From Debt to Van Life: Our Journey Toward Freedom on the Road

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Follow Hunter and Britt as they chase their dream of full-time van life, leaving behind debt and small-town struggles for a life of travel, freedom, and adventure across the U.S.

Welcome to The Traveling Willoughbys Blog

This marks the beginning of a long but exciting journey. We're Hunter and Britt, and we’re documenting our transition from struggling with debt and bills to living our dream—traveling full-time in a van or RV. Our goal? To explore everything this beautiful country has to offer: mountains, beaches, lakes, rivers, cities, and small towns.


Why We Chose Van Life

A Little Backstory

Hunter grew up in a small rural town in North Carolina and had rarely left the state, aside from trips to Virginia and Memphis. Despite being a homebody, the desire to travel was always there—just out of financial reach.

After going through a divorce and losing a business, Hunter hit rock bottom. Then came Britt—who lived in Florida and had traveled extensively thanks to her father’s construction career (he even helped build Disney!).

Their connection grew fast. For Britt’s birthday, Hunter made a spontaneous 10-hour drive through South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida—in the middle of a hurricane—just to surprise her. That road trip changed everything.

Florida opened Hunter’s eyes to a bigger world. More visits followed, and eventually, Britt moved up to live with him in a humble home. But the town was changing—more traffic, higher prices, and fewer “country” vibes.

How Van Life Became Our Dream

The cost of living kept rising. Even simple date nights became financially difficult. But one thing stayed consistent: our shared love of travel.

After months of research and YouTube deep dives, we discovered van life—a minimalist lifestyle where people live full-time in vans or RVs while traveling the country. It offers flexibility, freedom, and adventure, and it's exactly what we’re looking for.

We know it won’t be easy, but the idea of waking up next to a new lake, mountain, or beach every few days? Worth it. And if it doesn’t work out, at least we’ll have tried and gained incredible memories along the way.


Where We Are Now

Right now, we’re at the beginning. The biggest obstacle is financial figuring out how and when we can afford to start this lifestyle. We’re doing everything we can to make it happen, and we’re inviting you to follow our journey from the very start.


Support Our Journey

We’re just two people with a big dream, hoping to inspire others through our experiences. If you’d like to support us—whether through donations, sharing our blog, or offering tips—we’d be incredibly grateful.

Your help will go directly toward making our van life dream a reality and creating more content to share as we travel.



Follow Along

We'll be documenting everything:

  • Van or RV shopping

  • DIY build-outs

  • Budgeting and saving

  • Travel adventures

  • Lessons learned along the way

Thanks for joining us at the beginning. We can’t wait to take you along for the ride. 🚐✨

GoFundMe/Facebook

Popular tags: #van #life #digital #nomad #budget #travel #minimalist #lifestyle #tiny #living #remote #work #full-time #RV #traveling #couple

Location: Princeton, NC 27569, USA

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