Brothers Matt and Josh Monthei had been working yet another random event at Big Wake Weekend north of Sacramento when they heard of possible work available days later at the Hollister Rally.
“We met this guy in a parking lot at Walmart,” Matt Monthei said, “and he was like, ‘Let me call my friend.’”
That run-in led to a weekend trucking handcarts of water and soda to nonprofits and bars selling the items at the three-day event in downtown Hollister. The city’s iconic rally was a unique experience for the Monthei brothers, but nothing was new about the idea of traveling to another city for another odd job.
The Montheis travel and live in what they call “The Van With No Plan” and made their latest stop here. Born in Sacramento and raised in Montana, they started their “Van With No Plan” journey nearly two years ago and have now taken on temporary jobs, to fund their trip and living expenses, in 32 states. They document their travels on a Facebook page with almost 2,000 likes.
Watch video inside The Van With No Plan here.
Josh Monthei said the experience has inspired a lot of people.
“They find out they can actually do this, too,” he said.
Their lifestyle comes with sacrifices, though. They get by with propane for basic necessities, bunk beds and a table installed in the vehicle. In the latest version of the mobile home – which is really a small bus – there are drapes covering the windows, Jack Daniel’s flags lined along the top panels, a wallboard, posters throughout and well-worn pillows.
“We built the bunk beds back there – everything pretty much,” Josh Monthei said from the front seat of the vehicle.
The Van With No Plan started in Sacramento where they bought the first of two vehicles. They didn’t intend to travel at first, but bought the van because they needed a basic means of transportation.
“We bought the van because we didn’t have a car. We bought it for $600,” Matt Monthei said. “When we found out we could sleep in it comfortably, we hit the road.”
They set off for Hollywood and realized they could make money along the way. They referred to their approach as “the no plan, plan.”
“The way it all happens is – the people we meet,” he said. “We’re not afraid to go out into the community and meet people. We’re not afraid to work and put ourselves out there.”
So far, they recalled taking on such duties as volunteering at a cat shelter in North Carolina and assisting the remodeling of a church in Tennessee. To help pay for the bus upgrade, they worked on someone’s Oregon property for five weeks. They even worked in Universal Studios.
“We hit the road with no plan,” Matt Monthei said. “We didn’t think we’d be doing this two years later. “
He said any available work is a labor-based job. His brother said even if they don’t know how to do a certain duty, they Google it and figure out the work.
That attitude and work ethic came from their single mother, said Josh Monthei. His brother mentioned how she worked in fast food or other restaurant jobs and how they moved around a lot growing up.
“That’s probably what’s inspired our travel as well,” he said.
See their Facebook page at facebook.com/Thevanwithnoplan.
