We Are Trail Vagabonds!
Welcome to our small corner of the Internet! We are Matt and Katie and together (with the doggos) we make up Trail Vagabonds. Trail Vagabonds initially came about on Instagram primarily as a means of sharing our #vanbuild and our journey towards full time #vanlife with friends and family. Along the way we discovered that we were interested in finding a way to give back to the community that we have acquired so much knowledge and know-how from. We (mostly Matt!) have spent hours upon hours researching and watching videos in all areas of alternative and tiny living including build videos and the ‘how-tos’ of living full time on the road. We think that the least that we can do is contribute to the creative body of work of this community. And so, the idea for this website and blog were born!
I am Katie (@realkatielee), one half of Trail Vagabonds. I work full time as an Emergency Veterinarian at a specialty veterinary hospital here in North Carolina. I pursued my DVM at the University of Minnesota and lived in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area for almost 10 years. It was the first home I created for myself after moving away from my parents as a freshman in college and I still have it labeled in my head as “home” even though it has been five years since I’ve lived there. Minneapolis is also where Matt and I met! Although veterinary medicine takes up a large portion of my physical and emotional time and energy, I do have a lot of hobbies outside of my profession including writing, photography, and outdoor recreation - cycling, running, hiking and camping - and every iteration and combination of those things you can imagine. My favorite and go-to is trail running. There is something about covering mileage and elevation, on single track, by foot that is inspiring and empowering. It is the activity that makes me feel the most confident and capable and strong. Mountain biking has the near opposite effect and tends to make me feel like a baby barely out of the training wheels! But truly, if the activity is outside, you can almost bet that I’ll be interested.
While Matt is the muscle and the labor behind the van build(s), my contributions will largely lie in the realm of behind the scenes creativity ranging from photography, social media management and the voice behind many of the blog posts. This is largely due to the ease of being able to accomplish those tasks at any hour which is crucial when juggling an additional full-time job - because you know, student loans! I am very excited to use this endeavor to explore creativity and infuse my life with more creative endeavors in new and exciting ways.
Matt (@realmattkelm) is the second half of Trail Vagabonds. He grew up in Minnesota and it truly is his capital ‘H’ Home despite his love of travel and exploration. Matt worked in Hospital Supply Chain for many years in Minnesota which afforded him the flexibility to travel the world. Ask him about the time he got stuck in China! And maybe about his time in Fiji, although I’m not sure he remembers much of his time there ;). After moving to North Carolina (to be with me!), he fell into a job that ended up being a bit of a soul suck. It seems to be a common narrative in this community - breaking free of the shackles of corporate work to pursue what you love - and Matt’s narrative is very similar. It is very much a privileged situation for us to be in and one we are thankful for daily. Matt also enjoys -all of the- outdoor activities. This is the most obvious aspect of what makes us so compatible! His favorite activity is mountain biking but he would spend all of his time biking (of any kind) if he didn’t have so many other outdoor hobbies splitting his time. Traveling is probably Matt’s biggest life passion. Whether it be via road trip or overseas, Matt loves to explore and be in nature. He is also an intellectual sponge when it comes to learning about unfamiliar cultures, religions and regions.
Matt is the labor and creative work behind our Youtube channel. He is basically single-handedly building out our van and making Youtube videos. He loves to work with his hands and puts a premium on his craftsmanship. Matt also REALLY enjoys engaging with the community, answering questions and helping others out with their builds. If you’ve left a comment on YouTube you’ve gotten your response from Matt. He is diligent in responding to every single comment with a well thought out, engaging response.
We’ve said it many times, but our motivation to “DO” van life is as a means to an end. We aren’t building out a van because we want to live in 65 square feet, but rather because we want to facilitate living and being in Nature. It will also (hopefully) facilitate our ability to pay off our student loans and other debts, so our motivations are both personal and financial. We know that there are a million ways this life can look for people and there are no “wrong” ways to #vanlife. We hope you enjoy following along on our personal journey and being a part of this community. Leave a comment below and let us know where you are following from!