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The Meet-Cute With Momentum

When Nicky and Davone hopped on a call with Hibear founder Mark Tsigounis, the energy was already in fifth gear. Mark had just pounded out a seven-miler with 1,200 feet of vert in Tahoe. Nicky and Davone? Mid-bus renovation in Trenton, New Jersey, because adulting isn't hard enough unless you add a full interior rebuild with kids.

This isn't their first rodeo. They've torn the bus apart multiple times over five years, including once when Nicky was eight months pregnant. Each rebuild teaches them what matters.

The lesson? Your first build doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to get you moving. The rest you figure out on the road.

How It All Started

Nicky and Davone were friends for 10 years before becoming partners. Their shared love of travel sparked during a spontaneous 15-hour drive to a graduation in Chicago. Both realized they were wired for adventure.

"We realized travel was really important and we needed to make sure that even as a family, this wasn't going to stop us," Nicky explains. "And we didn't want to just do it once a year either."

When COVID hit, all the signs aligned. With Nicky transitioning from teaching to homeschooling their kids, they asked themselves: What's the life goal? The answer was simple: see the globe. But first, start with America.

They've been rolling for five years now. Not metaphorically, literally rolling: coast to canyon, playground to skatepark, sleepy campground to slot canyon. Home is wherever they park it, and the blueprint is penciled in curiosity.

The Reset Button You Can Dance To

Their family secret sauce isn't a habit tracker or a productivity course. It's a dance party. Anytime. Anywhere.

Here's what's actually happening: When stress spikes, your body floods with cortisol. Movement is one of the fastest ways to metabolize it. Not just deep breathing. Not positive thinking. Physical movement, especially spontaneous and playful movement, can reset your nervous system.

The Prince Family has weaponized this. Toothbrushing standoff with a 3-year-old? Dance party. Tension after being stuck in 12 feet of living space all day? Dance party. Pre-road trip anxiety? You know the drill.

"As soon as she puts the elbow brushing teeth song on and does this little dance, now it's 'look, I'm brushing my teeth like a big girl,'" Nicky laughs. "You just got to bust out the silly."

Homeschool, But Make It Wild

Nicky's a retired teacher with strong opinions forged in actual classroom experience. Her road-school philosophy isn't Instagram aesthetic. It's battle-tested pragmatism.

"If you're scared that you won't be able to do what the school is doing, that's great because you don't want to do what the school is doing," she says, taking shots. "You want them to have more freedom. You want them to have more play. You want them to ask more questions. You want them to stay curious."

Their park strategy: Find locations with multiple amenities (playground, skatepark, trails, bathrooms, shade). Park the bus and spend 6-8 hours there. Kids burn energy, parents decompress, everyone stays sane.

Civilization, but with better air.

Hallmark Moments Without the Filters

Their highlight reel isn't just sunsets and slow-mo. It's the broken-down-at-14,000-feet kind, where your nine-year-old helps fix the bus, then proudly calls it her daily "high" at dinner.

It's the Joshua Tree slot canyon where they entered thinking it would be a quick photo op. Halfway through, they realized the only way out involved climbing technical sections. They formed a human chain, passing their 2-year-old hand-to-hand. Everyone made it. Nobody panicked.

It's Utah where rocks feel like cathedrals and time gets weird.

"These kids are not the kids of our age, so they're going to teach you a lot too," Nicky reflects. "It's a good learning experience for both of you."

The "No Regrets" Framework

When asked what advice they'd give to families dreaming of a similar lifestyle, Davone got philosophical:

"If you want to do something in life, I don't know personally if those things go away. Like I was just talking to her about wanting to skydive as a kid. That stayed with me until I finally skydive. Same thing with wanting to get a driver's license. Same thing with wanting to go kayaking. So I just think, ask yourself: when you're laying down when you're 90, if you're okay with not doing these things, if you're okay with this regret, then don't do it. But if you don't want that regret, then live today."

Life happens fast. Before you know it, your kid is 10. Your kids will adjust to whatever you want to do. Nine times out of ten, they'll be into what you're into. So don't let having kids hold you back. Involve them. Let them grow with you.

What's Next for the Princes

After finishing their bus renovation in New Jersey (where Grandma provides free childcare), they're heading to Florida for the winter.

The 2026 plan: Knock out 17 more states, all in the upper half of the US plus Oklahoma. That leaves only Hawaii and Alaska. They're not driving to Alaska (those bus tires cost $3,000 for a set). They'll fly or cruise instead.

The bigger vision: They recently started sailing lessons in Maine and are already planning for the Atlantic. "Adventure never stops," Davone says with a grin. "We like to dream big."

Because once you master fixing engines in exotic parking lots, marinas are just parking lots with tides.

PS: If you're in Tahoe, ping us. Mark's got local beta and a standing invite for a run or ride.

Gear That Keeps Up

In five years of bus life, the Prince Family has learned that gear either earns its space or gets cut. No participation trophies. Every item has to justify the square inches it occupies.

Somewhere during our conversation, Davone held up his Hibear All-Day Adventure Flask:

When your kitchen is 18 inches wide and storage is limited, every duplicate tool is a punishment. A water bottle that's also a coffee maker, cocktail shaker, tea brewer, and wine decanter isn't a luxury. It's an efficiency play.

The cap's a one-ounce jigger. The sleeve doubles as a dog bowl or second mug. The filter makes cold brew. This is the difference between packing 8 items and packing 1.

Pack less, do more.

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