A life on the road isn't for everyone, but for a while, it was for Becky and Drew Bidlen.
The couple are college sweethearts from the Midwest who met during college in Ohio. After graduation, the Bidlens, now 29, relocated to South Carolina. It was somewhere new for the pair, which awakened an "adventurous spirit" in both of them, Becky told Business Insider.
"Seeing how well that move went, we felt like there were so many places in the US we'd love to live in," she added.
Between 2020 and 2023, they did just that. After selling two cars, their furniture, and other possessions, they converted a cargo van into a tiny home on wheels and spent three years traveling. They wintered in warmer states like Florida and California and spent summers exploring the serene nature of British Columbia and Alberta in Canada.
Van life was filled with "endless possibilities," but the Bidlens knew it wouldn't last forever. Becky, a travel nurse, and Drew, who works in software, eventually wanted to settle down and have kids.
Like many other millennials, a generation drawn to the adventurous spirit and relative affordability of van life, they saved thousands by working remotely, living frugally, and, importantly, not spending a dime on rent.
In 2023, the couple welcomed their daughter, Aurora Mercy. Twelve days later, they found what they were looking for: a historic house in Indianapolis, close to where most of Becky's family still live.
The price was right: only $150,000. The only catch? It was a fixer-upper in every sense of the word. Take a look inside.