- Before this summer, Harshit Bajpai had never traveled in a van or RV.
- Then he spotted a program involving a free van trip. All he needed to do was record birdsongs.
Before this summer, Harshit Bajpai was a self-proclaimed van virgin.
Late one day, the 30-year-old data scientist was scrolling on Instagram when he spotted a post promoting an opportunity to live and travel in a van for free. The only catch was that the driver of the van would record birdsongs, which would then be used for a nonprofit's conservation efforts.
Bajpai told Insider that he was intrigued. He liked nature, preserving it, and exploring new places. Plus, he was even more thrilled he wouldn't need to use up vacation days, as he could work remotely from the van.
Bajpai looked into the details and discovered the application closed at midnight the same day. In a last-minute, hopeful effort, Bajpai said he submitted his application 20 minutes before the window closed.
After a round of interviews, Bajpai was selected out of 1,800 to travel and bird-watch across the East Coast. Bajpai brought along a friend, and together, the two lived in a Ram ProMaster for a week for the very first time.
By the end of it, Bajpai said he was hooked on both bird-watching and van life.
Bajpai spent seven days recording birdcalls in the van
The Instagram ad Bajpai spotted was posted by the technology company Lenovo.
The company partnered with the nonprofit BirdLife International. Together, the organizations outfitted a Ram ProMaster with AI technology that could record birdcalls and birdsongs. That data would then be used for conservation efforts to protect bird species and their habitats.
With a van equipped with technology, the organizations needed drivers. So they launched a program offering a weeklong trip in the van for four different drivers.
Altogether, they received 1,800 applicants, Virginia Ford, the public relations manager for Lenovo's North America office, told Insider.
"We were looking for that kind of citizen scientist, curious person who wanted to get out there and get outside of their comfort zone a little bit," Ford said.
Bajpai fit that role. He said that he thinks his background in technology along with a passion for nature and traveling helped him solidify his spot.
On June 25, Bajpai flew from his home airport in Florida and started the journey in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. From there, he and his friend drove along the coast of South Carolina, up to North Carolina. The pair then drove into Virginia, through DC, and ended their trip in Baltimore, Maryland.
Together, the trip was seven days and six nights. Each night, the pair slept at a different campground. During the day, they worked from the van.
Bajpai said that before going to bed each night, he would turn on a recorder that was attached to the van. This recorder could pick up birdcalls. Using birdsong audio detection software from Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology, the calls were then matched to different species.
Bajpai's route intentionally stopped at national wildlife refuges and conservation areas like the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve in South Carolina, where migratory birds are common.
"We would stop there and turn that microphone on and just wander around while it's doing its thing, recording birdcalls," Bajpai said.
From bald eagles to grey herons, Bajpai said that by the end of the trip, he could identify a handful of birds and their calls.
"I would say the trip made a birder out of me," he said.
Bajpai left the trip on the hunt for a van and new birdcalls
"It was really exciting," he said. "I was a van virgin, never traveled in RVs before, and always fascinated by it."
Bajpai quickly learned that a van merged his hobbies seamlessly. Outside of work, Bajpai is interested in photography, nature, and exploring national parks.
"It's very much like the first time you scuba dive: You see this different world underground that you're just never aware of," he said. "With van life, I didn't know there was this whole community of campers and people that do this."
Visiting the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, which is located on a remote island in Maryland, was something out of a science-fiction movie, Bajpai said. Among the cloudy and misty weather, birds were in every direction in their natural environment and "not even cognizant about the fact that you are there."
Another highlight of the trip was stopping at Outer Banks, North Carolina, where Bajpai watched clouds of birds fly away from an incoming storm.
"You could see these flocks of birds just so close to the water," he said, adding that it was "a really mesmerizing experience."
While Bajpai left describing the experience as "amazing," it wasn't without its challenges.
Bajpai said it took a few days to adjust to working — and sharing — such a small living space.
On top of that, not having any RV background meant tasks like hooking up electricity and connecting to water sources had a bit of a learning curve.
"I would say day one, we were feeling a bit overwhelmed and a little bit nervous," he said. "But day two, day three, we got used to it."
Now that Bajpai is home, his interest in both birding and van life hasn't diminished. He's on the hunt for a used van to buy, and he's constantly hearing birdcalls he never knew existed.
"It's sort of like a change in perspective," he said. "There's this new thing that I can do now."