Campervan Adventures with Kids | Gretchen from ROAMERICA

TSF Podcast Episode 11 | Gretchen | Roamerica

Tiffany: Note: This transcript is auto-generated. Though transcripts are largely accurate, discrepancies and errors may occur. Welcome to the stoke fan, the podcast designed to help families at venture more and stress less on this show. We give you the competence and inspiration. You need to find your stove by sharing interviews from real families, doing amazing things. Conversations with brands who make adventures easier and all the things we wish we’d known sooner.

[00:00:19] Come on. Let’s grow.

[00:00:27] welcome back. Stoke fam. Today, I am talking with Gretchen from Romero. They are a camper van rental company based out of hood river, Oregon. And they have the goal of helping people experience the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, which as you know, we love, um, we first came across them a couple of years ago when we were looking for a camper van rental.

[00:00:45] And what stood out to us was the fact that not only are they. A camper van company that does rentals, but they’re also an adventure family who truly loves to do those things in real life. And so I’m really excited to have Gretchen on today to chat with us about how she adventures with her family and a little bit more about their business.

[00:01:04] And so thank you for jumping in to talk with us today. Gretchen. Thanks for having me. Yeah. So. I like to start off usually with finding out a little bit about everybody’s adventure story. So did you start, has, has adventure always been a part of your life? Is that something that you grew into as an adult?

[00:01:23] Um, can you tell me a little bit about. 

[00:01:25] Gretchen: Sure. So I definitely grew into as an adult basically once I started, once I met Taylor, um, I didn’t have, I mean, we can’t every summer as a family, there’s five kids in my family. And then that was our big vacation. Every year. We’d go away for a week. We’d go camping over in central Oregon.

[00:01:41] And it was a total ball. I don’t know how my parents did it with five kids. I appreciate it. And, but then you grow out of it, you know, and you go to college or whatever. And, uh, I was living in a little condo in Portland when I met Taylor and then fast forward a few years and he just kinda got me into, I like kind of road traveled.

[00:02:04] The exploration, loved it. It was just, we would. Forever going down every road possible. And this was, you know, pre kids where you can literally just sit in the car for 13 hours straight driving, who knows the back roads. And I also had a lot of health issues back then, too. So I wasn’t as mobile and I really just needed like a comfortable place.

[00:02:25] I couldn’t do like the hiking or the biking or the surfing if they actual recreation. So. A perfect compromise for the two of us. Um, so that’s kind of how it started and then it just kind of. Blossomed from there. 

[00:02:40] Tiffany: I love that. Yeah. You know, I, I like that too. You found something that worked for what, the situation you were at at the time, right?

[00:02:46] Like finding the way to get out no matter what, what it is, you know, and I that’s, one of the things I try to really share is that adventure can be this big thing, but it also can be as simple as going to your nature park for a walk or driving in the woods. Like it can be whatever you want to make it and just finding a way to, to bring nature into your everyday life.

[00:03:06] So. 

[00:03:07] Gretchen: Yeah. I mean, adventure for me at that point back then was just leaving my condo. It was like, 

[00:03:11] Tiffany: whoa, that’s reality. That’s reality. Right? Like that’s real life talk. And that sometimes that is all it is. And that’s okay. That’s okay. It’s 

[00:03:21] Gretchen: totally fine. Like it totally got me. I mean, I remember my first like solo hike on my own.

[00:03:27] I had Taylor’s dog and my dog at the time. And I went down to, um, now, uh, saddle mountain, like on the coast, there’s this little mountain there. And I hiked that with the dogs by myself. And like first I was actually able to walk that day, which was like a huge thing for me back then. And I take this all by myself and back and drove myself home.

[00:03:49] And that was a massive, massive undertaking for me. And I survived. I slept for the entire week afterwards, but I did it, you know, and like there was other people on the trail, so that made me feel comfortable. Should I have, you know, I needed help with anything, but, um, yeah, it can be as little as, or as big as you need it.

[00:04:10] Right, 

[00:04:11] Tiffany: right. No, I love that. Um, do you, you don’t have to, if you don’t want to, but do you want to share a little bit, do you feel comfortable sharing a little bit more about what was going on at that time, that vintage you from doing this? 

[00:04:21] Gretchen: I’m getting more comfortable now. I feel like I never talked about it.

[00:04:26] Gosh, I just started talking about it like a couple years ago too. So I have Lyme disease, but it was only diagnosed like four years ago. So, um, up until that point, I was, um, misdiagnosed a million different ways and, uh, prettily pretty heavily medicated with, um, uh, like biologics and, uh, some chemo stuff.

[00:04:48] And, uh, it does make you feel good cause you know, energy, it just totally zaps life right out yet. So. And the way that line was attacking my body was my mobility. Um, all my joints and muscles. So it looked like I totally had, um, like a back brace, like that kind of what I looked like when I walked. Like, not that I turned my head like very well, but I can nowadays, um, but very, very, very rigid.

[00:05:17] And like, I couldn’t like bend my knees and so walking wasn’t it. The easiest thing to do, you know, it’s kinda like shuffle everywhere. Um, but once it was properly diagnosed and I got on the right treatment plan and management plan, I mean, totally. Fine now. I mean, if you will, I’m 100%. Like I have to have my medication.

[00:05:40] If I don’t, it’s literally within six hours, I can’t move so I can never miss it. It goes everywhere with me. Um, but why we have a fridge in our fan because I’m not on it now, but I was on medication that required refrigeration. Right. And camping when you’re on medication or even supplements. Right. They have really tough.

[00:06:01] It’s so tough. I was like, that was very quiet when we built our band. It’s like, I have to have a refrigerator because of my medication wasn’t as food 

[00:06:10] Tiffany: for that. Right. And like, we, we have, we mentioned, we were talking about this just before we started hitting record. I have a kiddo with a peanut allergy, so we always have to carry epi and it doesn’t have to be refrigerated, but it does have to remain within a certain temperature window.

[00:06:23] That’s actually like real narrow. And so it’s, it’s always a. Challenge to figure out what to do with it when we’re in these really hot or really cold environments, because we have to either like put it in a lunchbox with some hand warmers, but not too warm. And I have to, like, I had to like test that out to make sure it worked when we were snowboarding.

[00:06:38] Right. And then when we go camping, we have like these little cooling packs that aren’t quite fridge temps because that’s too cold. Yeah. So it’s, uh, it’s definitely, you have to, when you have medications or things that change the way you do life, you have to find different ways to. It worked for you. And I love that you did that with, with the camper bands.

[00:06:56] So, um, that hike sounds like it was a really big turning point for you, which I really, I really love that you’re finally feeling good enough to go do it, even though it took it out of you for a little bit, you were feeling good and ready to go tackle it, which is awesome. Um, and then I know now you guys do a lot of adventuring as a family, but you also go alone.

