ROVA is a print and digital magazine about traveling the roads of North America: the insightful stories, the spectacular images, and the people who make up this vibrant, growing community.
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WHY THE ROAD? • ROVA catches up with road travelers to get the scoop on why they choose to live the nomadic life.
THE FORGOTTEN RV Living large in the back of a truck • Getting on the road doesn’t have to break the bank. With a little bit of vision and some basic skills, you can easily transform your truck into a simple but sweet mini-camper.
PICTURE IMPERFECT THE DANGERS OF FILTERING TRAVEL EXPERIENCES THROUGH A SMARTPHONE • From volcanic forces to predatory fauna, the unique perils in Yellowstone National Park are plenty. Still, they pale in comparison to an unexpected silent assassin: the smartphone.
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF ROCK CLIMBING • What my mind misses the most when I can’t head to the crag.
TRAVELING AMERICA BIRD BY BIRD • Bird-watching has a way of inspiring travel. Just like the birds that migrate across the earth, birders, too, must travel the world in search of the feathered creatures that captivate them.
THE FEAR OF LONELINESS • Loneliness is an inevitable part of being human. It can express itself in many different ways at many different times. Learning to sit patiently with our loneliness can be both terrifying and thoroughly rewarding.
THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL IN A WARMING WORLD • Most travel habits—road trips included—are taking a steep toll on the environment. Until viable alternatives are available, travelers face tough choices.
OVERLANDING WITH A GERMAN PATRIARCH LESSONS FROM MY CHILDHOOD • How travel is inspired in a young boy by a dad who eats raw meat, goes sightseeing in war zones, and entices African wildlife with a bar of soap.
THIS NEW RELIGION • How a budget road trip along the east coast became a pilgrimage in a new religion of fictive boxers, American flags and sewers that inspire killer clowns.
GETTING HITCHED ON THE ROAD • When we left Hawaii to RV across the United States and Canada for 15 months, we had no idea what kind of adventures we’d get into. We especially never thought that we’d end up getting married at an RV campground with our travel trailer next to us, in all of its outdoorsy (but not-at-all glamorous) glory.
SURF CITY • A photo essay
IT’S WILLAMETTE, DAMMIT • World-class wine, natural beauty and other delights take center stage in this Oregon region—just make sure you pronounce it properly.
THE WAY WEST UNDER A GRAY SKY • When my wife and I drove out west, I promised her she’d see the Rockies, because the trip from Nebraska to Colorado is itself a drive into the mountains. But you’ll only really get to experience that if it’s a clear day.
LAKE HAVASU CITY A COMMUNITY-CENTRIC PARADISE ON THE EDGE OF ARIZONA • An unplanned extended stay in Lake Havasu City reveals a township strengthened by beauty, energy and community.
THE SIMPLE LIFE IN AMISH COUNTRY • A visit to Ohio’s Amish country is a master class in living simply.
CALLING ALL WATERFALL LOVERS • Words and images by Erin McGrady and Caroline Whatley There’s more to the southeast than meets the eye.
FINDING DELAWARE • Often dismissed as an uninteresting state with no remarkable features, Delaware isn’t the first choice for many road-trippers. But that’s a big mistake.
THE FRENCH ROUTE • A sabbatical in southwest France takes us out on its sublime back roads, and into the heart of its small villages, where a lively present communes with an ancient past.
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