Alino

Apr 21, 2020

NBC News Reporter Chooses Vanlife After Hiking Pacific Crest Trail.

Hey everyone. I'm Liz Bryant and this is my Mercedes Sprinter Wild because I'm born wild and sprinting free. I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2015 and it took me about five months to get from Mexico to the Washington border. After that I went back to normal life reporting at NBC San Diego as a reporter that you would see on the 5 and 6 o'clock news.

Within the six months of leaving the trail and going back to my career I thought to myself, "what are you doing? You just learned all about what adventure is and about what living life is and being out in nature." I started looking at van life on Instagram. I came across it and then for the next year and a half researched it every single day. Finally I just said, "I'm not researching this anymore. I'm doing it." Bought of 2016, a brand new at that time, Mercedes Sprinter and I just said "there's always a back-up plan so just do it", and I did it and I've never looked back.

This is Wild. Wild is a 2016 Mercedes Sprinter 144 wheelbase. The van is a two-wheel drive not a four-wheel drive despite what people think because of my BF Goodrich all-terrain tires and I also have black rhino rims. I wanted the color to be monochromatic so black on black. Everything kind of matte that I could make matte black.

If you are trying to make a big change in your life give yourself a deadline and accomplish things in that timeline. This is what I did for my first big leap. I gave myself four or five months and each month I had a checklist. I made a goal like my apartment lease, take a safety course, research gear. That way I didn't feel pressured and I felt prepared. My advice to someone who asks, "what do I do for work?" Honestly you have to figure that out yourself.

I was just blessed with an NBC News career for seven years that transitioned me into having a video production company and that's part of your journey. Write down what you're passionate about and see how you can make that work remotely.

Follow Liz: https://www.instagram.com/wildbythemile/

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