Eric, Brittany and Caspian (Hourless Life)

Where are you from?

Eric was born in Seattle; Brittany was born in Ontario, Canada, and Caspian was born in Austin (a full-time traveler from birth)

When did you start your interest in exploration?

Both of us are the children of immigrants. Eric's mother came to the U.S. from Mexico as a single mother, and Brittany's parents immigrated from Canada. Subsequently, Eric joined the Coast Guard at 19-years-old and served 20 years. He has been to Antarctica twice and circumnavigated the globe by ship. Brittany grew up taking trips by vehicle from Texas as far as Yellowknife, Canada, to visit family. Exploration has enchanted us for as long as we can remember, but it wasn't until adulthood that we considered traveling full-time or overlanding internationally.

What is a brief understanding of your background story up until you started seeking adventure?

At the beginning of our marriage in 2011, we were pursuing fairly typical goals. We were growing our small business in order to earn enough money to purchase a house together and live a (materially) comfortable life. But it wasn't long before Eric voiced a dream he had been nurturing. He said he actually wanted to buy an RV and travel in it full-time, running our online marketing company from the road. Brittany was game, and by February 2014 we'd made the necessary adjustments to work independent of location--as long as we had Internet connectivity. Slowly, our comfort zone expanded. We purchased a Jeep Wrangler that took us farther off-road and we began to camp off-grid for longer periods of time. By 2018 when we "discovered" the concept of international overlanding, we could imagine ourselves tackling a circumnavigation of the world by vehicle. We've changed so much over time. Even in 2014 when we started traveling full-time, we couldn't have imagined ourselves capable of an adventure like the one we're on now.

What special skills do you have to help with your explorations?

We have fewer practical skills than you might expect. We aren’t wilderness warriors, mechanics, navigational geniuses, linguistic experts, or financially wealthy. Eric does have extensive training in self-defense, situational awareness, and paramedical care through his service in the Coast Guard, and he also has a respectable amount of vehicle recovery experience after years of off-roading. As a full-time international traveler, logistics is basically a full-time job, and that's where Brittany's organizational strengths come to bear. But what is really required day-to-day, much more than any of these practical skills, is a hefty dose of flexibility and patience, and a robust sense of humor.

Where have you explored so far?

All of us, five-year-old Caspian included, have spent at least one night in all Lower 48 United States. We love the U.S. national park system, and Caspian has visited 37 of the 63 parks (as well as many other types of units like national monuments). We've taken three trips through Mexico, mainland in 2019 and 2021/2022 and Baja in early 2020. We've driven through all seven countries in Central America, during rainy season! And now we've arrived in South America to begin overlanding across another continent.

What is a brief understanding of your adventures so far?

We spent six years as full-time RVers, gradually going farther afield until we were camping weeks at a time off-grid. During that time, we acquired a Jeep Wrangler, which strengthened our off-road skills and exposed us to a type of exploration that isn't attainable with a larger vehicle. Eventually, the RV lifestyle no longer held any challenge for us, and we began to crave a new adventure. It was during that period of wondering that we heard the word overlanding for the first time. We used what we already had, our Jeep Wrangler, and took two experimental trips into Mexico. These trips proved that we love international overlanding and are capable of living out of a Jeep as a family of three. It took three years to close our life in the United States. We sold our last RV at the end of 2020 and moved into our Jeep full-time. On October 9, 2021, we left on a 10-15 year drive around the world.

What are the top three destinations you hope to explore next, and why?

We recently arrived in Colombia, South America, and we plan to spend almost six months here. Afterwards, we'll head south into Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. We'll spend somewhere between 2-3 years driving around South America, before shipping our Jeep to Africa.

Where would you recommend others visit?

For those of us from the United States, our country is an incredible gift to all explorers and overlanders. While foreign visitors must carefully watch their vehicle length and rush through places they love, we have no time limits. One could spend a lifetime uncovering the many treasures of the U.S. and barely scratch the surface. But for those intrigued by international overlanding, we recommend Mexico. Alaska is an adventure, but travels there do not require any cultural shift or grappling with another language. Mexico is close to home, but gives an authentic sense of what global overlanding is like. Our favorite city in Mexico is Guanajuato (we might retire there) and our favorite region is La Huasteca Potosina. We have videos about both on our YouTube channel.

