Sometimes life gives us lemons. Luckily for Barb Nangle, she’s pretty good at making lemonade.
With a little help from some kind strangers, the folks at Outdoorsy, and an awesome truck, Barb was able to turn a near-disastrous 6-week trip into an adventure she’ll never forget.
“Initially I had no concerns because I read lots of reviews and customer experiences,” Barb says of her decision to rent on Outdoorsy.
Unfortunately, this confidence started to fade when the van she rented started giving her issues.
“I realized when I broke down the first time that my greatest fear of this trip was breaking down on the side of the desert highway—but hadn’t realized it until it happened,” Barb recalls.
Luckily, she found a silver lining. “It turned out that as a result of that breakdown, I got a two-night stay in a swanky hotel—one of which the rental van’s owner paid for, and the other I paid for just because I wanted another night in a building, a fantastic massage, and the first date I’d had in over 3 years!” she says.
Of course, after the van broke down a second time, Barb was less than thrilled, but the Outdoorsy customer support team was quickly able to step in and get everything under control.
“Outdoorsy refunded my $650 fee to cover the cost of a hotel and car rental,” she explains. “Cayla [a customer support specialist at Outdoorsy] went above and beyond the call of duty, not only researching potential vehicles for me, but sending them to me with pros and cons listed based on my needs. Then she found the pickup truck that was to be my second rental vehicle, and which I loved!”
The truck rental proved to be a win-win situation.
“The person I ended up renting the [truck] from had surgery during the time I rented it, and my rental fee covered the cost of his surgery,” Barb says. “One of my missions in life is to contribute to the healing of the world, so that felt like a divine intervention, to be able to do that for him—which never would have happened had my first vehicle not broken down.”
With a new truck camper to carry her through the rest of her trip, Barb was able to continue on the remaining four weeks of her journey.
“My favorite park was Bryce Canyon, mainly because of the way it made me feel. It was otherworldly,” she says, reflecting on her adventure. “I got the feeling from the hoodoos [rock formations] that they appeared to be a group of people worshiping in a sanctuary that turned to stone millennia ago. It was amazing.”
“I really, really loved Glacier too, and Zion was just astounding! The majesty of those rocks was something else. Yellowstone, of course, was simply amazing. It was hard to believe I was on planet Earth when I was there. The Grand Tetons were spectacular as well, and then there is Sedona—I could live there in a heartbeat!”
Of course, none of those things can hold a candle to the fact that this trip inspired Barb to connect with an acquaintance and begin a new relationship. Not only did she get a new friend, she found her soulmate. As Barb puts it, “Chuck and I are now madly in love!”
Despite getting off to a rough start, Barb’s cross-country trip turned out to be an incredible journey that left her with new friendships and fond memories. Barb says she now recommends Outdoorsy to her friends every chance she gets, and will likely rent from Outdoorsy again herself.
“It’s the way to go if you’re not interested in buying [an RV], but want to travel using an RV,” Barb says.
All about Barb Nangle
Favorite morning beverage:
“Homemade smoothie”
Favorite campsite meal:
“Grilled chicken on spinach with balsamic dressing”
Music you like to play on the radio:
“Alternative rock”
Best game to play on the road or at your campsite:
“Bananagrams”
Favorite season:
“Late spring and early fall”
What’s your Outdoorsy spirit animal?
“Butterfly”
If you could travel anywhere in an RV, where would you go?
“I’d like to go to the Pacific Northwest, then down the coast to Yosemite.”
