The Truth Behind Vanlife today: real life stories on the Pan-American Highway

Dolores Semeraro interviews solo female fulltime vanlifer Dominique Ritchie while driving along the Pan-American Highway to uncover the truths behind today's vanlife. 

On this episode: 

- Dominique's life choices and what made heer become a full time vanlifer

- From vanlifer to a full time professional content creator, how did that happen?

- Miscoception and Wrong Stereotypes of Vanlife Lifestyle uncovered

- Safety on the road and real life hacks from Dominique's experience

- Is van life for everyone?

- How to share and become a true storyteller even when the stories are ugly?

- Top 3 Challenges of Vanlife for Dominique

- Lesson learned! 

About Dominique

Dominique Ritchie travels in her van with her dog, Sora, and she is currently driving to Argentina! 

She has been travelling across North America since 2018, and she is from BC Canada. Follow her adventures down the Pan-American Highway to Ushuaia!

As a pre-med student turned vanlifer, she traded her medical career aspirations for a life on the road, inspiring others to embrace the freedom of exploration. She now travels in her self-converted DIY Ford Transit Camper Van named Tinkerbell, chasing adventures through trail running, mountain biking, skiing, paddle boarding, etc. Her passion is not just in the journey but in creating a community that lives life fully, both online and in person.

Host of Truth Behind Travel Podcast, Dolores Semeraro is a sought-after international tourism keynote speaker and sustainable tourism marketing professional. 

Dolores actively works in the tourism and travel conference space as a keynote speaker and moderator, gracing the stages of international tourism summits and trade shows. 

As a professional keynote speaker, Dolores’ speaking topics encompass sustainability in tourism, digital marketing and how to identify today’s traveler’s needs through technology and innovation.

5 years ago, Dolores launched her podcast show named ‘Truth Behind Travel Podcast’ where she regularly interviews tourism and travel industry leaders and representatives on how to rebuild the future of travel.

www.doloressemeraro.com

dolores@doloressemeraro.com

Instagram @dolores_semeraro

LinkedIn @dolores.sem

Transcript

Dolores Semeraro: 0:01

Welcome to Truth Behind Travel podcast, a platform for tourism, travel, and hospitality professionals and enthusiasts to share, learn, and unlearn what we need to create better tourism, protect the environment, and become better humans. I'm your host Dolores Semeraro, and every week I bring on the podcast the voices of those out there making a difference to learn the hard truth behind the world of travel and tourism, what works, and what we can collectively do better. Here we are back on the podcast, sharing with you this episode recorded literally on the road with a fellow van lifer, a person that has inspired me to bring this conversation on the podcast and start to shine a light on this lifestyle that is so much more than just driving endlessly, escaping society, or trying to look glamorous on social media. She is a full-time van lifer, professional content creator and is currently driving the Pan American Highway from Alaska to Argentina as a solo female full-time Ben lifer with her wonderful dog Sora. You will surely find her on every social media under the handle She Wonders Earth. Let's welcome on the podcast Dominique Ritchie welcome back to the podcast. Today we are opening the doors of a brand new topic on the podcast, which we've never explored before, and I'm really excited to do that with someone I've personally met along my journey on the Pan American Highway, someone that has been living in the van, traveling the world for the past nine years, Dominique, welcome to the podcast. I'm so glad to have you.

Dominique Ritchie: 1:46

Thanks so much for having me. I'm super excited to be here.

Dolores Semeraro: 1:49

Well, on the podcast, we've been speaking about different kind of travel forms, and for those who have been following the podcast for a long time, they know that they can always learn something new of what's going on in the industry, or what is going on in general in the travel and tourism world, one of the things that I realize that is very specific, and it's a specific form of travel, is van life. It's travel with a camper van around the world, or even just around your own country. Living in a van is perhaps one of the very few form of travel that cannot be packaged and, to some extent, cannot even be sold, because it is a lifestyle that is shaped by one thing and one thing only: freedom. And we want to talk about that today. But before we do that, I am so excited because it's the first time we're talking about van life on the podcast. I would like our listeners and also myself to listen to your story first and tell us what made you get to the point where you decided that van life was the life to have.

