Couple sells belongings to travel for love and cosplay

“The good times are what fuels it,” Justin said. “At the end of the day, it’s not the destination. It’s about the journey to that destination. It’s about the discoveries you make about the world and yourself along the way.” (Photo screengrabbed from Expedition Cosplay/YouTube)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Justin Webb moved to Knoxville five years ago with nothing more than a Spider-Man suit and a car payment. He soon went from being homeless to owning multiple vehicles modeled after movies, including a “Scooby-Doo” Mystery Machine and a “Jurassic Park” Jeep.

But Justin, now 29, has given up nearly all he’s acquired for a simpler life in search of personal happiness with his wife, Megan.

The Knoxville couple has hit the road in a Volkswagen van, which they will live in for a year as they travel the country attending cosplay conventions and documenting their journey online.

“The good times are what fuels it,” Justin said. “At the end of the day, it’s not the destination. It’s about the journey to that destination. It’s about the discoveries you make about the world and yourself along the way.”

Megan, 26, always wanted to go to a cosplay convention but never really had anyone to go with.

“It’s a whole world on its own,” she said. “It’s being accepted now but, normally, being a nerd and being a geek and liking a video game wasn’t cool.”

Justin disagrees with those who think that way.

When Justin walked into a friend’s apartment to crash on the couch his first weekend in Knoxville, he was taken back when he saw Megan for the first time, sitting on the floor playing video games.

“That’s a cool girl,” he recalls saying to himself.

Justin soon opened her eyes to the world of cosplay, both at conventions and locally. Knoxville residents may remember him as the Spider-Man in Market Square.

“There’s something special when that little kid comes up to you,” Justin said. “They see you as not someone cosplaying at this point. You become the embodiment of their hero.”

Justin remembers being somewhat of a kid, himself, when he first began cosplaying.

“It started out that my parents were really kind of conservative and I wasn’t allowed to go to prom,” Justin said. “I decided to go to my first anime convention, instead. I made my costume, and I had a blast. I didn’t miss prom at all.”

Dressing as characters has now become an outlet of personal expression for both Justin and Megan.

“You can go and be that character and be yourself and be proud of it without people judging you,” Megan said. “People can show their hard work, and it’s a safe place to be.”

Justin studied physical therapy in community college, while Megan studied wildlife management at UT before they both dropped out and began working at Elliott’s Boots.

They worked hard and saved their money to build their “Scooby-Doo” and “Jurassic Park” vehicles, but something was missing.

“Society is built around making money and buying things, and things aren’t necessarily what bring us happiness,” Justin said. “It’s the life experiences you get through the journey of life is what we want. We want stories to tell and not things to show.”

Justin had the idea, with the growing trend of van life, to give up most of their possessions. They could travel together and live in a van, but Megan wasn’t immediately convinced.

But following their honeymoon — at Universal Studios, of course — she had a change of heart.

“Just that brief time of being on the honeymoon and just the freedom we had — it was amazing,” she said.

Going back to school could be pushed back a year, Megan decided. And with no children, this could be their only chance.

“The best feeling for us was when we bought the van,” Justin said. “We flew out to Boise, Idaho, to pick it up. I remember our first night staying in the van we stayed in a state park.”

Perhaps it wasn’t what they envisioned. The couple was cramped inside, and Megan admits it was a bit scary at first.

“But when we woke up the next morning, we were greeted with mountain views,” Justin said. “We had a hawk fly inches from our window and just soar. To be able to open up that front door and have the whole world as your playground was amazing.”

The van was in great condition, with only 89,000 miles on the original engine, Justin said.

Using his background in transforming cars into vehicles from movies, he upgraded the 1984 Volkswagen Camper Van with wood flooring, a solar shower, solar panels, and large boxes on top.

The van also has been painted blue to go with the magnetic decals they’ll apply at conventions to make it look like the evacuation van from the video game “Fallout.”

They hit the road Sept. 30 and plan to travel for about one year. The couple will visit cosplay conventions on their journey to sell their handmade items, which include leather bracelets.

People can keep up with Justin and Megan as they document their travels on youtube.com/expeditioncosplay.

“We want to share it with everyone, too, and show them you don’t have to fit that mould if you don’t want to,” Megan said. “We want to be real with people. It’s not just all those Pinterest posts you see.”

Megan is most excited to see as many museums as she can. Justin said they plan to visit all 50 states, Canada and Peru.

“It’s partially recreating that family road trip, too, because I was too young to really appreciate it,” Justin said. “I was too caught up in, ‘I want a whip, I want a cowboy hat, I want spurs.”’

When the couple gets back from travelling, they plan to start a family of their own.

“There was a lot to give up,” Justin said. “It was difficult. But we know, in the end, we’ll gain more. We get to start fresh and reinvent ourselves.”

To help fund their journey, people can visit
patreon.com/expcosplay. In exchange for donations, people can
receive handmade items, access to behind-the-scenes footage or a
chance to be included in the series.