When my partner Eric first mentioned he wanted to spend a year on the road before turning 30, I don’t think either of us really believed it would happen. But in the fall of 2022, when our lease in Park City was up and the housing market felt more impossible than ever, we thought, why not now?

Park City has been home for a long time, but the cost of staying didn’t feel worth it when what we really wanted was a little more freedom. Freedom to spend more meaningful time with the people we love, to travel for weddings and holidays without rushing back, to see places we wouldn’t normally pick if we only had a week off. So instead of signing another lease, we traded four walls for four wheels and hit the road.

Our home for the year was a 1996 Lance truck camper we found on Facebook Marketplace- solid bones, plenty of quirks. That summer, we parked it at a friend’s place in Kamas, UT, and spent weekends fixing it up until it felt like ours. Long days, small upgrades, turning the inside into a space that felt like home wherever we parked it. Looking back, that summer working on it together is still one of my favorite parts.

We didn’t plan the perfect route... our map was built around people and moments we didn’t want to miss. Along the way, we found towns and trails we’d never have chosen for a quick vacation but that now feel like hidden gems. A few standouts: riding bikes in Brevard, NC; camping under the stars at Fort Pickens while the Blue Angels practiced overhead; swimming with manatees in Crystal River; winding along the Salmon River from Missoula to Stanley.

Life in the camper made us slow down in the best way- mornings with coffee and a new view out the back door, simple dinners on a tiny stove, sunrises and sunsets that felt like ours alone. It wasn’t always dreamy- the space was tight, the weather unpredictable, the plans always shifting. Once, we woke up in Asheville to snow falling and a roof leak that left us with wet hair and questioning our life choices. But when life feels busy now, we both think back to those days when the biggest decision was just where to park next.

Eventually, the road brought us back to Park City. We found a rental we couldn’t pass up- close to the mountains, trails right out the door, and the community we’d missed. It felt like the right time to settle in again, at least for now. This October, we’re getting married, and we still talk about our time in the camper all the time. When things feel hectic, we remind each other of mornings when the only thing on the to-do list was to be exactly where we were (even if it was in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel). We’ve since sold the camper (nowhere to park it these days), but we’re already dreaming up new adventures for our Tacoma once the wedding and honeymoon wrap up.

When life speeds up, what’s your version of slowing down? I’d love to hear your hidden gem- a place, trail, or moment that grounds you. Maybe I’ll add it to the map the next time we trade four walls for four wheels.