This is the story of Reid and Carmella.
For many years (even going back to the days before this couple WAS a couple), they had a dream of traveling across the country, and seeing what the United States had to offer.
Originally, Reid managed to visit places via plane (England, Scotland, Seattle, etc.), while Carmella seeded her dream by visiting places on day trips with her car.
Eventually, after FAR too long, the couple met through an intriguing (and complicated) means, and instantly, they both knew they had finally found their partner in life.
When they discovered an equal bug for exploring, they began embarking on longer road trips. Due to their jobs (and money constraints), these were limited, but they managed to visit Nevada, California, Texas, Florida, South Carolina and Vermont, among other states. Unfortunately, their stays were far too brief (in many cases just passing through), so that only served to increase their bug for traveling and exploring. They even had a website and a YouTube channel back then (Curriers on the Go). And a faithful travel companion in Stella.
Suddenly, things took a down turn, and their desire for traveling took a backseat to real life.
Carmella, already a diabetic on insulin, was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, and had to stop working. While she filed for disability, Reid became the only breadwinner in the family. Unfortunately, a few years later, Reid was diagnosed with FOP (Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva) in his leg along with a few other medical issues, including a heart arrhythmia, and underwent a battery of tests. It was determined he was unable to work as well, and also filed for disability.
While that was devastating to the couple at the time, the disability provided them to eke out a meager life. While it wasn’t anywhere near what they used to make, they managed to get by, and moved closer to family, their dreams of traveling the country seeming more unattainable than ever. All was not bad, however, as they did manage to welcome a new family member during this time: their dog, Lily.
Then again, they were dealt a setback.
Reid suffered a stroke in his left eye. Left with a permanent – but not complete – loss of vision in that eye, they were further discouraged when the eye specialist told them that while there isn’t a cure for the nerve damage suffered from the stroke, there was a 75% chance of a stroke happening in the right eye within five years.
With that in mind, they started, once again, seriously thinking about seeing the US. With their disability income, they could continue to receive it even as they traveled.
Then came COVID-19.
Unable to venture out into the world very much, they sat at home, content with the trailer they had found to rent. With the assurances of the landlord that they were “renting to own,” they decided to wait until the trailer was paid off before taking off on their cross country adventures.
Two years into their “rent to own,” however, they tried contacting their landlords about how much they still had left to pay…and never received any notice of acknowledgement of the question, much less an answer. After months of this, they realized their landlord was just stringing them along.
They decided they could wait no longer.
They set a fixed date of March 31st for their last day in the trailer, and a departure date of April 1st – which seemed both a fitting date for these two fools, as well as a good starting point for any road trip . They started looking at what they were going to travel in, as their Jeep Liberty just didn’t have enough room to enjoy their #vanlife adventures.
April 1st came…and went.
After missing their deadline due to various reasons (including finally getting a hold of their landlords), they had to postpone until June of 2022. Thankfully, in that time, they managed to secure a van (Bessie the van). Not the Dodge Ram ProMaster of their dreams, but a van they could convert nonetheless.
The (1st) Conversion of Bessie.
So, with the van registered and insured, the conversion process began. During a very hot summer, this enthusiastic, but limited (both in construction skills and ability) couple created a home in Bessie.
The First Trip.
After getting used to living in the van for a few months (while staying in their own driveway), Reid and Carmella finally hit the road in late 2022. Heading for a popular winter spot (Quartzsite, Arizona), they spent a few more months getting used to living away from home in the van. They enjoyed it a lot, but, as with most vanlifers, realized their first build had lots of issues that didn’t work for them on the road.
They are called back home.
When medical reasons pulled them back home in early 2023, they realized they had a perfect opportunity to fix their build issues with a complete redesign. And they did. unfortunately, the medical issues were not confined to them, and a family member required surgery and care, so their plans to travel again by summer or 2023 were derailed.
Fall of 2023, or Take Two.
Now, they can finally realize their dream of traveling the United States, and seeing the historic, the beautiful…and the weird and wacky sights that these United States have to offer.
Stick around, and see where their travels lead them!