Galactic Adventures

ISSUE 18 | April 4, 2025

Camper Vans gathered at a campfire at sunset

Hello, STORYTELLERS! Welcome to the 18th issue of Galactic Adventures -- our community-focused, community-informed newsletter. This issue is largely dedicated to the overlanding events that our partners, Fernweh Guided Expeditions and Backland Adventures, put together with and for us. The events these organizations are curating for 2025 are really incredible and we want to make sure they are on your radar. Check out their websites and read on below to learn more!

If you have participated in events hosted by Fernweh &/or Backland, please consider sharing your story with us! How was your experience? What did you learn? You can submit your story by emailing Emma.Walsmith@storytelleroverland.com

This issue's featured photo comes to us from Stealth MODE owners, Jim & Eileen Sangster.

🚐 Camp HER-Way : May 1-4, 2025

Fernweh Guided Expeditions

May 1–4, 2025 | Bell’s Reserve – Kingston Springs, TN

Join Us

Co-hosted by Storyteller Overland and Fernweh Guided Expeditions, Camp-HER Way is a one-of-a-kind women’s overlanding experience designed to celebrate capability, connection, and purpose. This 4-day adventure blends off-road confidence with soulful connection—and brings together a powerhouse crew of women leaders and creators.

Set at the beautiful Bell’s Reserve in Kingston Springs, TN, Camp-HER Way is built for women who are wild at heart and ready to explore what’s possible—behind the wheel, around the campfire, and within themselves. Whether you’re new to overlanding or looking to deepen your off-road confidence, this event offers a welcoming space to learn, grow, and have a damn good time doing it.

Throughout the weekend, participants will dive into off-road training and recovery techniques with trailblazer Charlene Bower, connect to breath and body through yoga and mindfulness with Tonya Wnek, and explore the natural world on guided hikes with naturalist Tori Fillmore. Each activity is designed to inspire both self-reliance and sisterhood.

On Saturday night, the group will gather for a special acoustic set by country music artist Marla Cannon-Goodman, bringing heartfelt tunes and meaningful lyrics to a night of community and celebration under the stars.

In the spirit of Fernweh’s mission—Adventure with Purpose—each attendee will receive a cozy, mission-driven gift bundle: a beautiful blanket from Sackcloth & Ashes, helping support individuals experiencing homelessness, and a bag of rich, small-batch coffee from Nero Coffee, perfect for slow camp mornings and sunrise conversations.

This is more than a weekend—it’s a reset, a rally, and a reminder that we are stronger together.

Explore Fernweh Guided Expeditions full list of 2025 Events at https://fernwehguidedexpeditions.com/

☀️ My Adventure Beyond the Pavement

Emma Walsmith, MODElt Owner

My husband, Jason, and I purchased our first Storyteller Overland MODE in 2020 as a way to travel, self-contained during the Covid-19 pandemic. After having rented a Winnebago Revel, and being utterly underwhelmed by the experience, we thought perhaps we wouldn’t attain #vanlife until we could afford a custom build that fit our needs. A month later, we discovered this YouTube video and I. was. sold. The layout was everything I wanted, the power system meant we could safely travel with our dogs, this rig seemed rugged, capable and I was picking up everything Overland Jones was puttin’ down. Four days after watching this video, we were driving our 2020 CLASSIC home from La Mesa Albuquerque.

We hit the road – putting on the highway miles and spending long days traveling 7-12 hours from one destination to the other so Jason– a career musician with a year’s worth of gigs canceled due to Covid-19– could play socially distanced, outdoor shows across the nation. Oftentimes, these gigs would involve our MODE as the source of power for Jason’s gear and if other MODE owners were in attendance, their headlights made for perfect stage lights (shout out to the very first MODE Meetup!!)!

And while I was absolutely thrilled with how well the MODE met our expected needs, what owning our MODE would reveal to us about ourselves is where the magic began. For example, prior to owning our MODE I did not know that alpacas are my favorite animals (thanks, Harvest Hosts). Nor did I know that I had a family of adventurers– fellow STORYTELLERS– across the US that would embrace us and elevate our lives in ways we didn’t recognize were otherwise missing. And I did not know, until I attended Beyond the Pavement, that not only were these rigs built to go off-road but, so was I.

