ROVA Twenty-Two: December/January 2020/2021

How strange; I seem to have misplaced 2020. Not to worry—it seems winter is here, and, because I'm a weirdo, it's my favorite time of year. I love the snow, and all that goes along with it. Giant coats, woolly scarves, stomping through the snowy woods and breathing out steam. Winter brings an exhilirating kind of travel, with heightened extremes and the feeling that each adventure is just that little bit more intrepid. Winter also brings with it contemplation of the year just gone and the year to come and, while I think we can all agree that 2020 can see itself out, I'm excited about 2021. The past year has given me a pretty hefty amount of time to consider what's important to me and how I should spend my…

My husband and I have been reading ROVA for years, and even though we don't even own an RV or van, we've been taking more little trips in our Subaru to explore the state parks near where we live in Wisconsin. We never knew there was so much to see so close to us! Thanks for the encouragement to get us off our butts and go outside. Annette G I thought that I couldn't be part of #vanlife because I didn't have the money, but Rachel Levy's article about traveling in her family's old SUV [ROVA Adventure Twenty-One] was an eye-opener. I've been making some tweaks to my 4x4, and I think I might be able to do this thing sooner than I thought! Can't wait! Rosanna R I usually travel overseas, but because…

Facing the climate crisis Naomi Klein, the revolutionary social activist and author of bestselling books such as The Shock Doctrine and This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate, does not fail to deliver on her latest book, titled, On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal. Regardless of your political affiliation and opinions on the Green New Deal, the fact is that we are facing a huge climate crisis. If you want to start thinking about solutions, this book is a great place to start. naomiklein.org/on-fire “Less Gear, More Beer” The above is the slogan for The Trail Show, a podcast that is dedicated to hiking and beer. That’s it: that’s the podcast. The hosts of this show have crafted (pun intended) an informative yet nonsensical, insightful yet silly show that…

Rise and shine There’s nothing better than waking up to sound of nature—but even with all of that beauty on the other side of the tent, some of us just aren’t morning people. If it takes a little more than the thought of the day’s adventure to drag you out of bed, invest in a quality coffee set up to really get your day going! Stanley’s Perfect-Brew Pour Over Set is great for on the go, so you can start your day right. stanley1913.com, $35 Rest easy We’re all for roughing it, but there are some creature comforts that are harder to give up than others. If a quality pillow is on your must-bring list, look no further than Klymit’s Drift Camp Pillow. With its durable fold-away shell, heavenly inner pillowcase and shredded…

Jenny I actually made the decision to hit the road full-time with a guy I was dating. We wanted a way to spend more time enjoying our favorite outdoor hobbies and traveling. Then he backed out and broke up with me. I bought myself a van, built it out, and was on the road solo a few months later. I knew that if I didn’t still go for it, I’d always wonder what would have happened if I had just been brave enough to try. Two years later, I’m still out here doing it. Instagram: @adventuresfromthevan Allyson and Lance When choices in the world started to seem less and less available, we took hold of a new life. We no longer wanted to be owned by our jobs or peers. Building and living in…

Love has a way of sneaking up on you. Blindsiding you. Pulling you into orbits that you never intended to travel. And why do we go? Because of chemistry, because of attraction, because of mystery. Because. Even though said romances can often be swift and fiery, I’ve never been one to turn away from the promise of something fun, exciting, and meaningful. Love, you say? Where do I sign? In this case, my heart had settled on a 1976 Toyota Chinook. We’d been searching earnestly for an adventure vehicle for several months. We owned a 1998 Toyota 4Runner and, while it was fun to weekend in, waking up in tents made us cranky. Several deep dives into the internet researching appropriate types of vintage vehicles turned up some cool-looking options—among them the…