Living in our Astro Van on the road has been amazing. My wife and I have seen some beautiful places since we started our journey from Colorado to Alaska, including serene wilderness and expansive views. We saw Mount Denali on a clear day, alpine lakes on remote mountain bike trails, and backpacked through Banff, Canada.
Throughout our time so far, connecting with people has been the greatest adventure.
Don’t Forget About the Importance of Human Connections
Sprinkling in time to meet people along the way will enrich your experience. We’re designed to be in relationships. Being on the road validates this for me and encourages us to continue to seek out people as we continue our journey.
Both reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones along the way has reminded us of the beauty in relationships.
We often connect with friends of friends, like Jon and Kristie from Alaska. Relatives of a coworker at my last job—we were introduced via text and were invited to stay with them for a few nights. We had never met but were welcomed in like family! We picked berries from their garden, cooked meals, and flew around in their bush plane. It was a true gift.
We connected with Carolyn and her family in Alaska where we escaped a storm (not fun when living in a van), joined family game night, and later kayaked around a pristine lake. We had never met Carolyn before, but we hope to see her and her family again if our paths ever cross. It was such a joy to meet and spend time with her and her family.
You Have to Take the First Step
Meeting and reconnecting with people takes effort, though. It does not happen passively. Sharing our location on our Instagram and asking our friends for recommendations or connections has been helpful.
You will be amazed at how excited people are to introduce you to their friends and family. Also, going to local breweries and restaurants has been a great way to connect with people on the road. It is a natural place to have conversations with locals who are usually eager to give advice on how to best utilize your time in a specific area.
Let the Relationships You Make Enhance Your Trip
My wife and I want to travel, see, and experience the world. We don’t want to cozy up in a hotel or all-inclusive resort (at least not all the time). If you follow our Instagram, it probably won’t appear to be anything except amazingly epic. Don’t get me wrong, it has been, but without the relationships, we’ve built along the way it wouldn’t be anywhere near as meaningful.
It’s easy to forget the meaning of an adventure. A big part of adventuring is taking risks. Traveling in a van from Colorado to Alaska comes with plenty of uncertain outcomes, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
We haven’t been scared to endure a little more uncertainty by reaching out to others. It has enriched our experience and energized us when we’re tired or beat down. By connecting with others and keeping an adventurous spirit in terms of relationships we will have time to enjoy our loved ones and the people we encounter along the way.
Have you made any good relationships on the road? Leave a comment below.
