum, like how the elote lady changes where she sets up shop depending on the time of day, or which fruteria has the best-looking mangoes, or how there are seemingly-random parades and festivals, like last week’s fireworks in honor of the mayor’s birthday. We are curious about what discovery we’ll make next, right in the same place.
While we’d like global living to be a yearly theme for us, we’re not ready to give up our RV life in the United States. I imagine when we return from Mexico, readjusting to our traveling routines will be an interesting transition. As that transition becomes the norm, we’re excited to spend the summer traveling up the West Coast and perhaps venturing into Canada.
My hope is that by taking this three-month break from RV life, we’ll find ways to intentionally apply the lessons we’ve learned in Mexico when we return. The first is to engage in, not just observe, the community that surrounds us. The second is to notice the small details that make a place hum instead of waiting for “wow” moments.
Our life on the road has fueled our sense of adventure and desire for constant change, and now Mexico has too. Each version of our lives, as RVers and global nomads, has made us appreciate the other, reminding us that “living our someday now” is not just about creating new adventures, but also loving where we are, right here, right now.
Follow Karla on Instagram @aventuraroad
WHEN I LANDED a job working remotely as a nurse, I knew taking advantage of the benefits by traveling the country, and eventually the world, would be an end goal. After a while, I started to think— why keep saying “someday,” when we could just do it now?
Within three months, we had our house listed and hit the road without a plan. As it turns out, we feel like we were meant for this lifestyle. Sure, there are some challenges, and there was definitely an adjustment period, but the benefits have far outweighed any drawbacks. It has allowed us to explore our nation at a slower pace and really take in each destination to its fullest.
Though we love traveling around the United States, we still dream of international destinations. Being nomadic has made it easier for us to pack up and leave, because we have so few physical possessions and financial commitments. We usually try to budget in a few international trips per year.
Our trip to Iceland was pretty spontaneous. The week before we left, we threw together a 10-day itinerary of stops along the famous Ring Road. If you are going in the summer months or shoulder season, these are the stops you should consider for your itinerary. While we didn’t work during this trip, we had extremely good cell service using AT&T for a hot spot for most of the Ring Road. Also,
almost all of our accommodations had really good Wi-Fi; even tiny homes in the middle of the countryside.
This city is the capital of Iceland, but you won’t see a huge, towering business district like you do in many other metropolitan areas. Reykjavik is a very clean and moderately-populated city. It’s filled with rich culture, great restaurants, and various shopping options, from mainstream stores to boutiques. We highly recommend checking out the beautiful Hallgrimskirkja Church and the area around it, as well as the Maritime Museum and the Sun Voyager.
This is a loop road near Reykjavik, making it an easy day trip while in Iceland. We saw huge waterfalls, geothermal areas with geysers, historic Icelandic turf buildings, and even volcanic craters such as the Kerid Crater. These are all clearly marked along the drive and are relatively quick stops. Be sure to visit some lesser-known stops as well—we stayed on a family farm to see Icelandic Ponies, and also visited some hot springs in the area.
These two massive waterfalls in the southwest corner of the country are really well-known in Iceland, and for good reason! You can walk behind
Seljalandsfoss for a unique view of the waterfall and the cave behind it. Skogafoss, on the other hand, is a massive waterfall in a picturesque area. You can view it from the bottom or climb the 370 stairs to the top. The entire area is full of little waterfalls and hot springs that are off the beaten path. If you want to avoid the crowds, Kvernufoss is a really good waterfall right next to Skogafoss that I highly recommend.
This is a really cool stop along the Ring Road between the waterfalls and Vik. It does require a rather boring and flat 4.3-mile round-trip hike, but if you’re willing to do that, you will be rewarded with an post-apocalyptic view of this plane wreck on a black sand beach. We went just before sunset to enjoy the sky lit up with shades of burgundy and orange, and the beautiful Icelandic mountains in the area painting silhouettes all around us. Be sure to bring some headlamps for the hike back to your car if you do this!
