Wandr’ly Magazine is a Web-only magazine founded by a friend and fellow traveler Nathan Swartz. We were interviewed and featured in one of his articles a couple of months ago but I just realized that we never wrote about it on our blog.
Go check out our article if you haven’t yet and don’t forget to subscribe!
over and out,
dan
We stayed a few miles north of Columbia, South Carolina at a Walmart when we drove down last night from Tryon. We are headed to Charleston but we decided that Columbia would be a good place for Luka to get his 6-month immunizations.
Our first night a Cliffside Park was great. With no one in the campground, clean bathrooms and free hot showers, it beats camping in tight spaces near the city. The girls got up early and as usual, both squeezed into Ava’s bed for a little morning entertainment on the iPad. This time, Luka thought he would join in on the fun.
A lot of people think we are crazy because we travel with an infant. I think it has been something that sort of defines us. During our first cross country trip in 2010, Mila was only 5 months old when we left. In a couple of weeks, we will be heading out again with a 3 1/2 month old baby Luka. The first time around, Mila was not old enough to walk or sit in a compact, collapsible stroller, we had to find a carrier that was comfortable for both the parent and the baby as well as being extremely mobile. After looking and trying at a lot of options, we decided that the Ergobaby carrier was the best solution.
In the shuttle going in to Grand Canyon National Park. Mila here has just turned 9-months old.
Getting your trailer ready for some serious boondocking usually calls for some type of replenish-able, off-grid power source like adding solar panels and a generator. However, power generation is only 1 part of the formula when considering ways to build up your off-grid power. You will also need to consider ways to increase power storage capacity as well as items to help lower your consumption. The latter two are frequently ignored even though they can be more cost efficient.
During our last visit to the shop, we asked the guys at C & G Trailers to install our solar system for us. But rather than buying a complete turn-key solar system, we did some shopping around and put together a basic system of our own.
The key to staying on the road is to live on the road. I know that probably sounds obvious but the definition of ‘living’ on the road means you will need to be financially sustainable while on the road. Luckily for me, I am self-employed and required only a steady and unlimited Internet connection to be able to do my job. But that is easier said than done.
Okay, that title is only partially true. Because there is no real replacement for doing things yourself. I am talking about learning everything there is to know on that brand spanking new Airstream you just mortgaged the next 10 to 15 years of your life on. But if you want to get some seriously good tips on how to use that silver thing on your driveway, this is probably the best way to start.
Most of you not living on Mars have probably heard of the name Eddie Bauer. Who knows, maybe even some of our Martian subscribers have heard of them and just haven’t had to time to comment on our blog. Yet. If you are one of these people who have heard of the name, what does the name mean to you? Is it just a brand name? Does it convey some type of lifestyle and environment? Or maybe it just reminds you of your last trip to the mall where you saw some sweet down-filled winter jackets. Well for me, its a little bit of all of them.
Towing an Airstream is not a simple task. It can weigh literally tons and the tow vehicle is the difference between a dream and a nightmare while you are on the road. For years I have always wanted a camper van. Having been a surfer for most of my life, I dreamed about road trips in my van with my buddies, packed full of camping gear and surfboards, exploring the coast of Baja Mexico for years on end. Well, Baja Mexico is no longer the paradise it once was thanks to Mexican drug lords, but I finally got the van of my dreams.
I decided on a GMC Savana 3/4 ton Extended van partially because I had $3000 worth of rebates through my credit card. When we were van shopping, we did not know that we would one day be towing our Airstream. The van was just going to be the tow vehicle for our little T@B trailer we owned at the time. The T@B being a small camper, we were glad to have the extra interior space for storage and traveling comfort. It was a complete overkill of a tow vehicle for the T@B trailer as thus, most of the time we would actually forget we are towing the little teardrop. But we sure were glad to not have to upgrade when the time came to move up to the Airstream.
When it comes to security, the Airstream is as good as any trailer I have seen. There is a dead bolt built into the door and there is no picking the lock once you’ve lock the door. To lock the door, you just slide the door handle to the lock position and shut it behind you on your way out. That’s assuming you don’t forget the keys inside. As we start spending more time on the road, I am concerned that one day it is gonna happen. I am gonna step out of the trailer and out of habit, slide that lock across the door and shut it behind me with the keys inside. Imagine being locked out of your house with your 2 year old inside who doesn’t know how to let herself out. Except your house might be in the middle of the desert, deep in a national park or along the long stretches of empty beaches on the Oregon coast.
We are a young family traveling the country in our Airstream. To read more about us, click here.
