We picked up our 2021 Jeep Gladiator Sport S in Denver on May 31, 2021, after ordering directly from the factory. Our overland build process took 45 days, spanning four states and four shops. Though we documented the entire process on YouTube, nothing beats a comprehensive build sheet. If you’re curious about our living quarters, suspension, lighting, or other components, you’ve come to right place to see our complete Jeep Gladiator build sheet, designed for overlanding around the world. People always want to know about money, so let’s get that topic out of the way. We have put a lot of our pe ..read more

We met the Gaia GPS Offroad team at Overland Expo West last month, and were grateful when they asked us to share our story on their podcast. We recorded four days before crossing the border, so the interview captures Eric and my state of mind at a unique moment in time–a moment that is past and will never return. Podcast host Wade May did the best interview prep we’ve ever experienced. He dug deep into our article and video archives to design interesting questions that made us think. The result was one of our favorite interviews to date, one that went much deeper than the topics we’re normally ..read more

After years of preparation, our family has started to drive around the world! We crossed into Mexico on October 9, and we’re now 450 miles south of the Texas border. Mexico City is 260 miles southeast of us. Using miles feels forced now, since distance down here is measured in kilometers! San Luis Potosí, the capital city of San Luis Potosí, is our current location We’ve had safe and interesting travels since we crossed the border, with a healthy dose of challenges (the type that humor can easily see you through). Our first YouTube video from Mexico went up today, allowing you to see what life ..read more

What is overlanding? How do you get started? Do you actually need all the gear on Instagram or that fancy 4×4 vehicle? And what about using the bathroom? How does that work? As the overland community in the United States mushrooms and many people are asking about this “overland thing” for the first time, we decided to launch a video series to share the most important lessons and tips we’ve learned during nearly eight years of full-time vehicle travel. Our complete Overlanding 101 video series is now on YouTube and we think it will benefit overlanders at all experience levels. For beginners, we ..read more

Our family has been getting ready to drive around the world since 2018, when we discovered the overlanding lifestyle. After two trips to Mexico—a combined 4,000 miles through the mainland (2019) and Baja Peninsula (2020)—we were more sure than ever about our global goal. In just a few days, my husband Eric and I will cross the border with our four-year-old son, Caspian. This border crossing on October 9, 2021, will mark the long-awaited start of our drive around the world. Unlike our previous trips, we won’t be coming back anytime soon. We have set aside the next 10 to 15 years of our lives to ..read more

You’ve committed to living in a box on wheels with your children. Why not make things even more interesting and go completely off-grid, with limited electricity, water, and waste tank space? When you put it that way, it seems crazy for any RVer to go dry camping with kids. But when you stow the cords and escape the sardine-sized concrete pad of your private campground, the world will open up to your family. Dry camping is a means to an end, and it’s a glorious one. This article was originally published on the Winnebago Life blog in March 2020 when we were still full-time RVers! DISCL ..read more

Our Jeep Gladiator overland build is done! After four cities, four shops, and seven weeks, we’re ready to live and travel in our Jeep full-time as a family, as we drive around the world for the next 10 to 15 years. Suspension upgrades at Just Jeeps in Austin, Texas Every single day the Jeep was in the shop, Eric was there, too. He was working through supply chain delays, missing components, installation hiccups, AND filming the whole time. Because of his dedication, we have video of our entire build on YouTube. These are the topics we cover in the series: Alu-Cab Canopy Camper (habitat that s ..read more

It’s natural to assume having children will limit our explorations as adults. But with planning, persistence, and no small amount of patience, we can teach even very small children how to adventure alongside us. Since our son Caspian was born in late 2016, my husband and I have loved introducing him to hiking and seeing him thrive on the trail. Here are a few tips for successful hiking with young kids, while you’re out traveling the country. This article was originally published on the Winnebago Life blog in February 2020. 1/ Start Early The earlier you start hiking with your childre ..read more

What an unexpected privilege to be featured on Overland Journal Podcast! Watch to the end for Caspian’s charming podcast debut. You can watch the interview on YouTube above. I’ve been listening to Overland Journal Podcast since Episode 1 in 2019. I’d been searching for high-quality podcasts about overlanding for more than a year. But there were very few at the time (our favorite was GHT Overland Podcast, which is now on hiatus). So when Overland Journal Podcast launched, I was ecstatic. I went fangirl with an excited announcement on our blog. Little did I know we would be interviewed for Epis ..read more

Lady Overlander Radio is a brand new podcast featuring female overlanders. This is an exciting resource as interest in the vehicle-based adventure lifestyle continues to grow each year. The host of Lady Overlander Radio is Misti Tokarsky. She’s a full-time overlander, retired veteran of the United States Coast Guard, and mom of three. She brings a lot to every podcast conversation with her background in travel, leadership, service, and breaking ground for women. Opening photo: Joe and Misti Tokarsky camp with Brittany and Eric Highland in Arizona It was my privilege to be Misti’s podcast guest ..read more