Two Rangers, One Van and Ten Thousand Miles

Two Rangers, One Van and Ten Thousand Miles
by Leo Jenkins

This first appeared in The Havok Journal February 10, 2015 under the title: “Travel Tuesday: “What You Will.”

This is the preface to an ongoing journey — one of self discovery and exploration. With a couple of cameras and a 2000 Dodge van, two former Army Rangers will document the separation from material comfort to pursue an unparalleled human experience.

Two old friends living and traveling in a 2000 Dodge van for tens of thousands of miles could strain a friendship. Here’s the thing: the two of us never met before the start of this trip. Our interaction? Limited to a couple of phone calls and a few Facebook messages.

I am of the belief that too many people are conditioned to fear the unknown. This life is yours to live in any way you choose. Your movement or stagnation is up to you. This life is what you will it to be. Too many people wish for change, yet do little to pursue it. Furthermore, most individuals harbor a notable desire to help their fellow man, but are either too consumed with their own tribulations or too unsure of how to go about such things. A lifetime can pass with little focus on altruism. As Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?”

Each week we will take a “pay day” — $240 per week for all expenses including gas, food, and lodging. We’ll have to survive on $240 for the next seven days. The purpose? To show that even with limited funds it’s absolutely possible to break the shackles of servitude. Watch us travel the world for under a thousand dollars per month. At the end of each week, any excess funds will be given to someone in need.

We’ll attempt to give a weekly update of how far we have traveled, where we visited, interesting people encountered along the way, plus how much we gave to those in need.  We’ll call it Travel Tuesday: “What You Will”.