An adorable Southern California couple, Allison Steinkamp and Ryan Kiser are head over heels for one another. That’s why, when Kiser’s birthday rolled around, Steinkamp wanted to do something extra special.
After a bit of thought, the super sweet girlfriend decided on a road trip. Not just any road trip though—Steinkamp rented a super cool Westfalia van from Outdoorsy for his birthday excursion.
Why Outdoorsy?
As the trip drew near, the thoughtful young lady did have some concerns—but they weren’t about her Outdoorsy rental. “The only concerns I had were if Ryan would love the surprise,” Steinkamp says. “I felt completely confident in all of the protection that Outdoorsy provided to us as renters.”
The awesome coverage wasn’t all Steinkamp loved about Outdoorsy though. “The process was pretty simple,” she says, “and I truly enjoyed the ability to browse online, at my convenience, for something that would work just right for us.”
The Trip
When the couple picked up their rental, they were thrilled, and they hit the road as soon as possible. They only had their van for three days, but somehow squeezed in a number of awesome sights—including Pismo Beach, Calif.; Santa Barbara, Calif.; and Solvang, Calif.
Asked about the highlights of their trip, Steinkamp describes a whole list of amazing experiences.
“Driving on the beach in Pismo was epic,” she says. “Later, we had an awesome steak dinner outside. We love our travel grill and it paired perfectly with this trip.”
Steinkamp also noted they loved the views while driving. “The route we took was incredible and we got lucky that there were not only ocean views,” she says, “but farmland and other things you don’t see when taking the fastest route.”
The Highlight
All those moments were wonderful of course, but none of them comes close to measuring up to the most incredible memory of the trip—the couple got engaged!
That’s right—Steinkamp and Kiser got engaged on the beach during their Outdoorsy trip.
“The proposal was absolutely perfect for us as a couple, because in a world of oversharing, this moment was ours alone,” Steinkamp says. “We jumped in the water, then stood on an absolutely empty beach—just the two of us—and talked about how happy we were. During this wonderful moment, he got down on one knee. I get butterflies every time I think about it.”
Thoughts On RVing
Needless to say this was the trip of a lifetime for the duo, and their RV rental definitely had something to do with that.
“RVing is, in my opinion, the most freedom that one can have during travel,” Steinkamp says. “You can literally sleep anywhere, stop anywhere, and don’t have to be on any timetable—unless you want to be. You can unplug from the world and just be.”
All About Allison Steinkamp
Favorite morning beverage:
“A ‘cute’ coffee, which is what Ryan and I call morning coffee, either made in our Chemex at home or from one of the many hip coffee spots in town.”
Favorite campsite meal:
“Ribeye steaks and asparagus à la cast iron skillet. That’s what we ate the night before our engagement.”
Music you like to play on the radio:
“We found a playlist on Spotify called “Camping Playlist,” and it lasted 19 hours. We listened to it on repeat because it was eclectic, had a number of classic hits, and just felt right in the ‘Westy.’”
Best game to play on the road or at your campsite:
“Road trip game will always be the sign alphabet game. Mainly because that’s what I played with my siblings on the countless road trips we took as kids.”
Favorite season:
“Autumn. Sunsets in SoCal and the changing of the trees in NorCal makes it just the best time of year.”
Last photo you took:
“Oddly enough, a tricked out Sprinter van that looked ready to rock for any and all adventures. Ry and I have been sending pics of RVs and Sprinters back and forth since we got back.”
What’s your Outdoorsy spirit animal:
“I feel very much in tune with the Westy that we rented. The owners have named her the ‘Gatecrasher’ because she’s strong and durable, and has gotten them out of some sticky situations when necessary. She’s tricked out and looks fly, but certainly has her quirks. Gatecrasher is definitely my Outdoorsy spirit animal.”
If you could travel anywhere in an RV, where would you go?
“Now that we’ve done a small weekend trip, I’d like to go out on a road/camping trip for more than just a couple days. Ryan has always talked about driving across the country, and while I think I’d like to do that someday later in life, for now I’d really love to make it all the way up the coast through Oregon and Washington and make it to Canada.”
