What We’ve Learned in 4 Years
When we drove away from home for the last time in 2021, we were committed to staying on the road for at least one year. Agreeing, we would evaluate and discuss how each of us felt before deciding on the next year’s plans. Here we are in year four and while this lifestyle is like all others with difficulties and hardships, we have found the experience of being in new places, meeting new people, and creating so many memories, to be worth all of it.
However, we have learned many lessons between that first trip driving north out of Colorado and today, as we sit in the sunshine and ocean breeze of Cape Hatteras.
Here are four of them we wanted to share with you all:
1. Less Reservations – Year one we had to go to Florida for work, so we were going to tackle the challenge of spending the winter there. We read the blogs and seen videos about how difficult finding campgrounds could be during that time of year. So, we made reservations several weeks in advance for the entire trip. What we found was it was a bit too structured. If we liked a place, we might want to stay, but we already had reservations down the road. If we didn’t care for a place and were ready to move on, well we had already paid so no since wasting money. This year, with the experience of the past, we are again on the east coast and planning just several days in advance most of the time. Allowing us to be a bit more flexible and requiring us to have several camping options in the area we want to visit, “just in case” we can’t get into the first choice.
2. More Structure – One of the adjustments to this transition, is that you can have too much freedom! Before hitting the road, our life as a family of five required calendars, and coordination to know who was going were with whom. As empty nesters we did not need all that and the results showed. Less workouts, more happy hours. Less cooking at home, more eating out. While we loved year one and the “vacation life”, we realized we needed to bring back more structure to our days. This year we have regular work hours, and workout times. We schedule our move days and have established a more balanced routine for ourselves. We love finding local produce stands and grocery stores, trying new recipes, and focusing on our health and longevity to fully enjoy the experiences this life offers.
3. Slowing Down – Despite the best advice we got from all our favorite traveling YouTubers, and bloggers, we still traveled way to fast. In year four we have a better rhythm. Staying in a place for 3 nights up to 2 weeks, allows us to really enjoy the area, ease the wear and tear on our systems, and in an increasingly expensive world, manage the budget more efficiently. We can stay in one place for 10 days without hook ups, as long as we are getting sun for the solar system, which really opens camping options for us and is another way to lessen the cost per night. Staying more than just one or two nights, means we get to set up our of patio area, get out the plants, and makes living in the Queen feel more like a home.
4. Mr. O. – Our first couple winters out of the Rocky Mountains in over 20 years usually meant visiting the beach, botanical gardens, hiking the desert, a nice early happy hour, and campfires with our newest friends. Now, with our adoption of Otis, it’s a lot more walks, runs, playing ball, and watching him chase squirrels. It’s a great bond getting to watch him see all the new places for the first time and enjoy those warm cuddles on a chilly evening. Having a dog limits some of the trails in National Parks we can hike and beaches we can visit, but having him as a layer of security, and companionship has been well worth it.
One of the best things about RVing, is what works for us may be completely opposite for you. There is no “right or wrong” way to do it. All that matters is you learn from the experience, become flexible to adjust on the fly and just getting started. The only “perfect time” to start anything is now!
Traveling reminds us how much more of the world there is to see, and at the same time, the relationships we have built let us know it’s never too big to find your people!
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Thank you for being part of our community!
Jerrod, Andrea and Otis