ROVA Twenty-Seven: October/November 2021

I am an outdoor adventurer and a travel nerd, but I’m also just a nerd in general. Boy, I love learning things. I mean, sometimes I hate the process of the lesson, but I generally love the outcome. Unless you’ve been doing it for years—actually, even if you have been doing it for years—road travel is one big lesson. Learn about townships, weather patterns, backing a trailer up, geology, your own brain, regional fashion, dump stations and solar power. And that’s just on a trip to Utah! Any kind of travel is eyeopening, but when you’re the one behind the wheel, at the camp stove or wielding the tent poles, there’s a layer of knowledge you won’t get on a cruise or an airplane-and-hotel trip. ROVA’s writers share their own road-travel insights in…

Your brewery story [“Brew With a View,” ROVA Adventure Twenty-Six, August/September 2021] was so great! I visit a new brewery on every trip I take, and there are tons on your list that I’m now adding to mine. I also had never heard about Harvest Hosts, but now I’m planning to stay at a few breweries on the west coast on my next road trip. Thanks for the info! Luke F I’ve been reading ROVA since the pandemic started, and at first it was to help me learn about life on the road. Now I read it just to take my mind off our current reality—it’s more entertaining than a lot of other travel magazines. I love the recommendations every issue, and the genuineness of the stories. Thank you for this great…

Rep the Parks Fashion and national parks don’t always go hand in hand, with tourist T-shirts and gift-shop merch leaving a little to be desired. Enter Parks Project. Created in 2014, this partner of the National Park Service creates beautiful, national park–themed products with the purpose of giving back to our national parks. Through the sales of its products, Parks Project has so far raised more than $1.5 million for the cause. Clothing products range from super-rad tees (our editor has three) to caps and shorts, and you can also pick up sweet camping gear like hammocks and Igloo coolers. Supporting this company directly supports the country’s magnificent parklands, so even if you splurge on a whole new outfit, you’re really just doing your bit for our landscape, and helping to…

Stay Hydrated Your body does endless amazing things for you every day, so the least you can do is give it everything it needs to be as happy as possible. One of the easiest ways to do this is to make sure you’re staying hydrated throughout your intrepid adventures. To make fluid intake as easy as possible, invest in a good-quality insulated water bottle that is BPA-free, like Hydro Flask’s 64-ounce Wide Mouth bottle. The best bit? You can even grab a matching bottle sling, so your H2 0 will always be at your fingertips. hydroflask.com, $64.95 Carry On Have you ever packed everything into your car for a trip, like a perfectly executed game of Tetris, only to realize that you’ve left something out and now there’s no room? Sometimes you just…

Ashley I was tired of the 9-to-5 cycle, paying rent, and having no time to focus on my own dreams and passions... so I broke out of the Matrix! I purchased a 1984 Chevy Travelcraft in order to get out and see the world. I am a fashion designer, but some would call me a jack-of-all-trades—there is truly nothing I cannot do! My ultimate goal is to adorn the world with my creations; so every place I visit, I sell my goods at markets, festivals, and events. I love nature, animals, art, cooking, yoga, and adventures off the typical tourist path. Come roll with me and follow me on my journey of discovering all of the beautiful things that this world has to offer! Instagram: @rolling_sess Lindsey I’ve been traveling solo for almost five…

Why boondock? Because you want to be out in the wild areas, just you and your companions, with just the natural world surrounding you. Because you have a strong sense of adventure and you’re fine not knowing for sure where you’ll find a place to set up. Because you dread the thought of another night in an RV park or a crowded and noisy campground. Because it’s free. Wait. What Exactly IS Boondocking? Boondocking typically means camping for free in your rig on public lands, far from civilization and typically in a wild and beautiful setting, without any of the amenities of a campground or RV park. I’ve been boondocking (also called dispersed camping) for more than 30 years all over the western United States, and it’s by far my favorite way to…