How do you primarily travel on your adventures today?

We live and travel in a 2021 Jeep Gladiator Sport S with Max Tow Package, which has the highest payload capacity of the various Gladiator trims. Our habitat is the Alu-Cab Canopy Camper. Caspian sleeps below on our Goose Gear cabinetry, and we sleep above in the Canopy Camper bed.

What are five pieces of equipment that you always travel with?

Our Garmin inReach Explorer+ is our most important piece of gear because it allows us to communicate from anywhere in the world as long as we have a clear view of the sky. After that, it's hard to choose, since our Jeep is literally our home and is outfitted only with items that we use regularly and consider essential. We do love our Helinox camping chairs, which we spend a lot of time in. We also love our National Luna fridge from Equipt Expedition Outfitters, which slides out from our backseat.

What inspires you to explore more?

We love meeting people in the countries we visit and understanding our new surroundings through their eyes.

How do you engage with others?

After almost nine years of full-time travel, we have built a large community online. We are grateful to the friends who encourage us through the challenges on platforms like Patreon. Many overlanders are on the Pan-American and our paths usually cross at some point. As for locals, we meet the same places you would meet anyone: at campgrounds, restaurants, on hiking trails, and through mutual connections.

Why is it important to embrace global cultures?

Our family mission statement is Love. Explore. Study. Share. We don’t allow the media to influence our views of people we’ve never met. We believe people all over the world are very much like us. Each person has infinite value, deserving love and respect. We want our son to know this first-hand and be able to push back against incorrect stereotypes and cultural biases. No one will be able to tell him what a country is like; he will have friends all over the world and be able to advocate for them.

What are your goals when you explore?

Even a full year after leaving the United States, our goals continue to evolve and take shape. Since we are traveling as a family, our foremost priority is making sure our relationships stay strong and everyone's well-being is seen to. You have to understand this is not a 1-2 year trip. This is a 10-15 year trip. So each day is viewed with a long-term mindset; the lifestyle must be sustainable in order for us to reach our goal of driving around the world. Eric is a disabled veteran, so we are always considering his physical needs and how to balance exploration with recuperation. Caspian is constantly changing as he grows, and we channel a lot of energy into answering his questions and teaching him about what we're experiencing. Brittany focuses her quiet moments into studying cultures and understanding how the history of a country shapes its destiny.

What are some challenges you have experienced?

Tornado tailwind in Honduras that took out our awning. Hurricane passing through Costa Rica. A swarm of Nicaraguan termites mating in the air that came into our habitat through holes we didn't know about. Sickness that left us bedridden and calling doctors for house calls. Those are some of the big events, but the real challenges tend to be things like taking care of elderly family members back in the states, missing family events like the birth of our second grandson, and bureaucratic nightmares.

What has been your most meaningful moment so far?

We've had so many conversations that altered our mindsets forever. But we'll never forget the man who approached us in Cartago, Costa Rica. He was selling cheap candy out of a plastic bag. He had fled from Venezuela with his wife and daughters and was hoping to settle in Costa Rica. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to earn enough money to stay and would be deported back to Venezuela. He said death awaited him there. So every day without fail, he went out to sell candy. Once he earned enough to keep a roof over his family's head for another night, he would get some sleep, then wake up and do it all over again. He said it wasn't beneath him to sell candy, just to take care of his family. 

How has exploration changed you?

We like to think we aren't so quick to judge others. We have grown very skeptical of media reports. We always question the source of what we hear and the motivation for what is being said. We've learned to seek out people with hands-on experience and first-hand knowledge. We believe controversial issues include a lot of nuance, grey area. As human beings, black and white is much easier to digest. But the truth usually lies in the grey area, and it takes effort to discover.

What is the number one lesson that you have learnt through your exploration?

We tell people not to wait. Explore now, with what you have. You don't need that expensive vehicle you see on Instagram or the gear that's being marketed to you. Don't spend so much money on stuff that you don't have anything left to travel with. Stuff is a poor substitute for experience.

How do you explore locally?

Home is wherever we're together. 

What advice would you give to others who are seeking life changing adventure?

Honestly, just do it.