I Traveled across the Country in a Van with My Best Friend in the Middle of a Pandemic

The story of two best friends and unemployed cruise ship workers living in a van during one of the most chaotic times in American history.

A few weeks after being sent home from our jobs working aboard luxury cruise ships, my best friend, Emily, and I were taking our daily government-sanctioned stroll through my neighborhood, contemplating what we wanted to do with our (what was originally supposed to be) two month hiatus from ship life. “That’s pretty cool”, I blurted, admiring the vintage Volkswagen in my neighbor’s yard — the hippie kind you only see in movies and Instagram. “Wait. How awesome would THAT be?!”, I mused when I noticed it’s “For Sale” sign. “To go see the most ICONIC places in this country — but while they’re absolutely EMPTY.” Emily looked at me like I was crazy. “And gas will never be this cheap again.” We immediately inquired. Partly disappointed and partly relieved, the van was a manual transmission — something I wouldn’t feel comfortable driving around the entire country.

We hadn’t really revisited the idea when Emily called a few weeks later. “ I think I found our van”, she lead with. My phone started buzzing with pics of the maroon 1985 Dodge Ram Van on Facebook Marketplace that I would soon call home for the next several months. By this time, it had become apparent that we were not returning to work within the upcoming weeks. I agreed immediately, knowing very well that I hadn’t fully thought out this commitment nor logistics. By the end of the weekend, we were the proud owner of a 35 year old vehicle that you would probably call the cops on if you saw rolling through your neighborhood.

Over the course of a few weeks in the hot Louisiana sun, we transformed that thing into what would later become known as “the Vandemic” — as well as some cruder nicknames amongst my closest friends. In addition to ensuring she was mechanically fit to trek the vast American terrain and technologically-equipped to spend days at a time off the grid, this luxury…