Dominique Ritchie: 2:59

That's such a great question, and I get it all the time. So many people are really curious about van life and how to get started. But my journey started back when I was actually pursuing my medical career. So I wanted to be a doctor. And growing up, we sort of grew up in a lower middle class, and so there was a big strive for me to want to pursue a life of freedom through money and making a lot of money, then I could have the freedoms that maybe I didn't quite have growing up. And in my pursuit of my medical career, I really realized that there was so much more than working a nine to five, and I wanted to give myself an opportunity during my university degree, to like explore what that could look like, I learned about the concept of minimalism through some friends that were really interested in climbing and this whole kind of concept of tiny homes and dirtbag and car life and van life. And this was pre the pandemic, and so this wasn't really a big thing on social media. Yes, it's the concept of valuing more within having less. So, for example, if you have one fork in one plate in one cup, you value that so much more than if you have a house full of things, and this fascinated me because I thought you see these people that are genuinely happy with having less, and I was just fascinated by this concept, and it just sort of overcame me to a point where I was like, I think I need to get rid of this thought that there's this only this one path for me, which is medical school. And I had these big aspirations to own my own hospital and work in public health and change the way that we cared for people to kind of jump back into that, my degree, and I did graduate is in molecular biology and biochemistry. So it was a big, it's a mouthful, and and it's a very hefty degree. And so all that being said, I took a year off school. It was like my last year, and I hadn't written the MCAT yet, but. I was studying with Kaplan, and I sold everything I had in my apartment. And I thought, no, I'm only going to have everything that can fit into my, at the time, new Hyundai Santa Fe Hyundai Santa Fe SUV, and see how that felt. So it was April 2018, and I packed everything I could into the back of my car and everything else I either donated, gave away, or sold. I moved to Squamish in British Columbia, Canada, and gave myself five months to try this lifestyle out. And so that's what I did. And then by the end of that five months, I think it was I guess August by that time, maybe even September, I bought my first van and moved into that van, and then from there I slowly, kind of bought a bigger van and a little bit of a bigger van, and then now I'm in my Ford Transit, which is a self build. It's a DIY build, and that was like the dream van. And sort of this whole span lasted from 2018 until I bought my Ford Transit in 2022, and then I spent the next year and a half building it out, and now I'm here on the Pan American Highway.

Dolores Semeraro: 6:08

Well, with such a degree on such a specific area in the medical field, I mean molecular biology and biochemistry, that would have led to a whole different lifestyle career, let alone life choices. What made you not pursue that, and then becoming a van lifer?

Dominique Ritchie: 6:31

That's such a good question, and there's so many layers to that. Within those first five months, what I found was that I spent the majority of my time living outside because I had my car to sleep in, you don't sit in your car all day long, so you spend all your time outside. And in my leaving of my degree or taking a little hiatus, I started working for BC Parks, which is similar to state parks in the USA, and it was a huge pay cut, but what I loved about it were the people I met, the travelers I met, the other people that I worked with, and everyone was so happy. Everyone was full of life. It's fresh air, it's exercise. You're biking, you're hiking, and I was exposed to people that had all various kinds of backgrounds, different hobbies, and I was really able to find more of myself that I didn't even know existed. So I found that I was biking more, hiking more. I started running, and really just enjoyed what I now call you know, or what everyone calls outdoor recreation and creating space and time to be able to live more of my life outside.

Dolores Semeraro: 7:45

Well, it doesn't come as a as a surprise that people that live mostly outdoors or that experience more or practice more outdoor sports are happier. People are happier under the direct sunlight. People are happier breathing fresh air out there in the in nature. So somehow one thing calls the other. So you pretty much felt yourself happier in an environment that wasn't a class, that wasn't an office, that wasn't a building, and you found yourself happier being out there. So the van became your medium to to live that hap to live through that happiness in a way, and I see you now glowing into your what probably is your ninth year on full time van lifer. So you told me earlier that you sold everything, moved into a smaller unit, so to speak. Even if it was a mobile unit, understood and practiced minimalism, and I challenge everyone listening to this podcast to do that. It's nearly impossible today. I'm not saying it is impossible. It's nearly impossible to really practice minimalism, even van lifers today are not quite the minimalists. In fact, after traveling across the U.S. for more than two months myself, I've seen the biggest van, the biggest camper van, motorhome that I've ever seen in my life, and that is not minimalism at all. So when you were clear about how is it that you wanted to live your life and be happy, and feel happy, feel satisfied, feel content-not satisfied. I think content is the right word because we are always searching for more. Society wants us to have more, even if we even if we don't need it, and that choice led you to a lifestyle that is-it looks very glamorous from the outside, and we want to make it look glamorous in a way, even when we share pictures on social media, videos, because we want to share positive content, right? Positive videos, positive images, but at the same time, it doesn't come for free. It has a cost, like there is fuel to pay, there is groceries to buy, there is campsites to pay, and all that comes with it. So even if it is a minimalistic life, it does come at a cost. How do you sustain that cost?