The Beyond the Pavement event series offers adventurous multi-day expeditions that are educational, empowering and build community amongst attendees while we build confidence with our Storyteller rigs. The opportunity to sit and learn in a safe, encouraging space reminded me that learning really is a lifelong endeavor and learning can be fun– especially when you add in these adventurous vehicles.

With radios on and dialed to the Storyteller channel, our convoy moved from pavement to trail. Carefully, confidently and with adrenaline pumping we took on terrain Jason and I had otherwise never dared to endeavor. Something within me was unlocked as I two-foot drove up mountain trails barely wider than the MODE itself. The way this 10 foot tall van handled everything I asked it to felt so synchronized and natural– leaving me to wonder why we hadn’t done this before! “You don’t know what you don’t know until you know it.” I found myself reflecting as I cheered on my fellow Beyond the Pavement participants as they too conquered their nerves and took the capabilities of their rig to the next level.

Today, the Beyond the Pavement event series is still going strong and is in good hands with one of Storyteller’s partners that runs BtP, Backland Adventures. I recently had the chance to connect with the overland experts behind Backland Adventures– Craig Arant and Jeremy Sanchez– to ask them about their stewardship of the Beyond the Pavement event series and as expected, I was inspired.

Arant and Sanchez are both MODE owners and together, they bring decades of off-road experience to the table. They focus on DIY recovery and off-road skills that are approachable to folks of all experience levels so that their participants feel empowered and comfortable.

“We teach van-specific details tailored to the demographic and comfort level of the STOwners in each BtP group. If someone doesn’t have a major interest in training, recovery gear or winching– we don’t force the issue. We find other useful skills to share and focus on increasing the participant’s comfort and confidence with their Storyteller MODE.”

Backland Adventures has activated an incredible team around their Beyond the Pavement events – receiving support from overland pros like Mike Reed, John Brindell, Agile Off Road, Table VIII Overland Catering, Factor 55 and MODE owners Ken & Pam Park.

If you are interested in becoming more comfortable with taking your MODE off-road, I cannot recommend Backland Adventures Beyond the Pavement events enough. You will be in great hands and have the time of your life with this capable and inclusive crew.

You can see a full list of BtP with Backland Adventures events at backlandadventures.com/events

Happenings at the HQ: STO heads to the New York International Auto Show

We are stoked to share that the New York International Auto Show is getting an infusion of adventure this year as we will be rolling into the Big Apple with our full lineup of overland rigs! We are so excited to bring our signature spirit of exploration straight into the heart of Manhattan—proving that even in a city of skyscrapers and subways, there's still room to dream wild and live free.

The Auto Show is open to the public April 18-27, 2025 at the Jacob K. Javits Center. Attendees will be able to explore our rugged, go-anywhere 2025 BEAST MODE and the all-new, highly versatile, family-friendly CREW MODE XL. Also making their New York debut are the GXV HILT and GXV EPIC, our next-level expedition trucks built to conquer the most extreme terrain while offering premium comfort and capability. We plan to show attendees that whether they're escaping into the wilderness or just dreaming of a less expensive New York apartment on wheels, these vehicles redefine what’s possible.

If you will be attending the New York Auto Show, please come see us! We will be setup and sharing the best vibes at Booth 1118 on Level 1 of the Javits Center for the duration of the Auto Show.

I ❤️ NY

We’re hitting the road in 2025 and we hope you’ll come with us!

Please note some events require ticket purchase and/or pre-registration.

April 16 - 27
New York Auto Show - New York, NY

April 24 - 25
MOORE Expo - Springfield, MO

May 9 - 10
AVE Ventura - Ventura, CA

May 16 - 18
Overland Expo West - Flagstaff, AZ

Please note some events require ticket purchase and/or pre-registration.

April 24 - 25 - MOORE Expo - Springfield, MO
May 9 - 10 - AVE Ventura - Ventura, CA
May 16 - 18 - Overland Expo West - Flagstaff, AZ
June 21 - 22 - AVE Hood River - Hood River, OR
June 27 - 29 - Overland Expo PNW - Redmond, OR
July 26 - 27 - AVE Evergreen - Evergreen, CO