Cloquet Writer Travels Cross Country

DULUTH, Minn.– One Cloquet writer, decided one day to take the adventure of a lifetime and travel cross country living in a van for six months.

Filled with ambition and excitement, Jess Waldbillig hit the road and traveled the west coast for six months. All while living out of her converted van.

She drove over 13,500 miles, and checked out state parks, and other pit stops along the way.

She was influenced by social media accounts posting their adventures.

And decided now is the perfect time to fulfill her dream to travel.

“I’ve always wanted to travel. I didn’t really have a ton of opportunity to travel like growing up. My family, we just couldn’t do it. And so, I knew as an adult, I wanted to make traveling a priority for myself,” said Jess Waldbillig.

The experience not only helped her growth as a person but also enabled her writing as well.

She told her story though her blog and pictures she took along the way.

“My second or third day a board in my floor broke. And it was in a spot where I couldn’t pull my bed out. And I don’t think I’ve ever used a drill before in my life. So, I had to figure out how to use a drill and fix it. And at the time that was really overwhelming. Like God, day three and stuff is already breaking in the van. But like, I figured it out,” said Waldbillig.

You will be able to hear more about Jess’s story next week when we feature her in our Knowing Your Neighbor segment.