As a solo female traveler, safety is always top of mind. Anytime I pull into a campground I check for the following:

• Where is the nearest bathroom?
• Where is the camp host?
• What are my neighbors and do they look sketchy?

I’ve been camping for much of my adult life, rotating setups as my desires and needs changed. From bike camping, to car camping, to a rooftop tent and now in a Vandoit, these basic precautions and listening to my gut have served me well over the years.

Living in the Vandoit: A New Sense of Security

After nearly three weeks of living out of the Vandoit, I recently had a realization about safety. I inherently think about it a lot less, especially when I’m getting ready to sleep. There are three main reasons for this:

• I can lock the doors in the Vandoit
• I can be stealthy in the van
• I’m 100% self-contained in the van and can drive away quickly if needed

Reflecting on Past Experiences: The Rooftop Tent

I wasn’t always so lucky to be in a Vandoit. In fact, last year, I went on an extended road trip in my Kia Soul with a rooftop tent. While comfortable, I was often hesitant to camp due to safety concerns. When the rooftop tent is set up, it’s plainly obvious to anyone and everyone that someone is sleeping up there. If, for some reason, I needed to leave quickly, I simply couldn’t, as taking down the tent took at least ten minutes (on a good day.)

Conclusion: Prioritizing Safety and Enjoying the Journey

Living out of the Vandoit has significantly eased my safety concerns as a solo female traveler, allowing me to focus more on the joys of the journey rather than the potential dangers. The ability to lock the doors, stay stealthy, and quickly move if necessary has brought a newfound peace of mind to my camping experiences.

While my rooftop tent provided many great memories, the Vandoit offers a level of security and convenience that truly enhances my sense
of freedom and adventure. It’s a reminder that, while my setup might change, prioritizing safety and listening to our instincts remain constant keys to a fun, safe, and secure travel experience.

Preparing for the Journey

I leave in two days for the adventure of a lifetime—a six-week road trip in a customized, absolutely incredible Vandoit. My mobile home for the trip is currently parked in my driveway, and all day, I’ve been shuttling my essentials into the van, searching for the perfect place to organize each item. Pot and pan in this drawer, Daisy Mae’s food in the Dometic fridge, shoes in the storage tower. In all likelihood, I’ll rearrange everything a million times before I figure out a system, but that’s all part of the fun, right?

I’ve taken road trips before. In fact, last year I went on an almost identical itinerary. Last time, however, I took the trip in my Kia Soul, sleeping in a rooftop tent. While it was quite the adventure, as a solo female traveler, I often felt vulnerable and exposed.

In the rooftop tent, it was clearly obvious that someone was sleeping up there. If I needed to leave quickly, I simply couldn’t. The tent took at least ten minutes to take down, with multiple steps and processes. In my Kia Soul, I was also very limited in terms of creature comforts. The back was filled to the brim with All Bodies on Bikes equipment, requiring a constant shuffling of gear.

The Vandoit, even though it’s clearly branded with All Bodies on Bikes and my sponsors, provides a level of safety and security I did not have last year. Real doors. Real windows. Locks. I’m going into this trip feeling confident that whether I’m sleeping in a designated campground or off-the-grid, I’ll be safe and secure inside.

The Top 5 Things I Am Excited About

To say I’m excited about this adventure in the Vandoit would be a vast understatement—I am over the moon. Here are the top five things I’m excited about:

1. Taking Daisy Mae with Me

Daisy Mae is my 14-year-old pup who is happiest when she is by my side, but with any trip of this nature, there will of course be times I need to venture without her. With the air conditioner, rooftop vent, and remote temperature visibility with Waggle, I can feel confident knowing that she’s safe and happy in the Vandoit.

2. Recording Episodes of the All Bodies on Bikes Podcast

My Vandoit is fully equipped to work from, with a full desk setup including a second monitor. The van also has a swivel passenger seat and a folding desk, making a perfect setup for a podcast guest to sit in and be interviewed! I’ve got five episodes lined up to be recorded as a special “Road Trip Edition” of the All Bodies on Bikes podcast and can’t wait to test the setup.

3. Living Like a Minimalist

I have a lot of stuff—as a sponsored athlete and influencer, I’m constantly being sent new gear and clothing. While an awesome perk of my job, lots of stuff is not the name of the game for van life. For this trip, I’m doing my best to live as minimally as possible. I’ve narrowed my ridiculous wardrobe down to what fits in a small duffle bag, am only taking four pairs of shoes, and two coffee mugs. Time will tell if I made good choices!

4. Showcasing the Vandoit at Stops Along the Way

My road trip is built around a number of gravel bike races, where I’ll get to showcase my custom van for anyone to see. At nearly all of these, there is an expo before the race, where I’ll be setting up the All Bodies on Bikes booth with the Vandoit, welcoming curious attendees to come inside and experience the magic of the Vandoit for themselves! I’m hopeful that this will spark both curiosity and conversation!

5. Returning Home to the Pacific Northwest

I moved from Seattle to Arkansas a little over two years ago, only returning once to the northwest. I cannot wait to breathe in the salty air, crane my neck skywards to take in the towering trees, and dip my toes in the freezing Pacific Ocean. On this trip, I’ll be meeting up with friends along the Washington Coast, one of my all-time favorite places in the world. I absolutely cannot wait to refuel my soul in this magical wonderscape, using the Vandoit as a home base.

Two more sleeps until I hit the road, which reminds me, I should probably decide which pillow I’m taking on my trip.

The first stop on our 6-month road tour was in Steamboat Springs, CO to meet the Hala Crew and pick up two new paddle boards to use as we travel. We’ve been using their paddle boards for our guided tours in Chattanooga for the past 4 years and absolutely love them. Hala offers a wide variety of paddle board options that accommodate a wide variety of paddling styles and body types, which was perfect for our guided tours and a big reason why we chose them over other brands.