Dominique Ritchie: 10:18

When I first started van life, I was working with BC Parks, which was about$17 an hour, but it was a summer contract, so it was going to end in the fall, and then that was going to lead me into employment insurance in Canada, which was not going to be sustainable for me. And I have an entrepreneurial mindset, and I knew I wanted to start my own business to make this lifestyle sustainable to a place that you know could be the equivalent or exceed that of what I could have been making as a doctor, because that was my goal. I had no idea at the time how I was going to make that happen, but I knew that there was a part of me that could make that happen, and so I started an online business where I was actually a virtual assistant in doing social media marketing for companies, and then I became a marketing manager, etc. and then the pandemic happened. And in that transition was such a blessing for me because I knew in that moment that we were entering the digital world, and I thought this is my time to shine. And this is when social media took off. This is when van life took off. People were looking for ways to be outside because they were really feeling trapped inside, and that was sort of well. That was when my social media career blew up. I had 300 followers, and then within a matter of months, 10,000 followers, and it's just been progressing since then. And so now my full time job is content creation

Dolores Semeraro: 11:42

content creation around a destination can be tricky because it comes with the responsibility of showcasing a destination within the boundaries of the local culture, the local regulations, the administration, and so on. As a full-time content creator and Van Lifer, when it comes to showcasing destination and content related to specific destinations that you are visiting, how does that become a job? Because I know there are people listening to the podcast nowadays that are probably fidgeting a little bit with the with the digital world, putting things online. They want to be sponsored. They want to be paid, but it requires a lot of work. You have to be constant. You have to put out quality content, and you have to be credible. And most importantly, I think for me, you have to be relatable. You have to speak to an audience that is aligned with the audience that that destination wants to achieve, wants to reach. So, how do you, as a content creator, juggle all that?

Dominique Ritchie: 12:46

It really started when I noticed more and more people asking me for recommendations for where to go, what to see, what to do, and I realized that I had a ton of insight on where to camp and what activity do in particular places. That was when I realized that there was a place for me to start creating content around specific destinations, and so I started reaching out to smaller communities and smaller destinations to help to showcase those activities and those places that are lesser known and maybe even lesser developed, and sort of bring in more sustainable tourism and travel, and sort of spread the economy into those smaller communities. And that idea came from a tourism conference that I was at years ago, and I was speaking on visual storytelling and the impact of visual storytelling itself. Because the concept of visual storytelling is when you put something out on the internet, and someone can feel themselves immersed in that experience. And so, when you're creating this content, you want people to feel like they're there. And when they feel that feeling that they're there in that experience, that's when they'll book the trip, or book the lodge stay, hotel stay, or the experience dog sledding hiking tour because they are excited to have that similar shared experience and when I learned more about visual storytelling and the impact that that has on travel, I realized that I had a responsibility to help the economy in smaller communities and I have a passion for that, of bringing people and showing people those hidden gems and those sweet spots that are a little less uncovered. I really think that that is making more of an impact, especially when you start to see places get so overpopulated, and what is now known as over tourism, and that can have a really negative impact on communities when there was originally a very positive desire to bring people into an area, but the over tourism can be can have a really negative effect. And so, that is my sweet

spot: 14:55

is showing people these places that you otherwise. Wouldn't know about or wouldn't get to, and again, as we talked about earlier, the van is that mode and that medium of travel that can take you outside of those areas that would otherwise be really close to an airport or really central location.

