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About us
We are a newly married couple who made it a goal to simplify our life and fill it with adventure, embarking on a nomadic lifestyle in a self-converted sprinter camper van before our first wedding anniversary. In April 2017, we hit the road and haven’t looked back.
As of Sept 2022, we have built two vans, driven through 48 states, the entire Baja of Mexico peninsula, and parts of Canada.
Meet Mike
Mike is an architect turned artist drawn to inspiring places. Along our journey, he sketches everyday, chronicling the places we explore. He sells his artwork through his website, Instagram and Etsy shop.
He also love long bike rides. REALLY long bike rides. We crossed America in 2020 and in 2022, biked from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to San Diego, CA. He goes alone, and he does it quickly!
Meet Jess
Jess is the cofounder of Sēkr, a free mobile app that makes camping easier, safer and more social.
Read more about being a digital nomad!
Meet Vinny
Vinny is a 14 year old chihuahua who is reinvigorated by a life of adventure on the road. He loves ear scratches, ice cream and whines when it's time for bed.
Read more on traveling with pets and keeping them comfortable in vanlife.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Vanlife?
The decision to embark on an unconventional life does not come without fear and uncertainty.
In the summer of 2016, we went backpacking in Grand Teton National Park and noticed a converted Sprinter van for sale on the side of the road. It was fully decked out, but the asking price was way outside our budget.
However, it sparked an idea inside of us that maybe we could buy a van, convert it ourselves and live in it for a fraction of what our mortgage was at the time.
Throughout the 7-day hike, we kept talking about how we could make simple living work for us. When we got back to Baltimore we started researching vans and two months later we purchased a 2013 Mercedes Sprinter and got started building.
What's it like to live in a van?
Living in the van presents a whole new set of challenges compared to a more traditional lifestyle.
We need to make sure we have water, power, a safe place to sleep, a place to empty our toilet and most importantly some idea of where we are going that day. All of these things take up more time than if we had unlimited running water, flushing toilets and a power grid.
We often find ourselves in the middle of the afternoon wondering where the day went. Life just takes a little longer living in the van. Even with these challenges, we wouldn’t trade the freedom that living in our van provides.
What's a day on the road look like?
Our daily routine is actually not very routine at all. Some days we wake up late while other days we set an alarm to wake up early in hopes of catching a great sunrise from somewhere like Cadillac Mountain in Maine. But wherever we are, most mornings involve snuggles, coffee and cereal.
Throughout the day, we will find interesting local destinations to explore, take pictures, sketch local architecture and field work emails. We like to cook dinner together at the end of the day then hunt for a safe place to park overnight.
Some days we drive and sometimes we stay in the same place for days. We don’t have set work hours, but Jess does take work calls or finalize projects from the road, working an average of 20 hours a week. Mike runs his own art business, so his work is never really done.
What do you love the most about this kind of traveling and lifestyle?
We love that everywhere we go we are at home. Every day is a new adventure and a new experience. We also enjoy the financial freedom that comes from not paying a mortgage and the emotional and physical freedom from not working the standard 40+ hour work week.
I wish I could do something like this!
We hear this a lot and our response is that you can!
When we first started throwing around the idea of quitting our jobs and moving into a van, we were terrified of how everything would turn out and how people would react to our decision to live an unconventional life.
Work every day towards your dream. Know that it will be scary, but if it’s in your heart, you can make it happen.
