FAQs of Van Life

Howdy,

Welcome to the 6 new subscribers that signed up for the newsletter over the last 7 days!

Last week, I debriefed you on the completion of the van.

This week, I'm walking through the frequently asked questions I get about the van.

Where am I going?

I pushed off last week and went to DC to revisit some old friends. DC is actually where I started my career. Technically, my job is still based there but I haven't been in the office in 2+ years due to COVID.

Now that I'm on the road, where am I going? Here's a brief rundown of my next month of travel.

DC -> Richmond, VA -> Raleigh, NC -> Greensboro, NC -> Charlotte, NC -> Asheville/Boone, NC -> Greenville, SC -> Athens, GA -> Myrtle Beach, SC

I'm spending time in the mid-Atlantic/southern portion of the country because my gut says I will end up in either VA or NC in the long run.

Then again, my gut didn't previously say that I'd end up in a van so take any predictions here with a grain of salt.

How will I spend my time?

Most of the places above have folks that I know in town - some family, some friends from college. Most of my time will be spent with them since COVID prevented me from seeing folks in-person the last couple of years.

When I'm not with family or friends, here's what I'll be up to:

• Walking - I love exploring new places on foot. You can learn a lot about a city from its urban planning and whether it is pedestrian-friendly.

• Writing - this is the best way I know to develop clearer thinking. I specifically want to hone in on my thinking around the future of well-being, education, and the relationship between mind + machine.

• Reading - I want to focus on refining my inputs which contribute to better writing.

• Meditating - I'm currently working on instilling a daily meditation habit to help slow things down.

• Hiking - I am so dang pumped to find new trails.

• Hanging at the local Planet Fitness - I can work out, shower, or even sit in a massage chair - this last piece could prove to be a huge asset after long stretches of driving lol.

What about food?

I have a full camp kitchen. This includes: a Coleman 2-burner stove, a fridge, a Jetboil personal stove, plates, bowls, silverware, mugs, and dry food storage.

Part of my goal with the van is to slow things down. Cooking at least 1x/day helps me do that.

I also don't want to be eating junk on the road, so the camp kitchen will help me on that front.

Will I post on Facebook and Instagram?

I don't think so - not for now, at least.

I want to share parts of this journey, but social media can be time-consuming.

Here's my typical breakdown when active on Facebook and Instagram:

2% of my time is spent sharing my own stories, consuming stories from loved ones/close friends, and developing/maintaining meaningful connections.

98% of my time is spent scrolling endlessly on content that doesn't matter.

There are benefits to the 2%, but the cost of the 98% is too steep to make active usage worth it - particularly since I will likely never again have the time to travel the country in this manner.

For now, I think documenting my experiences via my handwritten journal, taking photos on my phone for later consumption, and sending out this weekly newsletter is the most effective way to document this journey, share stories, and develop/maintain meaningful connections.

The drawback here is that the newsletter sometimes feels like 1-way communication, and I don't get to consume stories from loved ones/close friends. I don't like this aspect, so it is on me to actively call people to keep up with them from the road.

Additionally, please reply to any newsletters that resonate with you so we can make it 2-way communication here!

Thanks for reading

Let me know if I'm coming to your neck of the woods, and we'll try to put time aside to meet up!

Josh