Fearless Adventurers: An Interview with Wade & Abby

Contributor

Kelsey Glennon

Favorite Trip

Florida Freshwater Springs

Home Base

Orlando, FL

Favorite RV

Airstream Overlander

About Contributor

Kelsey’s first career as a performing artist had her traveling the world. Eager to keep traveling, she hit the road to see the USA in a 69’ Airstream Overlander. Today you can find her writing about travel, design, and good food. When she’s not planning her next trip, she’s sipping on local beer and petting other people’s dogs.

In order to really show you who Wade and Abby really are, we wanted to do an interview with the couple. They were nice enough to answer some of our questions. Here’s what they had to say:

Hi, Wade & Abby Tell us a little bit about yourselves. Would you say you have a home base, or “home is where you park it?”

Thanks so much for having us and bringing us to Camping World!

We’re Abby and Wade! We both grew up camping and exploring the mountains of Montana. Wade used to be a competitive skier and is an adventure athlete capturing our wild experiences wherever we go. I’m a professional makeup artist, now working on myself to create wildly colorful and bold artistry on my bald head. (Oh yeah, I have the autoimmune disease Alopecia Totalis, so I don’t grow any hair, eyebrows, or eyelashes!)

We always find a way to make being on the road feel like home, but we do technically have a home base in Los Angeles, CA. However, we’re always on the go, seeking out the next adventure! We are such an adventure team that we’ve really built our home around one another. It’s a little corny song lyric, but “home is wherever I’m with you.”

Wade & Abby behind the wheel. Photo by Brian Lewis.
Wade & Abby behind the wheel of their camper. (Photo by Brian Lewis)

A lightning question: Describe your travel style in one sentence. Here’s mine: Solo lady rambling on the slow and scenic route in pursuit of food, wine, antiques, and other people’s dogs to pet… I’m willing to bet your travel style is much more thrilling.

“A shockingly colorful creative duo in constant pursuit of the undiscovered experiences and adventures around the world. Relentlessly in love with each other, and in love with the thrill of constantly discovering more of this wild planet!”

Yoga in Joshua Tree
Yoga in Joshua Tree.

A few more lightning Q’s: Beaches, mountains, or desert?

We’re both originally from Montana, so mountains are in our DNA! But since living in LA we’ve developed a deep love and appreciation for both the desert and the ocean too!

Favorite snack to have at the campsite?

PayDay bars! High calories if you’re in a pinch, and the perfect combo of sweet and salty!

Top three pieces of gear you never leave behind?

Tough to pick just three, but camping isn’t really “camping” without a fire, so those essentials are key: we always bring along waterproof matches! With Abby’s bald head, she can never put on too much sunscreen, so there’s always an extra bottle in every side pocket and backpack especially in the desert! Last but not least, if we’re getting off-grid, propper mapping is essential to find the most epic backroad locations, so we always have our satellite maps saved on our phones. Also, Wade refuses to leave home without his lucky Captain Planet boxers and 101 Dalmatians onesie! He has some interesting articles of clothing he likes to bring on our adventures.

Wade & Abby and a Class C RV. Photo by Brian Lewis.
Wade & Abby and a Class C RV. (Photo by Brian Lewis)

You both are active recreators and don’t seem to shy away from adrenaline. Tell us a story about a thrilling sport or activity you’ve enjoyed, made possible by RV travel.

Oh yeah! Adventure sports and experiences are a huge component of what we seek out when RV traveling. We always bring our mountain bikes, hiking boots, and maybe even a kayak if there’s a river or lake on our route.

Wade & Abby, traveling for the next adventure. Photo by Brian Lewis.
Wade & Abby, traveling for the next adventure. (Photo by Brian Lewis)

Sometimes we even seek out the more unique and thrilling sports that you may have never heard of. Last year we traveled to Virginia City, Nevada for the annual ostrich and camel races. Oh boy, was that an experience! Wade jumped right in and actually rode an ostrich and took home third place in the championship finals!

 

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A post shared by wadeholland (@wadeholland)

You are camping pros, for sure, but what about RVing still surprises you, even after all your travel adventures so far?  

We’re always surprised by how we’re able to still get off-grid and away from the crowds! So many people think of RVing as camping in designated campgrounds (which is great!) but our favorite is to get off-grid and find the hidden gems throughout our travels, like the best places to watch an epic sunrise, or at the base of an incredible new mountain range that we want to explore the next day!

Wade & Abby in the desert. Photo by Tyler Cave.
Wade & Abby in the desert. (Photo by Tyler Cave)

What would you say are the greatest perks of RV travel?

Having all of our basic needs covered when we’re on the road is so essential. When our shelter, food storage, and mode of transportation are all wrapped up into one vehicle, we’re able to focus so much more of our attention and energy on making the adventure more epic!

What would you say the biggest challenges are to RV travel?

Oh gosh, we always have to have extra gas on hand when going off-grid—that’s something that we’re really reliant on! It’s hard to know how far we’ll go sometimes, so making sure we fill up at the last station on our route is essential, and we always try to have an extra gas can on hand for emergencies!

Do you have any travel plans on the horizon? Do you like exploring new terrain, or revisiting old favorites?

Always! We have a really busy summer season coming up, and we’re actually hitting the road for a week-long trip to Vail, Colorado for the GoPro Mountain Games soon! Really excited to be back in the mountains. We also just recently returned from Abby’s first trip to Arizona, where we adventured through the Phoenix desert, Sedona, and the Grand Canyon! We’re definitely always looking forward to exploring new amazing places and discovering new hidden gems!

Wade & Abby around the campfire. Photo by Brian Lewis.
Wade & Abby around the campfire. (Photo by Brian Lewis)

As experienced campers, what advice do you have for travelers curious about testing RV travel for the first time?

I think it’s important to understand how you like to travel. If you’re someone who loves to have the mobility to drive and sleep in one place as you travel, I think you should definitely give the RV style a chance! There are so many incredible places to explore that are really accessible if you just hit the road and go a little further than everyone else.

Favorite quote, verse, lyric, or mantra that keeps you sane on your travels, or gives you inspiration? (This one’s mine: “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end”-Earnest Hemingway)

Our own little phrase that we ALWAYS stand by, is

“Go a Little Further!”

It seems simple because it is! We always find that when you find a great spot or an amazing adventure, the crowds of people follow. Our best advice is to ditch the overhyped attractions and always go just a little bit further to find the undiscovered spots. Whether that’s referring to a campground or a specific destination, adventuring outside of the lines always comes with the most rewarding discoveries!

Wade & Abby camping off-grid in Arizona. Photo by Brian Lewis
Wade & Abby camping off-grid in Arizona. (Photo by Brian Lewis)

Follow along with Wade + Abby’s adventures on Instagram:

@wadeholland

@abbywrenartistry


Thanks for your time and wisdom, Wade & Abby. See you on the road!

  • Comment (2)
  • MJ Smith says:

    Are there handicap accessible RVs? Need to be able to get in and in a wheelchair or scooter? Also need safety bars in I showers and bathroom. It is really hard to travel and see the mountains and valleys. Can also travel to see areas accessible by horseback and pack animals for shorter tours. I want to get out and see places. I am not able to walk but get around pretty good. I have a hard head but willing to try. I have never received an answer!

  • Hi MJ!

    The short answer is yes, there are handicap-accessible RVs. Newmar is one RV brand that stands out here after a quick search.

    You might also find our Personal Shopper program useful: https://rv.campingworld.com/personal-rv-shopper

    This allows you to pair with a trained specialist to narrow down options and find an RV that fits all of your needs. Hope that’s helpful!

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