Name: Jeff
Hometown: North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Passengers: Wife Libby and kids Fraser (9) and Alex (7)

Road Trip Destination: Vancouver, British Columbia to Baja, Mexico

Year of road trip: October 2005-January 2006

Vehicle: 1986 VW Westfalia Van
Days on the road: 75

Best campsite: Campo Archelon, Bahia de Los Angeles. BLA reminded me of the scenery in Mad Max: edge of the world, desolate, but starkly beautiful.

Best beach: Playa Serenita, near Cabo Pulmo, on the Sea of Cortez. The only location on the west coast of North America (so the guidebooks say) where there is a full-on coral reef. It has the best wade-in-from-the-shore snorkelling I've ever seen. My son and I were lucky enough to snorkel right over top a school of jumping rays as they swam 5 feet underneath us. It was remarkable!

Best part about having your own vehicle: Freedom to go anywhere, anytime

Worst part about having your own vehicle: Fear of getting stuck in the middle of nowhere (all the freedom, none of the means)

Biggest challenge associated with 4 people living in a VW van: Feeling my sense of self dissolve the longer the trip went on: no privacy means no boundaries!

Photo #1: VW van beside palapa at Campo Archelon
Photo #2: Jeff and Family