In the modern day when we have so many electronics, so many ways to be connected and so many ways to communicate, you’d think we would feel free to move around whenever and wherever we want, right? Wrong. It feels now more than ever we’re tethered to a place, an office, a routine. When an opportunity arises to allow you to break those tethers and travel without sacrificing your connections to friends, family, work, and other needs, why wouldn’t you take it? That’s exactly what fell in my lap one year ago when I married the love of my life.

At the time we were in NYC- she was a teacher and I was working in tech. Both allowed plenty of time to take a vacation and escape the city, we felt we needed more than that. Coincidentally we had plans to return back to our home state of California. It just so happens that a job in tech has some perks- you can work from just about anywhere. In addition to the fact that I love to drive we realized that we could take a nationwide road trip while I continue working. Income? Check. Traveling lifestyle? Check.

We had spent years living in a cramped New York apartment so we figured we could handle a bit of downsizing to van life. On our honeymoon I was constantly searching (sorry Willa) for the vehicle that would become our home. If you’ve ever done this type of search- one for a blank slated cargo van- the options appear endless. Not only the options but the price range. There’s a reason more of us Millenials don’t have camper vans parked outside our apartments- it ain’t cheap and it definitely isn’t easy.

Fast-forward to a few saved Craigslist searches and a handful of trips to south Jersey, our search hadn’t yielded any results. It occurred to me the real challenge we were facing here: the infinite dilemma of options. Count this as the final reason to why van life was for me (one-half of this crazy adventure)- I love a challenge. I love to build things, break them, fix them, and solve problems. I like the outdoors, experiencing new places and seeing what I can accomplish when the odds are against me. Couple that with my wife by my side in a time before our lives get even more complicated- we realized now was all we have. You’ve got to go when you can.