November 16, 2023 – March 26, 2024

After 4.5 Months on the road, we’re back in Ohio to get in some much-needed time with friends, family, and our home. This was our longest excursion to date, and looking back on photos and videos, it’s incredible to see all the places we visited, the people we met, and the food we ate. Life on the road is an endless adventure, and we're grateful for every moment. There's so much more of the world to explore, and we want to see it!

Be sure to click on the images throughout this blog post! Some of the photos have links to the various blogs associated with them. (Disclaimer, writing is still in progress. We’re currently writing about our stops in March 😅)

Top 5 Takeaways

Nature Is Our Biggest Motivator

The more we explore the U.S. the more we are in awe of this country. Michael and I are our best selves when we’re in the mountains or walking along a beach. Give us a beautiful setting, and we’re happy. It’s wild to see the vastly different landscapes we experienced this trip, and we only stayed in 15 of these states.

Favorites // Zion + Valley of Fire

Art Makes Cities Feel Alive

In addition to nature, we gravitate towards cities and towns that embrace the arts by incorporating murals and music in their spaces. Not only are they great photo ops, but they also make a town feel more inviting.

Favorites // Fort Worth, TX + Bisbee, AZ

Human Connection is priceless

Despite the initial intimidation that comes with meeting new people, we've made meaningful connections across various cities. We’ve learned about people’s businesses from staying at their brewery. We’ve tried homemade food by getting to know the cook at a restaurant. We’ve met other like-minded travelers with whom we made an instant connection and plan on meeting again.

Food Makes Our Hearts Sing

We love food. Michael is an incredible cook, so we’re pretty tough on our food critiques. That said, we were lucky to have tried some incredible dishes during our trip. We base our favorite food/alcohol establishments on food/drink quality, atmosphere, and price.

Favorites // Oscar’s Cafe + Rickety Cricket + Bayou Teche Brewing

Unconventional Camping Is the Best Way to Go

Boondocking allows us to stay in so many more places than traditional campgrounds. Thanks to BLM Land, Boondockers Welcome, and Harvest Hosts, we spent less than $6/night on average for the entirety of our trip. We stayed everywhere, from desert plains to people’s driveways to winery parking lots. Staying in unconventional places is our favorite way to camp.

Learn More About Boondocking and the Top 10 Things You Need

131

Nights

10838

Miles

$720

Paid-to-Stay*

8

National Parks

15

States

7458

Photos + Videos Taken

15

Harvest Hosts

11

Boondockers Welcome

9

Boondocking Spots

*This does not include what we spent at Harvest Hosts locations. Harvest Hosts recommends spending at least $30 on business merchandise in exchange for a night’s stay. We primarily stayed at wineries and breweries, so we tally that under food and drink costs.

$3549

Gas Money

1

Broken Engine

9

Cat Pukes

1

Blown Tire

1

Torn Knee

1

Bad Harvest Hosts Experience

$5.50

Per Nights stay

33¢

Per Mile

57

PHotos Taken / Day

Murphy Journal

We stopped at so many cool places during our trip. I’m about halfway through writing, so stay tuned and sign up for the MOTM newsletter to read the latest posts!