Ro Wells Travel

Yesterday was a year to the day that I moved to Canada and I have loved every minute so far. It has absolutely flown by and I am excited to see what the next year, or however long I stay, has in store for me.

The rest of summer in Ucluelet was a whirlwind of van building, friends, work and fun. It truly is a magical place and I highly recommend everyone add it to their Canada Bucket List pronto. I cannot express how grateful I am to everyone I met in Ucluelet. They are all wonderful, incredible, amazing people who made my summer unbelievably special. I can’t imagine how I would have accomplished all I did if I had been anywhere else. The team at the campground is one of the best I’ve worked with. Good fun, hard-working and always willing to lend a hand to a British girl who probably bit off more than she could chew in trying to rebuild a van with zero prior knowledge. But the van is now complete and I am so proud of it. Ivor, Kenzie, Damien and Malen – thank you. It would not have been possible without you. You helped my dream of a little home on wheels become a reality. I will forever be grateful to you and I cannot express how much I appreciate each and every one of you. Betty the Van is now fully equipped with electrical outlets, a fridge, a bed that transforms into a couch, and fancy wood counters. She looks great!

The van build definitely took longer than I expected, and it cost me more than I was anticipating but I don’t regret a cent. It was a great project to have over summer and, whilst at times it made me tear my hair out, I loved it. I wouldn’t say I want to jump straight into another one but I would definitely like to do it again at some point in the future. I learnt so many new skills and it really helped me build confidence in what I am capable of when I put my mind to something – and ask for help when I need it. I’m not good at doing that but it’s something that I’m working on.

Malen and I left Ucluelet on September 16th and set off on a road trip in Betty the Van. We started by heading toward the North East side of Vancouver Island, then headed down to Victoria before crossing over to the U.S. We started in Seattle, then went to Mount Rainier, Spokane and Glacier National Park before heading back into Canada and seeing the Canadian side of Glacier National Park. The scenery was just breathtaking. I cannot describe how beautiful the national parks were and the drive through Glacier National Park, through all the autumn colours is one of my favourite experiences of all time. We did some beautiful (and brutal) hikes. I am still not a hiker but the view from the top is always worth it. We camped in some weird (very dark logging roads and Walmart parking lots) and wonderful (lake shores and woods) places. We went days without having access to a shower or flush toilet. I loved every second of it and pushed my boundaries of what I was comfortable with. I can’t imagine doing that trip with anyone else. We ended our road trip in Banff and unfortunately this is where we also ended our time together. Malen’s visa was up so, incredibly sadly, it was time for her to head back to Germany.

I think this is the best and worst bit of travelling. You meet so many unbelievable, wonderful people, from all over the world, but at some point you always have to say goodbye. And it never gets easier. Malen and I had been living in the van together for three months. In that time, we forged an incredibly close bond and spent nearly all day, every day together. Malen is someone incredibly special to me and I am so thankful to have her in my life. To go from seeing her every day to not having her around was really hard. And though I don’t know when we’ll next see each other, I know that I will see her again, whether in Germany, the U.K. or some other amazing country.

Coming back to Banff has been a rollercoaster of emotions. When we drove into Banff at the end of our road trip it felt like coming home and I decided I wanted to try and stay in Banff for winter. So after I dropped Malen at the airport I found myself alone in the van, with no real plan, no idea where I was going to be sleeping for the next few nights, no job or accommodation for winter and none of the great friends I had made at the campground around me. It brought back a lot of the feelings of being lost in life that I was experiencing at the start of my journey in Canada in full force, as well as adjusting to not having Malen and my friendship group around me. But, despite feeling really quite shitty, I have found myself a job and accommodation here in Banff. I have reached out to some friends I made in Banff last winter and they have been amazing in supporting me trying to get my head back on straight. It’s still at a bit of a jaunty angle but I’ll get there. I’m still not entirely sure what I want to be doing for winter – and absolutely no idea what I want to do longer term. I just need to remind myself that it’s okay to not know what I’m doing. It’s okay to just take a few weeks for self-care, or however long I need. It’s okay to just focus on doing the things that make me happy. It’s okay to not have a destination in mind and just see where the journey takes me.