ROVA Twenty-Four: April/May 2021

I had a moment recently, on a rare excursion outside my home, that was brilliant. I walked through the park in the snow, and I made a snowman, and my husband and I chatted as we strolled. We watched kids sledding and dogs jumping awkwardly in mounds of fresh powder, and the sky turned pink as the sun set. I felt better than I had in a long time. Walking home, I got to thinking about how some of the best moments in our lives are the most unremarkable—the ones that deliver simple pleasures. It’s no secret to the road-tripping community that simplicity doesn’t mean boredom; it’s actually something to aspire to. And these days, with the world as it is, we could all use a little more quiet and minimalism…

Winner of the Stanley Perfect-Brew Pour Over Set I love the articles in ROVA, but one of my favorite things is the “Why the Road” page—it actually helped me get up the courage to rent a camper and take a solo trip, and I LOVED it! I saw that there were so many solo women living in vans and cars and things, and I realized I could be one, too. Next stop: buying a van! Sana W I really loved reading Makenna Peachey’s story about living in an RV with her family as a teenager [“Teenage nomad,” Adventure Twenty-Three]. Our son is 13 and our daughter is 10, and we want to go on a family trip in our RV for a year, but we were worried about them missing out on normal…

Making the outdoors diverse Outside Voices, presented by Resource Media, is a podcast pushing for social change in the outdoors space. Through personal stories that delve into people’s relationships with nature, Outside Voices invites listeners to unlearn what they know about the great outdoors, and reconnect with ancestral knowledge of nature. Outside Voices has a commitment to ethical storytelling, and uses its platform to amplify diverse voices in order to redefine what it means to be “outdoorsy.” outsidevoicespodcast.com Your next trip, sorted Unsure of where to head on your next camping trip? Fret not, because someone else has done all the research for you. Camping and RVing experts Stephanie and Jeremy Puglisi from The RV Atlas have compiled Where Should We Camp Next?, a handy book full of the best camping destinations across…

A watch for all occasions These days, it seems like there’s nothing that smart watches can’t do—but does yours use the power of the sun to stay charged? If not, it might be time for an upgrade. The new Garmin fēnix® 6X Pro Solar taps the sun’s rays to keep your watch going for longer between charges, so you can get up to 24 days of battery life. The watch also comes with all the other bells and whistles you might expect, including a heart rate monitor, hydration tracking, smart notifications, music apps... we could keep going, just like the watch can! garmin.com, $949.99 Stick it to the man Long-distance hikes aren’t always gentle on the body, and sometimes you need a little something to help make things easier on the old joints.…

Blix & Bess We’re Blix (they/them) and Bess (she/her), and we live and travel full-time in our van with our fur babies. Bess is a burlesque performer and Blix is fresh out of their Doctorate Program in Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture. As an interracial, queer couple, it’s important to us to expand what #vanlife can look and be like. It hasn’t always been easy, but, wow, has it been the change we both needed! Fun fact: we are both sober! Instagram: @blixandbess The Titensor family We built our teardrop camper because we love overlanding, but hate rolling up sleeping bags. I’d say we’ve solved our problem, wouldn’t you? The entire journey of building our trailer and then having it become a little home on wheels has been one that’s brought more joy than…

Aspiring travelers and adventure-seekers know that working temporary jobs while traveling can be a viable option for funding the nomadic lifestyle. But this type of work poses its own unique set of obstacles, as we found out in our first few years of a seven-year-long full-time travel adventure. There are two words many travelers have dreamed of saying since their very first taste of wanderlust. “I quit.” Whether we’re trapped by location-based work or working remotely and desiring more time for adventure, being able to ditch the grind in favor of freedom is what we nomads daydream about during all-day staff meetings and heated email exchanges. Especially when we see people online crisscrossing the country, somehow earning enough money as they go to sustain their lifestyle, and making it look like…