I cannot believe we have been on the road for a month now. It feels so surreal for us to be in Washington, knowing that just 1 month ago we were struggling to get on the road. We have had the time of our lives so far, but that is paired with tons of challenges we faced while getting our feet on the ground with this journey.

You think the idea of living in a van and traveling the country is such a dream come true, but let me tell you, we are about 50% living the dream and 50% FAILING at the dream. We have had so many bumps in the road as we have made our trip across America, and I can only imagine what the next few months will hold for us before we head back to Tennessee for a regroup.

Problem 1: Electrical

Our van's electrical system was 100% the most complicated part of our build. It has proved to cause us the most problems and "learn as we go" moments more than anything else. We have had to change breaker switches, re-organize the entire back of the van in gas station parking lots, and go nights with little to no power. Basically, Jimmy has become a full-blown YouTube electrician for our van.

Problem 2: Us

This one makes me laugh because I truly could not be more proud of Jimmy for the build he did on the van in just 3 months, but going from a 2-bedroom apartment, to a single room in my parents' house for 3 weeks, to a van with a cat has proven to be a slight challenge. Before living in a van, if Jimmy and I had a conflict or needed some time, we would have the space to move away from each other. Now we spend 100% of every single moment together. This has taken some getting used to, and we are adjusting. It is just taking some time. I think it is really important when traveling as a couple to make sure you spend a little time every day alone. Jimmy and I will take walks alone, or he will make dinner outside while I stay in the van. I think this gives us some good separation. While living in a van, I think it is important to note that the world outside of you is your backyard. Make sure you are utilizing it.

Problem 3: Our Toilet

We have a Laveo Dry Flush toilet. We did a lot of research when it came to our toilet. I knew this was super important to me because, as a GI-issue girly, having a non-stinky toilet in the van was the ONLY option. Unfortunately, these toilets are over $1,000, and that was just not in our budget. So, I waited and constantly checked resale sites to find an older model of the Laveo more in our budget. I ended up finding one on Facebook Marketplace and only paid $600 for it. We did not check to see if it worked until a couple of days before leaving because wasting a pod for it is an expensive test. THIS was my mistake. When I tested it out, it seemed like it was working fine, but then once we got on the road, it would not flush. The Laveo is battery-powered or has to be plugged in. We had to twist the bag on our own every time we used it so it would seal itself and not stink. This was not a hard process, just not a super enjoyable one, and the whole reason for this specific toilet was the flushing it came with. (It is supposed to work like a Diaper Genie for adults, essentially.) We did figure out it needed a new battery, but they are expensive. So recently, we got lucky and found a DC power cord, and we are using it now. This fixes the problem and will flush it until we can buy a battery.

Problem 4: No Friends/Community

I was so excited to meet people doing the same thing we were. And I am not sure if we are just introverts or make ourselves look mean, but we have struggled to talk to and meet people. I think the best community we experienced thus far was in West Yellowstone. We got to meet some awesome local photographers and go to a community event. Being in the community for the 7 days we spent there was so awesome. We really want to meet some people on the road and are working on being more outgoing, but it is hard putting yourself out there. I will also touch on the community back home. Nashville has been so supportive of our adventure, and I am so proud to come from there. However, I have noticed a delay in getting information from there. I have learned some people will support you and some people will not, and it is 100% okay to let go of the ones who do not support your dreams.

It is not all Negative

I know I have said a lot of negatives about being on the road in our first month. Let's get into some positives.

Positive 1: The Sights

We have gotten to experience some beautiful places and meet some wonderful people. We have been to and are going to places we have always dreamed of, and I am so lucky that I have someone with me who is always down to wake up at 3 a.m. for sunrise and stay up until 2 a.m. for the Milky Way in the sky. It is hard to pick a favorite place, but I will say Glacier National Park might be my new favorite. I think Medicine Bow National Forest has been my favorite one of those.

Positive 2: Blue Jeans the Cat

I was so nervous to have Blue with us on the road. I was worried she would be car sick, or not adjust well, or hate being outdoors. She has been a rockstar during all of this. The first week was rough, and she did not want to come out of her cubby, but now that cat owns that van. She is eating and sleeping and having all the zoomies a cat can have! She loves looking out the windows when we are driving, and when we are parked, she is out exploring the van more and more every day.

Positive 3: Making Art

I have loved making art my whole life and love making photographs, and because of this I have fallen in love with my work as a photographer. My overall goal is to sell my prints (here on my website) and be able to travel off of our work. Jimmy has the same goal. We take every chance we can to make some photos, as well as tapping into the other types of art we love. I love to journal and paint, and Jimmy loves to draw, and we are so lucky to be able to have the free time in beautiful places to get to just sit and make art.

Positive 4: Content

I have absolutely fallen in love with making content for you all. I have loved filming my life like a video diary and taking time to take awesome photos of Jimmy and me. Even getting to sit down and finally focus on writing a blog makes me so happy. I have loved every video, picture, and article we have made. We are currently working on 2 new projects as we have been going along this trip. We have a podcast coming out soon, as well as long-form YouTube videos. We are not good at either one of these things, and we hope to grow them as we grow ourselves in the van.

Overall

Overall, one month of van life down, and we are officially in the PNW! We have so many more memories to make and so many photos to capture. I just know we will have the best time. We do not have a plan for after we get back to Tennessee in November, but we hope that things will continue to work in our favor and we will be able to keep going! For every person who called me crazy and irresponsible, just know I'm having the time of my life, and even during the rough patches, I know we will make it through—with an awesome view.