He looked over at me nervously. "Hey, so you want to indulge one of my crazy ideas?"
I assumed it was to seek out a house way out in the country. "Sure, where are we headed?"
"Camping World...just to see if it's even practical."
"To see if what is practical?"
"Living in an RV. I've been thinking about it for a week or so. You know me, I have to see all the options and then start filtering out the ones that don't work. I can't filter this one out yet."
After a few minutes of silence, I think he started to get worried that I was upset or panicked. "I questioned whether or not I should even mention it to you. At one point, I considered coming down here on my own and looking at them and then bringing you and the kids to get your input."
I assumed it was to seek out a house way out in the country. "Sure, where are we headed?"
"Camping World...just to see if it's even practical."
"To see if what is practical?"
"Living in an RV. I've been thinking about it for a week or so. You know me, I have to see all the options and then start filtering out the ones that don't work. I can't filter this one out yet."
After a few minutes of silence, I think he started to get worried that I was upset or panicked. "I questioned whether or not I should even mention it to you. At one point, I considered coming down here on my own and looking at them and then bringing you and the kids to get your input."
What he didn't know was that I wasn't immediately thinking that it was impossible, but I was trying to get rid of my immediate hesitation so I could approach the idea with an open mind. Finally, I responded "We can go look and then talk about concerns later."
We walked through about 8 or 10 RVs and realized that the larger ones were actually quite practical. I was still worried about space and privacy. "The only real concern I have is that I will be home with the kids ALL day and once you get home, I won't have a place to be alone and decompress."
"If that's the only concern you have, we're doing way better than I expected. So, why don't we go home and do some research. Maybe mull it over for a week and then decide." I agreed and most of the drive home was spent talking about various pros and cons.
Google the phrase "full-time RV" and you'll find that there are hundreds of websites dedicated to it. There are forums full of people sharing their experiences and tips. Although they all decide to take on this lifestyle for different reasons (recreation, jobs that require a lot of travel, simplification and downsizing, etc...) the process and obstacles are, generally, the same.
Did you know that there is a term for kids who homeschool on the road? It's called Roadschooling. There's a website for Families on the Road (FOTR) too. There, I got to see the experiences of families who have chosen this path. I saw a family of 8 that lived full-time in an RV so that the father can travel to teach classes about personal finance. I saw a family of 3 that travel with the circus. Families of different backgrounds, choosing the same unconventional lifestyle.
I spent the next 2 days looking through blogs, youtube, and forums for all the reasons we shouldn't do this. All I found were the concerns I already had, privacy and space. Instead of finding reasons not to, I found even more reasons that we should take on this endeavor. The motivation to downsize your household to just essentials, the flexibility to try out places that you might want to live before committing, the ability to move with respect to weather, and a low cost of living were all enticing reasons to consider full-time RV living.
Beyond all that, there was the ability to travel without having to make arrangements for pets or find hotels willing to accommodate them. We could afford to travel more often, since we could often find RV parks that charged the cost of a single night's hotel stay for the whole week. This would give us the ability to take our kids to the places they were learning about. The opportunities seemed endless.
We know there will be challenges and obstacles, in addition to all the positives we've found. It won't be rainbows and kittens all the time, but we couldn't expect that living in a house either. As J and I discussed the things we had found on the internet, we began to get really excited about the idea.
So what do our friends and family think? Undoubtedly, there are some who think we've lost our minds. The prospect of living with 3 children under the age of 4 in a very small space would be intimidating for just about anyone. There are others who have expressed excitement and support. A few even said they wished they had the flexibility to do it now, instead of waiting for retirement to live this kind of life.
When I finally told J that we should pursue this idea, I heard the line that I hear whenever I agree to go along with one of his unconventional plans: "Thanks for being crazy with me. It wouldn't be the same without you."
We walked through about 8 or 10 RVs and realized that the larger ones were actually quite practical. I was still worried about space and privacy. "The only real concern I have is that I will be home with the kids ALL day and once you get home, I won't have a place to be alone and decompress."
"If that's the only concern you have, we're doing way better than I expected. So, why don't we go home and do some research. Maybe mull it over for a week and then decide." I agreed and most of the drive home was spent talking about various pros and cons.
Google the phrase "full-time RV" and you'll find that there are hundreds of websites dedicated to it. There are forums full of people sharing their experiences and tips. Although they all decide to take on this lifestyle for different reasons (recreation, jobs that require a lot of travel, simplification and downsizing, etc...) the process and obstacles are, generally, the same.
Did you know that there is a term for kids who homeschool on the road? It's called Roadschooling. There's a website for Families on the Road (FOTR) too. There, I got to see the experiences of families who have chosen this path. I saw a family of 8 that lived full-time in an RV so that the father can travel to teach classes about personal finance. I saw a family of 3 that travel with the circus. Families of different backgrounds, choosing the same unconventional lifestyle.
I spent the next 2 days looking through blogs, youtube, and forums for all the reasons we shouldn't do this. All I found were the concerns I already had, privacy and space. Instead of finding reasons not to, I found even more reasons that we should take on this endeavor. The motivation to downsize your household to just essentials, the flexibility to try out places that you might want to live before committing, the ability to move with respect to weather, and a low cost of living were all enticing reasons to consider full-time RV living.
Beyond all that, there was the ability to travel without having to make arrangements for pets or find hotels willing to accommodate them. We could afford to travel more often, since we could often find RV parks that charged the cost of a single night's hotel stay for the whole week. This would give us the ability to take our kids to the places they were learning about. The opportunities seemed endless.
We know there will be challenges and obstacles, in addition to all the positives we've found. It won't be rainbows and kittens all the time, but we couldn't expect that living in a house either. As J and I discussed the things we had found on the internet, we began to get really excited about the idea.
So what do our friends and family think? Undoubtedly, there are some who think we've lost our minds. The prospect of living with 3 children under the age of 4 in a very small space would be intimidating for just about anyone. There are others who have expressed excitement and support. A few even said they wished they had the flexibility to do it now, instead of waiting for retirement to live this kind of life.
When I finally told J that we should pursue this idea, I heard the line that I hear whenever I agree to go along with one of his unconventional plans: "Thanks for being crazy with me. It wouldn't be the same without you."
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