Instead, I grew up with dreams like:

• Graduate top of my class
• Go to a top Texas public college
• Get married (the sooner the better)
• Start my dream career
• Have babies
• Buy that big, spacious house with a giant back yard and maybe (just maybe) a wrap around porch

I suspect I wanted all these things because that’s what people had always told me to want. That’s what “doing life right” looked like. It’s what people did where I grew up, so why not me?

And van life was never part of my original plan. Never even entered my *realm* of possibility or desire…

It wasn’t until I moved out to California for a job, went through a divorce (after having gotten married at 19), and got introduced to the “great outdoors” (camping, hiking, backpacking, climbing…) that I started to realize… maybe I didn’t want all the things I thought I had always wanted.

So, what DID I want?

• I wanted to feel alive!
• I wanted to see the world
• I wanted to meet new and interesting people=
• I wanted to do scary, courageous things
• I wanted to stop playing it so safe and really live big
• I wanted to get my hands dirty
• I wanted to be free and feel free more often

And the outdoors taught me that I had it in me. I got a taste of that life. I saw myself, and my self-concept transforming. 

I wasn’t that scaredy-cat, people-pleasing girl from Texas anymore. I was strong, courageous, adventurous, wild, limitless… Free. 

And freedom became my compass. 

So I started wondering… How could I create MORE freedom, MORE autonomy, and MORE adventure in my life?

And THAT’S when the idea of wanting a van came into my consciousness. My curiosity led me there. 

So I committed to doing whatever it took to get that van, to unlock that next level of freedom and travel in my life and seeing where that took me.

And in the spring of 2018, I bought a Wayfarer Van. 

But the story gets even more magical after that, and I couldn’t have anticipated what would happen next.

 Getting my van opened up massive opportunities for weekend warrior style travel for myself. I went somewhere every weekend. It felt like a massive life upgrade to camping in a tent all the time.

And soon I had another idea: What if I took a year off to travel in my van?

And following that curiosity led me to wonder: What if I started my own business and never had to go back to my full-time corporate job (which kept me tied down to a location I didn’t want to live at anymore).

And I just kept leaning in and trusting myself and my curiosity and my intuition. And here’s what happened…

• I started my own business in 2018
•  I quit my engineering job in April 2019
• I traveled for 3 years 2019-2021 in my van with my husband and dog all over the US and Canada (hiking, climbing, and adventuring in places we had always dreamed of going to)
• I finally got to *SLOW* travel instead of always squeezing my adventures into a 2-day weekend.
• I lived in Puerto Rico with my husband for 6 months
• During all that time I also grew my business and replaced my engineering salary with it (and now I employ 3 other women) – and as a beautiful byproduct of pursuing my dream, I  also helped over 1,300 women in becoming safe, confident, and self-sufficient backpackers (I literally created my dream job)

My curiosity about owning a van led me to creating a life I had never even considered was possible for me. One where I can work from anywhere. One where I can set my own hours and work schedule. One with more IMPACT on people’s lives. One filled with creativity and freedom and adventure. One where I call the shots. 

I trust my curiosity SO much now.

And my guess is – your curiosity about owning your own van is going to lead you to places you can’t even imagine right now. 

So all I can say is – trust yourself. 

Trust that you know what you want. Trust your desires. 

Cheers,
Allison aka She Dreams of Alpine aka Wayfarian since 2018

P.S. The Wayfarer crew has brand new vans IN STOCK. Fully converted RAM ProMaster vans that are ready for you now. Start YOUR van adventures today.

P.P.S. We still own our van after our 3+ years of full-time travel. It’s once again my trusted weekend-warrior vehicle. My new favorite thing to do is take the van on my own solo adventures to explore the new state we are now living in: Colorado! Last Fall I spent 7 days up near Ridgeway camping in my van by myself, taking a Wilderness First Responder Re-Certification class, and then exploring Ouray… one of my favorite memories from 2022. The van made that possible for me. I plan on taking it on quarterly solo road trips in 2023, and I love knowing that I don’t need to get a hotel to go do something like that. I just pack a bag, pick a spot on my map and go explore. No regrets.