#VanLife + COVID-19 = !&*#$

Arizona to Nevada to Utah to Texas to Georgia to Florida to North Carolina to South Dakota and Montana. The first half of 2020 has filled us with experiences we could not have anticipated. But, isn’t that true for all of us? The COVID-19 global pandemic has led us through emotions and situations that have been hard, heart-warming, and everything in between. This post serves as a recap of how we’ve managed full-time #VanLife though a global pandemic and what we're up to now.

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Stubborn, Stubborn, Stubborn

Flash back to a week in early March. My dad was calling me almost daily to warn us of the COVID-19 impending shut downs. We were in Utah and he wanted us to come home to our safety net. But we were spending our days working from our mobile office surrounded by beautiful Utah red rocks, our afternoons endlessly hiking, and our evenings sleeping under the stars. We were still new to full-time #VanLife and living in the honeymoon phase of it all. We had a whole western US tour planned and leaving was not an option.

Until it was the only option.

A couple of weeks later, while we were exploring Zion National Park, Utah declared a state of emergency and shut down non-essential businesses. This was #VanLife altering for us because #AlfredoTheVan does not have a full shower, so we rely heavily on our regular gym showers. With no showers available, we decided….to stick it out. We bought a watering can from the hardware store (lol, yes.....a watering can for your garden) and honestly thought we’d be just fine with our new pseudo-shower.

Days later, public water sources closed down (parks, water fountains, etc.) and grocery stores started limiting the amount of water you could purchase. After a week without a proper shower and only 4 gallons of water to our name, we called home and let our family know we’d be there in 2 days.

We felt defeated.

Quarantine

There is no need to recap the story of how COVID-19 impacted our life from that point, because we were staying at home just like everyone else (#CouchSurfing). Home bound when we thought we’d be exploring the country in #AlfredoTheVan. We firmly believe that God doesn’t let us go where he ins't leading us, so we leaned into this new season and, boy, did we grow.

Both Carter and I really focused on health and nutrition during the first couple of months of the COVID-19 shut down. We had some unwanted body fat to shed from the holidays and we used the stay-at-home order as an opportunity to cook wholesome meals and find fun at-home workouts.

We reflected and dreamed more, spent more quality time with family and friends, and overall learned the power of gratefulness, especially in a time of such uncertainty. After all, we felt “homeless”, unable to travel and live in #AlfredoTheVan full time.

In early summer, we began traveling the east coast visiting most of our friends and family (and quarantining appropriately). Our new plan was to stay east through the winter and "redo" our western tour in 2021. We transitioned from feeling defeated to feeling full from the time we were able to spend with our loved ones. We are so grateful for the many doors that were opened to us while we escaped the Texas, Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina heat (#AlfredoTheVan does not have a full air-conditioning system—it was designed to travel and follow comfortable weather year-round).

On the road again...How are we holding up?

But as the temperature rose and the days passed, we longed for cooler weather and time alone—with each other and nature. Not only did we learn how much we value time with our loved ones, but we also realized how important it is to spend time alone and with each other. At the end of the day, we wanted to learn how to balance full-time life in #AlfredoTheVan with the ever-changing new normal amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. So we hit the road. From NC to SD, we replanned our western US adventure, chasing milder weather, higher elevation, and new experiences.

Full time #VanLife and a global pandemic are not an ideal combo. We aren’t able to be as social in the new places we visit (for our own safety and the safety of others), but we are happy to be spending our time tucked away in the vast National Forest system that boasts free dispersed camping. We have found comfort in reinstating some of our favorite #VanLife habits: coffee in bed (we don’t even have to get up to pour a cup!), time to journal and read, a morning jog, working from the peace and quiet of our camp spot, and squeezing in an afternoon hike. On the weekends, we find ourselves exploring deep into our country's beautiful National Parks and National Forests (where there isn't a single bar of cell service).

We invested in a proper camping shower and most water sources are now open. We have not come across the same strict water limitations in grocery stores as we experienced in March and there seems to be plenty of food on the shelves. We are cautiously optimistic that our dream of full-time #VanLife is absolutely doable and our new normal will be fulfilling and not lacking in opportunities or lessons-learned.

Stay tuned for more on our adventures—South Dakota was a beauty.

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