Peter, Taylor and their vandog Snoop fell in love with the nomadic lifestyle in the US
Peter Thuli, 24, and Taylor Bucher, 23, met in college in Wisconsin where they were both studying towards business degrees. Taylor says, “We wish we could say that our eyes locked from across the library when we were studying for finals, but in all honesty, we met in a college dive bar and bonded over our mutual love of tequila and Blink 182.”
Since then they have found themselves a dog, the eternally smiling Snoop, and a van to suit him. They say the selection of a 2004 Dodge Sprinter had a lot to do with providing enough space for their 90lb pride and joy, Snoop. They have travelled all over America in their rolling home, called Sonder, or ‘Ders for short and now stopped in Sedona, Arizona. We managed to catch up with Taylor for a few questions before they move on to their next adventure.
Why did you both decide to make the move to van living?
“Last year we were both finishing up our business degrees and trying to balance school and work. With graduation approaching, neither of us were keen on the idea of getting entry-level marketing jobs and beginning our glorious ascent up the corporate ladder. We had taken time off of school to travel Southeast Asia and we fell in love with the nomadic lifestyle. We came across the van life community and the idea felt so right to us. We could live a nomadic lifestyle and get to see more of our own beautiful country. We also saw it as a way to encourage our entrepreneurial spirit and create a self-sustained life on the road, so we went for it.”
Would you choose the same van if you were to start all over again?
“Absolutely! We see people on the road who have converted vehicles as big as school busses and as small a Westfalias. It’s amazing how creative people can be with their space, but every time we compare other rigs to ours, we realise how perfect ours is for our lifestyle. We have room to stand up, our bed/benches setup gives us a ton of living space, and we have plenty of storage. Taylor can even fit her yoga mat in there and do yoga when the weather is bad. It’s spacious, but it’s still small enough to easily manoeuvre in cities and in hilly areas.”
The couples choice of van means they have maximum space while on the road
Is it always easy living in a small place together?
“It certainly isn’t always easy, but it works for us. We don’t haul a car or a motorbike or anything, so whenever we have to go somewhere we have to put everything away, secure the van, and all three of us go together. It would be nice to have a way to run around without bringing the van! We make sure we each have ‘me time’ though. Pete will go surf for a few hours, I will go for a run or do yoga, or we’ll take turns walking Snoop; we try to make sure not every second is spent with each other. It’s important to have your own space, even in 80 square foot.”
How does your dog Snoop enjoy life on the road?
“We can safely say that Snoop loves the van life. He’s a senior dog now and his life consists of car rides, where he almost always gets to sit on one of our laps, roaming the outdoors off a leash (he’s so needy he wouldn’t even think of straying), and chewing on any magnificent stick he can find. He’s a very relaxed, low-maintenance dog. Even when we go for a long hike and he has to stay in the van, he curls up on the bed and takes a nice snooze. The biggest concern is making sure the van stays cool for him, but when we turn on our fan and crack some windows, the inside basically becomes a wind tunnel!”
Snoop loves life on the road – he can’t stop smiling!
Do you find it easy to meet people and make new friends as you move around?
“I think people have this idea that living on the road is a lonely life, never settling in one spot and making friends. But that idea is so wrong! Since we’ve been on the road, we’ve made deeper connections and friendships in a matter of days than we have with people we’ve known most of our lives. When you meet others on the road, you already have a lot in common. But if you don’t particularly jive with someone, you can go your own way. When you do have a connection with people, you skip all the crap and dive deep, getting to the good stuff. There’s no need to put on a persona; you just be your true self and others do the same. We’re so grateful for the amazing friends we have made on the road so far!”
What has been your best adventure yet?
“It’s so tough to choose a favorite place because everywhere has something different to offer! But we loved Joshua tree; we didn’t think the desert would have such charm but it really intrigued us. Another top destination would be Asheville, North Carolina. We were there when it was still a bit cold, but we still loved it. We are excited to go back in warmer weather!”
Do you have any exciting trips planned for the future?
“We don’t plan much ahead to be honest. For example, we are in Sedona right now and we plan to be in the area for a few more days. People keep asking us where we are going next and we have no idea! We might head down to Texas to Big Bend, or we might continue our journey north. We love the spontaneity of it! We definitely have a bucket list though and a lot of it consists of National Parks.”
What is the absolute best thing about living life on the road?
“There are definitely a few! But the one that stands out is freedom. We can travel wherever we want and stay as long as we want. We can actually experience a new state or ecosystem instead of just driving through it. The opportunity we have to see this beautiful country is by far the greatest gift of this lifestyle.
We also get to spend our time much more intentionally. Instead of flipping on Netflix for a few hours, we spend our time in ways that are productive or adventurous. We are outside as much as weather permits so when we aren’t working, we spend our days physically and mentally active; hiking, surfing, running, doing yoga, reading, writing, and lots of others.”
If you want to know more, you can keep up with Peter, Taylor and Snoop on Facebook, Instagram and at their own site right here.
