The Real First Three Days of Our Camper Life

Nothing Went as Planned (And That’s the Point)

Hey friends,

We did it. Sort of.

After months of dreaming, planning, and quietly freaking out about downsizing our entire lives into a camper, my boyfriend, our little pup Margarita, and I finally waved goodbye to Michigan—for now. Our destination? Yellowstone National Park. As for now – the open road. The unknown. The journey of a lifetime.

We were supposed to kick things off from Chicago. That was the plan, anyway. But moving delays, last-minute weather chaos, and a few hard-learned lessons turned our “smooth departure” into something way more memorable. The first three days were nothing like we expected… and honestly? We wouldn’t trade a single chaotic minute of it.

Lesson #1: Pack BEFORE your friends show up to help

If there’s one thing I wish I could scream from the rooftops (or the roof of our camper), it’s this: do NOT wait until the last minute to start packing and deciding what stays, what goes, and what gets donated/sold/stored. We thought we had it under control. We didn’t.

When our friends rolled up to help load the truck and trailer, we were still knee-deep in “should we keep this?” decisions. The result? A frantic scramble, way more trips to the storage unit than planned, and a camper that somehow ended up overweight even after all the downsizing. Pro tip: have your stuff packed, labeled, and ready before the cavalry arrives. They’re there to lift heavy things, not play emotional Tetris with your sentimental junk while you decide if that one sweater from 2017 still sparks joy.

Downsizing into a camper forces you to get ruthless with your belongings, and that process takes longer than you think. Start early. Start *way* earlier than you think you need to. Future you (and your very patient friends) will thank you.

Lesson #2: Always have a backup plan. Then have a backup plan for the backup plan.

Because life on the road doesn’t care about your Google Calendar.

Day one of “we’re officially leaving Michigan” turned into an unscheduled overnight at a rest stop near our old town. Why? Our trailer was overweight at the weigh station, and the storage unit where we needed to drop the extra stuff didn’t open until the next morning. Cue Plan B: pull into the rest stop, cook a makeshift dinner in the camper (or order doordash), and laugh about how “this isn’t even the weather problem yet.” Then the weather hit.

Tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms rolled through Michigan, Indiana and Illinois right as we were trying to hit the road for real. We delayed our official departure by a full day, hunkered down, in a Walmart parking lot, showered at a Planet Fitness,  and watched the radar and Max Velocity and Ryan Hall Y’all like they were the most important streams on earth.

Day 2: Instead of waking up in Illinois like we had hoped, we ended up spending one more unexpected night in Michigan. As tornado warnings blanketed the states and severe thunderstorms rolled through with relentless fury, we made the responsible call to delay our departure rather than risk driving straight into dangerous weather. We watched the radar obsessively, and tried to stay calm while the wind howled outside. What was supposed to be our triumphant “first night on the road” turned into another evening hunkered down in familiar territory, listening to emergency alerts and second-guessing every decision that had led us to this point. Even though it felt like one more delay in a week full of them, we reminded ourselves that safety always comes first — and that sometimes the journey of a lifetime starts with choosing patience over progress. None of this was in the original plan. Not even close.

But here’s the thing: because we had already built in flexibility—extra cash for unexpected nights, snacks and water stocked, a mental list of “worst-case scenario” stops—we turned potential disasters into stories we’re already laughing about. Backup plans for backup plans aren’t overkill when you’re living in 200 square feet and Mother Nature decides to throw a tantrum.

The First Three Days: Zero Plans, 100% Adventure

Our actual “first three days on the road” looked nothing like the cute itinerary we had mapped out. We didn’t wake up in Chicago with coffee overlooking Lake Michigan. We woke up in a rest stop, then in random parking lots, then chasing clear skies across the Midwest.

And you know what? It was perfect.

Margarita is loving every new smell at every new stop. We are learning how to cook real meals in a tiny kitchen, without an oven may I mention, while the world rolls by outside the windows. We’re figuring out the rhythms of camper life—one spilled coffee, and cabinet, one wrong turn, and one “wait, where are we sleeping tonight?” conversation at a time.

Every delay, every detour, every “this wasn’t supposed to happen” moment has reminded us why we chose this life in the first place: to stop waiting for the perfect time and just *go*. We’re not in Yellowstone yet. We’re still very much in the “figuring it out” phase. But we’re already having the time of our lives.

So if you’re planning your own big move—whether it’s across the country in a camper, across town into a smaller place, or just a major life shift—here’s my advice:

- Pack early.  

- Decide what to keep early.  

- Have a backup plan.  

- Then have three more.  

And when everything inevitably goes sideways anyway… lean into it. The best stories (and the best memories) almost never happen on schedule.

We’ll keep you posted as we roll toward Yellowstone. Next up: figuring out how to actually enjoy Route 66 without turning the camper into a portable sauna, or a complete construction job.

Until then—safe travels, wherever your road leads. And if you see a slightly overloaded camper with a Michigan plate and a very happy dog hanging out the window… wave. It’s probably us.

xoxo

Haley, Dylan & Margarita  

(And the journey of a lifetime)