Table of contents for Twelve: April/May 2019 in ROVA

William, Tanya, Noah and Naya Our reason for taking this trip is captured right here in this photo. The four of us together, those sweet little faces, the opportunity to slow down for a bit and shed all of the excess. For this, we roam. Instagram: @forthisweroam Nathalie and Louis We hit the road to find a new place to call “home.” As we have traveled, we’ve redefined what home means. Home is being with each other on the open road, experiencing new things. Yes, we still hope to find a physical place to call home, but in the meantime this tiny living, traveling lifestyle feels just right. Instagram: @cedar.stream Lonnie and Guntars Seven years in New York City had us longing for a change—we ached for exploration, adventure and…

I’ve been curious about campervans ever since a couch surfer asked to park one in our driveway for a night. We sat on our porch with him and talked for hours, sharing beers and trading road-trip stories. He left us packages of instant noodles and a burning curiosity to try out the RV’s smaller, hipper cousin. At the time, I was planning a trip to Skagway, in the region of Alaska just south of the Yukon, for a writer’s conference. My wife was to meet me after the conference for an adventure into Denali National Park, but the cabin rentals we found left us lukewarm—who would want to be in a cramped cabin next to all that stunning scenery? So, this meeting with the couch surfer seemed like fate. He…

I was 15 when I went to my first concert at the Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis. Every aspect of the show mesmerized me, and from that day on I fantasized about living on the road, traveling in huge tour buses, and bringing the energy of live music to a new city every night. There was one major problem, though; I’m not a musician. I never was, and I never will be. But I was determined to go on tour, and one day the opportunity to do just that presented itself. Ten years after that first show, some time on the verge of spring, I got a call from my friend Julian. Juli is one half of a street-folk duo, and he was months away from immigrating to the United…

General road travel First things first: you don’t need a special driver’s license. If you have a current driver’s license, you can drive in Costa Rica. And while signs are written in Spanish, the shape, size, and structure of signs and lights are very similar to the US, so if you’re familiar with driving in the States then you should be good to go. When you choose a vehicle, no matter the size, make sure you get a 4x4 (with clearance), even if you’re not planning on driving through any rough terrain. Only a handful of the main highways are paved, so driving on chunky gravel and sandy backroads is not uncommon. Also, good air-conditioning anywhere in Costa Rica is a precious commodity, and your vehicle is no exception—so if…

I was missing the first two issues of ROVA and tracked them down through different sources because I knew this was a magazine I would keep and enjoy for years. I have NEVER saved ANY magazine before. No, not even National Geographic. I’m somewhat of a minimalist, but your magazine is in the “keep” category! Valerie R Your issue was probably the first magazine I have ever read cover to cover. Even your ads were so tastefully done that I actually read them. I want to compliment you and your staff for doing such a wonderful job of putting out a magazine that is so enjoyable to read. Thank you. Bob J I was heartened to read the article “Are We There Yet?” by Kate Oliver. It was beautifully written,…

After graduating from New York University with a degree in art history and painting, what do you do? Well, if you’re Laura Preston, you borrow your boyfriend’s mom’s 34-foot 1986 Airstream Excella and embark on a road trip across the United States. In February 2013, Preston and her then boyfriend, now husband, John Ellis, first hit the road. Soon after, they launched an online experiment: The Democratic Travelers. Living and working full time in the Airstream (Ellis as a web designer/developer and Preston as a virtual executive/personal assistant), they chose their travel destinations based on the suggestions of anyone who voted through their website. The project took them to 39 US states, and they were selected as two of National Geographic’s Travelers of the Year. Although the pair’s original intention…

“This is the most relaxing thing I have ever done,” said Sophie as she reclined in the bath next to mine. The warm night air had a slight humidity to it as we lay in the water looking up at the stars. “I can see why they say the hot springs have healing properties,” I replied. “Yeah,” she said and paused. “It really smells like farts, though.” We laughed away under the Californian night sky and tried not to breathe in too much of the sulfurous stink. We’d booked flights from England to the United States a few months before, enthusiastically emptying our bank accounts. Having majored in creative writing, specializing in travel writing, I needed adventure, and my best friend was game for anything. Sophie had WWOOFed her way…

There are times in your life where you know that perseverance is key. Climbing to the top of the mountain takes patience and drive, and if you stick with it, you’ll breathe the rarified air and see to the ends of the world. But what if you never wanted to climb the mountain in the first place, but just felt like you should? Tenacity is a quality that delivers success and contentment, of course—but only if it is directed the right way. And sometimes you need to know when to give up. Not everything can be conquered by blindly pushing through and hoping. Why strive when you don’t really understand what you’re striving for? Despite living in a world that tells us that nobody likes a quitter, there are times…

