Think back to when you and your significant other got married. What was your dream honeymoon? For Andrew and Rachel Chwalik, it was road-tripping across the country in their TAG, visiting as many places as they could.
Andrew and Rachel picked up their 2021 TAG Teardrop Trailer, Boondock Edition, in September with the goal of taking it on a month-long honeymoon road trip. The young couple had always wanted to take a road trip across the country to see all the wonders each state has to offer. After setting the wedding date, they began planning out what their epic honeymoon adventure would look like while living out of a TAG.
Neither of the pair had ever towed a camper before — let alone lived in one for 30 days! Thankfully, several great online communities of #nuCampFamily members were more than willing to share their camping knowledge with newbies. Andrew dove in headfirst and started taking notes on any useful tip he read. The advice and support from the online communities are what made their month-long road trip a success, Andrew said.
Want to get more involved in the nuCamp community?
Here is a list of the Facebook groups that Andrew used to get information. They’re a great place to share camping stories, connect with other nuCamp campers, and learn about your camper!
● T@G you’re it!!
● T@D@, T@B, and T@G Camper Trailer Owners
● nuCamp Owners Group
● T@B Camping Trailers
● nuCamp RV
A TAG honeymoon of a lifetime
With shiny new wedding rings and armed with knowledge from the nuCamp community, they were ready to head out on their dream honeymoon in October!
Their adventure started at their home in Delaware, Ohio, just a couple of hours from our factory, located in Sugarcreek. From there, they traveled west and made their first stop in Nebraska at a family member’s farm. That gave them the chance to try out their TAG away from home but still at a location where they had backup supplies.
After a couple of nights in Nebraska, they headed out to the Badlands in South Dakota. The newlyweds arrived in the evening when the night concealed the mountainous terrain. They awoke to find a wonderland of bizarre, colorful rock formations that made for some breathtaking views. The couple chalked this up as one of their favorite stops and quite an underrated National Park.
Being a fan of presidential history, Andrew said it was mandatory to stop at Mount Rushmore while they were in South Dakota. The couple set out on a hike, wanting to get another adventure in before the end of the day. Lover’s Leap Trail — a perfectly-named trail for these newlyweds —took longer than expected, and they ended up taking an accidental night hike through the wooded area. Though there were a few stumbles along the way and the threat of bears kept their pace brisk, the couple made it back to the TAG safely.
After an exciting, albeit frightening, night, Andrew and Rachel continued to Wyoming and set up camp just outside Grand Teton National Park. They spent a few days exploring Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks because these are two massive parks with so many natural attractions to explore. They ended up spotting a moose, going off-road to bear hunt, and seeing a buffalo up close as they headed further west to Idaho and Washington.
Their adventures in the Pacific Northwest took them on a hike around Palouse Falls, to Seattle so Rachel could visit the original Starbucks coffee shop, and to see the deepest lake in America!
One of Rachel’s trip requirements was to see the Redwood forest. While looking at some of these gigantic trees, they spotted a sign that informed the couple they could drive through a redwood tree with their car! Of course, they seized the opportunity. However, the property manager warned them that their TAG would not fit. If they wanted to experience the inside of a redwood, they would need to unhitch. Andrew and Rachel debated leaving it up to chance and trying to make it through with their TAG but thought it was best to follow the property manager’s recommendation. Thank goodness they did because it was an extremely tight fit for their Jeep, and their TAG would have undoubtedly gotten stuck.
Their honeymoon adventure continued as they happened upon a natural hot spring, got separated during a hike, and set up camp in Death Valley. As they approached Zion National Park, the couple wanted to spend a day hiking in this beautiful park. Rachel did a quick 
Google search and found out that Angel’s Landing was a popular trail, so the couple decided to hike it without doing any more research. Little did they know, Angel’s Landing is one of the deadliest hikes in the world! Thankfully, they completed the entire hike without injury and got to see one of the most amazing views that Zion National Park has to offer.
After that wonderfully frightening hike, Andrew and Rachel continued their journey to taste natural salt from the salt flats, explore some trails in Arizona, and drive around Monument Valley. They finished off this unforgettable honeymoon adventure by stopping where it all began in Nebraska to check out the family cow farm.
If you ask these newlyweds, they’ll tell you that the best way to do a honeymoon is by packing up a camper and exploring the United States. It was a month filled with incredible adventures and extraordinary stories they can share for a lifetime.
Connect with the Chwaliks
Andrew documented their entire road trip with a daily vlog that you can find on his YouTube Channel so we all can join in on their hunt for bear or death-defying hike. You can watch all the episodes on Andrew’s YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzLEqDD8Aala2pvZBMvCZOMM-hpgbh08e.
We’re excited to have Andrew and Rachel as part of the #nuCampFamily and are looking forward to following along as they share more of their adventures while camping with their TAG, which they’ve named Gladis. If you have questions for Andrew & Rachel or are curious about what they’re up to next, you can follow them on their Facebook Page called Small Town Chwaliks.
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