This is an adorable town in the south of Iceland. We stayed in Vik when we were visiting Reynisfjara black sand beach and the Dyrholaey Peninsula, but it has its own charms, too, including a wool factory where you can purchase authentic wool Icelandic sweaters. Reynisfjara beach is known for its huge basalt columns that make for an incredible photo opportunity! The Dyrholaey Peninsula is an area in Iceland known for bird watching and is home to Icelandic puffins!
The canyons of the south, including Fjadrargljufur and Mulagljufur, will blow your mind! They are both full of dramatic ridges and steep cliffs, and a bit less busy than some of our other stops. I feel like this is where many tourists turn around to head back toward Reykjavik. The drive to these canyons on Highway 1 is surrounded by various landscapes, such as glaciers, volcanoes/mountains, and even green, moss-covered lava fields!
These two attractions are right off Highway 1 and right next to each other. Jokulsarlon Lagoon is filled with large icebergs that have broken
Northern Area, Godafoss Falls
off the glacier, and is a great place to see wildlife, including seals and reindeer. Diamond Beach is another black sand beach, but this one has small pieces of iceberg washed up on its shores. When the sun hits the ice just right, it looks like diamonds sparkling on the black sand, thus the name.
This beach may have been my favorite destination in all of Iceland. It has beautiful black sand and views of the dramatic Vestrahorn Mountains. Depending on the time of year, the black sand dunes are covered in tufts of either bright yellow or green tall grass, and the contrasting colors are incredible! During low tide, the beach has an almost glassy appearance, which is really fun for creating reflections in your photography. It’s a private property, so you do have to pay to get on the beach at the little café (there’s only one), but that also gives you access to the area by the lighthouse, which is known for wildlife spotting and the Viking Village.
As we started to drive through the heart of Eastern Iceland, heading north, we passed many amazing spots. We recommend a detour to Studlagil Canyon, which is a beautiful basalt canyon with a turquoise glacier river running through it. There are also a lot of hot springs in the area, both natural and commercialized. Vok Baths is a really neat system of hot pools in a large lake. Myvatn is also a big geothermal area worth checking out.
To get to this cute little fishing town in eastern Iceland, you’ll drive down the switchback from the mountain pass road and descend past numerous waterfalls to the heart of the town. There are some cute restaurants, shops, and a beautiful light blue church in front of a rainbow-painted road. It was the perfect place to take a break and relax before heading to the longer stretches of the drive around the Ring Road.
This area, near Akureyri, is absolutely gorgeous, and the mountains and fjords provide a beautiful visual contrast. Our favorite activity was whale watching using a hired tour guide. Don’t forget to stop at the famous Godafoss waterfall while you’re in the area. It’s known as the waterfall of the Gods.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to explore the Westfjords, but it is on the list for next time! Instead, we chose to drive the entire Snaefellsnes peninsula. The Snaefellsnes peninsula is home to the Kirkjufell Mountain and waterfall that is an iconic landmark for many Game of Thrones fans. We really enjoyed the Budir black church and Gatklettur of hole rock.
Follow Sara on Instagram @koppa7adventures
OFTEN OVERSHADOWED BY Rocky Mountain, Mesa Verde, and Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon of the Gunnison is the least visited of Colorado’s four national parks, but don’t expect it to be any less beautiful than the others.
During a two-month Colorado road trip, we spent a jam-packed day in Black Canyon of the Gunnison and it was one of the best surprises! With sheer canyon walls, the park can be experienced from the North and South rims, accessible overlooks, and very challenging hikes.
If you’re planning to visit Colorado and are looking for a less busy, but still epic, national park adventure, we highly recommend adding Black Canyon of the Gunnison to your list.
Long before Black Canyon of the Gunnison became a national park in 1999, the area was known by Native Americans and explorers for its difficult terrain, with the Utes referring to it as “much rocks, big water.”
