HOW WE GOT STARTED.
It all started when we decided to take a road trip after college. We wanted to travel the country on our (meager) savings account to see as much of the country as we could until the money inevitably ran out. Owen, being born and raised in the south, had yet to see anything west of the Alabama/Mississippi border. MAK had hardly seen anything in the lower 48 due to her military upbringing that was mostly spent elsewhere in the world. We also wanted to scout out a new city to call home. The results of those efforts were 6 months spent living in a Honda Element, 14,000 miles, 21 National Parks, and 36 states. After our bank account ran dry we arrived back in Atlanta, GA to look for jobs. Before we knew it, it was two years later. We had desk jobs, two cars, and a house.
One night we were up late working on freelance work on top of our 9-5’s. Out of nowhere Owen turned and said:
“Why aren’t we on the road anymore?”
It was at that moment we realized that not a single day that had gone by that we didn’t wish we were on the road. MAK responded,
“Well, let’s do it again, but let’s make it sustainable this time.”
That night we stayed up and wrote out a plan for how to live on the road full time and take our careers with us. We set a date for exactly two years in the future.
It’s April 19th, 2016, two years after the night we made a plan. A van has been purchased and overhauled, we’ve gotten married, we’ve both quit our jobs, and we’ve started two new freelance careers and it was the first day we called the road home…
Meet the team.
MAK.
Born and raised military kid with an impressive resume of moves under her belt. A firm believer in the fact that there are no strangers in this world, just friends she hasn’t met yet. Wife to Owen.
Occupation: Adventure Photographer & Filmmaker
Activity: Surfing, Skating & Hiking
Searching for: Swimming Holes & Tacos
In Another Timeline: I’m an early explorer with a focus on bird cataloguing.
Website: MAKWASHERE.com
Owen.
Owen grew up outside Atlanta, Georgia and still has a soft spot for that area. After college his world greatly expanded through travel and the outdoors and he’s never looked back. Husband to MAK.
Occupation: Motion Graphics Designer & Filmmaker
Activity: Climbing & Hiking
Park: Yosemite
Team: Atlanta Falcons
Website: wewander.tv
Newest member of the team.
Boo!
Meet Boo! Born in April 2023, she is named after the sweet and spunky girl from Monsters Inc as she too shares those traits. Boo has an affinity for tree climbing, being outside, and taking naps in the sun. Though life on the road is new to her, she has taken to it as if it’s all she’s ever done… Come to think of it, it is the only life she’s ever known!
Meet the Rigs.
New and old.
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MAKE: 2023 TOYOTA
MODEL: TUNDRA 4X4 W/ FOUR WHEEL CAMPER HAWK WITH NORWELD FLATBED
BUILT BY: MAIN LINE OVERLAND
DATES: JUNE 2023 - PRESENT
Jolene is MAK & Owen's 2023 Toyota Tundra/Four Wheel Camper and current home on the road. Jolene was built in preparation for full time international travel with subtle, but important updates from Roxy. Jolene was also built by the talented Main Line Overland in West Chester, PA. She is made up of a Four Wheel Camper Hawk Flatbed, Norweld flatbed tray, full Dobinsons suspension, ADD Stealth Fighter front bumper, ComeUp Winch, Baja Design light bar, Redarc power management system and Solar panels, and Dakota lithium batteries.
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MAKE: 2019 TOYOTA
MODEL: TUNDRA 4X4 W/ FOUR WHEEL CAMPER HAWK FLATBED
BUILT BY: MAIN LINE OVERLAND
DATES: FEBUARY 2019 - 2023
Roxanne was MAK & Owen's 2019 Toyota Tundra/Four Wheel Camper and home on the road. Though she’s their fourth rig since living on the road, she was the perfect combination of all the previous builds. Roxy was built by the talented Main Line Overland in West Chester, PA. She is made up of a Four Wheel Camper Hawk Flatbed, Norweld flatbed tray, full Dobinsons suspension, ADD Stealth Fighter front bumper, ComeUp Winch, Baja Design light bar, ARB Safari snorkel, Overland Solar panels, and Battle Born lithium batteries. For more information about the build, parts list, and video tour head over to this blog post.
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MAKE: 2008 TOYOTA
MODEL: TACOMA 4X4
BUILT BY: US
DATES: JULY 2018 - FEBRUARY 2019
He might not look like much Lando served as MAK & Owen’s home on wheels for nearly eight months. After realizing that Amelia wasn’t going to work as their long term rig they wanted something fast, cheap and simple so they could get back on the road as soon as possible. After purchasing Lando in South Carolina they completed a full build in the bed of the truck in just 3 days for less than $400. While living in Lando, MAK & Owen traveled through the East Coast Canadian Maritime provinces and going as far north as Labrador. To learn more about Lando’s build check out the blog post and parts list here and the video about the build here.
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MAKE: 1985 TOYOTA
MODEL: SUNRADER 4X4
BUILT BY: US
DATES: AUGUST 2017 - JULY 2018
When MAK & Owen realized that they needed to start looking for a new rig to help them transition out of their Vanagon, 4x4 Sunrader’s were at the top of the list. They were extremely lucky to find one, in its fully original state, because of their rarity. After purchasing Amelia they spent three months living in it to help them plan the full rebuild of the interior in an effort to modernize it to accommodate their lives and work on the road. What was planned as a two month build quickly turned into a nine-month overhaul due to unforeseen complications. After the build was finally complete MAK & Owen spent three weeks living in her before ultimately realizing that she was not going to be the best long term fit for their changing goals. Though it was hard to say goodbye MAK & Owen wanted to be sure that she went to a new home in her prime. To learn more about the build details and parts lists, check out these blog posts. If video is more your style, you can check out the full video series on the Sunrader build here.
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MAKE: 1985 VOLKSWAGON
MODEL: VANAGON WESTFALIA
BUILT BY: US
DATES: JANUARY 2015 - FEBRUARY 2018
As soon as MAK & Owen decided to go on the road they knew what vehicle they wanted to do it in. Nothing says adventure quite like a VW Vanagon does. Stanley was purchase a year before their planned departure date so they could spend some time working on and getting to know the van that they would soon call home. When purchased, Stanley was bone stock and in need of modernization. Stanley received a new Subaru engine, transmission, clutch, radiator, house battery system, solar panels, bigger wheels, off-road tires, and tons of exterior storage. Owning a VW brought so many wonderful people into MAK & Owen’s lives but ultimately the lack of reliability and expensive parts brought their journey together to a close. Selling Stanley was one of the hardest things MAK’s ever done because she felt like she was giving up on the first home that she and Owen had ever built together. For a tour of Stanley including all of his upgrades, check out this video.
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MAKE: 2004 Honda
MODEL: Element
BUILT BY: Us!
DATES: Summer 2008
The Element was MAK’s daily driver for years. When the idea was hatched to hit the road after college and explore, no question, the Element was the perfect rig for the job. Loaded with just some hand-me-down camping gear and a few bins to keep gear organized. MAK & Owen traveled and lived out of the Honda Element for six months and nearly circumnavigated the lower 48.
Frequently Asked Questions.
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As of 2023, we’ve been on the road for 7.5 years!
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As of 2023, we’ve covered most of North America including Alaska, Canada, and Mexico.
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We work from the road as full time photographers, filmmakers and in Owen’s case Motion Graphics Designer.
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We work for a handful of brands that we align with on a monthly, quarterly, whenever-they-need-us basis for content creation, videos, brand imagery, and other photography needs to name a few. If there’s anything else you’d like to pitch please don’t hesitate to reach out!
