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Chapter 1

There are plenty of ways to explore new places.


You can stay in fancy hotels, rent a house or apartment, or even camp under the stars.


But for me, there's nothing quite like hitting the open road in a vehicle that's also your home.


That's exactly what I did back in 2015 when I spent 35 days traveling the USA in a pale green Chevy.


After touching down in the “land of the free” we grabbed our bags from the carousel and headed for a taxi waiting outside LAX.


The driver nearly tackled me when he saw me grabbing the driver-side door because he thought I was pinching the vehicle.


I apologised before politely explaining to him that “back at home the passengers door is on this side”


Sorry dude.

We were dropped off in Hermosa Beach in Los Angeles.


My mate, Tim, and I spent two days enjoying the beach town's laid-back vibe, jamming songs on the acoustic to people in the hostel and drinking heavily, the kind of stuff you’d expect from a pair of 25 year olds.


But it soon became time to pick up our new home on wheels.


As soon as we saw the van, we knew it wasn't going to be luxurious. But that was part of the charm.


We were given a rundown on the vehicle, but all we cared about was whether the back seats could fold down far enough to put a mattress in. Thankfully, they could.


After promising the rental company that we wo


uldn't be sleeping or smoking in the vehicle at any time whatsoever (haha righto mate), we turned the engine over and set off along the city's busiest highway, the I-5.


If driving on the "wrong side" of the car is nerve-racking enough, a five-lane highway certainly adds to the anxiety.


Our first stop was department store Target, where we bought a blow-up mattress complete with pump. We also purchased a mobile phone.


We were officially on the road, and it felt exhilarating.






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