Ahlexandria is a young woman who rides solo… literally. Living in a van is not an easy task, but Ahlexandria (Ahle) makes it look simple. Also known for her YouTube username Hobo Ahle, Ahle has a strong craving for change.
Her video "Living In A Car- My Story" provides her viewers with insight that her original plan was not to end up in a van. Ahle starts off by saying that after her high school graduation she studied at a community college in her hometown. She liked it for a while but soon felt stuck. She felt as if she was living a repetitive lifestyle. She decided to ask her manager if she could take the position as a transfer to San Diego to escape her home state.
With only a few hundred dollars in her pocket, she confidently moved in with her roommates and started her new job. She loved the new atmosphere until it turned into what happened before "a repetitive pattern." She was going through the motions with her job and school, but it turns out that the company that she worked for was not providing her with her essential paychecks, for two months to be exact.
At this point, young Ahle was growing frustrated and was starting to think of ways that she could save money. At first, she denied the thought of living in her car, but the more she brought it up to herself, the more that she wanted to try it. After much self-conflict, she decided to follow through with this decision.
Ahle's job provided paid vacation days. Within those nine days, she decided to travel to Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Northern California. After that road trip, she was hooked on the idea of traveling. She decided to go on a six-month trip. She turned the phrase hobo into a clever abbreviation for "homeward bound", and has shared this phrase in many of her videos. Her home is not so much a building, but rather all of what this Earth has to offer.
She started a YouTube channel to show off her rock climbing skills, cook up recipes without a stove or microwave, how to fix up parts of a van, and most importantly inspire others to get outside and explore nature.
In the video, she mentions, "That's the problem with people now is instant gratification, the feeling of satisfaction wears off." We are a generation of young college students who want things fast but are unwilling to work for them. Ahle is the definition of a hard worker. She budgets so that she can go see waterfalls or see tall mountains topped with snow.
As millennials, a lot of us have become hooked on the nature shown behind a screen, but the truth is a picture will never capture the amount of beauty like the human eye can in person. Ahlexandria's spontaneous adventures and kind spirit are contagious enough to make anyone want to travel.