I know that I often write about whimsical notions of freedom and self-expression and authenticity when it comes to a life on the road—all of which I will stand firmly behind until the end of time. But in the process of putting this issue together, I was reminded that you can’t get into that good‑time stuff without first having a little technical knowledge of how things work out there on the road.

It’s not quite as much fun to learn how to reverse a giant trailer or assess your solar power options as it is to close your eyes, point at a map and say, “Let’s go there!” But it is necessary, and it will ultimately lead you to have a much better time.

In this issue of ROVA, we get a little bit technical. Tom Piper emphatically advises us not to buy the RV we’re considering (and gives some good reasons); Laura Forrest Hopfauf shares some insight into what you actually need to make good meals on the road; Joe Coleman helps us with what we need to have a successful boondocking adventure; and Luanne Porper shares that while there are sublime moments on the road, there are also absurd and difficult moments. For some adventure tips, Adam O’Brien and Paul Durante help us to find some of the best mountain-biking and fishing spots in the country.

But this wouldn’t be an issue of ROVA without a little whimsy, as well, so we have a story about Riley, the most gorgeous and resilient adventure dog on the planet; we go on a tour of the newest and most awarded breweries in the United States; we geek out on North Dakota’s dinosaurs; and we go stargazing in Utah—among plenty of other funtime stories.

The lesson here is that our vision of road-tripping bliss will probably only be close to reality if we do a little preparation. Perhaps that’s not super exciting, but in the end, it’ll mean that your Instagram grid is more reality than Fakestagram. I realize that it’s impossible to prepare for everything, but we can at least give ourselves a little head start.