We never thought we would actually do “this” and yet here we are. We stepped out of our traditional comfort zone and made some significant and exciting changes in our lives. In case you are wondering “what are they thinking” or is this a mid-life crisis?” I’ll share a few of the reasons we decided to sell our home, most of our belongings, and live and travel full-time in an RV.
Less Work & More Living
Well, why did we decide to live full-time in an RV? Like many people, we have hopes and dreams that we didn’t want to let slip away. We also craved a simpler life and some adventure. Corporate jobs and long hours with crazy schedules were wearing us down. Ever-grateful for our careers, our reality was long days, and extensive business travel took their toll. We were tired and weary of the go, go, go.
Photo by James Capozzi Photography
We felt like we were getting short-changed. Too often we missed out on time with family, friends, and hobbies due to long hours and work-house responsibilities. We loved our beautiful home, but yard-work and maintenance were stealing what little free time we did have left away from things we like to do.
Outdoor Lifestyle & Better Health
It didn’t take us long to realize that the frenzied pace we kept was not sustainable. It wasn’t just hectic and stressful, but unhealthy as well. Was this really living? The time had come to slow down, think about the future and prioritize what was important to us.
We took a long look at our lifestyle and knew there had to be more to life than this. The words “life is short” became real to us as we watched close friends and family members deal with serious health issues. It was time to embrace a less stressful, healthier lifestyle. It made sense that working less and having less would enrich our lives more. Less house, fewer things, and less work-travel would give us more time for each other and the active, healthier, outdoor lifestyle we craved.
Family Time & Making Memories
Angie & Dave pleasantly surprised by a dusting of snow while visiting family
Why else live full-time in an RV? Our family means the world to us, and we wanted to make changes in our lives to be able to spend more time with the ones we love. As the years went by, we realized you never get that precious time with family back. RVing would give us the flexibility to spend more time together, and we hoped family and friends would visit and adventure with us! The chance to have new experiences and create lasting memories with family is something we both wanted.
More Freedom & Outdoor Adventures
One of our dreams has always been to explore our way across the U.S because there is so much to see in this vast world of ours. Outdoor adventures were calling us too. Whitewater kayaking is one of our passions and paddling new rivers and creeks is always a goal of ours!
The idea that our RV was our “mobile home” and could take us anywhere we wanted to go was exciting. If we lived full-time in an RV, we would have the ability to travel and explore. And, we always wanted the freedom to work for ourselves in creative, entrepreneurial ways. Because we are too young to retire, this is our chance to explore doing just that!
We are all smiles about the chance to live, work and travel full-time in our RV, and whitewater kayak more too!
Angie & Dave paddling Wilson Creek. Photo by Samantha H. Miller
Angie & Dave surfing the Nantahala River. Photo by Eric Condrey
Our RV journey is the chance for us to redefine what happiness and success mean to us and to live life to the fullest.
The Risk is Worth the Reward
Are we excited? You bet. Change is exciting, and a little scary too. Not surprising, we experienced doubt, worry, and fear along the way. Often, all the changes associated with downsizing and letting go of the security of our old life was overwhelming. Consequently, fear and anxiety found their way into our heads. Because of that, we would look at each other and say “are we crazy”? Maybe. Truthfully, we thought it would be crazier to miss out on the chance to follow our dreams.
We didn’t want to look back years from now and have any regrets. So, we forged ahead. And did our best to push negative thoughts out of our heads and held fast to our vision for a more fulfilling way of life. To us, the risk seemed worth the reward. So we didn’t let fear or thoughts of failure hold us back.
It has taken a lot of hard work, planning (and coffee) to make our dream of simple living and full-time travel a reality. We are super excited and can’t wait to see where this journey will take us!
It has long been a dream of ours to travel the U.S. and explore life on the road.
We made it happen! You can too.
What adventure is calling you?
