Mike Benge is a firm believer in the idea that movement is the key to happiness. “I try to live my life with daily activity,” he says. “It helps keep my mind right.” For the last 12 years, Benge, an L2 para who sells medical supplies, has lived all over the United States — from Arizona to California to Nebraska to New Hampshire. “I like change and new scenery.”

For the decade before COVID-19, Benge got his fix of new scenery from multiple international trips per year, renting small campervans in places like New Zealand, Iceland and other parts of Europe with no real plans or set destinations. “I enjoyed the freedom of going wherever you want and taking your time to get from point A to point B, taking the side roads and meeting the locals,” he says.

When the pandemic shut down international travel, Benge took it as an opportunity to pull the trigger on his dream to travel the country fulltime, but he knew a camper van wouldn’t cut it for him, his partner, Jess, and their two dogs. “Everybody wants to be in a van these days for maneuverability. They are easy to drive, easy to park and all those benefits,” he says, “but with two people in a van plus one wheelchair and two dogs, it just wasn’t going to fly.”

He purchased a used 2019 Jayco Melbourne Prestige Class C motorhome. The 25-foot vehicle features one pop out and was sitting at a dealer who didn’t really know what they had. “I made them what I thought was an unbelievably lowball offer and they took it. It was listed at $140K and I picked it up for $80K.”

To gain access, Benge installed a Handy-Lift from Burr Engineering, a semi-manual lift that mounts to the outside of the RV that isn’t exactly meant for chairs. “When it arrived, there were literally 15 pictures of a wheelchair with a cross through it, saying ‘NOT FOR WHEELCHAIRS.’” he laughs. “But it works for me. All in, the lift, shipping, install, I think I spent $1,375 on it.”

That kind of outside of the box thinking is critical to keeping costs down. “People assume this is a really expensive venture. It’s actually not. This is my home. It’s cheaper than a $400,000 mortgage. Plus, we spend most of our time boondocking, which doesn’t cost you anything except the energy you are expending. So it can be fairly affordable.” He also utilizes networks like Harvest Hosts, which offer free overnight stays at more than 2,000 wineries, breweries, farms, and other venues around the country for a flat $100 annual fee.

After picking up the vehicle in Omaha, Nebraska, in October 2020, Benge and crew managed to visit 11 state and national parks from the Emerald Coast to Zion, plus a brief swing down through Mexico — all in the first six months. “For me, the RV lifestyle — waking up in a new location every day or every couple of days — is perfect.”

Follow along on Mike’s adventurous quest to #GoingNowhereAccessible on Instagram at @Life_Adapted to see how they’ve used the Handy-Lift as an adjustable picnic table and impromptu sundeck for their pooches.

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