Alyssa Ravasio came up with the idea for back in 2013. That year, she tried to find a campsite in Big Sur but got skunked. Totally frustrated, she took a crash course in coding and built the site, which helps people find and reserve over 10,000 public camping spots. It also acts like an Airbnb or sorts, allowing private land owners to rent tent sites to the public.
We recently caught up with Ravasio to ask what's on her bedside table when she's not under the stars.
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I’ve been exploring Ayurveda recently, which is a mind-body health system from the wise sages of India. The basic concepts I really connect with are the importance of living in tune with nature, and the power of food, sleep, and movement as medicine. Copper is kind of a big deal in Ayurveda, as it ionizes your water. As a startup founder and CEO, I’m always trying to optimize for energy and peak performance, so I’ll take all the ionization I can get. I always drink out of this by United by Blue. It comes camping with me, too.
Novel
E.O. Wilson is one of my heroes. He’s known as the “father of biodiversity” and is one of our planet’s leading biologists. His work has been foundational in so many areas of conservation and biology. His new theory, in his book , is that we must set aside half of our planet’s land and water to stop the dizzying loss of biodiversity we’re currently experiencing.
Essential Oil Diffuser
My days are so crazy: meetings, decisions, lots of screen time. Coming home I’m often really amped on adrenaline, and putting some lavender or other calming oil into can really help me shift into a relaxed state when I get home.
Poetry
I’m not normally a big poetry reader, but I devoured by David Bailey in just a few hours.
Fiction
I’m a big believer in fiction before bed—it helps me transition into the dream world. by Haruki Murakami was one of my absolute favorites last year. It’s an enchanting novel and a true trip into a different universe.