[00:07:19] By yourself with just your kids. So tell me, tell me a little bit about how you started doing that. Is that something you did on your own since they were babies? Or did you transition into that? Like, as like business was picking up and you needed to have more time away? Or how did all that come about? So 

[00:07:36] Gretchen: ever since they were babies, basically I’ve been taking them, um, just kind of on my own.

[00:07:41] Um, when I first, when we, when I had our first baby Piper, Um, I didn’t do as much. We were living in Portland and I would just do like kind of day staff, but really it wasn’t, you know, it was more like park settings and just kind of stuff. And then, um, and I was still kind of battling some health stuff, so I ended up getting like some, um, stem cell replacement treatment then, and that helped a lot.

[00:08:09] And then, um, We found out we were pregnant with baby number two, which was like, wow, 

[00:08:16] Tiffany: surprise. 

[00:08:18] Gretchen: And we’re moving at the time. We were literally like, didn’t even have a house for an entire month that we were pregnant. And it was just like, of course 

[00:08:29] Tiffany: talking about stressful, right? Like that’s always the way 

[00:08:32] Gretchen: it was so funny after we had little Muay Thai, I to them on my first solo trip.

[00:08:39] Maita was probably like three weeks old and it was a year and a half. And we just went for the day. We went to Timothy lake, which was like, it should only be like an hour and a half, but it took us like four hours to get there.

[00:08:56] They’re seeing diaper and everything’s at different times, it can all happen 

[00:09:01] Tiffany: at the same course, not 

[00:09:03] Gretchen: so, but you know, it’s a beautiful drive over the mountain and. There was zero expectation. Stephen, get there. First of all. So we actually did make it. We sat by the water for like an hour, and then you drove around and came home.

[00:09:17] And I did it by myself with the, you know, the dogs and the kids. And it was great. And then the first big, overnight one, um, the girls were definitely older. Um, NATO was probably. About a year and change and little Piper was too. So, um, you know, a little more independent Piper could help me and, you know, Maita was, uh, she’s very loud.

[00:09:44] She’s a very little one, very chatty. 

[00:09:49] Tiffany: We don’t have one of those. I have no idea what you’re talking about. 

[00:09:53] Gretchen: She just is nonstop and it’s hilarious. I mean, now she’s talking to that back then, you know, my first time camping really with them and we were gone for about five days. And we stayed in the campground because that’s where I felt most comfortable.

[00:10:06] And I just felt so bad for all the campers around five in the morning. It was like little Piper was just like, oh my gosh, Nate’s is so loud. I’m like, I know, I’m sorry. It was so fun. And I have so many like cute little pictures and such great memories. Um, yeah, it was a really good time. 

[00:10:28] Tiffany: Oh, you guys can’t see this, but I’m watching her and her face is just glowing talking about this.

[00:10:32] So like, even though like she had it beat was being woken up at 5:00 AM with, you know, lovely little one babbles. She’s still happy as a clam about it. Like, you can just see it on her face. I just love that. You can just like, literally see it radiating. So. Obviously you had fun, it’s a, you keep doing it, but I’m what, what is your favorite part about taking just the kids?

[00:10:53] Like I know, you know, sometimes you go with your partner and you have him with you and that’s great because you have that extra adult to tag team things, but sometimes it’s just going as mom is kind of fun too. So what’s your favorite part about doing it? 

[00:11:05] Gretchen: You know? Oh gosh. There’s so many things. Wow. You know.

[00:11:10] Okay. So, and this isn’t a bad, bad thing. Like not negatively speaking, but it’s one less body, right? Yeah. So like when you have two adults, you discuss things, right. You’re like, oh, should we do this? Should we do that? You know, like, oh, can you take this kid? Can you take that kid? It’s it’s, everything’s a discussion, right?

[00:11:27] When it’s just, you it’s just you. So you make the decision, you make the plan, the babies come along, everybody. Granted, you don’t have two people to clean up, help clean up puke in the middle of the night. That’s the end. No kidding. But it just, I love it. Having the one-on-one time with my girls, which I don’t get very often and just making the decision, like leaving it up to Piper to plan the day.

[00:11:54] Like that’s totally funny, you know, and you know, I think girls and guys in general are just very different beings. Um, and so when it’s just as girls, it’s just kind of a different day. Like we don’t do any massive adventures, we’ll go hike the science sand dunes, or, you know, we’ll play in the water for a little bit, but the goal is just to have some fun during the day, you know, just be exactly.

[00:12:20] And so if we never leave the house. It doesn’t bother me any, you know, I’m real. And I think my background too, with the fact that I’m so used to not being mobile, I’m used to not doing things right. That I’m really much at ease hanging out, sitting, watching, and I’m I’m 100% okay with it. Whereas, you know, when Taylor.

[00:12:44] Is involved. He is a busy guy. Like he loves to do things, which is a great combination for me, cause it gets me out. But when it is just me and the girls, I mean they’re two and three. They’re not going very far. Right. And I’m okay with that. Um, and then something about, you know, being a mom and watching your kids.

[00:13:05] I mean, maybe dads do it too, but I feel like a total stalker when I’m with my girls, by myself, watch him. And I just think it’s the cutest thing. The little conversations they have, the way they make believe and help me cook and help me clean, you know, the camp, they get the van ready and meet the neighbors.

[00:13:24] I don’t know. I just adore it. I absolutely adore. 

[00:13:28] Tiffany: And there’s something very different about doing those things. Any outdoors, like, and watching them in the outdoors where they’re imagined they get more imaginative. And I think they get more, um, independent and inspired to do things where at home they’re often at least mine.

[00:13:43] I mean, I have boys though, so it’s also a very different thing because, um, but they they’re much more happy to just kind of let things happen. But when they’re out there, they’re much more likely to be like, Hey, can I help set up the camp stove? Can I, can I help do this? Because it’s fun. It’s new.

[00:13:57] Different, even though we go regularly. It’s not the day in and day out. It’s a change, a break from the norm. And so I think that it’s really fun to watch them and finding toys in the outside that are not toys at all. Um, but they, they can be entertained for hours with stuff that they normally would not at IRA, but even outside in our yard here, you know, there’s, there’s a limit to how long they will stay out in our small suburban yard versus the big outdoors.

[00:14:27] There’s definitely, definitely a difference. Obviously. It’s not all fun and games. You said you had yourself wake up in the middle of the night with, with having to clean puke on your own. So like, what has been the hardest part about doing it on your own? 

[00:14:39] Gretchen: The attention for the kids is the hardest, because when you have both of them on your own, you don’t actually like get to really be with just one.

[00:14:49] Cause my kids are so young, still pretty dependent on us. So that’s tough. I can’t just take one down for a walk or something. I’m usually wearing one of them. So then if one gets tired and trying to pick the other one out and it’s just, I think that’s pretty hard, but, um, but the girls, I mean, they’re, so they’re used to it.

[00:15:11] So. Is a negative thing. I think that’s just like the hardest as a mom. Right. Kind of watching. I know that like maybe our oldest is having a hard time and she really just needs me to like take her aside and chat with her for a little bit, but I just am not able to. Right. Because I can’t. 