The canyon is 48 miles long, up to 2,722 feet deep, and as narrow as 40 feet wide, with the Gunnison River rushing through it. While it may not be the largest canyon in the United States, its combination of steep and narrow walls make it unlike any other. Some parts of the canyon only receive 33 total minutes of sunlight per day, giving it the name Black Canyon.
Only 14 miles of the canyon run through the national park, which you can explore on the South Rim and the North Rim. While the rims look close on the map, there is no bridge connecting them, and driving between the two takes close to two hours.
Entrance Fee
There is a $30 entrance fee per car to enter Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, which covers 7 days in the park. We recommend purchasing an America the Beautiful annual pass for $80, which gives you access to all national parks.
Pets
Pets are allowed in some areas of the park, including on park roads, campgrounds, overlooks, and on the Cedar Point Nature Trail (South Rim), Rim Rock Trail (South Rim), and Chasm View Nature Trail (North Rim).
Shuttle
The park does not have a shuttle, so you’ll need your own vehicle to get around.
• Gunnison National Park is the least visited of the four national parks in Colorado
• Parts of the canyon only receive 33 minutes of sunlight per day
• The canyon is home to some of the planet’s oldest exposed rock
• You can experience the park via the North or South Rim
We visited both rims during our visit, and while the South Rim is more popular, the North Rim also has a lot to offer.
In our opinion, both rims are worth a visit if you have time, as they offer different experiences, but the South Rim will offer a more traditional national park experience.
South Rim
More developed
Has a visitor center and gift shop
More trails and overlooks
North Rim
Unpaved roads
No visitor center
Has better views of the narrowest part of the canyon
Way less busy! We only saw a handful of people on the North Rim, even on a Sunday in the summer.
The best time to visit the park is from late April to mid-November, when the entire park is open for the season. While you can visit the park in the winter months, there are many road closures and you’ll be limited in what you can do.
If you want the best weather and less crowds, we suggest visiting in April, May, or between late September and November.
Choosing which rim you’d like to visit will determine the best place to stay.
South Rim
The South Rim is located in the town of Montrose, which has hotels, Airbnbs, privately-owned campgrounds, and many stores and restaurants.
There is also a campground inside the park on the South Rim. Some of the 88 sites have electric hookups.
North Rim
The North Rim is located close to Crawford, Colorado, as well as some other smaller towns, which offer Airbnb options and small hotels.
Similar to the South Rim, there is a North Rim Campground, with 13 first come, first served sites. These are best suited for tents, as vehicles over 22 feet are not allowed.
The town of Delta is a good middle spot between rims and has hotels, Airbnbs, and campgrounds. We stayed here to visit both rims and it worked out well!
One of the best things about the park is that you can see a lot of it by car or just a short walk! Both the South and North Rims offer scenic drives with different overlooks of the canyon.
The South Rim’s scenic drive is 7 miles long and has 12 overlooks. The majority of these require a short walk, but some offer views from the car. Our favorite overlooks were Gunnison Point, Pulpit Rock, Cross Fissures View, Chasm View, and Painted Wall, which is the tallest cliff in Colorado at 2,250 feet and has Pegmatite granite stripes.
The North Rim’s scenic drive is 5 miles long and unpaved, but doable in any vehicle. The six overlooks in this area are right off the road and do not require much walking. Since there are fewer overlooks here, we suggest stopping at them all! And despite visiting the South Rim overlooks as well, we felt the North Rim offered a unique perspective.
In our opinion, the best way to experience Black Canyon of the Gunnison is to conquer one of the six inner canyon routes—there are three on each rim. These routes are not technically trails, but rather unmaintained and unmarked routes that take you down very steep, rugged terrain to the Gunnison River. You’ll encounter loose dirt and may have to use your hands and sometimes chains to assist you, so we only recommend this for experienced hikers.
