Delicately ranging from large mountain tops to lush rainforest ecosystems, the Pacific Northwest offers sublime views, a taste of saltwater air, and an endless richness of hiking and exploring for nature enthusiasts all around. For some, the Pacific Northwest has become a top tier travel destination, where many travel from far and wide to explore the matchless terrain. For others, the Pacific Northwest became a way of living within their vans, traveling from sight to sight, soaking in the picturesque landscape.
Their background:
Traveler and Photographer Jake Vegas found himself at a standstill in life. Overwhelmed by the disarray of school and life, Vegas sought a trip to study abroad in Italy of 2019. With an unexpected fate, Vegas realized he missed his flight, stranding him in the LAX airport.
“I think it was destiny for me to miss my flight that day,” Vegas said. “I flew myself back to Boise, where I talked to my family and told them I needed to travel somewhere else. I eventually found myself with a one-way ticket to Honolulu, which then led me to the island of Maui, Hawaii. I truly had no plans or structure of where I wanted to live, so I bought a van, leaving me on an island where I knew nobody and only had about $20.00 in my pocket.”
With a new way of living, Vegas spent the next six months renovating his van, providing himself with a simplistic, yet fulfilling way of living.
“My plan was to renovate my van out, but it was a big hassle since I had nowhere to take the time to do so,” he said. “I designed how I wanted it to look at a local coffee shop, which also happened to give me the time for a lot of self-reflection and time alone, which I hadn’t had before. Having to exercise my thoughts was a big challenge with the stuff I was dealing with, but it gave me ample time to reflect on my past. I truly learned how to become my own best friend, and I eventually learned to appreciate the solidarity that came with living in a van.”.
Vegas realized he had a burning passion not just for traveling, but for encouraging and inspiring others that their dreams and aspirations can become a way of living, a new reality of life.
“I love doing things for others, especially teaching,” he said. “I felt a new sense of excitement for life, and I wanted others to know that they can make their traveling ‘dreams’ a reachable outcome. I want to move others to allow themselves to experience culture shock, and I knew if I could do it, anyone else could do just the same, even all within a van.”
Hailey Vachon graduated from the University of Idaho in spring of 2021, earning a double major in psychology and sociology. Growing up as a child, her family often took weeklong camping trips, where she first dipped her toes into the world of traveling.
“My motivation for traveling all started when I was just a kid,” Vachon said. “My family and I always had RV’s growing up, where we had the opportunity to take weeklong camping trips. I grew to be super comfortable in the wilderness and being around places that weren’t necessarily comfortable taught me to adapt and adjust my ways of living.”
“After graduation, Covid made finding a job extra difficult, so I decided I wanted to take the year to travel with my van since it was becoming so popular,” Vachon said. “I bought my van before graduation and spent the whole summer preparing and planning my travels for the months to come.”
Snippets of Advice when Living in a Van:
Living in a van can cause an upheaval of unexpected twists and turns, often leaving Vegas and Vachon to adapt to different situations.
“I think one of the biggest pieces of advice I could provide to someone interested in Van life along the Pacific Northwest, or just in general, is to allow yourself to become adaptive to new situations that may come up,” said Vegas. “I think it’s so important to go into traveling with a mindset full of adaptability and acceptance. I can remember sleeping on the metal flooring of my van for a few weeks while I was waiting to remodel the inside, and if I hadn’t allowed myself to become adaptable to the situation, I truly would have been pretty miserable with myself.”
Vachon encourages looking into apps that will help find suitable camping spots, all while keeping safety in mind.
“As a woman, safety was first on my mind before I started my traveling,” Vachon said. “I think a lot of the time, social media can glorify the life of living in a van, but there’s so much more that goes into it than what meets the eyes of viewers watching influencers and travel bloggers post about their experience.”
With safety at the forefront of her mind, Vachon recommends looking into the apps iOverlander, FreeRoam and Allstays. Each app helps locate camping sites within your area, making overnight stays easier while on the road. In terms of hiking, Vachon recommends Gaia GPS, as well as the NPS app for national parks.
“Aside from those apps I found to be helpful, I would also give the advice to just simply have level expectations” Vachon said. “Social media apps such as Instagram have the tendency to glorify van life, where it makes living in a van seem effortless. I thought travelling would be an all-around euphoric experience, but it can be really challenging to find safe places to stay. Having proper expectations for what you’ll find while living on the road is crucial and such an important part of travelling. Not falling to belief that Instagram pictures influencers post are truly as realistic as they may make it seem.”
Raising an ear to homelessness awareness:
Van life can be such a fulfilling experience for many. For others, living in a van or car is sometimes the only option, and highlighting the genuine struggles of those without homes is important. The glorification of van life can outshine those who struggle with housing and progressing ways to support these individuals should be highlighted through the community of Moscow, and all around.
Located in the heart of our community is a nonprofit organization known as Family Promise of the Palouse. Family Promise of the Palouse is dedicated to assisting those who are currently experiencing homelessness to gain independence and a promising future.
Executive director, Autumn Avery, has been working with Family Promise of the Palouse for the past seven years.
“We’ve been in operation since 2013 and are currently serving our 98th family through our program,” Avery said. “We also offer prevention and diversion, so if someone is being evicted from their property, we aim to provide them with a hotel room during the days they wouldn’t have a home. We always have tons of volunteer opportunities available. We have a donation drive where we accept feminine products, home goods, clothing, etc. We also take volunteers who are willing to work with our families and play with the children, so the mothers get a chance to shower.”
Living life in a van is certainly an experience worth living, but setting aside the time to educate oneself on ways to help those in our community who are struggling with homelessness is of utter importance as well. Non-profit organizations such as Family Promise of the Palouse are always looking for volunteers willing to make a difference in the life of children and families. As a community, there are ample opportunities to volunteer, raise awareness and work towards the progression of help and support for those struggling with homelessness each day.
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