Dolores Semeraro: 15:13

You're not traveling alone; you're traveling with your beautiful, beautiful dog Sora, and I think that there are a lot of misconceptions about van life, right? You have been on it for the past nine years now. You've experienced the highs and the lows, the good days, the bad days. But there are always those questions that people ask you when you go back, or even when you don't go back. They just ask you these questions when they meet you along the way. Let's open this Pandora's box and let's talk about what are the stereotypes of van life that we really need to break down here. Like, and and let's talk about the truth behind van life. Like, you know, just to kind of call out the the podcast name. What are the things that people ask you that are absolutely not true and they don't happen. Or what are the crazy things that people ask you?

Dominique Ritchie: 16:04

The first funniest one, honestly, is that always comes to mind is when people ask me what I eat, and I think that's such a silly question because I have an oven and an induction cooktop in my van, and so I can actually cook anything that a regular person living in an apartment or a house could cook, yeah. So we, as van lifers, we eat regular food. Another question I get all the time, which shocks a lot of people, is where my gun is in the van, or if I carry a gun. And I obviously don't. And in Canada, that's just it's we. we don't. That's guns are not a thing in Canada. It's not even something that crosses our minds as something to have to protect for protection to protect ourselves because we don't view needing to protect ourselves from other people in that way. The other misconception, and I talk about this often with my friends that are other van lifers, and we have a lot of laughs about this. Is we say we want to show up in the world when we're in a grocery store at a restaurant, and people don't think we live in a van by the way we look. So we, I think, the idea of van life is that people assume we don't shower, and that we stink, and that we smell, and we dress a certain way, and that is just so not the case. But there is, I would say, for myself, because of that stereotype, a not an added pressure, but I'm more conscious of how I'm showing up when I step outside of my van, so that I don't quote unquote look like a van lifer.

Dolores Semeraro: 17:47

We do want to say that as a as people experiencing van life, van life is life, and it it it starts and every day starts and ends just as any day starts and ends. You wake up, you have coffee, you make your breakfast, you have a plan for the day, and perhaps you exercise or you take a walk outside or walk your dog if you are in the van with your dog, as we both are. You go out to see friends if you happen to be somewhere where you know anyone, or perhaps you just sit down at the table and do some work on your laptop, just like anyone would do during the day, right? And then you make your lunch, and then you make your dinner. I think the the the daily routine is not that different from a regular routine from a person living in an apartment. What is different is the element of safety that, as people living in van and traveling with the van, we constantly have to consider. The element of safety is an important element of the day-to-day van lifer because you need to consider where to park the van, whether you are in the van or maybe you are parking it to go and sightseeing, to go and visit somewhere, to go for a hike for the safety. Not just is not just your car, it's your house on wheels. So, as a person that has traveled through multiple countries, have you ever experienced situations where that safety element was at stake?

Dominique Ritchie: 19:26

The biggest thing I'll say, and something that I've learned over the years, is to really follow your intuition and your gut. If something feels off, it is generally off, and it's not something where you want to wait around and find out if you're right or if you're wrong. For being a solo woman on the road, one piece of advice I always give is to, if you're going to park up in a wild camping area, somewhere that is not a enclosed campground, what I always say is don't show that. You're a solo woman. If there's other people around, if you're gonna cook dinner, and you're gonna be outside wandering around on a hike or just exploring, go and drive to a different location and don't get out of your vehicle and park for the night. That is something that I always say. If you're in an area where you're not super familiar, and that way you're not showcasing to anyone that you are alone. The other thing that you can do is, you know, when you go, well, I don't do this, but some other people do this, where they actually have a men's pair of shoes and they leave them outside, so it looks like there's a man inside, or they close the door and they, when as they're closing the door, they say bye, babe, or bye, George, or they yell the name, so that it seems like there's someone in in the van. For me, a lot like a lot of that initial fear that definitely came in my first few years of van life has faded as I've grown with more confidence and I've become more resourceful. And some of those tactics are researching ahead of time, really looking at reviews of campsites, looking on iOverlander, and looking at you know how recent was a place visited, what's the history of the place, and really taking the time to look at the pictures, research the community, research the the area that you're going. Those sorts of things are really going to help. Just making sure that you're setting yourself up for success and not putting yourself in a situation where you might feel uncomfortable. A couple other things are not arriving at 7p.m. You know, arrive to a location early afternoon, get a feeling for the area. That way, if you do have to drive somewhere. You're not driving at night, or you're not putting yourself where you need to drive another two hours, and then your cortisol levels are high, and you're stressed, and then you're really taking away from the experience of van life.

