What happens when you stop chasing someone else’s idea of success and start defining happiness on your own terms? For Dustin and Naomi, it led to a Vanagon purchase that turned into their traveling home. For the last three years, the couple has been journeying across the country, sharing their passion for environmentalism and advocating for the protection and conservation of outdoor spaces. They took a moment to chat with us about how to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle and what living on the road has taught them. Follow their journey @irietoaurora.
Tell us a little bit about yourself, including where you are from, and where you are going.
- Hi there! We’re Dustin and Noami – eco-vanlifers, digital nomads, and outdoor enthusiasts. Our journey started in New Orleans, LA, over three years ago when we bought a van and hit the road. This was the most radical thing we’ve ever done. Since then, we’ve found ourselves drawn to less, with a realization that we don’t need much to be happy. And the things we value now are not things at all. We don’t know where our destination lies, or if we’ll ever get there. And, you know, it doesn’t really matter.
What was your main desire for buying a van and hitting the road?
- For a long time, we felt we were living a life that wasn’t our own – chasing someone else’s idea of success and happiness, consuming too much and not living enough. When we chose to hit the road, we weren’t seeking comfort or an easy life; we were seeking a life of intention and purpose. And buying a van and traveling the country was a dream that got buried over the years. We decided to dig up that old dream, and we haven’t looked back.
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How long have you been on the go?
- We’ve been roaming the open road for over three years now.
What kind of vehicle are you traveling in, and why did you choose it?
- Our home-on-wheels is a 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon named Irie. We chose this van because it was equipped and ready for life on the road with all the basics we needed: a bed, sink, stove, and plenty of storage. When we began researching vans, the Vanagon was the one that impressed us the most. It’s compact enough to be an adventure rig, and it’s designed so that there’s no wasted space. We can take it down a rocky mountain road, and when we pop the top, we can stand up and walk around. Everything is intelligently stowed and well put-together. Plus you just can’t beat that iconic VW look. She’s a real head-turner.
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How did you get interested in environmentalism and sustainability?
- Noami’s love for the outdoors started pretty early. She grew up in a jungle on the island of Trinidad. As a child she spent her days playing outside with her brothers, running barefoot in the forest, hiking to waterfalls and her neighborhood mud volcano. But when she first moved to the U.S., she spent hardly any time in the outdoors until college, where she pursued a degree in Environmental Science. Many of her courses required her to spend time outside, which reignited her love for nature. She started taking road trips to the mountains and did her first backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail. That was it!
Tell us about the Van Life App and your roles as Directors of Sustainability and Public Benefit?
- The Vanlife App is a must-have for any overland traveler. It’s the only app that brings together both community and resources. And we’re not just another geotagging platform. We’re a community organization advocating for the protection of our lifestyle and conservation of outdoor spaces. The incredible team behind the app is made up entirely of vanlifers, led by our CEO, Breanne Acio. After several months of life on the road, Breanne and her wife, Lacey, found themselves facing some challenges that made this lifestyle hard to sustain, like lack of connection to community and difficulty finding campsites and resources. So she set out to build a solution – The Vanlife App.
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When Breanne and COO, Jess, approached Dustin and I to join The Vanlife App team, we jumped at the opportunity to give back to this incredible community. As Directors of Public Benefit and Sustainability, our mission is to make van life synonymous with sustainability. We’re achieving this through a combination of education, financial contributions, and action. The Vanlife App is a Leave No Trace Proud Partner, and Dustin and I are Leave No Trace Master Educators. With this incredible privilege, we hope to spread awareness and inspire responsible environmental practices in the outdoors. The outdoors is our home. It’s where we spend most of our time living, working, and playing. So naturally, we have a responsibility to advocate for the protection of our public lands and our lifestyle.
What are some of the small, but impactful choices you make on the road that help minimize and reduce waste?
In an effort to reduce waste, we unpapered our kitchen by switching to cloth napkins. We reuse them until they’re dirty and throw them in the wash. For cleaning up spills and wiping up around the kitchen, we rip up old t-shirts, and we use reusable towels in lieu of paper towels. Cheap, simple, and no waste.
Another very impactful change is saying, “no thank you.” It’s free and has been one of the most positive environmental impacts in our lives. We say “no thank you” to single-use plastic, fast fashion, and unsustainably made products. This is one of the most powerful statements we can make as consumers.
What is a myth of #vanlife that you’d like to squash?
Well, let’s squash the myth that we have it all figured out. The truth is, we don’t! Every day brings new, unexpected challenges. It’s a constant experiment of trial and error. But the experience teaches us to let go, it pulls us into the present moment and opens us up to change.
What destination has left a lasting impression on you?
This is tough because many places have left an impression. Whether they’re positive or negative, we’ve learned so much from these experiences. But if we had to choose one, it’s Yellowstone National Park. If you’ve been to Yellowstone then you know, it’s wild and raw and beautiful. When we first visited we had been on the road for just six months. We were lost, lonely, and wondering what the hell we were doing with our lives. Yellowstone was a place where we asked ourselves a lot of tough questions. It was a turning point for our lives on the road.
What advice would you give someone just starting a long term trip or living in a van/RV?
Magic happens when you move at the speed of slow. So go slow and enjoy the journey. Follow your passions as soon as possible, keep an open mind, and don’t be too rigid with where things go — experiment and take risks.
What does a typical day look like for you?
The beauty of this lifestyle is that there are no “typical” days. Though, we do have a few routines that keep us grounded. Weather permitting, Noami starts her day with a yoga routine and Dustin with a long run. We follow this with a healthy breakfast and a few hours of work on our various projects. Lately, we’ve been limiting our screen time in an effort to blur the line between work and play. This means our afternoons are typically reserved for idle time. What we’ve found is that, by allowing ourselves this “free” time, we’ve given ourselves the space to be creative.
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What are your five must-have items for van life?
- Cast iron pot & pan because they’re safe, tough, and durable
- Beeswax/ vegan wraps, our favorite plastic-free alternative
- Mason jars for bulk storage
- A good toolkit for the inevitable breakdowns
- A paper map
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We read that you live by the mantra “No matter what, I will leave everything I touch and every person I meet a little better than how I found them.” Can you share with us a few ways you live into that mantra?
One of the most important ways I live into this mantra is by first being compassionate with myself, by falling in love with my life. And from this place of love, I am able to extend this compassion to others. Respecting and accepting others for who they are and their life’s choices and always being inclusive. And, of course, doing my best to be a good steward of our natural world.
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What’s surprised you the most about life ‘on the road’? What have you learned about yourself in the process (so far)?
Travel surely has a way of putting things into perspective. It’s exhilarating and certainly has expanded our horizons. It’s been three years on this wild journey. In that time, we’ve found ourselves drawn to less, and one of the most important things we’ve learned is that we don’t need much to be happy.
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