For those who are able and up for the challenge, you’ll be treated to a special experience. While many people get to enjoy the park from the rim, only 15 hikers per day are allowed on each route, which means you’ll get to enjoy a view that not many get to see.
We completed the Gunnison Route, which is said to be the best route for beginners. But don’t let that fool you—you will lose, and then gain on the way back, 1,800 feet in less than a mile. Despite this being one of the most physically challenging adventures we’ve done, we had a blast and it was well worth the difficulty!
Since only 15 hikers are allowed per day on each route, you will need a permit. For the South Rim routes, permits are given out the day before your hike during peak season (late April to mid-October). They give out permits an hour and a half before the visitor center closes, but plan to arrive earlier for a chance to get one. For the North Rim routes and during non-peak months for the South Rim, permits are given out the day of.
If you’re not up for the inner canyon routes, the park does have easier hikes along both sides of the canyon’s rim, all of which provide unique views into the canyon.
South Rim
RIM ROCK NATURE TRAIL
Miles (round trip): 1.5
Elevation gain: 187 feet
OAK FLAT LOOP TRAIL
Miles (round trip): 1.3
Elevation gain: 311 feet
WARNER POINT NATURE TRAIL
Miles (round trip): 1.5
Elevation gain: 406 feet
North Rim
NORTH VISTA TRAIL TO EXCLAMATION POINT
Miles (round trip): 2.9
Elevation gain: 406 feet
CHASM VIEW NATURE TRAIL
Miles (round trip): 0.6
Elevation gain: 108 feet
There is one more area of the park to explore called East Portal. It’s technically in the Curecanti National Recreation Area, but you access it from the South Rim inside the park.
East Portal is a great place to visit if you want to see the Gunnison River without having to do one of the inner canyon routes. However, due to the windy and steep nature of the road to get down there, vehicles longer than 22 feet are prohibited.
Whether you tackle one of the inner canyon routes or stick to the accessible overlooks, there is no bad way to experience the magnitude of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. We hope you enjoy this underrated park!
Keep up with Adam and Kathryn’s adventure on Instagram @adventuresofaplusk
IF YOU HAVEN’T RVed through the Canadian Rockies, take this as a sign that you need to add it to your list.
The iconic views alone are worth the trip, but it’s so much more than that—for an active, outdoorsy family, there’s no better place to be.
Back in 2019, my husband and I were inexperienced RVers, but self-proclaimed adventurers, and decided to make the 36-hour trek across Canada from our home in Ottawa, Ontario. We packed up our two young kids, two dogs, and 33-foot travel trailer, intending to experience everything the Canadian Rockies had to offer.
Our first stop was obvious—you simply haven’t been out west if you haven’t visited Banff. Canada’s first-ever national park is about 90 minutes west of Calgary, Alberta, and is the star attraction of the Rockies.
The park is 6,641 square kilometers (2,564 square miles) and a whopping 96% is untouched wilderness. The quaint and quiet town of Banff is nestled inside the park. A tourist town with strong feelings toward wilderness preservation, Banff offers attractions that fit with the surroundings. That said, the star of the show is always the view; the breathtaking skyline doesn’t quite feel real, and the water is so blue and grass so green it feels like you’re looking at a painting.
We decided to stay close to the town itself for convenience, so we booked a spot at one of the most popular campsites at the park, Tunnel Mountain. This site is located close to downtown Banff and has stunning mountain views from nearly every site. The tradeoff is that it’s more of a parking lot atmosphere than a camping atmosphere. I’d recommend avoiding it if you’re looking to be in nature as much as possible, as space is
limited and the parking sites are paved. Traveling with young kids meant we had to prioritize convenience, and we didn’t find it limited our experience.
Over the next week, we spent our time exploring all Banff had to offer— white water rafting, taking the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain (Banff’s most popular attraction), and of course, hiking absolutely everywhere. Our favorite family hikes were right at Tunnel Mountain, just steps away from the RV, and Cascade Mountain, which is perfect
for casual hikers, with a waterfall that’s well worth the climb.