Nestled into a wooded hillside near the geographic center of Nevada lies an archeological site as unique and diverse as the state of Nevada itself. If you happen to find yourself in the nearby town of Austin, consider making a trek south into the high reaches of the Toquima Mountain Range to see a spectacle of colored cave pictographs unlike any most people have ever glimpsed before. From the cave ledge, the all-encompassing view overlooking the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is awe-inspiring, and makes it easy to imagine how humans could develop such a spiritual tie with this location. This significantly sacred rock alcove was a site utilized by the Western Shoshone group of Native Americans from around the time of 1,000 B.C. to 500 A.D. It is suspected that this…

The “Holy City” never held any religious significance for me. My introduction to Charleston, South Carolina, was kicking back a couple of shots of Grand Marnier at a dingy upstairs bar on King Street on a sweltering August afternoon. The humidity was unbearable, the air literally heavy, and the town smelled as if it was in a constant state of mild decay. It was the summer of 2004, and I was relatively young, rootless and feeling restless. Chicago was the only town I’d known as an adult and I was uninspired, faltering in a deep rut of my own making. Things needed to change. So, when an opportunity to live in the low country came up, I jumped at it. It was almost too easy to say goodbye, quit my…

On the surface, rock climbing seems easy to understand. There’s a rock, you climb it. But the deeper you get into the intricacies of the sport, you realize that this is a world unto itself. From the deeply technical aspects to the psychological attachment that climbers seem to have to their sport, climbing is complex, and its challenges provide huge rewards to those who seek them. Members of the climbing community can be found all over the country; the crags around the United States are hugely varied, offering up almost infinite challenges. This country is a giant adventure playground, packed with sheer faces, knobby outcrops, and everything in between. It’s heaven for climbing. Emma Longcope from the American Alpine Club offers up a few examples of the diversity that can…

When my husband and I took a road trip through the South last July, I expected hot and sticky weather (the mercury hit 111 degrees in Baton Rouge, Los Angeles); weight gain (seven pounds); great music (Beale Street, juke joints and Preservation Jazz Hall, oh my!); and Southern hospitality (I finally understand the meaning of “bless his/her little heart”). What I didn’t expect was that along the route I’d be continuously plugging holes in my education. In fact, over the course of three weeks, I learned more American history from the museums and historical sites we visited throughout the region than in all of my previous schooling, despite—or perhaps because of—being educated in some of the wealthier public school districts in the nation. What follows is a travelogue of those…

“Silicon and oxygen—that’s what quartz crystals are made of. It’s the same thing that’s in your cell phone, and also where Silicon Valley gets its name.” This long-haired hippie dude had just blown my mind. It was a weird coincidence that I had run into this guy, a stranger in the desert in the mountains of Arkansas. I was feeling lost both spiritually and physically (my GPS wasn’t working), and he popped up to tell me about crystals. And he wasn’t the last random character to populate this trip of mine. The hippie dude was from Florida, and he was out here in the middle of nowhere looking for quartz to bring back and sell to his artist friends. He was a chill dude, but very protective of his crystals.…

Recently, I drove to my parents’ place in Texas. When I visit, I usually pack several crochet needles, a bathing suit, and running shoes. I know that this vacation will go one of two ways: I’ll either watch a whole hell of a lot of Investigation Discovery with mom while I crochet hideous hats that never fit, or we’ll pack up the car and drive four hours east to the casino in Oklahoma. I’m not a high-roller, but that casino is their playground, and I’m happy to ride along. You see, my parents live in Loraine, Texas (population in 2017: 582). If you’ve never heard of it, don’t worry—neither have most Texans. There’s not a whole lot going on in Loraine as far as entertainment. There’s the annual Rattlesnake Roundup…

Give me a map, the internet and a strong cup of coffee, and I can spend hours planning future vacations. I’ll stroll along streets on Google Street View, read other travelers’ blogs and articles about tiny townships, and search images on Flickr until I feel like I’ve actually been to the place I’m researching. To me, planning is at least 47 per cent of the fun of going somewhere new (give or take). I know it sounds strange, but I definitely get a buzz from the anticipation almost as much as the reality. Recently, I’ve been thinking about my next trip. I won’t have much time, so it’ll have to be close to New York, where I live. It will be spring, so somewhere that is appealing in both cold…