KYN: Cloquet Writer Embarks on a 6 Month Journey

DULUTH, Minn.– An ambition to travel the world, is something Cloquet writer Jess Waldbillig has felt for years. And just recently, she finally made it happen.

“I think like a lot of people who got into the van life thing, I became kind of obsessed with it during college and during quarantine. And so, I like followed a ton of people who lived out of their vans. Like, some mini vans like me, some like full on sprinter vans. And they just traveled wherever they wanted, whenever they wanted. And I was like, I’ve got to do this someday,” said writer Jess Waldbillig.

Eventually, Jess was able to get her hands on a minivan, already converted and ready for a life on the road.

All that was left, was telling her family about her upcoming adventure.

“And my siblings were just super excited about it. And my boyfriend was my biggest supporter for doing it. He knew how much this trip meant to me, and he you know, understands the want to get out of Minnesota to see the rest of the world and the rest of the country. So, I decided, no time like the present, and I wanted to take advantage of my opportunity to travel when I’m in full health, and I don’t have a ton of things holding me down. Like I’m not married, don’t have a family, I’m not married to a job yet. So, I’m like, why don’t I do this right after I graduate college,” said Waldbillig.

So, on June 4th of this year, Jess hit the road and began her journey to see the west coast.

“I drove through North Dakota, explored Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Washington Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and I drove back up through the Midwest. And I visited, I think it was 12 or 13 national parks. And of those, my favorite one was I think Mount Rainier,” listed Waldbillig.

And throughout that journey, she was able to grow as a person.

“I think I of course gained confidence in my ability to solve problems. Like, my second or third day on the road, my board in my floor broke. And it was in the spot where I couldn’t pull my bed out. And I don’t think I’ve ever used a drill before in my life. And I had to figure out how to use a drill and fix it. And at the time, that was really overwhelming,” explained Waldbillig.

She was able to encounter experiences she otherwise never would’ve expected.

“And I stumbled across this nonprofit called the Boseman Bike Kitchen. And basically, their initiative is to get bikes into the community for free or low cost. And so, if you volunteer for 8 hours in the bike kitchen, which is basically a do-it-yourself bike mechanic shop. You get a free bike. You just have to build it yourself from the parts that they have,” said Waldbillig.

This trip also changed Jess as a writer. She began a blog and documented her experiences on social media.

“Having the confidence to put it out there. I’ve never promoted my own writing in any way like this, and so that was super new. And definitely like that first time I was like, I don’t want to do this.
And this is cringe, you know? Now when the posts go up on Saturday mornings, I’m like, this is fun actually! And I’ll do my little social media posts, and maybe I’ll get some feedback on it. I wasn’t anticipating it to like to take off and become huge, so it was kind of for me, kind of also something to build my own personal portfolio too. And I figured I’m probably going to encounter some interesting people on my trip, definitely going to have high highs, and low lows. And I’m like, maybe someone would enjoy reading it,” said Waldbillig.

Those lessons, stories and experiences will live on with her forever.

According to Jess, she would go on another van life adventure in the future.

But with a bigger, more decked out van.