Glamour Overland

Glamour Overland

“Our Lifestyle Laundry List”

It’s another day packing up the motorhome. Somewhere between hours of driving, with our eyes glued to the road or a screen, we squeezed in a chaotic, rushed grocery store run. A hastily scarfed-down sandwich from a roadside stop sits in my belly. Feeling like a pack mule, I hobble down cobblestone streets with two giant bags of laundry slung across each side of my body.

Rinse and repeat. This is the dark side of overlanding that no one talks about.

This felt familiar.

But it wasn’t the flashbacks to all the all-day laundry days in Europe (rain or rain). It wasn’t even the familiar sting that this day would be a wash — pun intended. We knew the streets. We knew the stores. More importantly, we knew the laundromat. All of this meant time saved.

Out of logistical necessity, the routines of everyday life steered us back to many of the same places. What we found were small pockets of familiarity; a novelty in the ever-changing environment of overlanding. As a result, we spent less time sweating the small stuff, and more time on meaningful things — like petting Oz.

Our Lifestyle Laundry List

Since it’s easy to glamorize overlanding, it’s fair to address some of the challenges.

We’ve often discussed how the same things we did at home take about ten times longer on the road. Things we once took for granted, like throwing away trash, buying groceries, or doing laundry.

And since we’re talking about laundry…

When laundry piles up in a small home on wheels, the compass needle quickly shifts from “Where are we going?” to “Where can we get our laundry done?” It’s all about being in the right place at the right time—in more ways than one.

“Sir, step away from that last washing machine…”

More broadly, everything revolves around our ability to navigate the roads and park safely. Even grocery shopping often means choosing a big chain supermarket simply because we can park there.

Showers might be a few steps away or a long walk uphill (both ways), and the water could be cold, tepid, warm, or hot—all four if we’re lucky. And never forget to carry a roll of toilet paper.

On hot days, we choose between a home with shade and shitty Wi-Fi or a home with sweaty Wi-Fi. On rainy days, we’re stuck in a box with a cute wet dog wondering, “What’s the big fuss about my paws?”

And of course, vehicle trouble, health issues, weather, or a lack of resources can upend even the best-laid plans.

While this lifestyle is a privilege, it doesn’t erase life’s unavoidable realities—disappointments, growing pains, existential worries, physical ailments, unexpected accidents, or illness. Or laundry.

Life just happens alongside the adventure.

But just as the day is done, tears well up. We watch wispy clouds drift mysteriously around the frost-dusted limestone cliffs towering above us. We see a rancher scooping up his lambs to lure their mothers, while an adorable ranch dog corrals the goats with ecstatic fervor. My heart swells. And I still can’t quite believe we get to experience this.