Welcome! Thank you so much for visiting DANG GOOD LIFE!
We are Jon, Lien, and Willie. With Lien’s irresistibly pun-tastic last name “Dang,” we came up with DANG GOOD LIFE to honor our tremendous fortune in this life to slow travel, try new ventures, and enjoy our lives focusing on what brings us joy, fulfillment, and human connection. In this blog, you will find information on Vanlife & Overlanding and Travel in the US & Mexico
It all started one evening in December 2018. We were out walking Willie, grateful that another sweet and super short weekend was upon us. We talked about the places we wanted to see, the experiences we wanted to have as a family, and our continued struggle of how to prioritize our dreams while trying to keep up with the rat race.
By the end of the walk, Jon had countered all of my predictable, scaredy-cat nay-saying.
We would take a one-year sabbatical to travel overland around the U.S. and Mexico!
There was absolutely NO reason to deny ourselves this leap away from the rat race to pursue our DANG GOOD LIFE!
So, in February 2019, we bought our 2015 Ford Transit 250 high roof extended cab van. We named him Alevander the Great.
In a little over three months:
1. Jon made a new arrangement with his financial planning job to work on a remote contract basis, and Lien straight-up quit her accounting job. (I still feel the jitters saying that!)
2. We sold our 2 bed/2 bath home in the suburbs of San Diego and invested all that equity into interest-paying savings accounts, which now partially fund our sabbatical.
3. We put in more than 1,700 hours of #vanbuild work between the two of us to build our imperfect but absolutely perfect-for-us off-grid home-on-wheels.
I know, it sounds so badass! And yet, we promise you, we’re the most normal husband + wife + feisty dog family around.
How did a CFP (financial planner) and CPA (certified public accountant) become van-converting digital nomad overland travelers? Well, stick around and get to know us!
We’re so happy to have you on the journey of our sabbatical, and beyond!
Lien Dang
Lien is the researcher-planner, the quick ninja, and the doer rather than chiller. Whether it’s sneaking away to Spain as a 15-year-old, changing career paths four different times, making her wedding dress, or going to Burning Man solo, Lien likes the challenge of varied accomplishments. It was Lien’s idea to “do the vanlife thing.” Because, you know, traveling in a regular car didn’t seem adventurous enough. Go figure!
Lien is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). She did the wood-working for Alevander the Great.
Jon Luskin
Jon is a self-professed nerd of financial literacy. Unlike Lien, Jon prefers a slow and steady pace, to do things one at a time and thoroughly. That’s probably why he enjoys craft beer, BBQ, and reviewing research papers on finance & investing – because those things take time!
Jon does not like Lien’s travel itineraries and made her promise not to have one for the sabbatical. On sabbatical, Jon hopes to learn how to surf, play guitar, and punch out his next paper on bond investing for the Journal of Financial Planning.
Willie aka Pooper
Willie is (we think) a rat terrier beagle (maybe corgi?) mix. He was a stray who found his way to a shelter after he injured his eye, from what was likely a fight with another dog. Willie likes to play the tough guy, the sheriff, and sometimes the bully without a cause.
In 2015, we decided that we’d find the perfect dog for ourselves through fostering. We fostered Willie for many months until it became clear that, far from perfect, he needed a home that would be willing to handle his issues. While it was hard at first to let go of the idea of the perfect “dog park dog,” we love this little devil. Willie lives with us in the van. He enjoys marking his territory, finding discarded chicken wings in the grass, and sleeping belly up between us in bed.