[00:15:27] Tiffany: That still happens, even when your kids get older too, though.

[00:15:30] I mean, mine are nine and 11 and when the nine-year-old it’s into diminutive and I have to deal with that, even though the 11 year all needs something, it is, it’s always that pull of like, he also needs me, but this is the pressing like, issue that I have to address right now before we have a really big problem.

[00:15:48] Well, and so, and I mean, it goes both ways, but, um, it definitely, you definitely see that. Yeah. I had to have a feeling that never changes as a mom. You’re always going to feel a little bit pulled. So yeah. 

[00:16:00] Gretchen: Oh, that’s probably the hardest, but you know, but when you’re in it, and that’s just kind of like reflecting back when I think, I think another thing that I have learned to like give myself a little bit of leeway on not be so hard is like, I don’t have to be ready for everything.

[00:16:21] Kids have no judgment when they’re. It’s amazing. Like they won’t get mad at you. They won’t stay mad at you. They love you unconditionally. It’s like if us adults could act like that, it’d be a much better world out there, but it’s amazing how just forgiving little ones are and loving. They don’t really care if you miss cleaning up a little bit of QA, but just having to be left on the bed.

[00:16:46] Hey mom. And I’m like, oh my gosh, you guys were so 

[00:16:48] Tiffany: nice. Right. 

[00:16:51] Gretchen: And so it’s like, bring that, like, it doesn’t have to be perfect. There will be tears. We will all be absolutely exhausted and dirty and just like ready to take a nice warm bath or shower and you get home and like we’re all on the same boat.

[00:17:05] That’s totally 

[00:17:06] Tiffany: okay. Yeah. Oh, it’s so true. Like you always come back exhausted at the end of a trip like that, but on the other hand also, like so happy like it. Yeah. It’s you and do it again the next day. Absolutely. Yeah. Just let me get a good night’s sleep again. Yeah. 

[00:17:21] Gretchen: The last trip I took with our girls.

[00:17:23] So we went camping and it goes like six days and I had to drive the van home cause Taylor was going hunting. And so he needed the van. So we literally like pulled in the driveway. Emptied our stuff out. Taylor took off with the van and I’m like sitting sick. We lived in a townhome and I’m standing in the garage and the kids are like playing in our concrete driveway.

[00:17:45] And I’m like, Hey, you girls want to go to sisters like central lab. I’m like, great. Let’s go. We just shifted everything from the garage into the car. And we were home for food and like to get a snack. And that 

[00:18:01] Tiffany: was it. He was like, I’m not ready to be home yet. Let’s just go again. I love it. I love that. What is the longest trip you’ve taken this, wasn’t a question I had planned on asking you, but now as we’re talking, I’m like, what is the longest trip you’ve taken?

[00:18:15] Um, just you and the girl. 

[00:18:17] Gretchen: So that was probably the longest because it was back to back. Um, so that one was, and we would’ve stayed, but the wild, it was last summer where the, uh, fires kind of shuttled us home. Um, that one was, uh, 1100. 

[00:18:36] Tiffany: Okay. Okay. Yeah. That’s a nice long stretch. I love a little bit of the groove.

[00:18:41] Gretchen: Yeah, she’s nice. I feel like it always takes like three or four days. Those first couple of days are really. I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s, I mean, there’s kind of like, what are you doing? Like, what are we doing the rhythm here? Like, how are we making breakfast, dinner, cleanup? And then like day three, you kind of got, you’re like, okay, this is our system.

[00:19:00] This is where we wash our dishes. And like, you know, so, 

[00:19:03] Tiffany: yup. We got everything set up for that trip and you’re good to go. Yeah, no, I hear you. Um, yeah, we do that even, even like, I mean, the more you go, the, the easier that transition gets, but it’s still. It takes a little bit of time. It’s just like, and I think even just the mental for adults, especially like the mental decompressing that has to happen when you first make that transition of like, okay, the busy-ness of day-to-day life to like now I can slow down and just get into this new routine for whether it’s the long weekend or whether it’s, you know, 12 days it takes that like transition time to like, recalibrate like your mindset too.

[00:19:41] Yeah, for sure. Okay, so you got you and Taylor decided to start doing these drives and adventures and. Were you in a camper van at that point? What were you using? Then? 

[00:19:58] Gretchen: We were in a cooler, didn’t even have a working top on, and I like wanted cooler like 20 years ago from an arthritis foundation walk. And that thing had been so beat at the top.

[00:20:15] Didn’t even close all the way. So that was our cooler and a futon mattress. Okay. A dog bed for the dogs and that was it. 

[00:20:24] Tiffany: Yeah. And somewhere to put your food. So you’re, the essentials 

[00:20:28] Gretchen: really started, was in the back of a pickup and that was just too hard for me to get in and out of. So we upgraded to a Toby hang trailer.

[00:20:38] We exnayed real quick. Cause we had to tow it and then we did check camper and that one got sold. Uh, we did two trips in it and I remember we were driving into Madras. We stopped for DAS and Taylor was like, Oh, get some lunch out of the camper, you know, before we hit the road again. And this was like back in the day when I was like super sick.

[00:21:01] So I was not as mental capacity to handle instructions by any means. So we get back on the right and he’s like, oh, did you get lunch? I’m like, no, I really didn’t. So we had to stop again, take the bikes off the back of the camper, opened the camper up and was like, we’re selling this. This is ridiculous. We settled on a van, which he bought over eBay.

[00:21:23] I mean, it was just like this empty cargo van and it showed up empty stripped, just a metal box and it was perfect. So we needed. 

[00:21:31] Tiffany: Awesome. That’s so funny. Okay. So you guys had this metal box and, um, Now you have a company that rinse canceled can’t prevent them. They’re definitely not metal boxes. So wait, walk me through that transition.

[00:21:46] Like what happened since you kind of get you to the starting point of, okay, we love this. We want something a little bit, you know, set up a little bit differently or a little bit more lush and like, how did you, how did you make that transition or what was the catalyst that got you to building out your camper van and then transitioning into like offering them for others?

[00:22:07] Gretchen: So we let’s see how so, how it really started. So Taylor and I were both working full-time jobs in Portland and working way more than, you know, full-time and never being able to go do anything because we were just working all the time. And we both worked weekends too, but we had like kind of opposite schedules.

[00:22:27] Like he ups the nights and I worked early mornings and it was just, I don’t know, we just, he sat down one night and he was like, what if we just rented vans? And I was like, And he’s like, and he comes up with ideas, like at least once a week. And I’m usually like, no, that doesn’t make any sense. This one though, I was just like, yes, that sounds great.

[00:22:48] He didn’t even have a camper guide. We literally just had the van with the futon mattress. So, I mean, Taylor was kind of in stages of building it out, but nowhere near what we knew, we wanted to offer to like the general. So I told we had a goal, so that was in like September and had a goal to have a van ready to rent by January.

