We can’t even believe we are typing these words, but just as time refuses to reverse, so does the Live Outside and Play Road Tour refuse to go on forever (although we have two more meetups left!) We are parking the van in Charlottesville, Virginia, and bidding adieu for four months. It will hibernate until we make our way back in April and revive it back to life. Until then, please check out the best of the best blog posts from along the way. To say we’ve learned about ourselves, each other, living outdoors, and getting a van out of a foot of mud is an understatement. We are now Ph.D. level #vanlifers, please send our congratulations and diplomas to the address below and we are sure it will arrive promptly.
Live Outside and Play Van
Random Backroad
East Coast, United States
It comes to no surprise that our most popular posts are about food, alcohol, and living in the van. Those are our favorite things, too! Check out the most popular posts, organized from earliest in the tour to most recent.
HOW TO MAKE AN EVENING HOT TODDY
Ah, the days of springtime in the jungle of the East Coast. One of our very first ways to stave off the rainy blues was warm beverages, and we keep going back to this recipe time and time again (for example, today). Check out our van version of the Hot Toddy, enjoy!
LIVE OUTSIDE AND PLAY VAN: A TOUR OF OUR CRIB
The curiosity was overwhelming about what the mysterious van looked like from the inside. Luckily, we did an extensive tour and you can see exactly what we call home. Usually, the in-person tour of the van is very quick, “that is the bed…” So this is an extra special in-depth look at our house on wheels.
HOW TO: DEEP CREEK LAKE, MD.
This article stirred up a lot of heat. From claims we missed favorite spots to sharing directions on how to get to secret rock mazes, the Blue Ridge Outdoors community got involved with how to explore Deep Creek Lake, Maryland.
50 DAYS OF #VANLIFE, TIPS, TRICKS, AND TALES
Oh, the nostalgia. Fifty days feels like a walk in the park now. After over 200 days parking the van down by the river, we have learned so much more. This is a good benchmark for those just starting the #vanlife to learn from our copious mistakes.
#VANLIFE VS. #REALITYVANLIFE
This video is a little peek into what it looks like when the glamour of #vanlife fades and reality sets in. Is there ever really a glamour stage? We had a great time shooting this one — mostly just shooting our normal lives and staging the glamour parts…
WILDFLOWERS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
This one turned out popular when we were really just writing it for our own enjoyment! We went on a wonderful hike through the Maroon Bells on the four pass loop and we have NEVER seen more beautiful and varied wildflowers. We were inspired to write this post and share the beauty of the wildflower.
HOME IS WHERE YOU PARK IT: TIPS ON MAKING YOUR VAN A HOME
We had been living in the van for six months by the time we wrote this post. We both felt settled and had a semi-organized van. Every object has a place, and once that is settled, you can get to decorating and making the van a home, instead of metal on wheels.
ROMANCE IN THE BACKCOUNTRY: TIPS AND TRICKS
How are we still together? Do we still love each other? Have we had explosions and swore to never speak to each other again? Thank the van gods, the answer is no to the last one, but there is still a lot to learn! We have grown as a couple in ways we never imagined, mostly being honest about when the other needs to put deodorant on.
PIZZA+HIKING: A MATCH MADE IN ADVENTURE FOODIE HEAVEN
After eight months of touring the country, we have eaten plenty of pizza and done plenty of hikes. This post was hard to put together because we had SO MANY combos we wanted to share. Check out the top four, and let us know if you need more suggestions; we’ve had enough pizza to hike thousands of miles.
If you like the gear we’re reppin’, or what we’re wearing, check out some of the sponsors that make this tour possible: La Sportiva, Crazy Creek, National Geographic, RovR Products, Sea to Summit, Mountain House, LifeStraw, and Lowe Alpine.
