About The Sol Wanderer
I didn't build The Sol Wanderer because I had a vision. I built it because I was drowning and needed somewhere to breathe.
I didn't plan for any of this. The camper, the road, the grief that preceded it, or the woman I became on the other side.
I'm Rachel. Former educator, education consultant, photographer, and a woman who arrived at midlife with more questions than answers and decided to listen to the pull of the road. I'm a late-in-life Swiftie who runs on coffee, and the sunshine of the big open Wyoming skies. But my heart will forever long for the green and trees of my New England home. I'm a travel addict who is still heartbroken they stopped using passport stamps. And travel isn't just my biggest passion. It's how I make sense of things.
I won't pretend the road fixes everything, but movement has a way of loosening what grief and transition make rigid.
I've made more mistakes than I can count. I've doubted myself at every turn. I've lost my way more times than I'd like to admit.
If any of that sounds familiar, if you're feeling the pull toward something more intentional, if you haven't quite talked yourself into it yet, if you're carrying something heavy into this next season, you're in the right place.
Sol Wanderer isn’t about running away.
It's about choosing what comes next instead of waiting for it.
It's about reclaiming the life you almost forgot to live.
The Journey
I didn’t buy a tiny camper because of grief. I bought it because I was hungry for independence and freedom again. At first, the road was about taking my life back—choosing open sky over crowded schedules, learning new skills, and proving to myself that I could tow, park, and set up my own little home on wheels.
Then grief arrived, and the journey changed. What started as a quest for freedom became a way to survive loss, one quiet morning, one back road, and one small brave choice at a time. Grief, midlife, and the quiet questions that creep in at 3 a.m. made me start asking: What if I chose freedom on purpose? What if the next chapter wasn’t about “bouncing back,” but about building something softer, slower, and more honest?
The Sol Wanderer grew from those questions—and from a lot of miles on the road.
Milestones on the Open Road
I traded "normal" for a small camper, dirt roads, and solar-powered days and never looked back. Along the way, I learned how to boondock, tow, and trust myself in wide open spaces that once felt intimidating and now feel like home. I figured out how to work, grieve, and heal while chasing sunsets instead of deadlines. Every mile added a little more confidence and a little less noise. What started as an experiment became a way of living: intentional, solar smart, pared down, and deeply mine. And slowly, those hard-won lessons became something I could pass forward, tools, checklists, and guides for other women ready to find their own open road.
Why I’m Here With You
I’m not here as an expert on a mountaintop. I’m here as a woman in midlife who has cried in campground showers, celebrated tiny wins on lonely highways, and learned how to feel both lost and steady at the same time.
The Sol Wanderer exists so you don’t have to do this alone. Here, you’ll find real stories, practical how tos, and gentle structure to help you:
- Plan your routes and seasons with intention
- Power your tiny space with the sun
- Organize a camper that actually works for how you live
- Design a life that actually feels like yours
- Hold your grief and your joy in the same small space
This isn’t about escaping your life. It’s about reclaiming it—one mile, one campsite, one brave choice at a time.