[00:23:09] And so January 7th, he literally had a van in the driveway and I, we definitely looked at the van. It was a hundred percent business. Like we didn’t buy it for ourselves and then use it on the business on the side or vice versa. But there was a hundred percent business. We wanted to make sure that if someone came to them, That had health issues like myself, they had a refrigerator.

[00:23:32] So that was a huge requirement, a comfortable bed. They had seatbelts cause it would if they had kids. And so like, we kind of went through our big checklist of what our dream. Even though we know we, we probably still won’t ever build our dream van, but we can offer it to other people. And so we kind of just kind of, we went down that road that checklist of like, okay, it has to be car seat, friendly, dog, friendly, the refrigerator.

[00:23:55] You have to be able to stand up inside. How’s all your gear racks on top. And then rather than that’s actually a really cool thing.

[00:24:05] Tiffany: So I think 

[00:24:05] Gretchen: we used it once to like take pictures, like, wait. That’s kind of how it all works. 

[00:24:12] Tiffany: So I love that you guys were like in September, build a van and have it ready by January. So for those of you who don’t know, we actually were looking big time for a camper van. And when we, uh, about a year ago, when everyone else decided to, we had already had this in our plans though.

[00:24:27] And so then like everybody started in the market, like went crazy. And so we kind of went on pause, but we had been looking. And as we started looking at build times, that’s a pretty quick turnaround. So I’m kind of impressed that Taylor was just like, yeah, I’m going to do this in three months for my first time ever.

[00:24:43] And I’m going to have it ready to roll. Cause that’s impressive because even people who are doing it regularly, it’s a pretty standard like three. And sometimes it’s a wait time I know to like get your slot, but it still takes several weeks to do the build. Even for me for experienced company. So I’m pretty impressed.

[00:25:00] Gretchen: Our first van was actually a sportsman deal. So it was okay. It was pre-built I say that party. Yeah. So that’s it didn’t take us actually that long to find a van. Yep. And it fit our specifications. I mean, this was back in 2015 before van life was even a thing. Right. We actually didn’t even know about that.

[00:25:20] Somebody had to tell us about that. It was kind of funny, but, um, but Taylor’s first van, he did build that quick because so his first that he built, um, built under pressure because. I was due with our second baby, which we were not expecting. And I had really, really bad like sickness. Like I had to be like medicated for it sickness throughout that entire pregnancy.

[00:25:49] So I definitely like didn’t work that year. And so Taylor ran the entire rental company, all the rental vans and he built a van for the rental fleet. And we, I had booked a reservation on that rental van. Yeah. Before we knew we were pregnant. And, uh, once we found out our due date, the rental van was supposed to go out the day after my due date.

[00:26:13] Oh, no, like Gretchen

[00:26:21] sir. He had actually like two months to build it and it, and it’s amazing. It’s still in our rental house. And luckily I was two weeks late with our baby, so that helped 

[00:26:32] Tiffany: and feel quite as much pressure. 

[00:26:35] Gretchen: And then, you know, he had had a couple of years experience, you know, with the rentals of like how things are, how things go together and what we wanted to change.

[00:26:42] We changed a lot of things in the van just to make them, you know, like super durable for our customers. 

[00:26:50] Tiffany: Yeah. And the other thing that actually really pulled me to you guys is we had, when I started looking at the thought that we wanted some sort of a vehicle that we could take and go out, I looked at so many options.

[00:27:04] Were not what I felt were safe enough for my kids, because I wanted them to be in a seatbelt. And at the time they, one of them was still in a car seat. The other one was just outgrowing it. And so I was like, I need to be able to put a car seat in and I need to be able to have seat belts and not side sideway seatbelts.

[00:27:19] It wasn’t my comfort level. I know that a lot of people do it. You know, everybody has their own level of comfort, but it was not in my comfort level. I really wanted them to be in a forward facing seat with the option for a car seat. And there’s not many options out there. You’re looking at either a. A truck with a camper of some sort or a camper van with seating for the most current park has any art.

[00:27:41] A lot of RVs just don’t have that as an option, unfortunately. And so we went, I mean, I, we went, we’ve gone to multiple RV shows, looking at like, well, what about this? Well, what about this? Oh, Nope, that won’t work because of this. And so one of the reasons we were pulled to look at you guys was that, Hey, wait, they have beds.

[00:27:58] It’ll seat and sleep all of us. And, and I can put the kids in the car, this is awesome. Buckle up my children. Right, right. And so that was the, one of the things that really stood out for us that we were like, yes. Okay. Finally, we found someone who has it, and we wanted to really give them a try before we decided what to do.

[00:28:15] So we were wanting to try out some rentals before we decided to what we were going to do. Um, and, um, Looking at that, you know, that was obviously one of the things that was important to us. But what tips might you have for somebody who is interested in trying out a camper van, what would you tell them to, to look for or to know before they jump into that first weekend or purchase, depending on where they.

[00:28:41] Gretchen: Yeah. So, um, renting any van, whether it’s through us or another company, I think is a great start. Um, a couple of things. Do you want to be able to stand up inside? Because there’s a ton of bands out there that are just like the older Ford Econoline, so you don’t stand up inside and that’s totally fine.

[00:28:56] Like that’s what we have. Right. And it works fine for us, but it’s definitely not the easy. Mode of travel for camping. Um, so standing up inside, are you going to be able to like, do you want to pay for it in cash? Are you going to finance it? So budget. And then are you going to be using it year round or just, um, maybe just in the shoulder season or just in the summertime.

[00:29:20] So that’ll kind of narrow it down as well. What kind of van you guy and the accessories on the van. And then do you have kids, will you ever have kids or. You know, if you don’t have kids or you’re not planning on having children, do you want to be able to pick up friends or family from maybe the airport?

[00:29:35] Right? I mean, do you want those extra seatbelts? So for us, with our van, like even before we had kids, we always had a passenger seat in the back and it was actually, uh, we took it out at, uh, out of a Toyota Sienna. Minivan and put it in our van. Cause that was the safest, it could bolt right through to the factory settings that had the body shoulder belt with the headrest and bolsters.

[00:29:58] That’s going to be the safest kids or adults. Right, right. So that was, you know, that was super important to us, but for all of our rental customers, I chat with it’s. Those are the questions I asked. Right. It’s like, do you have kids, dogs? What kind of gear are you bringing? There’s a lot of folks that have really long skis, right?

[00:30:18] So they need to be able to fit their seats underneath the sofa bed. Right. And we have a van for that one, man that has that extended, extended part that you put your skis. So those are all the questions that you’d ask. Should you be renting or wanting to buy or build your own? There’s a, there’s a lot that goes into it.

[00:30:35] And it’s a really big commitment, whether, I mean, renting is expensive too. I mean, just like buying. So there’s a lot that goes into it. Our job is to make sure that our customers, whether they’re buying or renting are a hundred percent confident. They’re confident in their decision and happy with their decision after they’ve made it.

[00:30:51] So I try to ask as many questions as I can. 

