A honeymoon trip across America.

A "honeymoon" of the… adventurous kind.

Our honeymoon adventure began with just one key principle: freedom. We wanted to set our own schedule, see what we wanted when we wanted, and let the world unfold naturally. So there were no reservations, no travel agents, or anything to stop us from fully enjoying the present moment.

After considering all the usual options like renting a car, taking the bus, train, plane, hotels, guesthouses, Airbnbs, etc., we found none of them suited us. They all required a commitment to a fixed timeframe, and activities had to be planned weeks or months in advance – leaving no room for spontaneity, adventure, or discovering new things.

We started thinking about more adventurous options, and eventually found a company that rents campervans – passenger vans that have been converted into mobile living spaces, fully furnished with refrigerators, solar panels, bedding, and curtains. And what's more, the vans are even beautifully painted by local artists!

34 days in a mobile home

We picked up our vehicle, the Red Fox, in San Francisco. A friend who works at Google had invited us to participate in a series of fun activities in the Bay Area, so we just stayed around town for a few days, getting used to life in the vehicle.

The Red Fox has a bedroom at the back, which can be converted into a living room during the day (complete with a dining table!), and behind the cargo door is a small kitchenette, fully equipped with cooking utensils, a portable gas stove, and a 10-liter electric refrigerator powered by solar panels on the roof. There's plenty of space for food, clothes, equipment, and vehicle parts. Being a Ford E-series truck, there's ample room in the front for two people, a large box of snacks and drinks, and living space. It's safe to say this dedicated campervan has almost everything we need for daily life (even the sheets fit perfectly into a fold-out bed), making it a perfect fit for us.

However, there are still many other things you have to worry about: Where will you sleep? How will you shower? What will your morning and evening hygiene routines be like? These are all important questions, and everyone will have different answers, but two things are certain: one, life will be very different from normal, and two, everything will be alright. It's hard to go wrong; just make sure your parking is legal, and everything will be fine. Many people are scared when suddenly switching to a different lifestyle, but "things will work out in the end!"

Celebrate American Independence Day at Disneyland.

We stayed in San Francisco for a few days before deciding to continue our journey. For months prior, we had planned to drive straight from San Francisco to Yosemite, but then we realized it was almost July 4th and decided to completely change our plans: turn around and drive hundreds of miles in a different direction to make it in time for the July 4th celebration at Disneyland! Such last-minute changes usually incur hundreds, even thousands, of dollars in extra costs for travel, bookings, and tickets, but since we were already in our “hotel room,” there was nothing to worry about. Changing our plans didn't cost us anything extra (it turns out Disneyland tickets don't increase during holidays), and we started driving along the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) to Los Angeles.

PCH alone is a popular destination. We drove along the beautiful winding roads, chased the sunset over the Big Sur coastline, marveled at the giant redwood trees, had breakfast at Oprah's House in Santa Barbara, and even had time to meet up with some friends.

When we arrived at Disney, we asked a few locals near the park if we could park in front of their houses at night. They also gave us advice on places to avoid, and during the day we parked in the park's parking lot. Many people lived too far from the park to go home for lunch and then return, so they were often exhausted and collapsed from exhaustion by mid-afternoon. Meanwhile, we arrived early in the morning, had six hours to explore the park, took a two-hour nap in our air-conditioned bed, then came back to play more and watch the Independence Day fireworks. We even got to walk down a secret path through the backstage area of ​​Disney.

Another crossroads

For this campervan honeymoon, the only thing we needed to ensure was that we got to Denver within 34 days; everything else was up to us. So after leaving Disneyland, our dilemma wasn't "how do we get to Denver?", but rather "where do we go next?".

With no limits on location or method, we realized we had plenty of time to detour south and visit Mexico. We stayed in Tijuana, admiring some aircraft carriers in San Diego on the way, then continued south to Rosarito, staying in a stunning coastal resort nestled against cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. From there, instead of returning to the U.S., we headed east along the U.S.-Mexico border and discovered an incredible mountain road called La Rumorosa. Even a Google search yields little information; it doesn't appear on any Tijuana travel blogs, but its natural beauty is indescribable. An otherworldly landscape, comparable to any U.S. national park we'd driven through. So, we decided to spend a little extra time in Mexico before returning to the U.S.