The next stop on our list was Lake Louise, a notable town inside Banff National Park that is often listed as a must-visit destination. It will take a bit longer than the two-lane highway, but the scenic route to Lake Louise using the Bow Valley Parkway is an easy drive full of gorgeous scenery and exciting wildlife sightings.
The campground we chose was aptly named Campground Lake Louise. It’s
a cute little campground at the base of the town that is protected by electric fences to deter wildlife. It has a quieter, more traditional camping feel than Tunnel Mountain, but spots are still relatively close together due to the sheer number of visitors.
While visiting Lake Louise, there are two must-see attractions. The first, of course, is the lake. It may be obvious, but Lake Louise is a destination location for a reason. The hikes wind around the lake, which is dotted with glaciers, and you can stop at the family-run tea house for refreshments and delicious baked goods. You will find it easy to match the difficulty of a hike with your skill level—there are plenty of advanced routes for experienced hikers looking for a challenge as well as more family-friendly paths. Both options have the benefit of gorgeous views and air so fresh you can’t help but become aware of each breath.
As a photographer, visiting Moraine Lake was my personal mission. It’s the most iconic image of the Canadian Rockies, and of Canada for that matter. The lake is a pure, deep turquoise blue and found directly in front of the Ten Peaks mountain range. The combination is electric.
Moraine Lake draws in millions of visitors every year. I was determined to take full advantage and get a once-in-a-lifetime sunrise shot during our stay. We all woke up at 4 a.m. and drove up the mountain in the dark to time the sunrise perfectly. We waited and watched the sun
kiss the top of the peaks, creating the most beautifully-lit landscape I had ever seen. To describe this experience as breathtaking doesn’t do it justice. In fact, I completely forgot why I was there and didn’t take the photos! But don’t worry, I made time for a second sunrise trip before we left and got my photo.
It’s easy to see why Lake Louise is such a hot spot for tourism; the area is so distinctly Canadian, it’s right up there with the CN Tower and the Toronto skyline. Of course, any well-known destination will be somewhat crowded. To combat the rush, we arrived very early at the spots we wanted to visit to ensure parking and a more peaceful visit. The early bird really does get the worm at Moraine Lake—the entrance road is closed once the parking lot is full, which can be as early as 7 a.m. during peak season.
I believe everyone should visit Lake Louise and Moraine Lake once, but in all honesty, once is probably enough. The planning and effort to get around the crowds can be difficult, and it doesn’t quite capture that natural, adventurous feeling we’re looking for.
The next stop for us was Jasper National Park. The drive to Jasper beautifully illustrates one of my favorite things about the Rockies— the route itself is as worthwhile as the destinations.
The highway heading to Jasper is a 232-kilometer stretch that winds over and around the mountains, past more than 100 monumental glaciers, countless icy blue waters, and dramatic cascading waterfalls. It’s stunning, with many points of interest along the highway. Whether you zip along for a few hours or spend days on the route, you won’t be disappointed. We regretted rushing straight to Jasper without booking a campground along the Icefields Parkway, since you could explore the attractions for days, but we did manage a few stops, including the Columbia Icefield. The Columbia Icefield is a tourist attraction along the highway that sells tickets to walk on the largest glacier in the Canadian Rockies. This is a great place to stop for a bite to eat with a great view of the glacier, too.
Athabasca Falls is another worthwhile
stop, and was a hit with the kids. After all, a quick 1-kilometer trail with a waterfall and canyon is hard to beat! It’s a great spot to stretch your legs and capture some beautiful photos.
If you’re looking for a private campground where you can be immersed in nature, the Wabasso campground on the outskirts of Jasper National Park is great. It was by far our favorite campground of the trip. You are certainly a guest here and the wildlife are comfortably at home—and yes, that includes bears! My husband caught one ambling through the park in the early hours of the morning. Fortunately, the bear was not fazed and continued to tour, but
we wised up and carried bear spray religiously after that.