[00:30:54] Tiffany: Yeah, and I love that. And I think we know when we picked up our van, um, The first time we had a rental with you guys. I loved how Taylor came out and he did a walkthrough despite the fact that my kids and I was like, it was one of those days. Right. And I was like, please just be on your best behavior.

[00:31:09] And despite my best efforts, they were just excited is really what it was boiling down to. But they couldn’t like contain their excitement and they were so loud and he was just as patient as could be. And I was like, I’m so sorry. Cause they were just like so loud and excited. It was, kids are usually jumping in the 

[00:31:24] Gretchen: van, jumping on the seats class, the upper bomb testing, the faucet, you know, I usually do is like, I’ll have the kids.

[00:31:32] I’d be like, okay, get in the van. That’s the switch to turn on the faucet. And they’re like, oh my gosh, I get to press buttons. 

[00:31:39] Tiffany: He was so patient. Cause I was like, okay, hold on, mommy actually needs to listen to this because this is about battery life and us not like losing power while we’re gone. So hang on and just be quiet.

[00:31:48] But he was so patient and he walks through everything. And even though John couldn’t come with me, I felt like I was like, alright, I got this. We’re good. We got 

[00:31:54] Gretchen: this. And you can like, hopefully he told you this too. All of our customers call us, text us, FaceTime us anytime of the day with a question.

[00:32:04] Because sometimes even though we have like a little laminated manual in the van and everything, like it’s just, especially with kids, it’s really hard to read a full setup. No 

[00:32:14] Tiffany: kidding.

[00:32:18] Gretchen: So it’s like, that’s totally fine. 

[00:32:21] Tiffany: That’s awesome. Yeah. Um, we, I was really surprised. We hadn’t, we really felt really comfortable. I mean, we did the first time we took it, we have some different plans with one that’s coming up soon, but, um, we took it to, I can’t proud because it was our, I think it was our very first time in a camper van.

[00:32:35] So we were like, okay, let’s just. Yeah, test the waters. Like you said, with the first time you went with your girls, like feeling comfortable, making sure that we, we felt, even though we’ve done this first camping, we hadn’t done it with the band. We were like, we just want to test things out and see how it, how it feels and all of those things.

[00:32:48] So I think that’s actually another really good tip that you had mentioned before that I’ll say again, because I think if you’re, if it’s your very first time, if you’re not really comfortable being out or navigating, um, you know, off-road or, or, um, even, even. Dispersed camping in general, or if you’re like, I don’t know about not having an actual bathroom, like all of those things, it’s a great way to kind of get your feet wet and test it out and see like, Hey, can I really do this all without using the campground, even though I’m here and have it as a backup or not.

[00:33:16] And, um, so I, I like, I like that tip too. Um, speaking of this is another question I have people ask us every, because we’ve done a few rentals and so they’re like, What about the bathroom? So can you talk to her for a 

[00:33:29] Gretchen: second? Right. Well, it’s a question I get asked every time. It’s a, it’s a valid question.

[00:33:34] So bathroom, we personally, if you have, like, if you have a personal van, right? So we recommend getting a cassette toilet and there’s a lot of great brands out there that make them, even if you don’t have a van, but you have like maybe a camper that you don’t want to. Deal with the Blackwater tanks or even jazz.

[00:33:53] We H we carry it in our little general wagon when we do little day trips sometimes too. Cause it’s so small. And since there’s not a lot of public restrooms open, so we always have our little portable toilet. Um, and they’re like a hundred bucks, which is great. Yeah. So that’s an option personally. We don’t rent them.

[00:34:12] Because we’d have to clean that. Well, we do offer as a rental is they’re called clean waste, go anywhere toilets. And they are, is the toilet itself, which is just like this plastic stand with legs and like a legitimate toilet seat. And then it comes with biodegradable bags that you clip into the seat.

[00:34:35] And it also comes with biodegradable toilet paper, biodegradable hand wipes, sanitizer. So when you can, we usually suggest also like when you get to camp or, um, if you’re dispersed camping to just set it up on like the back driver tire area. Cause you’re not going to be like walking around that area.

[00:34:53] It’s a little bit more private. And then if you are in a campground setting, it’s campground setting, it’s very open. So I recommend just keeping it in your hand and you can put it in the back of the band or.

[00:35:08] Pay for the back of the van, a little bit of privacy. And then if you are off grid though, I mean, there’s a few different options, but that’s what I recommend. 

[00:35:17] Tiffany: Yeah. Most of the time, um, our kids, actually, the first time we went dispersed camping, I was kinda nervous that they like when we stayed long enough that like, you know, when it’s a single night, sometimes number two doesn’t actually have to happen.

[00:35:28] And so like their boy’s number peeing is fine. Like they’re whatever. Number two, doesn’t always have to happen on a single night. So when we did our first longer disburse trip, I was like, oh, I don’t know how this is going to go. And I did the debate of whether we should buy one. And I was like, I think there’ll be okay.

[00:35:42] And we’re close enough if we absolutely have to, we can drive back in and find a bathroom. It’ll be okay. And I was really surprised. Like we taught them what we needed to do. We dug our holes, we did all of the right stuff and they, they were champs and I was just, I was like, okay, good. 

[00:35:58] Gretchen: Yeah. Stated like a fact, or at least for our kids, our kids are like, if you stayed at like a fact, like, this is just what you do there.

[00:36:06] Okay. They’re totally fine with it. Yeah. Convincing. It’s just, this is what you do when you’re outside is what you do when you’re camping. Our little ones have been using our cassette toilet in our van since they were nine months old. So they are very comfortable using the restroom. But now that they’re old enough to like walk off by themselves and like go pee in the forest about it, they think, oh fine.

[00:36:33] Our little one keeps asking if she can, she goes poop, poop. And I’m like, well, no, because you’re actually not old enough to like dig a hole yet. So you need to,

[00:36:44] she’s very excited about it. 

[00:36:46] Tiffany: She’s ready though. She’s ready. That’s great. So not only when you have, you know, I can’t prevent are there the questions about logistics, right. But then other people, then you also want to know, okay, where, where should I take it? Right. Cause there’s so many, especially when you’re coming at somebody say somebody is flying in to, um, to rent a van from you.

[00:37:05] Or even if they live in the area and they’re like, Hey, I just want to explore a little bit deeper than I normally would. Um, finding places is always one of, um, the challenges, because if you want to go to a traditional campground, I hate to spoil it for you, but you’re probably not going to find many options now in the Pacific Northwest for summer, they book up so fast.

[00:37:24] There’s a lot of first come first serve, but you have, you know, you have to be there early enough to catch those. Um, but there’s also so much dispersed camping available here that, that you have like unlimited options. So I know you guys go a lot. So now I have to ask, what are some of your favorite spots?

[00:37:40] I can’t say, well, they don’t have to be secret, but like you can generally generalize, 

[00:37:47] Gretchen: you know, the mountain national forest really is like our go-to. I mean, because it’s just, it feels pretty expansive. And there’s so many fire roads, um, to explore down. And there’s a lot of kind of manmade little fire rings and kind of graded out camp spots.

