Content Alone or Fear of Rejection?

Going through life solo for the wrong reasons is just as damaging as coupling up for the wrong reasons.

For the past half a dozen years I have convinced myself I want to be single. I have been self persuaded that I am content without a partner in my life. Hypnotized by affirmations that I don’t need anybody, that I’m entirely satisfied.

Solidifying my self-imposed intimate relationship banishment, two years ago I chose to embark on a solo travel lifestyle. …

Canine Good Citizenship at Camp

You’re sitting out at a morning campfire, enjoying the day’s first hot cup of coffee with your best fur friend at your side. You breathe in the sticky richness of the pines warmed by the ascending morning sun and from the trees barrels two off-leash dogs much bigger than yours.

Your dog, while friendly, takes understandable offense to the interruption and a scuffle breaks out. You give a holler to see if the dogs have an owner and a man comes gingerly through the trees to recover the dogs saying “They are friendly, don’t worry.”

Your coffee is spilled, your…

Essential Dogmas of Dispersed Camping

Wild camping on public lands is different than in designated campgrounds as people are left to police and protect the lands themselves. To ensure you are being a good steward of public lands, read on for the basic guide to responsible boondocking!

What is boondocking?

Boondocking, or a more fun way to say “dispersed camping,” is free camping on public lands without amenities or hookups like water, electricity, or sewer. There aren’t any bathrooms, picnic tables, or hosts — it’s you, your rig, and a bit of land to call your own for a few nights.

Dispersed camping, or boondocking, is a great…

Mother Nature is always good at helping us come to objective agreements, and one thing everyone can agree on is that the West is record-breaking scorching hot! We can also agree on the need to eat, and there is no better way to cool off than with the right summer camping foods!

Especially as a full-time traveler who boondocks — camps without amenities or hookups, it is important to take steps for me and my dog to stay cool during this heatwave (well technically it’s a heat cyclone).

Camping under the canopy of trees for shade, being near water and…

Riot, my dog, and I are camped in a National Forest a couple of hours south of where fire evacuated us from my camp hosting job last fall. Are we ready to camp with the threat of forest fires again?

Driving up you can see mounds of ash where fallen tree limbs were moved into burn piles.

Stoic black trunk poles, once rich Douglas firs and Ponderosa pines, stand solemn and naked in rows. Under the freshly fallen brown needles is a layer of sooted burnt spines. I think I can still smell smoke a year later.

With the evidence…

Plan for Death to Live More Free

A living will is important for those living both static and nomadic as it outlines what you want to happen if the time comes that you’re still alive but can’t communicate due to a serious medical condition — like being unconscious from an accident.

The reality many nomads don’t talk about is the fact that this lifestyle is inherently dangerous just in the fact that it involves more driving than most people encounter living in a house just commuting through their town.

It is true that simply being alive is dangerous, you could choke on your own breath, and heart…

Living on the road is inconsistent in environments, schedules and routines; not necessarily ideal for pets who find security and trust in consistency. Keeping our pets needs in the forefront of our nomadic considerations is vital for their health, wellness and happiness.

Structure, comfort, routine and a reliable environment (despite an ever-changing “back yard”) aren’t so tough to provide for my dog — plus dogs tend to be very adaptable and trainable, though it did take some effort and adjustments for both of us.

Expert Through Experience

When I met Robert and his Kitty, an indoor and outdoor cat, I was shocked at…

One of the main concerns many females have before going on the road is personal safety. Luckily you already possess most of the skills you need to stay safe! Largely the same ways you keep yourself safe at a sticks and bricks home is the same way you are going to keep yourself safe in your home on wheels.

From the City to the Streets

After living over twelve years in Chicago, I am happy to say that I have felt safer in the past year and a half on the road than I did living in the city. My feeling of perceived safety as a…