Dolores Semeraro: 21:55

I like this this little examples of bye babe, by George. I never thought about that. Yeah, it's cool. So safety is a big factor, and that's why perhaps many people think about van life as a thing that they are not capable of. As oh, I would never do. I I get that a lot, a lot when we describe what we're doing with our van on this Pan American journey. A lot of people say the first reaction is, "Oh, I wouldn't. I don't know how you're doing this. I wouldn't be able to do it. And it's not because of the comfort of the food or the sleep or the showers as well. It's the safety. People feel unsafe. They feel like,"Oh, you're out and about in the street. Maybe van life isn't for everyone. What do you think?

Dominique Ritchie: 22:44

I love this because, of course, I'm very biased. But I personally feel like van life is the way. I think I feel like everybody has the capacity to live in a van. It's just really it is. It's it's a form of self expansion. When I was working, I've had a few jobs. When I was working as a vet assistant at a vet office years ago, one of the veterinarians there said to me, because there was all this change happening, always change in this and change in that. And she said, she was like, you know, Dominique, the best piece of advice I ever got in my life was that if you can adapt, you can you'll always be fine, and that sort of has no that not sort of has that really has stuck with me throughout my life because I just think of it you know there's always going to be development there's always going to be change and as long as we can adapt to the ebbs and flows we're always going to be able to thrive and I really feel like balances you in ways that you least expect it all the time. That all being said, people really do fear change, and I find that when you lean into your fear and you explore that unknown, that's where real growth happens in life. Van life is always challenging you, whether it's finding a new cafe, finding a new grocery store, finding gas, finding water, and you're always needing to be resourceful. And in that expansion of adapting to change and adapting to new experiences, you're growing your skill set of life in new places. Whether that's a new province, a new city, a new country, that's always going to be changing, and I'm also biased with van life as a really amazing way to live. First for the smaller footprint, you know, minus the gas that we spend to travel long distances. But I think a lot of that is offset by using less resources in other ways, so in a way we adapt.

Dolores Semeraro: 24:43

The adaptability factor is something that in van life goes along and changes with us as we change location, adapting to the social circumstances as well as adapting to the climatic circumstances. We are both going towards the southern tip of south the southern the most southern tip of South America. So we will see, we will witness moving forward some of the most extreme climates on Earth, and perhaps now more than ever, even more extreme. So, the adaptability-it's not just about where it's safe to sleep, based on crime rates, people running around the van, or food, groceries, water availability-but it's also where we are in the world, you know what the message that we can share as sort of messengers ourselves. I mean, where do I want to go with this? I think that there is responsibility in the storytelling of a van lifer, and I want to take a moment with you, as you as a professional content creator, to talk about that storytelling. It's such a responsibility to to say the truth of what's going on around the world, even when that truth doesn't look good. I do that in the podcast many times. Podcast name being truth behind travel itself. Although I want to keep a positive outlook, but there are stories, especially you know firsthand experiences that we we get to go through that are um that are not always pleasant, and sometimes we save those stories for a night cup with friends around the bonfire, when perhaps those stories may be useful to those listening to the podcast, saying, "Well, if you want to go to that place. Be

Dominique Ritchie: 27:02

As a content creator with an audience, it's it's not almost like we have a duty. We really do have a duty aware, this is happening. This is what you should be aware of. to highlight and talk about really important issues that are This is what I experienced in your personal van life going on in the world. Whether that's you know what's happening experience. Have you had a situation that you wish to share with our public and private lands, or the wildfires, or the climate change. A way to incorporate that more naturally with the podcast listeners to perhaps to a specific related to is to find, you know, if you if your niche is outdoors, which a specific destination? mine is, then you know you can really incorporate that in a lot of different ways. I think making sure that you have a voice and you take a stance on what's going on and bringing awareness to the general public about issues that they may not otherwise know about, and it doesn't have to be highlighted in a negative way. It can be highlighted, and I mean, it can be highlighted negatively. But a lot of the time, there's there's change that we can all do together in a positive way to protect our lands and make a difference, because when we do all come together, we do have an impact. And so, I think the more platforms and the more voices of content creators that do highlight what's going on in in particular countries and particular areas, the more knowledge that's shared with the general population outside of a regular media and news outlet, and there are other perspectives and more insider information that you might otherwise not know about.

