Living in a van, traveling the country and seeing beautiful things. This is the “New American Dream” as publications like VICE have recently written about. Young singles or couples quitting their jobs sustaining a home on wheels, and taking off. Seems scary to some yet appealing to most wishing they could do the same, yet never do. Well, I did that. After a ten-year imprisonment of crippling travel anxiety, I did a lot of work on myself and with the help of a hypnotherapist, and some serious self-talk, I bounced back to the old Gina I once was. Realizing it wasn’t necessarily about travel made it a lot easier to start traveling, and summed up, here’s what happened.

The day before we left. Salem, MA.

I met a guy with a decade-long dream of owning a van one day. This I learned later on in the relationship. He dreamed of traveling the country in a livable home on wheels, visiting friends, and eventually traveling down to Mexico. As this relationship transpired, this wild man I had fallen for, found the love of his life, his van Wanda. After almost two years of completely gutting and remodeling Wanda, he was ready to leave, and I was ready to leave everything I knew with him. First came my beloved apartment, The Treehouse. Then my job that included a bunch of people I enjoyed being around for the years I was there. I left the stability of having two great bosses and making goddamn good money. The final stage was coming to terms with leaving my family, parents who are getting older, sister who’s my life whether we fight or not, my beautiful niece, brother-in-law, step-brother, my friends - everyone. A life, foundation, a stability I had built for 29 years. Bye Felicia.

We left a week and a half into June on a Friday at 2:45pm, sounds logical right? But we actually got down to our first stop New Jersey in no time. We stayed at a friend's for a couple days and then started our trek South in the middle of the summer with no air-conditioning in our 1989 Chevy Conversion van. Our destination: California. Our plan: the non-plan plan; see the country, eat great food, take tons of pictures, and make it to the other end alive, which almost didn’t happen because of one day in Texas. It involved a 100ft bridge, me slowing down to take a picture, and an 18-wheeler coming within a foot of rear-ending us going over 60MPH and catapulting our car off the bridge. A split second I still haven’t told anyone, especially my family about due to the fact it was the closest I’d ever been to death. This is actually the first time I’ve spoken of it.

In the five weeks we spent on the road, I saw the Southern part of the United States. I saw beautiful National Parks, animals I had never seen before, and in Gina fashion - I spent way too much money and ate like a Queen. I ended up in the ER in Texas with a mysterious, very large and purple bite on my ass. Texas in itself was the gnarliest place on the entire trip. Actually, here is my Facebook post just as we were exiting the state.

“Dear Texas,
it's been real with your nothing below 90 degree days, your humidity that doesn't go below 60%, and while I sit here heat stricken sweating.. with my body shaking and cramping I look around at all the locals wearing jeans and long sleeve shirts, not a drop of sweat on your foreheads and can't help but think your all psychopaths - and cheers to the biggest red ants I've ever seen in my life, your chiggers that apparently bit my legs and burrowed in my skin..you were real with your vultures, armadillos, and road runners. Your wasps that are the size of a small dinosaur. Your beautiful big sky, your restaurant staff that doesn't seem to give a fuck about absolutely anything, your aggressive "state birds" that look prehistoric.. And gave me anxiety.. Your art and music scene was cool as fuck - along with your many tacos I inhaled - your homemade tortillas were the tits, and Marfa, Austin.. And all your swimming holes were rad along with Big Bend
Other than that...
PEACE THE FUCK OUT"

Somewhere in Texas.

Regardless of physically experiencing three of the most grueling weeks of my life in severe temperatures and humidity and catching a summer flu, I refused to give up. Looking back, I’m thankful because I got to watch the sunset in Shiprock, New Mexico, and watch the sunrise over the Grand Canyon all within 12 hours. I got naked at White Sands, and found all the artifacts I’d been searching for at a Farmers Market in Fort Davis. I saw incredible waterfalls all throughout the country, I learned how to effortlessly transport water from one bottle to the other while the car’s moving. I’ve also perfected peeing in a 16oz. left over Starbucks cup while hovering over a oriental rug, and hunched over. Those cups were a life saver when you were in public. Must be nice to have a penis, guys. I put socks that I wore the day before back on, which I would judge someone else for. I kept my contacts in two film canisters over-night when I lost the lens holder, and plopped them back in my eyes the next morning. I showered naked on a public beach in Malibu, a few times, and was a frequent visitor at the supermarket using the bathroom. I never left a market without stealing plastic utensils, and when they asked paper or plastic I always said plastic; we needed trash bags. We solely survived off ice cubes wrapped around our heads, tons of liquids, and ANY swimming hole we could find. My whites were stained with sweat and dust and we were always thankful to friends letting us crash at their place, use their washing machines, and shower. I adapted well and it was so cool to meet other people doing the same thing we were doing. The van comradery is a real thing; it’s a great thing. It was hot, it was cramped - It was just the way it was. It was an experience I will always have. Just picture two adults hunched over in a van trying to get dressed for a formal party at the same time.

I didn’t realize just how much I had adapted to van life until last week when I was at the market shopping for our new apartment. As I was walking out I went to stop to grab some utensils from the dispensers, and just grinned and kept going.

Traveling across the country in a van was one of the wildest experiences I’ve ever been through. These photos are some of the shots I took along the way. Some scenic film shots, and some iPhone shots of the “struggles” if you will. I hope you enjoy them. Maybe someday you too can wing it and go on an adventure.

Bites from Chiggers. Texas

Dinner at ITS ALL GOOD BBQ. Must go! Spicewood, TX.

Everything we touched was on fire. Salton City, CA.

Bleaching our dirty whites after weeks in the desert.

Anywhere works for me. Los Angeles, CA.

Enjoying a Grilled Cheese dinner, Malibu, CA.

Jeff Casper, a new vanner friend, and cool artist, cooking dinner. Malibu, CA

A few film shots from the road.

Luling, TX.

Somewhere in Mississippi.

Shiprock, NM.

Shiprock, NM.

Shiprock, NM.

Grand Canyon, AZ.

Grand Canyon, AZ.

Louisiana.

Louisiana.

Balmorhea, TX.

West Texas.