[00:38:06] So that’s really nice. We have been exploring Eastern Oregon a lot more, which is really fun. It’s really dry. Um, which is great. It gets a little hot, too hot for us in the summer, but like the fall, winter and early spring Eastern Oregon has been just going to be the exported a lot. It’s been really fun to explore.

[00:38:32] There’s like, Um, big canyons out there too, and lots of wildlife. So it’s been really fun for us cause it’s like, we’ll see, um, like the big word sheep, like wild and wild horses and it is just a total ball and we’ll bring our bikes and just like ride, get to camp and then just unload the bikes and go for bike rides for like three hours just to explore.

[00:38:54] Um, so that’s been really nice and I like dry, dry, dry climate. So I love the Eastern. Yeah. And even central Oregon, we go to central Oregon at Taiwan. Um, we have a very big list of places we still want to visit in Oregon. And I’ve lived here my entire life entirely, and I have not even scratched it. 

[00:39:15] Tiffany: No. And that’s the thing I tell people is like, when they’ll ask us, where, where should we go?

[00:39:20] And I’m like, okay, I can tell you where I’ve been, that I loved, but there are so many places on my bucket list for the Northwest. Like I really I’m with you. I don’t think that even if I live here for the rest of my life, that I will ever touch it all, I don’t think it’s possible. Yeah. There are so many 

[00:39:32] Gretchen: lakes and rivers and mountains and, you know, with rental customers, cause we do a lot of trip planning is, you know, kind of going through that checklist of questions too.

[00:39:43] Do you have kids. Okay. How old are they? Do they hike on their own? What’s their max. And then also what’s the max time in the car that you want to spend for Taylor night, we can drive for 13 hours with our kids. We’re totally fine with that other folks. It’s three hours max. Okay, great. So let’s build your trip around that.

[00:39:59] We’re not in the car for any longer than three hours, right? Right. Right. Taylor and I are also the type of personality where we pack up every day, which is not what I suggest, but it’s literally like every morning at like 11 it’s, like she packed up and like, go explore it. And it was like, let’s go to a new spot.

[00:40:16] And it’s every day is so funny. Yeah. And, but with, you know, customers, it’s like, we kind of just go through what their level, like how they would, what’s their ideal trip look like. How can we make that happen? Like kind of the best way to make that happen. We also try to find out what the most important.

[00:40:39] Um, like viewpoint or activity is for them. A lot of folks it’s like creator national crater lake, right. It’s like, I have to see credit. Like it’s like, great. Let’s do a loop that brings you around a crater lake, you know, mid trip. And that way you get to see the mountains, crater lake and the coast. And you can take some scenic byways along the way.

[00:40:58] Tiffany: Yeah. Yeah. There’s some beautiful drives in that area. Yeah. Yes, no. Okay. I love that. Those are some great tips. So even though there, and yeah, we don’t have to drop a pen for us on your favorite location ever. That’s always quiet 

[00:41:13] Gretchen: your location 

[00:41:14] though. 

[00:41:15] Tiffany: Cause I think that’s some of the beauty though of having, um, Having a camper van or being able to be self-contained, whether it’s with a tent or a camper van or a truck camper or whatever you have.

[00:41:27] Um, I think that’s some of the beauty of it is being able to go explore these spots and find your own little gems that they really do when you find that one. Oh, this is so awesome. And it feels like your own little secret that no one knows about which I’m sure it’s other people do, but it’s like, but it’s like that one little gym when you find it.

[00:41:45] And you’re like, oh, this is so good. And I don’t, we also really have started even when we aren’t camping. Um, if it’s like a nice day in the middle of winter that we’re not snowboarding, we’ll head out to the woods just to explore and like drop pins for later of like, Ooh, this would be a great spot or, Ooh, let’s go check this one out.

[00:42:02] So we’ll do, and we’ll, you know, make a hiker. Or ditch the day drive out of it. Cause our kids are pretty good at being in the car too. So sometimes we’ll just drive, we’ll go find our spots, we’ll find, you know, beautiful views and then we’ll pop up, pop out the, uh, stove and have dinner out, you know, go out for dinner kind of a thing.

[00:42:18] And so some, you know, kind of like a day camping, but. And that’s really fun too, for like planning those overnight trips later and kind of scouting locations ahead of time is kind of fun. So 

[00:42:28] Gretchen: well, recon mission, we always keep like a couple things of like Mac and cheese in our van out and about because Mac and cheese, like it’s, it’s best with butter and milk, but you don’t really need it.

[00:42:38] Right when you’re out and evaluate summer stove, we had a couple of boxes of Mac and cheese. I mean, we always have a full thing, a water, and it’s like, if we ended up staying, we actually do it a lot. Even just like right here, um, in the Gorge, it’s like, we’ll just kind of be out for the day and it’s like, we kind of want to stay a little longer.

[00:42:54] We don’t want to have to go home and cook food and use our emergency supply of pasta. I have 

[00:43:02] Tiffany: a, a little like it’s either in a cooler or bend, depending on. What we’re taking for the day, but like, I keep like, there’s this one little bit that I keep, like all of our like snack stuff. That’s like the quick grab stuff in, in the garage.

[00:43:14] And so if we’re going out for a day and I’m not sure if we’re going to make it back, I have the same thing, but we use a lot of the times we have this, um, the chemo, rice mix from Costco, I’ll buy that stuff. And then I just like a can of beans and salsa. Cause it’s all shelf stable and our kids love it.

[00:43:28] And it’s like an easy win. So I’ll grab that. And if we’re thinking we may. If I’m thinking of it ahead of time, far enough, I’ll also grab like some veggies and fruit to take with it. But if not, like if all else fails, we have food and everybody will be full and happy and yep. And then we don’t have to cut our day short if we don’t want to, because that’s the other thing in the Northwest we found is like, especially in the summer, it’s beautiful.

[00:43:50] Everybody wants to be out. And so if you do end up in a more popular area, the middle part of the day is really busy. We love going. I’m not in a super early morning person. I can if I have to, but I don’t want to, but I love like the evening time, because everybody gets off the trail, you get the beautiful sunsets and we can enjoy the hike.

[00:44:09] Like we went hiking this weekend at a popular trail that I fully, I mean, and it was busy on the way in. We passed a bunch of people coming in, but on the way out, We basically had it to ourselves and we got back to the parking lot. There were like three cars and we had the viewpoint on the height to ourselves for like 20 minutes because of the timing.

[00:44:27] And so then we had taken dinner with us and we pulled over at the coast and like cooked up our dinner. And we were in like, had dinner on the beach after our hike. It was great. Yeah, 

[00:44:37] Gretchen: exactly. 

[00:44:38] Tiffany: I love it. Yes. Um, so that’s, that’s definitely one of the, if you’re going not way out deep in the woods, that’s, that’s my tip for getting, uh, getting some time to yourself.