Dolores Semeraro: 28:32

So, if I look at the general content that gets shared online by people living in a van, I can see different segments. Right, you've got the outdoor content style, so all about being in nature, extreme locations, four by four wheels, big vehicles, the adventure travel, so to speak, and then you have the content creation related to all sort of accessories that go around the camping life, so anything that you need-tans, kayaks, chairs, bonfire sets, all kinds-and also the content related to purely related to tourism and travel, and this kind of content showcases the destination rather than the van, and yours is a fully comprehensive van life storyline that shares the challenges of living in a van, the challenge of a solo female traveler today, at such a young age, but also with such a big experience already, you know, on your shoulders. The challenges are there, so let's say after nine years of van life, if you were to name your top three challenges, I don't need more because then otherwise it becomes. It sounded that we're making impossible to go out in a van and and and have this experience. In fact, this podcast today is incredible. Encouraging people to understand van life, perhaps even to get in touch with you and ask you even more questions of the hows and don'ts and do's of of this kind of lifestyle. So I know my challenges in a van, but I want to hear yours, like your top three challenges that you have encountered in the last nine years of full-time van life.

Dominique Ritchie: 30:21

Out of all the years of van life that I've lived, the first top challenge is community and friendships, because when I'm going away on long adventures and journeys that are longer than a month or two months from quote-unquote home base, which is Canada for me, Maintaining long distance friendships is it requires a lot of work and a lot of mindfulness to be staying in touch and maintaining community and friendships back home, while also creating new friendships and new community along the road because that's really important and I know that's what we're doing here right now, and those relationships that you have back, quote unquote, home, as well as the relationships that you're building along the way, they're both contributing to your life in in totally different ways that are both of equal importance. My second top challenge, which has been a more recent challenge now that we're in Mexico and out of Canada, and this is a challenge in the states and Canada as well, but just to a lesser degree, is Sora's safety. Having a dog living in a van has its own layer. If you were traveling solo or with a partner without a dog, I think you know you wouldn't have this challenge. But for Sora, she's my my fur baby. If I want to have her roaming off leash to give her that freedom. I need to do extra research in the area. Are there stray dogs? Are we in a fence location? What are the wildlife risks? Whether that's bears, coyotes, cougars, and also just making sure her recall is on point, which it is currently not. So it is something we are working on. But I want to be able to also incorporate more freedom into her lifestyle and protect her from those external dangers. And here in Mexico, it is the stray dogs, and that means that you know when we're wanting to go for a walk in town, she needs to be on a leash. I need to have my head on a swivel and be sure that I'm protecting her. The last, but certainly not least challenge that I've experienced in the van is having a DIY van build means that things are breaking, and I think even if you did have a fully built out brand new interior, you would also deal with things breaking with all the rattling and the bumps and speed bumps that we're experiencing now in dirt roads. Things just naturally degrade and fall apart over time, and that comes with a lot of repairs, and not just on the inside of the van, but also on the outside. So you're thinking about making sure you have a tire repair kit, etc. for your tires, but also engine maintenance. And so things can happen along the way that are unexpected. So, for example, you have an idea, you're going to go to a specific destination or location, but then you get a check engine light or you get a flat top. The other thing I'll say about that is, if you think your day has a particular plan and you've again got that destination in mind, it doesn't always go to plan, and then it kind of ties back into that adaptability where you have to be adaptable to be able to manage a repair that's necessary, while also managing getting your work done and getting to the location that you want to get to,

