Some people you meet along the journey. Others help you build the journey before it even begins.

We first met Ernesto and his wife Taisa of Overlanding the Americas at the Medford, Oregon Overland Expos, where they were instructors sharing their knowledge and experiences from traveling the Pan-American Highway.

We listened. We learned. And most importantly, we were inspired. Their adventures helped plant an even bigger idea in our minds: maybe we really could drive around the world.

When it came time for the serious work, we drove to Renton, Washington, where Ernesto and Garrett at Evergreen Off-Road helped transform our 2008 Toyota 4Runner into the vehicle that would become our transportation, home and lifeline.

YOLA wasn’t being built for occasional weekend camping trips. We needed a vehicle capable of carrying us across continents and remote roads while holding everything two people would need to live on the road for years.

Ernesto and Garrett poured an incredible amount of time, knowledge and hard work into the build, including some very long days and even longer nights.

Ernesto and Garrett, thank you for the craftsmanship, problem-solving and countless hours that went into building YOLA. And Ernesto and Taisa, thank you for inspiring us to believe this crazy dream was actually possible.