[00:44:49] If someone is interested in trying a camper van and maybe they want to be a little more adventurous, they don’t want to do the first night at a campground. Like we talked about, you have options for that. Right. So 

[00:44:59] Gretchen: close by here, now that we’re in hood river, so you can go either direction. Well, there’s a few different directions you can go, but within 10 minutes you can be in national forest and do disperse camping either on the Washington side and where it’s the Gifford national forest.

[00:45:17] Or in that foot, which is just right here, so, and amazing viewpoints, you can be tapped into the middle of the forest if you want. Or you can be on a Hilltop looking at Mount Adams and Mount hood and probably see Jefferson too. So a lot of options, which is great. 

[00:45:31] Tiffany: And you guys have. Two wheel drive vehicles, but you also have four wheel drive vehicles available as well.

[00:45:38] Yes. 

[00:45:39] Gretchen: So that we would want to get you guys in a four wheel drive vehicle, because that is so your game. 

[00:45:46] Tiffany: I know we might have to look at the calendar. It’s easier to switch around date available because yeah, no, I think you’re right. But, um, They’re they’re popular for a good reason though, because we have plenty of places to explore out here.

[00:45:58] And the four wheel drives are awesome. How, how many, four wheel drive vehicles do you have available now? 

[00:46:02] Gretchen: So we have six, four wheel drive and we just have one too. Okay. So yeah, four wheel drive is definitely the most popular, so we’re trying to increase those numbers. Um, and the two wheel drive is great because it’s the more cost-effective way to travel.

[00:46:18] And it has a lift on it has BF Goodrich, all terrain tires, which is great. Um, but the four wheel drive is just nice because it, I don’t know, it makes you feel safer drive, right? The amount of times the four wheel drive actually gets engaged is probably pretty low, but you do just have that better clearance, which is.

[00:46:35] Tiffany: Yeah. And you just, you just know that if you get, you’ve got something to get you out of where you need to be or where you don’t want to be rather. 

[00:46:41] Gretchen: Yeah, exactly where he can go a little further. Maybe if like the one spot that you had in mind. Maybe there’s some campers there you can kind of keep going and maybe it’s not.

[00:46:49] And if you, if you engage for a drag, even at higher speeds on a gravel or kind of washboard road, it’s just way more comfortable. Yeah. Very encouraging at the four wheel drive. Yes. Yeah. 

[00:47:02] Tiffany: Agreed. Agreed. Yeah. Since we got the, uh, our truck that has the four wheel four wheel drive, we are definitely more adventurous than even with, even with just the all wheel drive Subaru we have just because the clearance is so much more right.

[00:47:14] So you’re like, Hey, oh yeah, we can totally do that. Where before I’d be like, I think. I think it’ll work honestly impressive though. Like how much clearance they actually have when they don’t look like they have that much. So it’s, I’m always impressed, but, um, yeah, it’s definitely different feel when you go in with the four by four in the higher clearance, you’re just like, all right.

[00:47:31] Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. So let’s pretend that it’s way back before you started with America and way back before your first camper van. Box metal box. Um, what is something you wish someone had told you about traveling in a camper van back then? Something that you wish somebody had had said, Hey, you want to know this?

[00:47:53] Or, Hey, do this, or, Hey. I think 

[00:47:56] Gretchen: if somebody would have just said, like, you’ll be surprised at how relaxing it is really relaxing, camping. No way. Absolutely not. Camping is hard. Right. And it’s like, you’re constantly breaking down camp or setting up camp or cleaning or moving this or moving that. But I mean, in a van, you’re still doing that.

[00:48:16] Right. Moving things around and cleaning. But the van for me, if somebody would have told me, like, you’d be surprised at how relaxing it can be. Uh, Yeah, maybe would’ve jumped on a little bit earlier. Relaxing. 

[00:48:31] Tiffany: I would agree with that. And when you were talking earlier too, about, um, you know, that you guys like to pack up camp every day, I was thinking back to a couple of trips that we have taken in.

[00:48:39] Campervans where we did pack up every day. And honestly, it was so much easy, like with a tent, what I wanted you that probably not like it’s doable, but it’s a lot of work to break down and set up a tent every time and they can pretend there are some things you do have to take care of, but it’s just doesn’t seem right.

[00:48:58] It doesn’t. 

[00:49:00] Gretchen: Yeah, that’s the big one for me. So I actually had a tent in our front yard, uh, over the weekend. So I just broke it down this morning and like packed it away. And I was like, it was damp. So I was like, oh shoot. Like, I can’t actually put this away right now. So I over the railing, let it dry out.

[00:49:17] And like when we used to travel in the trap and have tents and stuff, same thing, right. It’s like, we’re kind of the get on the road the next morning. But it’s always damp. It’s always damp. So, I mean it’s specific Northwest things are not dry in the summer. Yeah. So that’s been nice too with the bands.

[00:49:39] It’s like, you’ll be surprised. I’ll tell our entries. It’s like, if you want to get up and go the next morning, you can just throw it in the van and you’re good. 

[00:49:46] Tiffany: Yep. No, I agree. I love that. Okay. So now this is maybe another one of those more challenging questions, but aside from the van, which obviously is awesome.

[00:49:56] What is a piece of gear that you use all the time when you’re out, that you’re just like, this is the best thing since sliced bread. Why did I not know about it sooner? Totally put her on the spot with this one. 

[00:50:10] Gretchen: So I think the thing that we use the most when we camp and I would have never thought that we would.

[00:50:16] We keep a really, we keep a, um, they’re called the brain is coast and we take one of their knives and we use it for making snacks, opening any packages, any safety staff, any lines that need to be . We use it to saw tree branches. If we need to, we probably use that the most. And. If you, so I always say like, for me, if I were to be camping on my own, I’d always have a knife on me.

[00:50:47] Yes. And then our headlamps all the time. They’re amazing. Our kids use them. We use them. Yes. 

[00:50:55] Tiffany: Headlamps are a must. Yeah. 

[00:50:58] Gretchen: And then, um, as a mom, even though. Are out of pack and plays. I still bring one because they are containment for a child. And it’s amazing. 

[00:51:11] Tiffany: That’s actually, I 

[00:51:12] Gretchen: don’t know what the age is, where I’m probably not supposed to be doing that, 

[00:51:16] Tiffany: but.

[00:51:17] You know, we used to take on ours. I mean, now we don’t, obviously they won’t fit, but, um, we used to take ours on vacation for a long time, because even if we were in a hotel or even no matter where we were, whether we were camping or in a hotel, it didn’t matter because it was a space too, that they were somewhat familiar with.

[00:51:34] And so when it was nap time or if it was, Hey, I just need you to be safe for a second. It worked really, really well. So I, I hear ya ours. Um, we took them for quite a while, basically until they quit taking naps period was when I finally like quit taking them. But otherwise they came with us all the time 

[00:51:52] Gretchen: and I just feel like, so our youngest she’s, we call her monster.

[00:51:55] She’s an amazing monster. She’s the funniest thing. She is a monster and she’s into everything. She’s very tactile. So she has it touch it and expand it and break it before she learns anything. Um, which is totally fine. It’s your personality, but there are some times. Oh my gosh child, like you have to stop touching that.

