I finally met a solo female traveler—and in a VAN! Okay, technically Staci isn’t currently solo, but she was until a month ago when she met another nomadic, car-living climber in Yosemite. But that hadn’t been part of her plan.

She has been living in her minvan since December last year, minus the break she took when her short trip to Peru in March became a four-month odyssey because of pandemic border closures. Now she's back to traveling along the west coast and climbing wherever she can. Staci is also a biology student at USD, so she makes sure she's in a town at least two days a week where she can have solid wifi to download all her course info. Then she can do her work wherever she camps.

I really admire her. I’m looking seriously at getting a van to continue this project and travel the US, and Staci was incredibly encouraging. While van life has some major perks, she said it isn’t always easy. She's had to learn a lot more about batteries and engine mechanics and small-space logistics, but it's worth it for the freedom. She assumes she will never have a solid home base. However, now that she has a boyfriend sharing the space, she may want to upgrade to a larger setup.

Solo travelers definitely share a bond, and Staci’s energy was infectious. My time talking with her was a much-needed surprise break in my day after lots of time glued to my laptop.