Packing for van life abroad took a ton of excel sheets and years of living in a van to figure out exactly what we wanted to bring. From the silly (a box of seasonings) to the silly but imperative (USB Fairy Lights) - I try to detail all of the things that came with us in two very large checked bags.

I started this journey alone over two years ago. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with writing when life happens. In this blog post I try to give a concise update on what I’ve been doing for the past year- love, vanning, traveling, living. I’ll expand on all the adventures in time, but for now here’s a not-so-short update.

“Am I safe?”  That is a question that I think every night that I am in the van.  Am I in a good area? How am I parked in case I need to quickly leave? Could I get blocked in? What is my gut telling me? The fear of being a woman alone on the road is something that I get asked about a lot and something that is on my mind constantly.

Finally! I detail my solar set up- how I did it, equipemnt I used, and a detailed 6 step process to set up your own set up.  I hope you guys like it, a lot went into this one. 

A short and quick tutorial on how to add some epic mood lighting to your pop top! 

Why do we shy away from discussing the emotion of loneliness?  How does a life of solo-van life look when it's not picture perfect?  Here I want to disucss the moments I that are difficult, the moments that make me question all of it, the moments that make it count. 

I am asked almost daily about how much money I spend and how much I had saved up before I left.  In this post I share my background, tips, budget, and daily expenses.  I hope that this article shows that not only is this life attainable it's possible with a lot less money than people think.

What happens when this trip you've had planned for years doesn't look exactly the way you want? How do we deal with let downs, letting go, forgetting expectations?  This trip is exactly where I wanted to be for so long, but now that I'm here I'm not sure where to go. 

Haines.  The adventure capitol of Alaska.  That’s the motto at least that welcomes you into this small community that resides between the Chillkat and Chillkoot mountain ranges, and is boarded by the sea. It’s not hard to imagine as you gaze upon the snow peaked mountains that house glaciers, crevasses and some of the best skiing in the state.  

From King salmon fishing to staying in a forest service hut- Sitka proved to exceed my wildest expectations.  Nestled on Baranoff Island, the word is out on this sleepy fishing town- cruise ships, tourists, and adventures flock to this island built for exploration. 

They say that the first step on a 1000 mile journey is the hardest- as I was sitting in my car on May 6th saying goodbye to my parents and dog I couldn't imagine anything more true.  This was the first leg of an endless journey of exploration and discovery. 

Some music needs air...and so does the road.

Time is starting to speed up.  Where before I had months and weeks to say my goodbyes, organize my thoughts, start to understand what was about to happen, now I only have days.  

It’s funny how some of the people you meet become family faster than you ever thought possible.