A highlight of Jasper National Park is Mount Edith Cavell, one of the most beautiful and popular hiking areas. These trails put the “rock” in Rockies, with wide-open paths and rugged cut rock, perfect for hikers who want a challenge. That being said, the trails are also very accessible with plenty of options for new hikers, including guided hikes with a local expert.
There is so much to do in Jasper I couldn’t possibly list it all, but if I could recommend only one thing it would be the Jasper SkyTram, a gondola ride that carries you to the top of Whistlers Mountain. This is the highest and longest tram in Canada. I’ve mentioned the mountain views many times, but I really can’t stress it enough—from the top of the mountain you are surrounded by the undisturbed Canadian Rockies, the town of Jasper, and the glittering Athabasca River. I’ll let the photos do the talking here, even though they pale in comparison to the real view.
We’ve traveled all across Canada, but
for us, the Rockies changed the game. These majestic mountains represented adventure and the kind of spontaneous life we wanted to live. In the summer of 2021, we made the change to downsize, sold 90% of our belongings, and became full-time nomads. Since then we’ve experienced all kinds of Canadian landscapes, including rugged ocean coastlines, the prairies, and
the spacious Great Lakes. We loved them all, but the Rockies hold up as the ultimate adventure and certainly the setting of some of my favorite photographs.
Keep up with Ashley’s adventure on Instagram @highfive.to.happiness and for professional photography go to ashleystgermain.ca
GPS 33.6752, -115.8072
We are always looking for inexpensive places to camp that are close to the places we want to visit most, so imagine our surprise when we found out we could camp for free right outside the famous Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California!
The Bureau of Land Management lands where we stayed are found outside the southern entrance of the park. To get there, take the Cottonwood Springs Road exit off Interstate 10 and head slightly north until you reach the site. The campground is also conveniently tagged on Google Maps as “BLM Joshua Tree South.”
The closest town, Indio, is 26 miles away, so stock up on provisions beforehand. There is a sani-dump station 6.5 miles inside the park at Cottonwood Springs Campground that can be used for a small fee. The wide-open spaces and relatively good roads made it easy for any size rig to pull in. We noticed it gets busier on weekends, but it was clean and quiet, and we had a strong LTE signal. We did experience some strong winds one day during our January visit, but otherwise there was only a gentle breeze.
The proximity to Joshua Tree National Park is the best reason to stay here, but we learned the main attractions are mostly on the northern side of the park. So while we had a quieter site, the drawback was that we had to drive about 40 miles to see the famed Joshua Trees and access most of the rock climbing. This park is not pet-friendly, so our cat, Benny, stayed behind when we went exploring.
We really enjoyed our stay at BLM Joshua Tree South and would recommend it to anyone considering a visit to Joshua Tree National Park. Maybe we’ll see you there!
Follow Mel Hanley on Instagram @homearoam
GPS 50.546013, -116.122139
Lake Enid was one of our favorite boondocking sites last summer. It’s just outside of Invermere, British Columbia, in a little town called Wilmer.
Here’s what you need to know about boondocking at Lake Enid:
• Swimming, fishing, boating, hiking, and bird/wildlife watching
• Dock, boat launch
• Outhouse toilet
• Off-road motorized vehicles permitted
• No cell reception and no amenities in town
Once you get to Wilmer, drive in on Horsethief Road, and you’ll see Wilmer Lake. When you get around that lake, the road will eventually turn into Bruce Creek Forest Service Road. It’s then a 6-kilometer stretch before you hit the water. You’ll be driving very slowly the entire way, especially with a bigger rig. It’s a narrow, bumpy, and dirty ride, but so worth it!
