Going Solo: Female RVer Travels America Alone

By Jamie May

WHEN YOU SEE how easily things in your life—or even your life itself—can be lost, it makes you face one big question: How do I want to live?

At a time in my life when I was the happiest I had ever been, a collision set me off in a whole new direction to living the life of my dreams and traveling full time. But it didn’t come without struggle. It took time to bring my dream to fruition, even after I made my decision.

After growing up in the Midwest, I followed my dreams out West and found ample opportunities in the corporate world. On my morning commute one day, traffic slowed, but the truck and trailer behind me didn’t. The driver slammed into my car and took off. I spent a day in the emergency room, years recovering, and tens of thousands of dollars trying to get my life back. Nearly everything I had was taken away in an instant, but I still had my life, and for that I was grateful.

But after the hit-and-run, I was terrified of driving! I almost died on the road, so why would I want to live on it?

Well, at that time, I didn’t. In fact, all I wanted to do was stay home and stay safe. But the seed was planted with me then that maybe I didn’t want to try to gain back all I had lost, and maybe there was a simpler way to live. Maybe I wanted to do more than pursue the version of the American Dream I’d had before, and instead create my own definition of the American Dream and what it meant for me.

Ultimately, the way I decided I wanted to live looked nothing like the way I was living before.

With therapy, I was able to begin driving again. A little more life happened, and I still had a feeling that I wasn’t being true to myself. I continued on in a painful marriage that I didn’t want, living a life I didn’t want, until one day I decided to break free.

I was now freelancing for work. I had converted a cargo trailer that only needed a few minor upgrades to make it livable. So when everything in my life opened up for me to go, I hit the road.

With a simpler life and less to maintain, I had more time to write, more time to travel, and more time to visit people I loved who lived far away. It was my “now or never” moment, so I took it and ran with it.

Once I got out on the road, I quickly found ways to make this lifestyle work long-term, which I didn’t know was an option before. I found support on the road and other people like me. Most importantly, I faced all my fears, and nothing bad happened. I traveled for nearly a year by myself, and it was one of the best experiences of my life.

Life moves at a different pace when you’re on the road. Being detached from the world I was so attached to before gave me a peace and calm I never want to let go of.

My days were no longer dictated by a clock or a to-do list, but instead followed the rhythm of sunrises, sunsets, and seasons. I became in tune with nature in a way I’d never been before, and felt foolish for just now seeing these things that were always there for me to see, but that I had never taken the time to look at.

To read the full story, find The Proving Ground: A 12-Month Solo Road Trip Across America on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle.

My travels took me through 20 states. Sometimes I would travel with friends I made along the way, but most of the miles I logged were on my own.

Now that I’ve overcome my fear, the road feels like home to me. The road lets me be me, gives me the freedom I have always longed for, offers amazing views, and is a place where I will always be at peace.

After the car accident, I could have never dreamed that the open road would do those things for me. Now, I could never imagine missing out on all of those experiences. It has helped to make me into who I am today as a person.

Follow Jamie at @jypsythreads