Let the Dreaming Begin
It was in these last few weeks that we sat around the kitchen table and pointed at places we wanted to go together. The colorful map of the United States seemed to call to us. The kids and the adults were giddy with excitement. “Where should we go?”, I asked. Allyona was leaning toward the bright green of Oregon while Pamela and Rabian darted for the white beaches of Florida. We all had our own idea about which way we would go first.
The Discussion
It’s not a recent idea but traveling around the United States in an RV has become a key topic in our home. We’ve talked about how we will have to downsize dramatically to pull it off. With less space we will have less stuff but hopefully more time. We talk about the challenges we will face on the road and how we might mitigate those on the fly. But mostly we talk about the places we want to see and things we want to do along the way.
Some ideas we’ve had are: The Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico, Sun N Fun in Florida, Burning Man in Nevada, beaches of California, those giant trees too! Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks, the Grand Canyon, and tons of small and medium places in between.
It’s clear to us that there probably won’t be a better time for the trip. So, Pamela and I have opened our minds to the idea and, with the help of the kids, we are deciding if our family of four should load up and hit the road full-time in an RV. Obviously the kids are all in but they are actively trying to figure out how to carry their grandparents with them!
Last Summer
I’d say this idea is the result of a slippery slope that started last summer. Around about July 2018 we converted an old 1987 Chevy Van into a camper. We took out the backseat and built in some bunk-beds. Then, over the course of two months we spent about 20 nights in different campgrounds sitting around a fire with friends, watching the kids play, and living large. We’d wake up smiling, eat some breakfast and start adventuring. We’d hike in sandals and swim suits and jump in every creek! At night we’d wrap the bikes with LED lights and throw frisbees back and forth while intermittently roasting marshmallows. It was one of our greatest summers ever.
Our work situation, our homeschool situation, and our love of traveling all seem to be calling us to wander. We plan to spend the summer with family and later this year, if everything lines up, we’ll ease out into the road and see where it takes us.
What are your thoughts on full time RVing? Do you know anybody that has done it and where did they go?
Where should we go and what should we take the kids to see?
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