“Wanderful” wanderlust
Hearty travelers Katie Mancine and Mark Cognata prove that the best part of the journey is the transit
By Alexa Weibel
Published: November 26th, 2008 | 3:55pm
I've definitely been dragged on my share of road trips — Mom would generously stock up on Disney hand-held game devices (imperatively with muted sound), nickels (to be awarded to whichever backseat sucker managed to stay quiet the longest), snacks, and Dramamine. Though the first hour or so were filled with excitement (and sugar rushes), to a kid whose head barely bobs high enough to see out the window, such trips would quickly digress to a stream of are-we-there-yets. While the allure of the open road appeals to me in theory, with modern-day budgets and limited vacation time, I'd rather just be there rather than lose time getting there. I’m nomadic, but impatient. But after interviewing the adventurers of Wanderful, I’m beginning to believe Robert Louis Stevenson had it right: “I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. The great affair is to move.”
Katie Mancine, 23, and Mark Cognata, 24, have rekindled the romance of road trips with their whimsical travel blog, Wanderful. After noticing their lives becoming “increasingly enveloped in routine and obligation,” this Montclair, New Jersey, couple took to the streets — on a road trip across the continental U.S., with Wanda (a retro turquoise RV) and Mister (their pet Chihuahua) in tow.
Enchanted by the unknown, the duo had little travel experience prior to their three-and-a-half month venture: Mancine had made her childhood pilgrimage to Disney World, tested Italy, and dabbled in neighboring states, while Cognata’s travels were mostly limited to cross-country family trips — and he’s therefore appreciative of the freedom of traveling with a friend: “It’s a welcome change from 20-hour odysseys crammed between two older brothers in the back seat of a minivan,” he says. Mancine adds, “The obvious choice was to let the road trip guide us, instead of us guiding the road trip.” They plotted out 30 or so sights and loosely planned their routes, avoiding strict agendas in order to allow time to explore and largely relying upon the recommendations of locals.
For a trip revolving around spontaneity, it was years in the making. Mancine and Cognata met during their freshman year of college at Montclair State — she noticed him as the “creepy kid,” he perceived her as the “smiley girl.” After three years of planning, graduate degrees achieved and Cognata’s military commitment completed, the two took off work (Mancine from an online company, baristanet.com, and Cognata from a waiter job) and gathered up sponsors — ethically endorsed, of course — garnering everything from a free GPS system, to hiking boots, to even their very own RV. Says Mancine, “the T@B RV [dubbed Wanda by one of the readers] is such a huge part of our lives on the road; it acts as it’s own character in our blog.” The couple even sparked the interest of a group of fifth graders — the “Wanderkids” — who have been incorporating their trip into the curriculum, which Mancine calls a “fun way to get kids interested in exploration.”
Not that the two haven’t been doing their own share of exploring — Mancine marveled at the sheer vastness of the West Coast, remarking that it “could swallow the entire East Coast.” Their favorite site thus far is the Badlands, which Cognata calls “an unforgettable initiation into the West.” “Hiking for hours without running into another human being while viewing a landscape that looks like it’s from another planet — nothing can compare,” says Mancine — then puts in a good word for “just about every small town we hit up on the West Coast.” America is nothing if not diverse, they’ve noticed.
Cognata claims to do most of the “steady driving,” while Mancine steps in when Wanda finds herself in tight spots: “When I got us stuck in a snowstorm in the Wyoming mountains, she powered us through a wall of snow... When I got us stuck in the mud in the California wilderness, she revved the engine and propelled us through the muck... Mancine has a knack for getting us out of sticky situations,” he admits. While Cognata is behind the wheel, she is often updating the blog, or handling the web or art aspects (though the two do a comparable amount of writing and photography for it). The Web site itself is divided into four main categories: blog, photos, video, and postcards, all aimed to “serve as a guide to others who were road tripping and looking for ideas on places to visit, and to inspire those who have always wanted to get out on the road, but were too afraid to take the plunge,” says Mancine. The charmingly candid postcards are my personal favorite — Cognata sends one to a friend, with a picture of himself shirtless and the line, “I think that you'll agree that I get a little bit hunkier with each passing day. I'll be offended if you don’t hang this on your mirror. Love, Mark.” Mancine includes a note attached to a forest photo: “We were lost in a life-size terrarium when I thought of you” — even the warmth in their tone has found them fans (many of whom the two have since met through their commentaries on the site).
Have the close quarters of an RV put strains on their relationship? According to Cognata, “We usually just fight about the amount of time that we can stay in a single area” — Mancine is perhaps more inclined to dwell, while Cognata is ambitious about seeing as much as possible. The trip has also given him an increased positive outlook on the entire human race: “I have been reminded of the importance of individuals making up the collective whole of the country since we’ve embarked on this road trip... traveling the country connects me with my fellow citizens on a human level,” says Cognata.
So what happens when vacation’s over? Mancine and Cognata are happy to return to family in Jersey, but are also already eager to get back out, planning a road trip involving volunteer work and charitable causes. “I assumed that when the end of the trip came, we’d welcome apartment living and the real world back into our lives with open arms, because we’d be so tired of traveling. But waking up to a different landscape every week has really struck a chord with me,” admits Mancine. “I thought we’d end this road trip with an idea of where we wanted to live next. Instead I want to live everywhere.”
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Check out Katie and Mark’s blog, Wanderful.
Issue #27
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TabStream (about 1 month)
We met Mark & Katie a couple weeks ago. We hahve enjoyed reading all about their travels.. we also own a T@B RV .. http://tabstream.blogspot.com
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