A good place to start - by Emma

The first blog post is usually a bit sick – a bit like an awkward introduction where one goes in for a kiss on the cheek and the other goes in for a handshake. I’ll forgo the embarrassment and cut to the chase…

Hello! We are Emma & Luke and following our desires to bum around in a van all summer. We’re planning to road trip approximately 8000 miles around the western side of the US and Canada. The one way ticket from London to Vancouver is booked! We will be jetting off on Tuesday 24th March and then there’s no looking back from there.

We have a rough route we’ll be driving and areas we want to experience (more on that to come), but the biggest “what if” at the moment is what vehicle will we use to do it in.

Plan A) Buy a van, rather than rent (renting would have meant tripling our already tight budget = no thanks) and then sell it on again before we go back to the UK.
Plan B) Rent a car, live in cheap motels & buy a tent for all that lovely National Park living.

Thus, we are quitting jobs, saying goodbye to our lovely little flat in North London and saying adios to a comfortable life. We’ve raised the funds through various means. We got married in June and were very, very lucky to be given money that we are basing this trip on. I’ve sold about a half of my wardrobe on eBay, Luke has sold his tools, tax rebates in our favour have come through the post, and we’ve done a couple hard slog ‘poverty months’ e.g forgoing beer, my beloved shade of bottle blond, and not dinning out – my favourite luxury! However, I have to admit, it’s been a very good exercise to know how little one needs to still live a very happy life and not to feel trapped by…“stuff.”

So why are we doing this? For me, it was twofold. Firstly, it was about escaping the monotony of work. Suddenly you’re brain dead come 5pm, and before you know it, you’re watching The One Show and laughing along with Alex Jones. You’re living for the weekends and the five days of the week are forever lost. And this is coming from someone who doesn’t hate their job.

Secondly, it’s an itch I can’t scratch. I have thought about getting away from it daily, and the desire been there for a while, but actually getting the guts to do it has been challenging. I thank Luke for the push who’s made me now into a doer, not a dreamer. This trip is not only a chance to see a new places and meet new people, but a chance to reflect. Maybe we’re having a quarter life crisis? Best quarter life crisis I’ll ever have.