Dolores Semeraro: 33:30

that requires a constant sort of energy to find solutions, constantly finding solutions to any challenges that come along the way, and with those solutions, every time you achieve a little something, and you feel a little, you know, rewarded. Ah, I did it. I overcome this challenge. I overcome this this problem. I solved it. You grow something about yourself, like something you didn't know you were capable of. And I think van life and adventure travel. That's where they merge in in many ways. Because adventure today is something that has become so polished and perfected and organized that we we were both having this conversation about what does adventure really mean? You know, it's it's about having space for the unknown to happen so that you can challenge yourself. You can prove to yourself that you can do it and learn from it. So the learning curve of a life like this is perhaps one of the endless one. Well, it's it's endless. It never ends, and it's the biggest one. And when you go back home, you're never really the same, and somehow you don't fit quite back into the system, but also when life constantly changes and it's always something new and so different. Every day is different that there is no way fitting into a system of when life at a large. I think yes, there is a system, but it's so different. From each one of us, mine is different from yours and from other people we've met along the way, and the things we learn change us and make us grow and brings us to a whole different level of courage and awareness. So, if we were to leave the podcast listeners with, you know, the learnings of of a life lived on the road, out of your personal experience, what would that be?

Dominique Ritchie: 35:26

Before we dive into that, you touched on something that I wanted to say earlier when we were talking about is van life for everyone? Because I think that in that conversation, and it is, is that in that capacity that we all have, that I think we all have, it's those little wins. You slowly grow your confidence and your competence over time. Your skills, your resources. You become more resourceful. You learn how to answer all those unknown questions, all those big fears. Whether it's through friends, Facebook groups, YouTube, there is really always an answer, especially with AI now, you can really compile all these online resources and find solutions to all those questions. So I think you touch on a really important point, and the thing that I will share that has sort of come to me on this trip is that if you limit yourself with fear, if you allow fear to create these limits in your life, these invisible lines, you really miss out on the experience of life. We only get one life, and it's so cliche. But if you really think about it, why not go out and have as many experiences as possible. That phrase, "Do it for the plot, do it for the story. How cool is it to fill your life with endless experiences and memories of things you can achieve and experience that are within your wildest dreams? Because it truly is possible. The in my mind, the biggest thing holding you back is fear, and so if you can just push through that, I think you can live a really beautiful life.

Dolores Semeraro: 37:10

I love it. Thank you so much. Today on the podcast, we spoke about perhaps for the first time in full terms of what Ben life really means. From obviously through the lenses of a solo female traveler, full-time van lifer, and content creator. So that's quite an umbrella of out of the bigger van life meaning. Perhaps we'll have more van lifers on the podcast. I think there's there's there's a lot that can, you know, be discussed there and open a and create a conversation within the community because not a there's a lot of cliche and a lot of stereotypes around Van Lifeer. We're still known as, and I say we, I'm not even a full-time Benlifer, and I can't qualify as one compared to you, but I do think that there's a lot of stereotypes out there. People think of van lifers as outcast or gypsy or the new hippies or you know there's this romance around it. But the truth is that there's a lot of hard, hardcore reality to this life, and I want to bring that reality into this podcast. So today, thank you for opening the door to this conversation, Dominique. And it was great to have you on the podcast. Good luck on the journey. See you on the road. I'm sure we will meet again. And for those listening to this podcast, I just want to mention that this was perhaps out of five years of podcasting, the first interview that I have on the podcast that is a face-to-face interview, which doesn't come easy, as this podcast started during the pandemic, all the interviews were done out of Zoom, and most of it these days because my guest speakers are always far away. But in this case, it was the first time we could be face to face and record this in present, like being together in the same room, or actually as we are today in the same van. Really, hands with a real hug and a wish for you know the journey to be safe. And thank you for being on the podcast.

Unknown: 39:19

Thank you so much for having me. That was such a pleasure, and I wish the same for you.

Dolores Semeraro: 39:27

Thank you for being on the podcast today. What a great life story shared by Dominique on this episode! So much more to uncover about the truth behind van life, how it changes people, and how it opens up your mind to your own potentials, what you can really be capable of. If you want to get in touch with Dominique to learn more about her van life and content creator mission, head over to the show notes and find her contact details there. Meanwhile, never stop sharing with me your. Favorite topics and stories you wish to learn more of on the podcast. Don't be shy. Get in touch. See you soon on the next episode.