How are you doing? 

These simple four words have packed a punch in 2020 and many of us are still unsure of how to accurately respond. As we enter the holiday season, 2020 still holds many unknowns and for many of us 2021 can’t come soon enough.  The rush and flurry of navigating COVID- friendly holiday celebrations and travel can bring more new stresses and challenge standing traditions during a time when we all just need a great deep exhale. While we may all have our own interpretation and takeaways from this year, the one commonality that we all share is time spent reflecting. This year has stopped us all in our tracks and forced us to pause and take a deep look inwards with nowhere else to be.

 

 As we each individually unpack and ponder the last 10 months of 2020, I wanted to take this opportunity to take a moment and share some of the takeaways both from talking to you all around the country every day and sharing in the various phases, struggles and triumphs, as well as an inside look into how Living Vehicle has responded.

 

We started the year excited about what we planned to achieve in 2020. Last year we shared a video announcing our 2020 model and we spoke about 2020 being all about focus, clarity and having 20/20 vision. We had a defined plan and a well-mapped direction. 

 

Once the reality of the pandemic set in early this year, we had a defining meeting where we outlined the two choices we saw we had. One, panic and create more obstacles for ourselves by spiraling into negativity and fear or two, keep our heads down, adopt a mentally tough mindset and work harder than we ever had before. (We chose the latter.) And despite a life-changing year that no one could predict, we have come out even stronger for it. 


Our company is in a new phase of growth that we could not be more excited or proud of. We have a beautiful new headquarters in Santa Barbara and have elevated our business and standards across the board.  We are committed to staying at the forefront of the industry in terms of quality but continuing to think outside of the box and innovate in new ways. We’ve challenged our vendors and partners to join us in the pursuit of excellence during a critical time for new opportunities while providing rock-steady reliability and support for our customers. 


We both continue to push for change in an industry resistant to change while also forging ahead and creating new paths.  We hold steadfast to the type of company and people we wish to be instead of conforming to the norm, even when we’re told we’re attempting the impossible time and time again. We believe something is only impossible because it hasn’t yet been achieved, thought of or imagined. It continues to be a rewarding and beautiful ride.

 

More than ever we were clear about our goals and mission for LV. 


Since day one, we’ve been pursuing the goal of creating the first-ever all-electric trailer that provides unlimited freedom and possibilities. We’ve learned that freedom and self-reliance are truly the greatest luxuries, and the goals we have been striving for have never been more important or relevant to today’s changing world. Here are a few of the things we’ve learned and experienced together; We’ve -


  • Connected more with the real moments in our lives and learned that very few things really matter
  • Learned to appreciate the things and people we have taken for granted
  • Questioned everything and cut out the parts of our lives that were holding us back or bringing us down
  • Understood the importance of making the most of today and being okay with the uncertainty of tomorrow
  • Learned that self-care needs to happen on a daily basis and that feeding our souls means time unplugged from technology and plugged into our closest circle of family and friends
  • Found our tribes and the joy in pure uninterrupted time together
  • Experienced the true healing powers of nature
  • Grown together and learned how to be better for each other


And maybe most importantly, we’ve chosen to make a change and take control of our lives. We’ve been challenged, tested, and have grown beyond our self-imposed limits. We’ve learned to be unbreakable.

  

So what does 2021 hold in store for us? It’s really anyone’s guess, but we are up to the challenge!  


One thing we are sure of is that we’ve never been more resolute in our mission to provide an experience, unlike anything we’ve ever dreamed of. Our passion has only intensified as has our commitment to quality, excellence, and above all pushing for advancements that enhance your experience and quality of life: That makes living and working on the road possible. That provides the adaptability for distance learning and those parents homeschooling for the first time. We understand the opportunity and responsibility we have to keep you safe while providing a platform to make unforgettable memories during a time when we need to feel connected to nature, our families, and our inner spirit more than ever before. We’ve been humbled by the personal stories our customers have shared about how LV has allowed them to thrive during what we continue to be told are uncertain times.

 

Our world will never be the same, and we believe there has never been a better time to bring innovation and new ways of doing things. At Living Vehicle, it’s our responsibility to provide better solutions, advanced support, and holistic peace of mind whether you are living full-time or exploring and taking a much-needed escape.

 

We have never shied away from a challenge and have used this year to become bulletproof. We believe wholeheartedly in our mission and have spoken to so many of you that share our vision and have let it into your personal dreams and aspirations.  We’ve celebrated houses selling in one day, selling and starting businesses, and shared tips about how to transition to remote working. We’ve been there with those of you bringing new lives into the world and developing a deeper bond while we helped those that lost their homes in the fires transition to a new way of living and sharing so many firsts.

 

We’ve met some of you thanks to chance encounters at gas stations, walking on the beach with Luca, and on our own adventures on the road. And we’ve had customers stop to bond and take selfies together in the rare chance that two LV’s cross paths.  We hope to welcome more of you to our HQ in Santa Barbara in 2021 where we’ve helped you move into your new home, met your dogs, and shared meals together. We thank you all for continuing to be on this journey with us. You have taken us to the most beautiful places and helped us create some of the most meaningful memories.

 

So what’s next? We can’t predict the future but we’ve always weathered any storm we’ve met and believe that we are playing an important role in shaping the way people live in and travel in our changing world. Together we have found new ways of doing things and better solutions. We know there is no better time to live the life you truly want and chase a dream than right now. Yes, the future is uncertain because tomorrow hasn’t happened yet. That means it hasn’t been determined yet. We each have the ability to define what our tomorrow looks like.  We choose to make it a great one! 

 

We know we can’t control what happens around us but we can control the story we choose to write. What story will you write for yourself in 2021? We can’t wait to find out.

 

With love,

JH