About Fernweh Chronicles
The Wanderers' Tale: Love, Liberty, and the Last Frontier
Meet Andrea Howard and Chris Volz— we are true companions who've shared 25 extraordinary years together. But our story got truly riveting when we made our boldest decision: Chris hung up his career, Andrea sold her business, and togher we traded in our conventional life for something of a Bohemian. House sold. Possessions boxed away. Freedom in the form of a trusty truck camper and the open road.
With their spirited wiener dog Lieba as co-pilot, they launched into their first epic cross-country odyssey—and discovered they were absolutely, utterly addicted to journeying.
Two more coast-to-coast trips followed, each one feeding their deep appreciation for America's wild beauty. Then they traded wheels for waves, living aboard a boat as they navigated the legendary Intracoastal Waterway from Florida's sun-soaked shores to Virginia's historic harbors.
But now we're embarking on our most ambitious journey yet - a trip they've been dreaming about for years. Destination: Alaska, taking the scenic route through Canada's breathtaking wilderness.
Some call it retirement (Andrea's not retired). We call it the adventure of a lifetime!
What is Fernweh
Fernweh is a beautiful German word that describes a deep longing for distant places—literally translated as "far sickness".
It's the opposite of homesickness (Heimweh). While homesickness is the ache to return to familiar places, Fernweh is the restless yearning to explore unknown territories, to wander far from home, and to discover what lies beyond the horizon.
It's that stirring feeling when you see a map and feel pulled toward places you've never been, or when you hear about a distant land and feel an almost physical need to experience it yourself. Fernweh captures the wanderlust that goes beyond casual travel interest—it's a genuine ache for the far-away and unexplored.
Given our past of selling property and buying campers and boats to roam the country, we are definitely people driven by Fernweh—that irresistible call of distant places and new horizons.
