As the days in Alaska began to wither away and we realized we would be doing homeschool in a dark cold house in front of a fireplace, it was apparent that we needed an escape. So began the brainstorming process. After throwing out all our ideas, we decided that traveling through the United States was a possibility since it allowed us to stay Covid safe in our van and travel. With this spark of an idea fueling our imaginations and some serious time spent YouTubing, we began the van build.

Making our little home on wheels a little more like a home began with some leftover lumber, some garage tools, and a big idea. My sister and I prioritized a loft bed from the beginning and we were all excited for a roof rack. To be honest, both of those things were largely inspired by Pinterest photos. Despite my dad explaining that we would never actually do yoga on the roof like on instagram, we were determined to give it our best. After a month of quickly learning to use power tools, sanding and staining wood, and hanging fairy lights and prayer flags we had bags packed and were on our way towards Canada