Dan was a web developer and Marlene was a medical data analyst when they welcomed their first child in their late '20s.
"[Suddenly], we have this human that we are responsible for," Dan said. "The responsible thing would be to teach this little human everything there is to see in the world."
They decided to take a few trips with their new baby to show her as much as they could of the world. It eventually became difficult to travel with a child, especially carrying strollers, car seats, and toys. Instead, they decided to buy a camper in 2008 so they could travel more easily.
"When Dan said we should get a camper, it gave us the opportunity to be together and not have someone else raise our kid," Marlene said.
They quickly fell in love with the lifestyle and slowly started going on longer trips away from their home in Ventura.