It was awesome to finally meet Colleen and the rest of the crew in person. While we were there, we learned that Hala is now a woman-owned business! This made our hearts so happy! Colleen (the new owner) and Peter (former owner) invited us to join them on the local town run on the Yampa River.

The Yampa River flows 250 miles through northwestern Colorado and runs through the heart of Steamboat Springs, CO. It’s a free-flowing river with Class II-III whitewater rapids. Despite my experience as a whitewater rafting guide on the Ocoee River for 17 years, whitewater paddle boarding is a whole different experience. And Michelle doesn’t have much whitewater experience at all, let alone trying to stand through rapids. But, we decided to give it a try because when in Rome and when invited to hang with the cool kids, you say yes! Plus, this road tour is all about pushing ourselves outside our comfort zones and trying new things!

Colleen and Peter rolled out the red carpet by providing whitewater boards, dry suits, and a shuttle. We couldn’t turn down their generosity! They also made Michelle and I feel very comfortable by offering whitewater paddling tips and tricks as we paddled the river with them. Enjoy this video of our 5-mile paddle experience on the Yampa.

We only had 24 hours to spend in Steamboat Springs so here’s a breakdown of what we did.

Upon arrival in this quaint mountain town, we enjoyed lunch/brunch at Winona’s Restaurant and Bakery. This woman-owned business has been around for over 25 years and the food was phenomenal!

After filling our bellies, we enjoyed a short walk around town and checked out the river. Then we headed over to Hala to pick up our new boards and meet the crew. They gave us some recommendations on where to camp and play. After leaving the warehouse, we picked up some provisions at the Natural Grocer in town and then enjoyed a casual bike ride on the Yampa River Core Trail. The Yampa River Core Trail is a 7.5-mile paved multi-use trail that runs through the heart of Steamboat Springs and along the Yampa River. The Core Trail ties all aspects of Steamboat together: it’s a straight shot from one side of town to the other, but more importantly, it brings people of all ages onto one path to enjoy the outdoors. We witnessed this firsthand as we passed folks using the trail, fishing, playing on the ball fields, or just relaxing by the river. We especially like riding on the little gravel trail that paralleled the paved trail and cruising around the boardwalk in Rotary Park.

As the sun was setting on our ride, we decided it was time to find a campsite. We tried to camp at Dry Lake Campground, which is located 8 miles northeast of Steamboat Springs on Buffalo Pass, but it was still closed for the season. So we ended up boon-docking in a pull-out nearby and happened to catch a fox catching dinner. It was quite the treat. Another camp option that was recommended was Strawberry Park Hot Springs. They don’t allow vans/RV’s so we didn’t choose this one, although we were tempted by the hot springs.

We cooked dinner and breakfast out of the van. We met up with Colleen and Peter for our paddle adventure the next morning and we ate lunch at Cruiser’s Sub shop after our paddle before rolling out. All and all, it was a really fun 24 hours in Steamboat and we wished we could have stayed longer.

If you’re in the market for a new paddle board, be sure to check out Hala’s lineup! You can even save $100 when you use discount code Sunshine at checkout. 🙂

LINK TO PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/nJFuGC181Bk2vAxW7

Summer is almost here and that means it is officially road trip season. We’ve made plenty of road trips in the past, but none of those have matched in magnitude to what we’ve experienced since owning our Vandoit. Whether big or small, planning a road trip takes time and effort but it’s one hundred percent worth it. Here are five helpful steps we’ve found in making our road trips a summer success!

1. Pick your location

This could be a bucket list destination or a yearly favorite. Map out how long it takes to get there, and how many days you will need for travel as well as play. We love traveling in the afternoon after work and into the evening. This helps us use less time off of work and we are able to have more fun days when we do our driving at night or early in the morning. 

2. Figure Out Where You’re Sleeping

Once you have your location picked and days mapped out, line up your sleeping locations first. We love using apps like ioverlander and freeroam to find all of the available boondocking and campsite spots available where we are traveling. If we know we are only traveling 4-5 hours the first night, then we can look on the map and find a spot that matches where we need to go. We’ve stayed at rest stops, on BLM land, and even parks that allow free overnight parking on our travel days. There are so many options out there! If campsites are needed for our actual play days, then we will get those booked. But the beauty of having a Vandoit van is that you can be more flexible, and nine times out of ten, you will find a spot for the night, even if it’s at a park!

 3. Pick Out The Activities You Want To Do!

We usually plan 1-3 hikes or activities a day and then build in some free time or relaxing into each day. Make a list of all the activities you’d love to do, highlight your favorites, and don’t stress about doing it all! Being together is more important than cramming in all the sites.

4. Plan Meals And Snacks!

We do the majority of our cooking at camp, and we love it. We plan out our meals for every day, make a menu, and meal prep a few days before our trip. Meal prepping will save you time and money on your vacation. I love coming back from a long day of adventuring and knowing that all I have to do is heat up our already-prepped food and within 15 minutes we are eating. Being able to carry our kitchen and food with us wherever we go inside our van has completely transformed the way we travel! We get more play in because we don’t HAVE to make it back to camp in order to eat, we can eat and cook wherever we go.

5. You’ve done all the work, now you are ready!

Get that van packed up and ready to go. We suggest using the three days before you leave to pack and prep a little at a time. Split the workload amongst family members or simply break it up over a few days. This will make you less stressed, and get you excited for the trip to come. So the last and final tip is to HAVE FUN! Once you’ve done the work, you are prepared and ready to go. Is it going to be perfect and flawless, most likely not. There will still be challenges, but it will be amazingly worth it.

Pack those snacks, crank the tunes, and get ready for endless summer adventures with a Vandoit van. Where are you going first?