WHAT DON'T WE TALK ABOUT | FT. DESTINY & LIZ
My Solo Road S2 Ep 6 | What Don't We Talk About | ft. Destiny & Liz
Today Destiny + Liz will be joining us to talk about following your gut feelings + making an income on the road! They also share what it’s like to be a BIPOC & LGBTQ+ couple with two dogs!
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INTRODUCTION
Destiny and Liz from @choosethepathyoutake join us this week to talk all about following your gut feelings + making an income on the road. They have been living on the road for 8 months so we dive into what that looks like as a BIPOC & LGBTQ+ couple with two dogs and their favorite thing about van life (+ not so favorite experiences). And they share many reminders that if van life is what you want to do, you CAN make it work!
HOW THEY STARTED VAN LIFE + MAKING IT WORK WITH YOUR PARTNER
- They are both from Rancho Cucamonga California, about an hour outside of Los Angeles.
- They met at work where they were servers and they have always worked together, hung out together, and lived together. This dynamic works for them because they are best friends.
- Elizabeth was looking into international travel and destination elopement. She came across Kara and Nate on YouTube and the algorithm started showing her more vanlife videos. She then came across Eamon and Bec, started listening to podcasts, and then asked Destiny if she would ever be interested in doing it.
- She agreed and 6 months later they bought a 2019 Ram Promaster 2500 high top. They also looked at a sprinter and ford transit.
- They used the “Steps to Vanlife” podcast episode which helped to bring their feelings of overwhelm down.
- They spent 7 months converting it and have seen 10/50 states in the last 8 months!
- A reminder to go slow in the van. It’s easy to want to race to the next spot but you miss building a routine and getting to know a place. If you stay at a place long enough you will see the beauty and fall in love with it.
- Make sure you have open communication with each other while in the van, that makes it easier to live on the road with your partner!
TRUSTING YOUR GUT FEELINGS + BEST PLACES TO FIND SAFE CAMPSITES
- They only had 2 bad experiences in the van so far. One was in Mesa Verde, where someone in their car was watching them. The second involved a trail cam on a tree at a campsite.
- Both Destiny and Elizabeth communicated their bad feelings to each other. And thankfully, both were understanding and they packed up and left each time.
- They remind us to get in the habit of trusting our gut feelings and instincts when they come up! This could save your life.
- Always be cautious of your surroundings and connect with other people because they will help you along the way.
- You can always go to Walmart if there aren’t places around to park for the night. There are security cameras, cars that patrol around, and lights everywhere.
- The best websites and apps that they found are: Freecampsites.net, iOverlander (but you can’t save the sites or share pictures. Use google maps to tag your favorite places!)
- They have a resource on their website for free recommended campsites where they have pictures and a review.
- Opensignal also tells you where you will have service if you work remotely! They found that it’s around 75% accurate.
THEIR DOG FRIENDLY VAN BUILD
- Since they have two dogs (Coffee, a year and a half golden retriever and Bailey, a 6 year old shih tzu that Destiny bought for Liz when she asked her to be her girlfriend!) they wanted to make sure that they kept the dogs in mind with the build.
- They ended up renovating the van on the road because they had a fixed bed and a couch but the dogs didn’t like a couch and couldn’t fit underneath. Now they have their own area that they love.
- They have a cut out drawer for the dog bowls and hooks right where they open the van for their leashes.
- When building the van you have to remember that you need a place for their food, toys, and emergency kits so having a fixed bed with a lot of storage makes it easier to fit everything!
EARNING A REMOTE INCOME ON THE ROAD
- If you want to live on the road, you CAN make it work. If you have a job (not necessarily a career) then it IS replaceable. Don’t wait until you’re retired to live the life that you desire.
- For Destiny and Elizabeth, working on the road looks like staying in the city from Monday-Friday. Destiny works as a customer service representative for a real estate company full-time.
- They go to coffee shops, libraries, and use their hot spots when they don’t have access to wifi.
- Elizabeth uses Wonolo (a job agency app) That has tons of different jobs that you can choose from. You can pick your shifts, pick which job sounds good to you, and get paid 2 days later. Her favorite job was resetting a grocery store. If you want to find something on the road, that’s a perfect option.
- There is also the option of making an income on social media. This may take a lot of work upfront BUT it is a legitimate career.
THEIR FAVORITE PLACE + THING ABOUT VANLIFE
- Telluride, Colorado, has been their favorite place. They love the hikes, the town (which is very gay friendly!) beautiful waterfalls, dog friendly, and there is also a campsite that they loved close by!
- You do have to pay for day parking in Telluride, it’s expensive, and it is out of the way, but there is a free Gondola & you can bring your dogs!
- Their FAVORITE thing about van life and something that they weren’t expecting is how amazing the community is.
- If they had to choose to live somewhere it would be Colorado
- In the 8 months they have been on the road, they have made the greatest friends. Friends that have the same values, who understand each other, and experiences that you can’t really have with other friends.
- Van life friends differ because it’s a faster friendship. It escalates quickly and things get very deep, very fast. You always have something similar to talk about because you are living the same lifestyle.
TRAVELING AS WOMEN OF COLOR
- They both came from southern California where it’s very diverse and they didn’t realize how a lot of the United States is predominately white.
- Elizabeth went to school with every single race, has friends of all races, and has been discriminated against even in the diverse city she lived in.
- Being a women of color lesbian couple, they travel differently. They make sure that they are cautious of where they are traveling to and listen to locals when they say be careful.
- They prepare themselves with research and trust their gut and if more than one person is checking you out and it seems suspicious, trust your instincts then leave.
- Moab Utah is a great place to visit but someone told them that they wouldn’t be welcomed there as a local because of the color of their skin.
- Do research on certain towns. There is a lot of information out there that can help you. You can use GayCities if you are part of the LGBTQ+ community.
- Being a woman of color shouldn’t stop you from experiencing vanlife!
FINAL ADVICE
There is no rush when it comes to van life. Their favorite places have been places where they stayed for a week, built a routine, and got to know all of the spots. You can make this lifestyle work for you (even with your partner and 2 dogs!) if it’s what you desire. There are a ton of different ways to earn an income on the road and a supportive community to help you when you are on it. If you are a woman of color, don’t let that stop you from starting vanlife. Ask around, talk to people that are open and honest, and if something feels suspicious or dangerous, then leave for the next town!
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