Summer Camp Is Where You Park It from James Rachel and Sunshine on Vimeo.
In Summer 2013, we took Summer Camp to the Road, because, really, who wants to eat in a mess hall, anyways?
Our campers, previously known as Rachel’s Rascally Siblings, hopped on the bus in San Francisco and stuck it out through Portland as we traversed an inland route.
Aaron, aka Curly Fry, is 13 and a pretty damn good shot on a slinger. He is on a wild quest for, well, the wild.
Strawberry Electric (also Hannah) may be 14, but her iphone typography skills are advanced beyond her age, averaging 220 WPM. She can also throw a mean punch.
Hop in the back (it’s crowded!) between these tenderfeet for a summiting summer frenzy that will never break down. We hope.
You not only have the idle bus but the idle life. I have longed to travel for so long, especially all the adventures you both take, which of my current age does not work, but to build for that, I have a few questions: How do you fund your trips ? How do you know where to go and what to adventure? What to bring and who?
Thank you for all the things you do, Stay happy and stay weird !(:
Jessica S.
Jessica,
Thanks so much for sharing your idle time with us! We are happy to answer your questions. We want you to make your dream come true!
First, how we fund our trips. Before leaving for the road two years ago, we saved over 50% of what we earned. Having a lump sum when you leave helps a lot. You need a cushion of some sort for emergencies. Our primary income on the road has been creating short videos. We are a filmmaking team and have worked on corporate micro ads, made DIY videos for surf culture websites, and promo videos for nonprofits.We have also done many strange things for money. If you aren’t too picky about work, it will come to you (and you don’t need to make much-life on the road can be cheap!) We have worked at pretzel stands at fairs, been extras on TV shows, sold some photography here and there. Right now we’re digging out a fountain. We also work on small organic farms through the WWOOF organization. Google it to find out more-we have fallen in love with farming and made our travels work because of WWOOF-never could have done it without them!
Second question. We dreamed of traveling the country since we were young teenagers. We knew some of the places we wanted to visit. But, along the way, you will figure out that there are endless things to see and do. We love wild places, so we structure our route around National Parks, National Forests, and Bureau of Land Management wilderness. We like space and quiet; places where we can see the stars at night. We have all of the maps from Benchmark Maps. We usually pull out the one for whichever state we’re in and find a road that calls to us. If we’re driving and see a road or mountain we just can’t pass up, we go for it! That’s the freedom of the road—do as your intuitions lead. It’s important to remember that the destination in mind is never very important. If you want to deviate from the path, if you spend 2 weeks instead of 2 nights in a place, if you find yourself 15 miles down a road whose endpoint is unknown, stop, smile and realize you are LIVING!
We also want to say that whatever age, whatever situation you are in, your dreams are possible. Just go! Just do it! Fear is the number one inhibitor of happiness.
We truly hope to see you out there one day. And, back atcha, stay weird!
-James, Rachel, and Sunshine