Yalla, bye 🚐✨

Hi, I’m Karl, and this is ‘Yalla, Bye’.

Your new favorite (or at least top 10) newsletter about van adventures, weekend escapes, and the ultimate guide to planning your next great getaway.

If you’re wondering about the name, let me paint a picture. You’re standing at your front door, backpack half-zipped, a snack in one hand, your keys in the other. You have a vague idea of where you’re headed but no clue what’s actually going to happen. You turn back for one last look and shout:

“Yalla, bye!”

It’s the ultimate Lebanese sendoff—half "hurry up," half "see ya!"—the perfect phrase for embracing adventure with a shrug, a smile, and a total disregard for meticulous planning. And that’s exactly the spirit of this newsletter: part storytelling, part travel guide, and all about saying yes to adventure (even when it goes off the rails).

What to expect?

This isn’t just about sharing wild road trip tales—it’s about making sure you can get out there and create your own. Every edition of Yalla, Bye blends firsthand travel stories with practical insights to help you plan your next escape.

• Scenic routes & detours – because the best roads aren’t always the straightest.

• Campground recommendations – the gems, the hidden spots, and the ones with the best sunrise views.

• Food stops worth the miles – whether it’s a roadside falafel stand or a must-visit local eatery, we’re hunting down the best bites.

• Itinerary ideas – weekend getaways, cross-country van trips, and every kind of escape in between.

I’ll be covering adventures throughout North America—especially the Pacific Northwest—but sometimes, when the opportunity presents itself, we’ll go global. The goal? To make your next trip easier, better, and way more fun.

You might not know me yet, but let me introduce you to the usual suspects in my stories. There’s my wife, Alizée—an incredibly talented illustrator whose work is deeply inspired by Lebanese culture—and then there’s our greyhound, Louie, who effortlessly steals the spotlight wherever we go. Together, we weave Levantine traditions, humor, and everyday moments into our van adventures, adding an extra dash of personality to the journey.

And now, I’m bringing all of that to Substack—a fresh start, a blank road map, and a new way to share these stories. Whether you’re here for the road trip mishaps, the hidden-gem campgrounds, or just a little Lebanese humor, you can also follow along at www.okyallabye.com, where I’ll be sharing the same adventures, tips, and experiences. No matter where you read, expect plenty of spontaneity, detours, and fun along the way.

So if you love spontaneous trips, ridiculous detours, and practical getaway plans, subscribe and join me on this journey. I’d love to hear from you too—drop a comment, share your own travel stories, or let me know if there’s a destination I absolutely need to check out. There will be road trip misadventures, van life quirks, and just enough Lebanese humor to keep things interesting.

Yalla, bye—we’re off! 🚐 ✨