As we all know, a lot can change in a couple of years: especially when you’re a mom, and especially when you live on the road. So we were so excited to bring Bionca Smith-- a full-time traveler, professional speaker and author, and mother to her 11-year-old son Carter-- back onto the show after two years to see how things have changed with the road as their home.

The truth is this: as white women on the road, we’ve taken up a lot of space within the #vanlife movement. And it’s long past time to unpack how white women’s presence in popular road travel negatively impacts the Black traveler community.

Road travel can take many forms. And Alexandra Keeling knows this better than most-- because she's done a lot of them. From RV life, to towing a small trailer, to sleeping out of the back of a car, Alex's journeys on the road so far have shown that no matter how you travel, it all counts.

Can we hit the road responsibly during a pandemic? As someone planning to car camp or take a drive into the wilderness, you might not feel like you alone could make a huge impact on this pandemic-- but the reality is that travel can lead to transmission-- which means that travelers have the capacity to create an immense effect on the trajectory of viral spread.

Skyler Thomas is good at working with a change of plans. In fact, it’s something that she’s navigated time and time again-- right up to present day as she pivoted the direction of her business, SugarSky, amid pandemic-related public health concerns. But whether it’s founding her company, embracing tiny house living to become debt-free, changing careers, or making tough calls in business and in life, Skyler has a way of focusing on what’s possible-- which is the kind of attitude we’re all looking for a little more right now.

Before #vanlife… before Instagram… before she could even drive: Laura’s belief in her ability to do road travel was shaped by her mom’s experience driving across the country when she was in her early twenties, and it stuck with her because Jackie’s journey was full of purpose, bravery, and quite a bit of fun packed into a handful of days and a tiny 1975 Camaro.

In this episode, we asked you to share your favorite road travel stories. The landscapes, destinations, trials, and motivations, like this community, are wide-ranging-- from reminders of your own strength and resilience, to particularly sweet memories with loved ones, to formative times you’re holding onto now more than ever. In listening to these stories, we hope you feel a little closer to the road.

Amanda Shale joins this episode to talk about how over the years she’s learned the essentials, including everything from responsible foraging, sheltering in place, and the importance of basic vehicle maintenance.

Britany Freeman’s had a problem for a few years. She wanted this one van. And not just one kind of van. But this one van, which she named Alice years before it was even hers. Alice has slipped through Britany’s fingers more than a couple times, and through it all, she could easily have given up. But what makes this story good news is that she didn’t. And what makes it great news is that as of a couple weeks ago, that van is now sitting in her driveway, undergoing a lot of TLC and DIY renovation projects.

Becca Foss, long-term road traveler and outdoor guide, knows firsthand through the loss of her husband that sometimes you just have to find ways to push yourself through.