We plunged into the desert, spent two and a half weeks there, and then from La Rumorosa, located right next to the Gulf of California in Mexico, we followed the Colorado River upstream for 2,500 kilometers. We saw the majestic mountains and cacti in Joshua Tree and passed through the Hollywood star-studded resort of Palm Springs. We saw the magical hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park and watched the magnificent crimson sunsets fade into the night far from the city lights, nights so dark that the earth and sky merged into a mysterious sea of ​​darkness, and nights filled with twinkling stars, more beautiful than a thousand diamonds.

Facing the "irrational" beauty

The Grand Canyon is a place many people aim to visit at least once in their lifetime, and we were fortunate enough to spend a few days there alone. We rode a donkey-drawn cart along the canyon, descending halfway (if you want to go all the way to the bottom, you have to book years in advance) and witnessed one of the most beautiful sunrises I've ever seen on the Bright Angel Trail.

The sight of the sun rising over the edge of the opposite canyon and the first rays of light hitting the western wall was indescribable—its grandeur and magnificence completely overwhelmed us. Tears welled up in our eyes, peace filled our souls, and all we could do was hug each other tightly, grateful to be alive on this Earth and to share this moment with each other for the rest of our lives. Pablo took out his saxophone and played a few notes of “What a Wonderful World” to harmonize with the beautiful sunrise—a concert just for us and for the fellow hikers along the way.

In life, there are times when we encounter moments that are not only priceless, but also absurdly beautiful, making us feel like we don't even deserve them – and this is one of them.

However, despite its grandeur, the Grand Canyon isn't actually the most impressive canyon. It's true that it's the widest and largest, but it's simply too large for human perception. Is a 23-kilometer-wide place significantly more impressive than a 20-kilometer-wide place? To the human senses, they seem the same. We can only perceive things on a much smaller scale. On Angel's Landing in Zion National Park, just a few meters walk leads to sheer cliffs 500 meters high, a far more terrifying experience than the Grand Canyon because we were closer and the ground wasn't as far away as we imagined.

It's safe to say that Canyon Country has much more to offer than just the Grand Canyon. In fact, there's so much more, and the best place to enjoy the red sand dunes and canyons is Moab (Utah). This is where we spent most of our trip, because it has everything a true adventurer could want. There are two outstanding national parks, praised by international visitors, within a short drive. But most of the breathtaking natural scenery isn't in the national parks. You can freely engage in many more activities there: mountain biking, off-roading, camping, cooking, free exploration, and much more... Sometimes it's even described as "summer camp for adults" or "desert paradise." But for us, Moab was the place for the most adventurous experiences with our best friends.

The last mountain pass

We drove east to conclude our trip, from the red rock canyons of Utah to the majestic peaks of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. No less spectacular than the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains attract visitors with their lakes and winding mountain passes. With the freedom of our campervan, we reached the famous Vail ski resort, meandered through quaint mining towns, and even played in the snow on mountaintops – in July!

Every day, even the smallest things like where to sleep and how to cook breakfast are exciting adventures for us, with new experiences waiting at every turn and nothing planned in advance. This not only perfectly suits our personalities but is also much more cost-effective, while opening up many exciting experiences and opportunities. Now we're thinking about a future campervan trip across Europe!

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• The cost of renting a campervan with a bed kit, kitchen kit, and two camping chairs for 34 days is approximately $5,000 (including tax). Additional items will incur extra charges.

• For young people or modern families (2-5 people), renting a campervan from Escape Campervan is recommended. Their campervans are well-designed and stylish, making them look youthful, modern, and colorful.
• Campervans are typically redesigned SUVs or 12-seater vehicles, making them quite large. Finding parking in American cities is often difficult, especially at night, when you need a safe place to sleep overnight.

• It's advisable to research your destinations and find safe and convenient parking areas beforehand. In tourist areas and national parks, you'll often need to reserve parking several weeks in advance.
• Americans view cars as "mobile homes," so campervan services are very popular in the country.

Pablo & Chi