When you search Lake Enid, you’ll see a labeled recreation site. That site seemed to only be accessible using a four-wheel-drive vehicle and a small compact rig, like a popup tent trailer. The bigger, more accessible sites aren’t labeled online, but you will see them as soon as you get there.
There are tons of spacious and private spots with tree coverage, but the lake is still a little walk from those sites. We decided to drive right up to the lake and park, and the space we picked was tight in terms of maneuvering the trailer. This spot is popular for fishing and swimming with the locals. It was busy, but it never felt overcrowded, and our kids had a blast making new friends! There are rainbow and lake trout, turtles, minnows, and frogs in the lake.
There is also a really nice hiking trail called Wilmer Wetland Trail, which I highly recommend.
Overall, the lake is beautiful with a stunning view of the East Kootenay Mountains, and the campgrounds are well kept. We had a great time boondocking at Lake Enid and would definitely go back! Follow Jesseca Perry
No plumbing? No problem! This foot pump camp sink connects to its own gray tank, plus has a fresh water reservoir, towel holder, and soap dispenser. Use it inside, or set it outside your rig to get everything, and everyone clean before coming inside.
Too hot to cook indoors? Take this outside and connect it to power at your campsite for an easy way to chef it up while on the road. Great for having an extra cooktop burner onhand whenever you might need it. Easy to store to keep out of the way when you don’t.
This tiny filter packs a powerful punch, removing 99.99% of harmful bacteria, protozoa, and microplastics from your water, making it the perfect filter to pack on hiking and backpacking trips.
From the makers of Venture Wipes, comes Bug Defense. This plant-based bug repellant, in the form of a wipe, keeps insects away using the natural properites of citronella, menthol & oil of lemon eucalyptus.
Stay connected! This portable cell signal booster is designed for us while parked or also on the road. The collapsible tripod allows for easy set-up and tear down. It’s compatible with all U.S cellular carriers.
Get rid of sway, rough riding, bottoming out and more with Air Lift springs. This product helps towing become more comfortable, and more importantly safer on the road. Choose the kit compatible with your vehicle.
Looking for ways to stay cool on the road? This portable misting system lowers the surrounding air by up to 30 degrees! Runs off a battery and includes a wireless remote.
Clearsource filters your water three separate times by the time it’s done, removing cysts, bacteria, and viruses with NASAdeveloped technology. The connections fit standard RV water hoses.
• Tough, professional-grade capacity and enhanced functionality
• Ergonomic grip points for comfortable and easy handling
• Multi-directional, cast yoke head for a smooth ride and less strain on the truck
• Integrated wear plates for grease-free, smooth operation
• Constructed with a cast steel main body for dependable strength
Watch the video!
A tapestry of episodes covering themes such as solo hiking and camping, entrepreneurship, outdoor equity, aging, motherhood, chronic illness, and more as they intersect with female outdoor experiences.
Join your favorite hobbits, friends, and co-stars, Billy Boyd and Dom Monaghan, as they look back at their time on “The Lord of the Rings.” Featuring interviews, life behind the scenes, fan-question answers, and details on their friendship.
A show created to examine the strange and fascinating relationship between science and religion.
Debunking the junk science behind health fads, wellness scams, and nonsensical nutrition advice.
The daily realities of life inside prison shared by those living it, and stories from the outside, post-incarceration. The team works inside and outside of a state prison media lab to produce sometimes difficult, often funny, and always honest stories.
A professional makeup artist and true crime connoisseur explores the chilling stories of the dark past from U.S. and World History that they don’t teach you in school!
Sarah is a journalist obsessed with the past. Every week she reconsiders a person or event that’s been miscast in the public image.
Podcasts are listed as a courtesy to our readers and compiled from recommendations in various social groups. If you have a podcast you think we should include, email us at collab@rootlessliving.com
What life exists for you outside of your comfort zone?
Graham Wardle explores guests’ personal journeys and how they have stepped beyond what is familiar/safe and into the unknown.
The
Ear Hustle
