Ex-NFLer Joe Hawley spending next 6 months traveling U.S., living out of van

After eight seasons in the NFL, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons center Joe Hawley decided to get rid of most of his belongings and embark on a six month journey across the U.S. while living out of a van.

Hawley told ESPN's Jenna Laine he was inspired to adopt a more minimalistic lifestyle after watching the film "Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things" on Netflix. He donated his furniture to Tampa-based charity Metropolitan Ministries, gave away 70 percent of his wardrobe to the Salvation Army, and replaced his Mercedes-Benz C300 coupe with a 10-year-old Ford E-350 Cargo Van that he bought for $55,000 and converted into a camper.

"If it doesn't fit in my van, I'm giving it away," Hawley said. "I thought about putting it in storage when I'm on the road, but I kind of want to start over when I'm done with the trip and have a fresh start, so I decided to give it all away. ... I don't need a lot of things to be happy."

First stop: Pensacola, FL

A post shared by Joe Hawley (@manvandogblog) on Apr 6, 2018 at 7:02am PDT

Joining Hawley on his travels is Freedom, a boxer mix he recently adopted from a shelter. He'll be documenting their adventures on his Instagram account and YouTube channel.

A dog is truly a mans best friend.. and I found a best friend in Freedom. I am so beyond grateful that the universe brought us together. She is going to be the greatest companion on this journey. We hit the road in 2 weeks. I'm getting a little nervous/anxious but having her by my side is going to make the whole experience that much more enjoyable. You can't have the Man without the Van and the Dog. . . . . #vanlife #dog #mansbestfriend #savealife #dontshopadopt #shesavedme #hittheroad #april1 #MVDB

A post shared by Joe Hawley (@manvandogblog) on Mar 19, 2018 at 4:13pm PDT

"You only live one life. It's too short to be doing something you're unhappy with," Hawley said. "If you're thinking about taking a jump into the unknown, go ahead and do it, because that's where freedom lies."

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