[00:52:13] So I put her in the pack of play just to keep her safe so I can go about what I building the fire. 

[00:52:18] Tiffany: Right. And I think, especially when you are doing those solo mom adventures, that is even more important because there are going to be times where you have to do things like building the fire, making the food that she can’t touch everything, and you just need to know that she’s safe.

[00:52:32] And that is a huge, that’s a huge thing. So I love that tip too. So thank you. Um, and so now that we’re kind of wrapping things up, I think that you had something special you wanted to share with our listeners. Um, if they want to test out one of your vans. 

[00:52:47] Gretchen: Yes. If you guys want to test out one of our vans, all you have to do is just mention this podcast.

[00:52:53] You don’t have to remember any crazy coupon code or anything. And just say that I heard you on the stoke fan podcast, and we will give you a free night for you. Whether it’s a six-day trip or you just want to try it out for the weekend, just give us a call and we’ll throw in a free night for 

[00:53:08] Tiffany: you.

[00:53:09] Awesome. Thank you so much. That is huge. So take her up on that for sure. And, um, D so they just need to give you a call. That’s not like an on bookable in the line. 

[00:53:19] Gretchen: I have like online booking personally. Like you just shoot us an email from our website. It comes directly to me or okay. And we’ll answer it.

[00:53:27] Um, the joy of being a small company is we get to know all of our customers really well. And, um, as a business owner who also works in the businesses, I can throw out these discounts and I will be managing it. I 

[00:53:40] Tiffany: love that. And then, and then when you call them, they’ll actually be able to help you plan your trip.

[00:53:43] If you have one extra tips, if you don’t already have it all planned out. So that’s awesome. So, yeah. All right. Um, before we go, will you tell everybody where they can connect with you? 

[00:53:54] Gretchen: Sure. So you can find us online at  dot com. Which is R O a M E R ICA. I realized I always need to spell it. Um, Instagram is America rentals and seeing the Facebook and great.

[00:54:11] Tiffany: And is there anything else you would like to share that we haven’t talked. Okay. If there’s not, but is there any, 

[00:54:17] Gretchen: there’s probably so much, but I just want to encourage everybody, whether it, again, like I’ve said before, like whether it’s with us or another company or just yourself, like just get out, explore, touch the dirt, touch the leaves.

[00:54:29] Get dirty. You’re going to be exhausted, probably if it’s your first time or you’re doing with your kids and that’s totally normal and it’s totally normal to get home from a trip and be like, I will never do that again. And then a week later 

[00:54:42] Tiffany: or now layer our 

[00:54:43] Gretchen: layers every summer, it happens every summer.

[00:54:46] A whole family gets together. There’s well, besides last summer, but there’s 25 of us, 25 and there’s all little ones, all little kids, right? We all have at least two babies now. And every time after this trip, It’s exhausting. It’s absolute nightmare. It’s pure comedy though, for the grandparents nowadays.

[00:55:06] And we all get home and all of us siblings talk to when they’re right next year, we’re doing this. We’re not doing that again. That was awful. And then about two weeks later, we’re like, okay, so where should we go next year bite number that we’re going to get this. And it’s just, it’s every year it’s pure comedy.

[00:55:23] So it’s normal. It’s totally 

[00:55:24] Tiffany: normal. I love that. And that’s so true that inevitably there will be days that you’re going to be like, this was the worst plan ever. And then. Yeah. It feeds something inside of you that makes you want to go again. Yeah, we do that with hiking. We do that with camping. Like we have those days, whether it’s hiking, camping, snowboarding, they all happen where we’re like, this was the worst day ever.

[00:55:43] We’re never doing it again. And then like, yeah. Yeah, it is. Yeah, you do. It’s just like kids, right? You have your first kid and you’re like, I’m never doing this again. And then somehow it happens whether you chose it or not, it happens.

[00:55:59] Okay. Well, thanks again for chatting with us today and sharing all of your insights, Gretchen. It was so nice to have you on. Yes. 

[00:56:06] Gretchen: Thank you so much. 

[00:56:07] Tiffany: Thanks again, Gretchen for joining us on the podcast today, it was so much fun to chat with you. And, um, spoiler alert. I’m actually recording this outro about a week after I recorded with Gretchen.

[00:56:19] And I’m so sorry. I need to be recording this outro because we just came back from a weekend and one of America’s fans and it was a blast. So. Anyway, it was just really exciting to be able to have this conversation with her and then spend a weekend enjoying one of their vans and then come back to like wrap it up full circle with you guys.

[00:56:35] So I just want to pull out some of my favorite takeaways from this conversation with Gretchen. And the first one is that traveling solo with your kids can be awesome. It gives you that one-on-one time. That can be hard to come by in a normal day-to-day environment, even in your house. You know, I don’t know if you’re like me, but when you’re home and there’s always a million things to do, but when you’re out in a way.

[00:56:54] You kind of can get in that relaxed zone and just enjoy your kids as they are meant to be enjoyed. Um, so I think that’s such a great tip and then don’t worry about everything being perfect because they’re not going to care. They’re going to be forgiving. Even if you forget something or something goes wrong, it doesn’t matter.

[00:57:09] They’re going to simply be happy being with you and actually case in point is this past weekend, despite all of our planning and our checklists, I still forgot something. Like, I almost always forget something. And this time it was not anything major, but I usually try to bring some kind of like special drink for the kids.

[00:57:22] That’s not caffeinated. And I kind of brought our drinks and forgot their drinks. And so they were kind of bumming, but they were really good sports about it and it wasn’t really a big deal. They just said, Hey, next time, can we bring like some sparkling water or something? I’m like, okay, sure. And you know what?

[00:57:36] They didn’t care. They forgot about it. And they had just a blast being with us. So she’s still right. The other thing is when you. It’s totally okay. To start at a campground. You don’t have to go off grid immediately or ever really do what you’re comfortable with. In fact, this past weekend, when we had the van, we split our time.

[00:57:50] We spent some time dispersed in the forest, and then we had some friends who had extra campsites at the beach. So we headed over there and we had a nice split of like river and forest play and then beach time. So it’s totally perfect. To do whatever works for you in that moment, because the point isn’t to just be hardcore off-grid it’s to enjoy your time with your family and in nature and last but not least use a pack and play for containment, if you need to, especially when you’re on your own.

[00:58:16] And don’t forget if you are wanting to try out one of our Americans. Don’t forget Tim Paul and mentioned the podcast when you’re making a reservation so that Gretchen can hook you up with your free night for your weekend or longer trip. And this is the part of the show where I thank you, stoke fan for being a part of our community and for listening to our podcasts, if you are enjoying these episodes, and if you’re learning something from them, please give us a rating and review in iTunes and tell a friend so we can spread the word and continue to bring more awesome guests.

[00:58:47] Perks to you like the free night with America, adventure more Stressless. We’ll see you out there.