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/