Playing Red Dead Redemption on the PS3, and this scenery makes me excited about going out West.
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Author: Jon Arnold
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7 steps for leaving town
Here is our final list of projects that we must conquer by June in order to hit the road. These aren’t so bad, right?
- Get a towable car.
Since we are going to be gone for a year, we have decided to tow a car for maximum flexibility. However, we don’t want to mess around with trailers or tow dollies, so we’re only interested in flat towing which just means that all four wheels of the car remain on the ground. Only certain cars are built for this type of towing, and our little Scion unfortunately isn’t one of them. We need to sell the Scion and find a car designed for flat towing. - Figure out how to flat tow.
Once we get the right car, I’ll have some hardware to hook up to both the RV and the car to make it all work. I don’t know if I’ll still be able to use our bike rack, or whether our 5 bikes can go on top of the car. We’ll figure something out. - Figure out connectivity.
I HAVE to have internet to run my business. I’ve got a little Verizon device that provides reasonable broadband speeds using the 3G network, but this only works where there are cell towers. I’d like to also get a satellite connection in case I need to get internet in the desert. - Rent the house.
We’re not wild about becoming a landlords, but it seems silly to let a house sit empty for a year. Plus, we need the gas money. - Figure out schooling.
While there will surely be no shortage of teachable moments for our girls (figuring gas mileage, history lessons, relevant books to read, etc.) we like the idea of having some structure and accountability. For that reason, we’re looking at virtual school options to supplement home schooling. We will be researching and choosing one of these options in the coming months. - Find a temporary home for the cat.
We actually have a pair of cats, the eldest of which is a geriatric incontinent cat nearing the end of the line. A sad day awaits for her and us. The other, though, is a healthy 2-ish year old female Chartreux that is actually pretty cool and in need of a good temporary home (hint, hint). - Install an inverter.
Installing an inverter would allow us to use the outlets and other smaller A/C devices without needing a campsite’s electric hookup or needing to run the generator. I’ll have to do a bit of rewiring to the electrical system, but it sure would be nice to be able to watch a movie, reheat leftovers, or recharge our phones even when we’re driving down the road.
We’ll be plotting this list out with deadlines on a shared Google calendar so Amy and I can stay on schedule. If anyone has any experience or advice regarding any item mentioned above, we’re all ears.
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An RV trip: it’s on!
Dear friends, family, colleagues, and random internet visitors,
As some of you already know, my family and I are planning a bit of a lifestyle change later this year by taking life on the road for a year in an RV. Even though we’ve been thinking this through for well over a year now, there remains no shortage of hurdles that could derail our plans at any moment. Some of these hurdles, like renting the house, are so big they become ironically easier to face. It’s the seemingly smaller but more sinister hurdles like fear or complacency that I believe pose the greatest threats.
Which brings me to the purpose of this first post here. I’m not creating this blog because I assume anyone will be interested in the escapades of our family life, but rather, I’m pushing this out to world believing that “going public” with our intentions creates some sense of accountability to carry out what has thus far been mere crazy talk. Knowing that a few folks might be watching our progress will be a source of motivation and inspiration.
So let’s start with some questions, shall we?
Who?
The whole fam: Jon (38), Amy (38), Carrie (11), Emily (9), and Natalie (7).
What?
Take family life on the road full time in an RV.
When?
We’ll wait until this school year ends, and then hit the road early June 2011.
Where?
Not sure yet, but right now we’re thinking of starting in St. Louis and heading West, loosely following the Louis and Clark trail for the summer. After that, who knows.
How long?
That will depend on a number of things, such as how long we can rent our house, but we’re planning on traveling full time for one year.
What about work?
We need to eat, and gas ain’t cheap, so I’ll be working full time as I normally would. But most of the work I do for my user interface design company doesn’t depend on any particular location, just an internet connection. Assuming this internet fad holds up for the 12 months we will be gone, it should be business as usual.
What about school?
We’ll do some combination of home school and online school and plan our travel destinations to be one big field trip.
Why?
This can be answered in a number of different ways. There’s the pragmatic “to see the country,” the ambiguous “it’s just something we gotta do,” and the reckless “why not?”. In truth, it’s a little bit of all of those.
Why now?
We’re in a parenting sweet spot right now: our oldest is not yet consumed by the complexities that the teen years will bring, and our youngest is old enough to benefit from a trip like this. But this window is closing (especially with Carrie, our oldest). It’s now or never.
I feel like there are 1000 steps between now and actually departing, but getting this blog up was step 1. Feel free to check back here for updates, follow our tweets, or subscribe to the RSS if that’s your fancy. Thanks for reading…there will be plenty more to come!