On January 1, 2016, brothers Justin and Adam Fricke left their home base in Orlando, Florida — and any semblance of the traditional career path — for an 82-square foot sprinter van and a year of adventure.
"We're two Floridian brothers fighting society's natural pull to the post-college desk life,"they write on their blog. "Who says you can't do meaningful work that you love and have fun doing it? We say you can."
To prove it, they plan on stepping foot in all 50 US states over the course of their year-long road trip, which they dubbed, "The Bro'd Trip."
After two months on the road — and 11 states checked off the list — Justin, 25, and Adam, 23, spoke to Business Insider about their new lifestyle: what it looks like, the reality of working on the road, and how they can afford it:
SEE ALSO: One couple quit their jobs to build a new life traveling the US in a 98-square-foot tiny home
Before The Bro'd Trip, Justin worked in commercial real estate lending. "I felt like I made it,"he writes of his job with a downtown office, consistent pay, and benefits — but he got a bit too comfortable and found himself settling for mediocrity.
"The Bro'd Trip is my way of getting comfortable being uncomfortable and taking a risk,"he writes. "I've turned in a pretty cool corporate job for a life of uncertainty, and I'm looking forward to it."
Adam, having graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2015, didn't need to experience cubicle life to know it wasn't for him. While he came up with backup career plans in case The Bro'd Trip — which they'd been planning for two years — fell through, ultimately, he didn't apply for any traditional post-college jobs.
"Since I'd been socking away so much money, I was thinking worst case scenario, I could put it toward additional camera gear or studio space and focus more on a freelancing career," he tells Business Insider. "But when things started shaping up in the few months prior to the trip, that idea was scrapped for the time being and there was no turning back."
"We saved for about two years while Justin was employed full-time and freelancing," Adam explains. "And I finished school and worked part-time, freelancing as well."
Their goal was to set aside about $45,000 before hitting the road. Living rent-free at home allowed them to build up savings relatively quickly and, "with the help of sponsors, we met that goal and then some," Adam explains.
Their primary sponsors are outdoor apparel company Merrell and Enerplex, which sells solar integrated consumer electronics. "They see eye to eye with our vision and we align with their branding," the brothers explain. "In return for product and a monthly stipend, we provide them with blog posts, photos, video clips, and social media posts that help them connect with their target audience."
In November 2015, Justin and Adam flew up to Rhode Island to purchase their new home: a 2008 Dodge Sprinter van, which they then drove 22 hours non-stop back home to Florida.
The van cost $21,000 — plus an extra $1,000 for renovations, which they handled themselves over the course of two months.
"We researched other van builds for months, pulling ideas to plan something that would be the perfect fit for us and our specific needs," Adam says. "I did most of the math and measuring. Justin did a majority of the power tool handling. Although there was tons of trial and error, we found that between the two of us there wasn't anything that we couldn't work through."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider