California Teen To Fulfil Dads Dream Of Travelling World In Converted RV Van After He Dies Of Heart Attack
This Californian teenager is set to fulfil his dad’s dream of travelling the world in this converted van after the older man suddenly died of a heart attack before he could set off.
Austyn Crispell, 18, lives in Scotts Valley, California, on the western coast of the United States, and his dad Bryan, as the young man explains in one of a series of videos uploaded to social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, was planning to travel the world in the van.
He even purchased a USD-1,200 toilet and fitted it in the van with all the necessary tools to live on it full-time, however, he suddenly died of the heart attack.
In one of the videos, Austyn, who runs a social media marketing business on Amazon, eBay, YouTube, TikTok and Twitch, with his girlfriend Alicia Rios, can be seen holding up an urn and saying that he will fulfil his dad’s dream.
Austyn spoke to Newsflash in an exclusive interview and said that he “decided to do it because it would be good therapy and help me get a broader view of life, it would force me to learn all the things my dad couldn’t teach me.”
He said that the van, a 2019 Ram Promaster 2500 High Roof, which he said is still being prepared for its maiden voyage, is already proving a useful tool to connect with people and help others, with Austyn adding: “I get a ton of messages every day telling me how I’ve had a positive impact of their life and their way of thinking, and it surprises me even more when people from other countries message me saying how I’ve inspired them.
“I want to continue to make people happy and help them find their purpose in life.”
Austyn said that one of the things he is looking forward to most is meeting lots of new people. He said that he is planning to start his trip sometime around June 2022 and added: “I’m not sure where I’m going to start, I’m either going to go north to east then come back to California through the south, or the other way around.”
He also plans to document every aspect of the trip in the hope of selling his story to Netflix or one of the other big streaming platforms. An entrepreneur at heart, he also plans to open up fitness centres “in every single state in America”.
Austyn said: “I had a comfortable childhood. I grew up in a wealthy neighbourhood, but my family was middle class.
“From a young age, I knew I didn’t want to grow up entitled. Around 7th grade I started my own businesses, like a supreme reselling business, a homework business, a hat business, etc. My parents always supported me in school and in life but when it came to entrepreneurship, they were less supportive, but for obvious reasons. Nobody in my family was an entrepreneur…
“It was different and they were scared. They really wanted me to go to college but I knew that wouldn’t make me happy. I wanted to own gyms, esports teams, and be a YouTuber… College wouldn’t help me with any of that.
“My parents and I got into arguments a lot about high school and college, until one day in junior year, I showed them my amazon and eBay sales. I had made around USD 30,000 as a 16-year-old, and they calmed down a bit after they realised I had an actual skill and would be okay if I didn’t go to college. I ended that year making USD 200,000, and they accepted the fact that I didn’t need to go.
“If my story ends up on Netflix I want to play myself. I definitely have days where I’m demotivated or a little depressed, but that happens in life. The road to success isn’t a straight path, it has ups and downs. All the matters is that when you’re knocked down, you get back up and never quit.”