Some call it #vanlife while other prefer overlanding. Either way, life off the grid isn't always as glorious as Instagram makes us believe. Our friends at @wheeltravelfar created a podcast series filled with unfiltered stories and experiences from adventures on the road.
In 2013, Matt McDonald hit the road in his 86'VW Vanagan (he lovingly calls Donnie) to jumpstart his photojournalism career and reestablish his connection with nature. His adventure took him to the remote corners of the West, going weeks without cell phone service or another person to talk to. It was in these periods of solitude Matt shaped and informed his philosophies about life; simplicity, slowness, and a deep connection to the land. While Matt ultimately decided vanlife wasn't the final answer for him, he evangelizes the perspective it can provide anyone – if done for the right reason.
“I really do think that everyone should experience traveling for an extended period of time with very little responsibility and just taking it in and seeing how it affects them.”
Sunny displays the Pride Flag Puffy Blanket
Steaming from Nashville, Tennessee, Sunny and Karin decided to sell everything they owned to travel the world in their 80 series Landcruiser. An unexpected health scare jolted life into perspective, forcing them to look at each other and re-evaluate their life priorities. They asked themselves If we had six months to live, how would we want to spend that time? Once they figured out that freedom, travel, adventure, and spending time together was all they really wanted, the decision was easy. They sold all possessions to fund a two-year overland journey down the PanAmerican Highway, re-branding themselves as “The Vagabroads". They may have packed more lip gloss than motor oil, but they successfully navigated through all of the problems that came with it. Proving once again, there is no formula to living life on the road.
“When you're not doing much, that's exciting with your life..our life became about shopping and ordering in… We needed something extreme to break our habits”
Megan wrapped up in the Baja Original Down Blanket
Megan Bristol & Nick Polinko had only been dating a few months when they got an itch for more wanderlust in our lives so they decided to ditch their Silicon Valley jobs, buy a Toyota Landcruiser & trailer, and point their car south for a year and half surf trip along the PanAmerican Highway. Flash forward a year later and they’re a little road smarter, a little life smarter, and eager to share their experiences on the road with all of you.
“There is a lot of downtime…I think happiness isn’t real unless it’s shared. These are the kind of moments you want to share with someone.”
