Destination Aventure consists of Catherine and David, a traveling couple who hit the road in their 1977 VW bus.
They are currently on an adventurous journey, cruising from Montreal to Alaska, then all the way south to Argentina. Amidst their travels, they took some time to answer some questions about their trip, life on the road, and living together in a small space.
Please briefly introduce yourself. What is your story?
Hi, we’re Catherine & David, a couple of travelers from Montreal, owners of Destination Aventure. We quit our jobs, rented our condo and left on May 6th for a two year road trip. From Montreal to Alaska, then south until Argentina! We’ll be driving the Pan-American highway with Octave, our 1977 Vw bus.
How did you become involved in vanlife? What was the inspiration behind purchasing your Westfalia? How and why did you choose this specific vehicle?
While Catherine was working in Nicaragua, she saw a Westfalia with an « Alaska – Argentina » sticker on it. The seed was planted. As for David, he was traveling in Costa Rica when he saw a Westfalia parked by the beach. The idea of traveling by van sparked an interest and we always kept it in mind.
A few months after we met, we found out we both wanted to one day, buy a Westfalia and travel in it. Fast forward a few weeks later and we were the proud new owners of Octave! We’ve now owned Octave for two years and just rebuilt the interior. Solar panels, 12v fridge, sink, burners, water tank, shower (with a heater!), roof fan, portable toilet, better storage, new comfortable foam for the mattress, new pop-top canvas, etc. We knew we were going to live in it full-time so we wanted it to be functional and practical.
So you guys are on an amazing journey right now. You are traveling the entire American Content, from Alaska to Argentina, with the goal of 1.5 years. Tell us a bit about this journey and how you came up with the idea.
We don’t really remember when we came up with the idea of the Panamerican highway. We knew we wanted to travel a lot with Octave and that seemed like the best way to do it! We didn’t really plan anything itinerary wise, except to avoid winter and rainy seasons. We approximately know how long we’ll spend in each country, but that’s about it. No fixed plan is the best plan!
When did you guys hit the road and where are you currently? What has been your favorite place so far?
We left on May 6th, about a month and a half ago. Our favorite places so far have been Canmore and Squamish. Living the vanlife there is easy because there is so much to do and the lifestyle is simply amazing. We love to climb and hike mountains. It’s paradise there!
What does a typical day traveling in the van look like for you?
Waking up, folding the bed, having breakfast, finding out where we want to go & what we want do today. Then we just go for it! Sometimes we climb all day, sometime we work in the van or in a cafe, but very rarely do we hang out and simply do nothing.
Do you work on the road? If so, how does working on the road impact your daily life/travels?
We do work on the road. We post articles on our travel blog, edit and publish vlogs, retouch and share pictures online, update our social media, handle emails and more. David has no problem staying a day inside to work; however, Catherine doesn’t last longer than an hour or two before wanting to go outside and move around. It’s always a little debate, but we try to find a balance between the two.
Living in a van with a partner full-time usually means you don’t have much alone time, which can make some people nervous. What is it like to be living in a smaller space with another person? Do you have any tips or recommendations?
Be sure to love each other and get ready to know them at 100%. Communication is key. Long term traveling with someone in a small space can’t always be perfect. Fortunately, you’ll spend most of your time outside the van doing fun stuff. You’ll be happy to share all those amazing moments with someone you love.
What is your overall goal for this trip or what are you hoping comes from this experience? Are you looking for anything in particular?
We don’t have a specific goal, but we hope to learn a lot and be changed positively. While it may sound cheesy, we would also love to inspire people to accomplish their dreams. We didn’t just get lucky to be able to go on this trip. We worked hard for it, planned it and went for it! We’re just two regular humans who decided to do something we love.
After this amazing chapter is finished, what do you have next on the agenda?
No idea! We’re open to so many things – we don’t know how our future will look like. We’re just starting our trip, maybe we’ll have a better answer by the end of it!
Please provide some links where people can find you online!
We try to post to daily and answer every question we receive. You can follow us on your favorite social networks here:
Instagram: destination.aventure
Facebook: dest.aventure
Youtube: DestinationAventure
Website: destinationaventure.com