Woman sells home to travel the world full-time in her truck

By Ben Barry

A woman sold her home to travel the world full-time in a truck after her dad's unexpected death made her realize that "life is for living."

Ashley Kay, 36, lost her dad, Tom, 57, in December 2015.

After her loss, friends and family shared stories about her dad's travels with her and it inspired Ashley to see more of the world.

She spent three years traveling around French Polynesia, Mexico, South Africa and Europe, before heading home to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US.

Ashley bought a $44k Toyota Tacoma van to live in, and sold her three-bedroom house in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

She set off to Baja, Mexico, in March 2023, with her black Labrador, Porter, and has been traveling around North and South America ever since.

Ashley, a photographer, said: "My dad passed away when I was 27 - his passing was the major pillar which made me want to start traveling.

"The year after he passed, there were so many friends and family who would call and share these wild, amazing stories about my dad and his travels.

"That built the foundation that I want wild stories, I want to live my life, I want to have friends all over the world.

"That pushed me to get out of my small town and visit places I haven't been to before."

In 2019, Ashley set off traveling - visiting French Polynesia, Mexico, South Africa and Europe.

On a trip to Roatán, an Island in Honduras Ashley was scuba diving when she met a full-time traveler, the pair got chatting, and Ashley decided she wanted a similar life.

Ashley said: "I started scuba diving and met a traveler from Austria who quit his job and was traveling around the world without ever stepping on a plane.

"He would hitchhike, get buses, couch surf and that sort of stuff.

"After chatting with him, I asked him out of all his travels what was the worst thing he had experienced.

"His answer to me was that he didn't go sooner, and that was the last straw for me."

In December 2021, Ashley found out her aunt had fallen ill, so she flew from Cape Town, South Africa, to Wisconsin.

While she was back home for a year, Ashley sold her three-bedroom family home in March 2023.

Ashley bought a Toyota Tacoma for $44k in February 2023. She added a space to sleep on the back of the truck and her and her dog, Porter, a black Labrador, set off to Mexico to start their adventure.

Since then, she has traveled around Mexico, the US, and South America.

Ashley said: "My all-time favorite place to have visited is Baja, Mexico, it feels like home.

"It has such beautiful nature, I love the ocean, and the Sea of Cortez is a place of pure joy.

"From the tourism standpoint, El Salvador is the most surprising place that I enjoyed, it is such an accessible country.

"You can drive around the whole country in six hours; it is so accessible, the people are so kind, and the food is delicious."

Sadly, in August 2024, Porter passed away, leaving Ashley to travel on her own.

Ashley said most of the challenges she has faced on her journey have been vehicle-related.

While she was in Peru, she was two hours away from civilization when her car started to have suspension issues and she had a flat tyre at 12,500ft.

Ashley said: "It is a lot of work to travel this way on your own, the day to day aspect of stuff is a lot of work that can easily turn to be burnout.

"I have had a few truck problems. In Costa Rica, I was camping at 12,500ft and I had a flat tire, which I had to repair on my own which was fun times.

"In the desert of Peru, I was two and a half hours away from civilization when I had to stop and sort out a suspension issue.

"Overall, all the issues get solved, you just have to figure it out a little bit more and be patient."