About

Hi, I’m Essie. That’s Willow.

How Did Van Girl Travels Come to Be?

I started Van Girl Travels in 2021 as a form of wishful thinking. It was just after COVID, and I had recently traded life in a vintage Shasta camper for an apartment while I finished remodeling.

I wanted to stay close to family—a decision I would eventually regret—so I settled into that apartment and spent my time writing about, and longing for, a life I wasn’t living.

I didn’t think any year could top 2018 for sheer chaos, but 2025 proved me wrong. I ended a long-term relationship, got sued over medical debt, lost my job, watched my last living grandparent battle cancer, and eventually found myself living in my car out of necessity rather than adventure. It definitely ruined the aesthetic.

When my brother discovered I was living out of my car, he offered an olive branch. He helped reconnect me with my mother after years of estrangement. Thanks to that reconciliation, I now live on her property while exploring the western half of the United States.

Why Are the Posts So Sporadic?

This blog has gone through more than a few evolutions over the years. I have ADHD, which means my interests tend to arrive at full speed and leave just as quickly. I’ll dive headfirst into a new hobby, become completely obsessed, and then wake up one day wondering why I cared so much in the first place.

No matter how many interests come and go, though, I always return to travel and writing. My posting schedule may not be consistent, but my love for this lifestyle has been.

What’s Next for Van Girl Travels?

This newest version of Van Girl Travels focuses on documenting the places I visit, the history behind them, and the folklore that gives them character. And if I stumble across a ghost story, local legend, or spooky bit of roadside lore, you can count on me to share it.

I hope you’ll stick around for the journey. If that doesn’t sound like your thing, this might be where we part ways. But if you’re anything like me, you’ll wander off for a while, get distracted by something shiny, and eventually find your way back.

Safe travels,

from the girl who uses the internet like it’s her own personal diary!*

_{*one of my ex’s idiot friends commented that on a youtube video & I’ve now made it my slogan.}