What Did We Just Do?!
Life was good. We both loved our jobs, loved our neighborhood, loved spending time with our friends / family, and had a comfortable life. We had been living modestly and wanted for very little. So…it seemed like the perfect time to shake things up! Perhaps a little crazy? We shall see!
The last nine months have been quite a journey! Really, the last three years have been insane, but that’s a story for another time. We have learned a LOT in our research and planning phase. I can only imagine how much more we will learn now that we are FINALLY on the road. Our rollout plan has been slow and calculated, but (so far) well worth the wait!
For our first post, we’re providing answers to a few of our most common questions:
1. What made you decide to do this?
Oddly, it all started with financial planning. We started digging in to what it would take to retire comfortably, key assets or items of value to have in times of trouble, and how to protect or guide our money for proper distribution upon our demise. As we worked through this process, we realized that although we may have things set up for a nice retirement, we didn’t find this version of our life story very inspiring. We also talked about what regrets we may have if we followed the traditional model, delaying some of the activities we would like to pursue to help secure a potential bright future, but knowing full well that this future may or may not be accessible to us when the time came. That said…we also didn’t want to compromise our future health and happiness either. A balance would be necessary.
Therefore, we aligned on what we needed to feel good about our retirement and started brainstorming on plans to achieve our dreams. We’ve wanted to explore living in other places, but have had concerns about the new place eventually feeling old and getting the itch to move along. As we analyzed our passions, likes, dislikes, etc. it became clear we are happiest when we are in motion and learning new things. We slowly came to realize that our future dream of living in an RV and exploring the country may be in closer reach than we originally assumed. Why did we have to wait until retirement? Was there a way to do it now? Perhaps!
We developed a plan and pitched it to our employers, working with them to finalize the details for the initial execution (e.g., how we would stay connected, when we are required in the office, etc.). We’ll save the details for a future post. Thankfully, we have awesome employers and they have supported us thus far!
2. How do you stay connected to the internet for work?
When we decided we wanted to embark on this adventure, we knew we had to do our homework first to understand the best options for staying connected while on the road, and educate our companies on the various ways others had found success in this area. Our ability to access the internet is of highest importance, and is a primary consideration when planning where we will stay and in determining our relocation days.
After much research, we identified the following as our best options:
Primary: Verizon Wireless JetPack (Hot Spot) - Unlimited Data
Secondary: AT&T Cellular Hot Spot / Tethering - 20G per phone
Others: Wi-Fi at RV Parks; Wi-Fi at Coffee Shops / Restaurants (if all else fails)
So far (knock on wood) our Verizon JetPack has worked well. We’ve had a few small blips / drops in connectivity, but none that have lasted more than a couple of minutes. We’ve even been able to join video conferences at the same time, with little degradation in quality. Pretty exciting!
3. Where are you going first?
What people really mean is, “Where is the first cool place you’re going to visit?”.
We are after two main things on this adventure: 1) visit National Parks; 2) witness unique nature events.
Two years ago we were lucky enough to win the lottery for entry into the synchronous firefly event in the Smoky Mountains. It was truly an amazing experience, made better by enjoying it with our friends Bob and Anna. From this vacation, we developed a fondness for the Smoky Mountains and felt it would be a good starting point for dipping our toes into RV living. It’s far enough away from Missouri to feel like an adventure, but close enough to get help from friends / family, should it be required. Plus…it’s a National Park, and we just MIGHT get lucky and see those fireflies again (as it is that time of year). So…that is our first “cool” location. Although, I would argue that the first few places we have been thus far are also “cool”, in their own way.
Gateway Arch National Park
St. Louis, MO
We couldn’t leave St. Louis without visiting a national park! It’s great that we have one in our backyard (well…downtown)!
It’s easy to take the arch for granted when you live in St. Louis, but getting up close can be a quick reminder of what an architectural feat it really is.
We were lucky enough to have a gorgeous day for taking a few pics. We’ll post more pics and details another day.
Windy day…should probably get used to most pics with hair in Traci’s face.
A magnificent 630 feet (192 meters) tall.
View from the front office.
Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park
Wildwood, MO
Our first official week in the RV was spent at Babler State Park (about 30 minutes from the apartment we left in Dogtown). Our timing was extremely fortunate, as everything was in bloom. It was a beautiful mix of green, yellow, white, orange, purple, etc. The view out our front window was very pretty!
Pictures never truly capture the beauty of a place, but we tried anyway.
It was a great introduction to RV living. Our campground hosts were extremely friendly and helpful; our neighbors were fun; and there were some nice, scenic trails for stretching our legs.
Traci’s Hometown
Crane, MO (technically…Elsey, MO)
We spent some time visiting family and friends in southwest Missouri before heading out. It was such a great time to visit, with everything nice and green. Scott even got to try his hand at mushroom hunting, and it was a SUCCESS!
There are few things more relaxing than cruising the backroads, while jamming to classic rock and country music (well…at least for Traci). We’ve taken advantage of sunny days, putting the top down on the Jeep and exploring roads we’ve not been down in years (or maybe ever). Evenings have been dedicated to spending time with others, as well as taking another pass through items in the RV to see what else can be left behind (as we are overweight). Our weight woes are a learning experience we will share more about in the future. So many things to share already!
So far, we’re loving the RV life!
