"So what job do you have lined up for after graduation?"

.... None? Is that an acceptable answer?

I (Drew) graduated with my Bachelor in Health Science from the University of Missouri this past May and J graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Mizzou as well this December. When thinking about what our next year would look like, neither of us were ready to start full-time jobs right out of the gate.

Since the day we met, a common denominator in our relationship has been emphasizing the importance of travel in our future plans. Before beginning any Master’s programs or "big kid jobs", we have decided to take an “extended summer break” (about a year off) in order for us both to explore the United States. You know, with all of the extra money we have lying around and all.

In August we found a 1984 Chevy caravan (with orange shag carpet) on Facebook Marketplace and fell in love. After traveling to check it out, we immediately began pooling money from anywhere and everywhere in order to get this van (which we have now named Janelle). With a little help from our family, we were able to buy her! Our plan is to travel the entire United States in this van; thus, living out of it for months at a time. You might be wondering "Is a 1984 van really gonna make it through a cross country trip?" and to be honest, I've wondered the same thing a couple times. But with a couple oil changes and a little faith in Janelle, we should be okay. Right?

So this January, we're headed out! We will be partaking in a National Park tour on the west side of the United States, hitting 32 National Parks over the course of 7300+ miles during this 4 month trip. AND GAHHHDAMNNN WE ARE SO EXCITED.

We are currently working on updating the van, and plan to refurbish but DANG that shit's expensive. So for now, Janelle runs. And that's all we can ask for!

J will be documenting this entire journey through videos/photographs (https://jdotphotographs.wixsite.com/portfolio/roadtripgallery Password: DJRT). Since I can't take a good photo to save my life, my job is to create a “virtual diary” of the trip. Thus, this blog. Using J's photography, this website will be used as our journal detailing information regarding the places we visit (tips, general reviews, problems we encounter, must-see locations, equipment we’ve found helpful, etc.).

Right now, we are beginning to pack up our apartment, attempting to save up enough money to get us through our trip, and beginning to say goodbye to Columbia (the place I've called home for four and a half years now). Since I was little, I've dreamed of doing something like this. When asked what my dream job was, I never had one. This is exactly what I've always wanted to do, and I genuinely can't believe that now I get to do it (with a pretty great road trip partner too). There's bound to be some issues along the way, and to be honest we may run out of money in the first month. Who knows! But that's the fun part.

Who knows?