Table of contents for Twenty-One: October/November 2020 in ROVA

For many years, I’ve made it a priority to focus on the planet’s needs alongside my own. My relationship with nature has always been a source of energy for me; it’s been the foundation of my life. As a child, my fascination with animals stoked a dream of becoming a veterinarian or a park ranger, caring for animals and the ecosystem. But as the years passed and I developed more of an understanding of the reality of our climate situation, the vision of what I actually wanted started to take shape. I realized that I could be an environmental activist—a defender of the planet, and a person who stands with others who want to see our planet healed. As I was taking early steps on my path towards environmentalism, I…

In the summers of 2018 and 2019, I flew with my family from the United Kingdom with the mission of taking to the roads of North America. We had been to the States previously; the typical destinations of Vegas, Cali and Florida. But for our first road trip, we took an RV from Las Vegas to New York, straight across the flyover states. The next year, we returned to loop between New York and South Carolina. My family doesn’t necessarily love the super-busy tourist attractions. On our cross-country adventures, we visited the national parks, of course, and they were unsurprisingly stunning. But a huge part of our two trips was spent traversing the long, empty roads of South Dakota, Virginia and the Carolinas—and on the way, we found some fantastic…

I finally clicked “purchase” on the 15-foot inflatable kayak on the REI website. This kayak had been sitting in my shopping cart for months when COVID-19 hit. My summer travel plans were all canceled. I had a displaced college graduate (aka my little sister Ann) sleeping on an air mattress in my tiny Houston apartment living room. We were getting on each other’s nerves with insignificant annoyances as the situation in the city and the country constantly changed. Her classes all moved online, and she was completely kicked out of her dorm. So yeah, I bought a kayak. I’m a beach baby, born in Corpus Christi, Texas. My parents practically raised me in the sand; my dad would windsurf and I would run into the water even in the dead…

I didn’t realize that there were so many other female solo travelers on the road until I read ROVA. Leanne Hoffman’s story about loneliness on the road [ROVA Adventure Nineteen] was such a godsend to me when I was feeling really low. I spent an afternoon in a parking lot by the beach reading the magazine, and by the time I reached the end of it, I felt more able to keep going. Sierra G Long-time reader, first-time writer. I think I have read every edition of ROVA, and I’m always amazed by the heart behind the stories in the magazine. I read other travel magazines, and I feel like they’re missing what ROVA has—real-life insight from the contributors. It makes me feel like road-tripping could be a reality for…

Maggie and Dom For us, van travel signified shifting priorities, and freedom. We wanted to experience options outside a traditional lifestyle, and the van helped us prioritize travel and find our ways into remote work. It provided a great sense of freedom, being able to spontaneously road-trip with everything we needed in a 60-square-foot box. Instagram: @bitesizetravels Yuko and Eric In Japanese, when we live a life that is comfortable but without excitement and passion, we say we’re “bathing in lukewarm water.” Life is OK, but not great. So, getting out of our comfort zone—and out of our lukewarm bath—was a big reason for wanting to live and travel in our self-converted campervan. Growing up in Asia, we were always told to be like others and have a stable, predictable…

For city dwellers, the great outdoors is revered as a place that exists beyond the confines of your usual environment—somewhere that you drive for days to get to, where there are no buildings or people, and where nature is practically climbing in through the window of your vehicle. But here’s the thing: the outdoors is everywhere. The minute you’re not inside, you’re in the outdoors. And with many people now reluctant to travel far from home, it’s a great time to explore your local environment and discover outdoor spaces that you might never have realized were right under your fire escape. ROVA spoke with Sarah Knapp, founder of Mappy Hour—a global community of outdoor enthusiasts in urban centers—who told us how, even in one of the largest cities in the…

While I’m a native Californian, I didn’t grow up near the coast. So, family trips to the beach were always an event. We’d never go to the coast for less than a weekend, and my parents, who were young with four children, often took us on weeklong camping trips to get the most out of vacation time on a tight budget. When we camped, we cooked every single meal. There were no meals out. Though we did go fishing and crabbing, or blackberry picking if the season was right, we primarily kept it simple: roasting sausages on the fire or chili on our camp stove, cooking up oatmeal in the morning, and roasting smores at night. I didn’t know it then, but this would become my preferred way to travel:…

Water distancing Walking is a great way to get outside and stay active right now, but you often have to swerve and duck to avoid coming within six feet of other people. Instead of hitting the pavement, here’s a thought: head out on the water. In a kayak, you’re already in an isolation pod of sorts, and once you’re on the water, none of those walkers will be able to get anywhere near you. On top of the distancing benefits, there are the sick triceps, smooth suntan (please use sunscreen) and vitamin D that will be bestowed upon you while paddling. Isolation bod? Not likely. Field trip of dreams Look, we don’t want to get anyone too excited, but if we were to tell you that you could take Kevin…

The idea for this 12-hour running adventure was planted in the summer of 2006. I was sitting out in the lineup with my friend Surfer Pete, waiting for a wave to come in. The ocean that day was glassy but flat; we were mostly just bobbing around and talking. Pete and his buddy had just run/biked across the widest part of Delaware with a friend. One person would run and the other would leapfrog ahead. Then they’d trade off. They did this over and over until they reached Maryland. I knew as soon as Pete told me about their adventure that I wanted to try it for myself, swapping out the bike for our van. But the timing never felt quite right. Until now. The coronavirus has squashed all of…

“Fish take you to some beautiful places,” says my delightful new boyfriend, a seasoned fly fisherman who has traveled the world to catch and release the wily cutthroat trout. The beautiful place where we choose to follow the fish in September is the Snake River in the Pacific Northwest. Challenge My outdoor pursuits have included hiking, skiing and biking, but never fly-fishing. Then I met my beau, who coached me in angling, and now we’re heading out for the best fly-fishing sites in Idaho. This is an opportunity to float down a picturesque river, and a challenge to see how 10 days together go. Our relationship is strong enough to withstand challenges. Isn’t it? This is working Our destination from Seattle, Washington, is Driggs, Idaho, but since adventure seldom seeks…

Tucked away beyond an unassuming interstate exit off I-71 lies a hidden gem: La Grange, Kentucky. Its location is convenient to all of life’s necessities for people of all backgrounds. An hour and a half to the east is Lexington, where people worship the Kentucky Wildcats and sip bourbon on their sprawling horse farms. Thirty miles to the south is Louisville, where baseball bats, the Kentucky Derby, and Papa John’s Pizza reign supreme. Head an hour north and you’ll find yourself in Cincinnati, Ohio. Situated just a couple miles off the Ohio River, La Grange is the kind of small town that you only seem to encounter in the memories of generations past and movies that tug at the heartstrings. You know, the kind of movies where a small-town girl…