On the Road Again

Name: YogaSlackers Teacher Training | Jan 8-21, 2027
Start: 2027-01-08
End: 2027-01-21
Location: Kaomai Lanna Resort

Home | Blog | On the Road Again

Sam Salwei

We wanted to share a little update on where we have been and what has been happening behind the scenes.

For those of you who don’t know, Raquel and I were essentially without our van from March 2023 until this spring. in 2022, we were trying to get ahead of the game. After rebuilding the interior of the SlackerVan in 2020, we decided it was time to upgrade the engine so we wouldn’t end up stranded somewhere.

Unfortunately, the engine we had rebuilt lasted less than 10,000 miles and left us stranded in South Florida. So, we stored the van, packed our bags, headed to Puerto Rico, put all our energy into becoming IKO kiteboarding instructors as well as traveling abroad more. That is a big part of the reason you haven’t seen us nearly as much in the US over the past few years.

Our little van and it’s rebuilt engine made it from Kentucky to Key West and up to Fort Lauderdale, where a rod decided to exit through the engine block. At least it got a few nice beach days before being stored for the next two years.

But finally, last August, we were able to rebuild the engine again! It took a long time because we wanted to make absolutely sure we found someone highly qualified to do the job.

Thankfully, we found Fahim, a friend from Trinidad who helped us take on the build. Fahim built the engine in Trinidad and shipped it to Jacksonville, Florida. From there, we met at a friend’s house and put the SlackerVan back together. Since then, we have been catching up with plans abroad while slowly moving back into our tiny van. And finally, this April, we officially got back on the road!

It took several villages to make this second engine rebuild possible. We are incredibly thankful to everyone who helped us through these very challenging three years. We truly could not have done it without you.

Our spring and summer have been a mix of teaching, presenting, traveling, and working on small projects around the van. Yeah, there are still a few quirks we are working through, after all, we are still talking about a 1988 Mitsubishi Delica!

One of our stops this summer was Phoenix, where JC from Owl Claw Performance built a custom exhaust for us AND filmed a video interview with us. We had such a fun time sitting down with Jacob and talking about the SlackerVan, the modifications we have made over the years, and some of the ideas behind the build. We are incredibly grateful to Jacob for helping us start this year on such a great note.

We are also super greatful to everyone who has hosted us during the last three years of being vanless, and to everyone who has helped us rebuild the van by sharing their knowledge, tools, garage space, driveway, food, hobbies and time. We honestly could not have done it without you.

So, if you have a little time, grab a pot (its a long video) of coffee, tea, or matcha and enjoy our conversation with JC about our strange little home on wheels. We think you will enjoy it.

Wide open roads to you all,
Sam, Raquel and the SlackerVan