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Pleasanton residents and business owners John Perez and Kristi Reed pose for a photo with their Toyota 4Runner, which they will use to drive across all seven continents over the next three to five years. Their trip is set to begin this Saturday, May 30. (Photo by Christian Trujano) 
A map shows the Pleasanton couple’s planned route across the globe over the next few years. With no set timeline, the two said they want to take their time and truly experience all the places they plan to visit. (Contributed photo) 
Nicknamed YOLA, which stands for You Only Live Adventure, their car is equipped with a fully working refrigerator, cooktop, makeshift shower, and a tent on top where the couple plans on sleeping during warmer nights. (Contributed photo) 
The two adventurers show off their various trunk compartments which will be holding a lot of their equipment and gear. (Photo by Christian Trujano) 
An image shows Perez and Reed laying down next to all of the equipment and gear they packed into their 4Runner. (Contributed photo) 
Kristi Reed demonstrates how the couple will be showering out of their car. The shower head she is holding will be connected to a bucket of water. (Photo by Christian Trujano) 
John Perez and Kristi Reed spent about a year and a half modifying and building out their 4Runner, which will be their home for the next few years.
One car. Seven continents. Countless new memories.
That’s what’s in store for John Perez and Kristi Reed over the next three to five years as the couple get set to road-trip around the world in their 2008 Toyota 4Runner.
The pair is gearing up to kick off their adventure this weekend as they head up the coast to Alaska for the first leg of their journey.
“We depart from Pleasanton, Calif. with a dream of exploring the world, slowly and intentionally for the next three to five years,” Reed told the Pleasanton Weekly. “Our hope is to experience all seven continents while immersing ourselves in different cultures, meeting amazing people, tasting incredible foods and visiting some of the most breathtaking places on earth.”
Perez and Reed are longtime Pleasanton residents who’ve owned their business, Body Balance, for over 30 years. Located next to the Kottinger Barn, their business specializes in personal fitness, massage therapy and nutritional coaching.
When they decided it was time to retire, Perez and Reed chose to spend their newfound free time doing the two things they love to do the most: traveling and road-tripping.
“Every journey has deepened our love for adventure, culture and connection with people around the world,” Reed said.
The pair intends to keep their business running while they’re away by shifting to a less-hands-on role, delegating more responsibility to their managers and staff. Additionally, they plan to rent out their Pleasanton home during their trip.
Reed said the idea of going on their extensive excursion stemmed from a road trip they took in Iceland just before the COVID-19 pandemic. She said they had rented a van there and traveled all around the country in it, which prompted them to think: “Why not do the same thing but across the world?”
That’s when they discovered the overlanding community.
According to various magazines, community forums and blog sites, overlanding is a form of adventure travel where the journey becomes the primary goal — not necessarily making it to a certain destination. Instead of simply camping in your car, you convert your car to a self-sufficient mode of transportation and living.
Through their research and time diving deep into the overlanding world, the couple decided to purchase their 4Runner that they nicknamed YOLA, which stands for “You Only Live Adventure”. Perez said they mainly bought that particular car because they can find parts for it almost anywhere around the world.
After buying their vehicle, they spent about a year and a half getting the oversized, all-terrain wheels, making exterior improvements and overall modifying the inside and outside of the car to meet their needs during the trip.
The car is equipped with a working refrigerator, Starlink, cooking top, hand-held shower and a tent installed on top of the roof. During colder weather, the couple said they can take out the equipment inside their trunk to make room for a mattress.
With their car ready to go, the couple then spent time developing their route. Their plan is to start along the coast of California and travel up the Pacific Northwest into Alaska, where their 4Runner will be pushed to its limit.
They said those first seven months in the cold and vast wilderness will really test them mentally and physically, as well as give them a chance to see where they can make improvements to their vehicle.
After that, the two said they plan on making their way across Canada, back into the U.S., head along the East Coast and across the south into Texas where they will begin the second leg of their journey down to Mexico and Latin America. Once in South America, they will travel along the western coast until they hit Argentina.
For the oceanic crossings, the pair noted that they intend to utilize cargo ships, securing their vehicle within a shipping container for the duration of the voyage.
Once at the tip of Argentina, they will briefly make their way to the very top of Antarctica before going across the southern Atlantic Ocean and into South Africa. They will then spend some time driving up east Africa before going across the Indian Ocean to hit Australia.
Finally, they will trek from Australia to southeast and northeast Asia, across India and the Himalayas and finish their journey in Europe.
While there is no specific timeline for any of their stops, Perez said one of the main goals is to stay ahead of the winters and chase the summers in each of the continents.
Reed noted that the journey is much more than simply “checking destinations off a map”.
“It’s about embracing the unknown, stepping outside of our comfort zones and creating meaningful experiences along the way,” she said. “We believe adventure is found not only in the grand landscapes, but also in the small moments.”
She and her husband are not treating this as a race against time. They plan on moving through each city, each state, each country and each continent as slowly as possible so they can fully immerse themselves in all of the various cultures and landscapes.
They also seek to make new friends along the way, share with locals and spend as much time in nature as possible.
Their love for nature is so strong, in fact, that Reed said they are more excited to visit Alaska than anywhere else on their route — mostly because of the vast landscapes and untouched nature. They even plan on diving into the Arctic Ocean for fun.
Although they recognize there might be some dangers along the way — corrupt officers looking for bribes, dangerous terrain and areas experiencing gang violence, to name a few — they said they’ve made sure to research as much as they could so that they know what to do in those situations.
Perez added that while there might be a preconceived understanding of the dangers around the world, they also believe in human kindness and said, based on previous trips, they think the world is a much nicer place than what many might believe.
“It’s not as dangerous, but we also are going to be extremely mindful,” Perez said.
As far as what they hope to achieve from this trip, apart from all of the new memories they’re going to make, Perez and Reed said they also hope to inspire others to chase their dreams, take chances like the two of them did and realize it’s not too late to travel the world.
“If you dream it, do it, because you only have this one life,” Reed said.
Perez also added that you don’t necessarily need extravagant or expensive equipment to do something like them, all you need is meticulous research, dependable equipment and ambition.
“You don’t need these big, expensive (car) builds. You don’t need to spend $50,000 or $100,000 like a lot of people do for show,” Perez said, referencing a fellow off-roader the two follow. “All you need is four wheels — that are capable — and this incredible desire.”
People can follow the couple’s journey via their YouTube and social media pages, both titled “You Only Live Adventure”, where they will post their locations, routes and what it’s like to be on the road.
