RV There Yet?: For some, they’re home away from home. For others, they are home. From purchase to renovation to life on the road, campers offer the freedom to live on one’s own terms. Click here to read more articles from our camping issue.

Don and Lisa Finch wander through the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, Don manning his GoPro camera, Lisa snapping pictures with her phone. They laugh at the otters, marvel at the albino American alligator, shake their heads in sympathy at the non-functioning wing of Maverick, the rescued bald eagle. As they walk, they reminisce about past trips. Remember the time we went to … ? Was that the same trip that we … ? The kids climbed on these giant frogs when they were little; I miss that!

The Finches love to travel — usually in their newly renovated 30-foot travel trailer, a Jayco Qwest RV dubbed CC for “The Camper Couple,” which is also the name of the YouTube channel where they share videos of their trips. Buckled in the back seat on all of their excursions is Maddie, their Jack Russell mix rescue.

Over the course of this three-night trip, the Finches are staying at Holden Beach RV Campground and seeing the sights. In Southport, they take a tram tour and eat at Fishy Fishy Cafe. They enjoy a boat tour of the Cape Fear River, do some shopping, and dine at Anne Bonny’s Bar & Grill, a floating restaurant on the Riverwalk in Wilmington. They have been married for 12 years, and in that time, they’ve lost count of the number of trips they’ve taken. Their relationship has evolved around RVing from the very beginning. According to Lisa, it’s the glue that holds them together.

• • •

Don and Lisa met online in 2012. When they discovered they had the same birthday — the Fourth of July — they arranged a date. For their second date, they went to an RV show at the Greensboro Coliseum. Now, the couple usually goes to three RV shows a year to find inspiration for new ways to renovate CC. “It’s neat to figure out how people utilize the space,” Lisa says, adding that becoming a minimalist is a challenge for her because she loves clothes. “But I’m working on it,” she says with a laugh. The pair listed their home on the market and plan to move into their RV.

Lisa caught the travel bug on childhood trips with her parents in their family camper. They’d often travel from their home in Winston-Salem to Myrtle Beach, while Lisa’s dad shuffled oldies tapes and the kids played cards in the back.

From the Outer Banks to the Kuwohi Observation Tower, the Finches have explored the farthest regions of our state from their Jayco Qwest RV. Photography courtesy of Lisa and Don Finch

Don worked as an evangelical preacher after graduating from college in the late 1990s and traveled around the eastern United States in an RV. When his son was born in 2001, Don left the ministry, seeking to better support his family as a truck driver. “I’ve seen a lot of the country that way, but I haven’t been able to enjoy it as much,” he says. Now, Don hopes to become an RV technician, a job that he can do from anywhere. Lisa already works remotely in medical billing and has a small office in the back of their camper, giving the couple more freedom to travel on their terms.

This is the Finches’ second go at living full-time in CC. Several years ago, the pair saved money by moving out of their home and into the RV for six months when the tenants in their two rental properties stopped paying rent.

<em>CC</em> offers a quiet respite during the evening at Holden Beach RV Campground. Photography courtesy of Lisa and Don Finch

This time, the move is not out of necessity, but in pursuit of adventure. The couple will make a home at parks in the Triad, but they plan to travel as much as they can once Don’s business is up and running. “I want roots and wings,” Lisa says. “I want a good home base. I want to be near my church. I want to be near my family. But I want to be able to say, ‘I want to go to the beach this week. Let’s pack up. Let’s go.’”

The Finches want to hit most of our national parks, and almost every summer, they go to the Outer Banks. They also love to camp at Disney World, and Lisa wants to return to Niagara Falls. Don wants to do the “Route 64 Tour” — from the Outer Banks west through Murphy, into Tennessee, and on to the “Four Corners” — where the borders of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico meet at a single point. The Couple has already completed most of the route that goes through North Carolina, from the coast to Lake Lure.

“Route 64 is like the highlights of North Carolina in so many ways,” Don says. “It goes through so many of the tourist places — Lake Lure and Chimney Rock, Rocky Mount, Plymouth, Williamston — all those places. It’s awesome.”

Camper stickers illustrate where the Finches have traveled to. photograph by Peter Colin Murray

In Plymouth, the couple learned about the ironclad Albemarle and its role in the Civil War; in Williamston, they visited Deadwood, a Western theme park; in Asheboro, they explored the North Carolina Zoo; and in Lenoir, they stopped at Hart’s General Store and Creamery, an old barn turned ice cream shop where proceeds support an animal rescue.

Lisa’s parents joined for part of the trip, and they all went zip-lining at Lake Lure. Her dad went down the line upside down, “because they said he could!” she says, laughing.

“My parents are very youthful, but [Don’s] mom and dad, not so much. I saw them shut down,” Lisa says. “I don’t want that for us. Life is to be lived.”

The 30-foot travel trailer the Finches named CC — for “The Camper Couple” — includes everything they need for life on the road. photograph by Peter Colin Murray

The Finches follow another YouTube channel called “Finding Our Someday,” hosted by RVers they met in Florida.

“My mom and dad, they kept saying, ‘Well, we’ll get there someday. We’ll do it someday,’” Don says. “And they never got to that point where they were able to find their someday. It’s my goal to not be that way, to go ahead and seize the moment and enjoy life now, because if you don’t find your someday now, you’ll just keep putting it off.”

The Finches’ carpe diem attitude didn’t evolve by accident. Both dealt with health problems as children. Don was epileptic and nearly died several times. Lisa has Turner syndrome, a chromosomal condition. Don took medication throughout his childhood; Lisa required hormone shots to promote growth. Now, they want to make the most out of their lives. “It makes you value experiences,” Lisa says. “And I think it makes us appreciate each other as well. We value each other a lot.”

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Don and Lisa wrap up at the aquarium and head to Wilmington for lunch. When they travel, Lisa likes to see museums, go shopping, and try popular restaurants. Don loves to uncover local history and share what he learns on their YouTube channel. But they also enjoy relaxing at their campsite.

This is the fourth trip they’ve taken to Holden Beach RV Campground, and it’s a full-circle moment for them: The first time they came here was their inaugural big trip after buying CC, and they stayed at this very campsite, No. 25. That was 10 years ago, and their trips have changed since those days, when Don’s two kids came with them.

Things are a little less chaotic now, and they have more time for relaxing. When they’re not sightseeing and filming for their channel, they sit outside their RV in foldable rocking chairs, sipping cups of coffee, Maddie at their feet. Enjoying each other. Savoring the moment. Living their someday.