Ah London! We had finally made it “over the pond” post-covid and it felt AMAZING! We have been waiting for this moment for three years, and London was the perfect city to explore on foot (and double decker bus, of course) while getting ourselves acclimated to traveling abroad again!
Read MoreAloha! We had one incredible month in Hawaii and four videos to prove it! Each week we put together a fun video sharing what mischief we got into on Oahu. From beaches, to snorkeling with sea turtles and manta rays, to eating shave ice, to sailing with friends, to surfing North Shore. We managed squeezed it all in!
Read MoreIf you've been following our journey, then you know I'm a sucker for stats and fun facts (the boys would chime in here: "did somebody say suckers?!"). On June 15, 2017 we jumped in Spud, our '86 Westfalia, drove through a start line made of toilet paper (thanks neighbors!), and peaced goodbye to the tenants that were going to be taking over our house for the year. Thus began our adventure that took us to many beautiful spots, reunited us with family and friends, and created long-lasting memories for our family. And let me tell you, the trip was so freaking fantastic I can't even find the right words other than that to describe it. So let's get to it - I've gone ahead and compiled a juicy stat and fact list rounding out our one year on the road. You're welcome!
Read MoreThe second half of our trip is upon us, which I can hardly even believe. We are taking it up and over the 6th month hump by ditching Spud for 6 weeks(ish) and hopping on a plane. Where to, you ask? To the palm tree laiden, shave ice devouring, bikini clad state of HAWAII, of course! Cue joke about taking a vacation from the vacation now.
Read MoreWell, here we are. I can hardly believe what I'm about to write, but we have officially spent a third of the year on the road. Crazy to think we drove away from Durango on June 15th with knots in our stomachs but excitement in our hearts. All in a short amount of time has been everything we hoped it would be, and sometimes more. Sure, we have rocky moments with kids in tow but at the end of the day we wouldn't want to be anywhere else. With the constant change we've surely had many opportunities for growth over the last few months. So we compiled a list. You know I love me a good list! Behold the list of: 10 Things We've Learned on the Road...
Read MoreMichigan snuck up on us like a cool summer breeze. One minute we were seeing family and friends in Ohio and the next we were relaxing poolside at a vacation rental in Mirror Lake with Chip's family. We spent six lazy days here going on bike rides, hunting for mulberries with grandpa, swimming in the pool, fishing, and plumping ourselves up with a lot of wonderful food. But, as always, all good things must come to an end and after a week we had to say goodbye to the comforts of a big, cozy home and help from family. We hopped back in Spud and ugly-cried out of the vacation rental driveway. It is always hard leaving family but after giving my cheek a swift slap of the hand, I snapped out of it and immediately grew eager to explore the rest of Michigan.
Read MoreAbout a week into our road trip I started having nagging thoughts indicating something wasn't quite right. The intrusive feeling would hit me like an ocean wave, take hold of my brain for a few seconds, and then wash ashore as I'd forget about it for awhile. I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was that was making me feel a little uneasy. Finally, though, on our last morning at a random Missouri State Park I was able to connect the dots.
Read MoreAs you can imagine, living in 80 square feet presents some challenges in terms of space. At 20 square feet per person, we've necessarily streamlined our lives getting rid of both our cars, furniture items, clothing we didn't wear, and junk that had no meaning or regular use (goodbye, food dehydrator). What didn't come with us needed to be stored in a ~6x12ft space. But, perhaps unsurprisingly, three weeks into our trip we've found that the less we have, the better we feel. A couple outfits each, cooking basics, a little toy box filled with books and artsy activities, one dump truck, two bikes, and a beach bag filled with cars, collapsible buckets, and shovels is about all we need to keep us going. Luckily, every place we have parked Spud so far has offered us an incredible backyard with lakes for swimming, dirt for digging, ducks for feeding, fireflies (aka "lightning flies") for catching, and paths for biking.
Read MoreSome of you think this idea is crazy. Some of you might think it's crazy awesome. It's a mixed bag and we totally get that. We are still surprised we both had the guts to say 'let's go for it' and then actually make it happen. It's definitely dramatically easier when both people in a relationship are on the same page. We have been answering a lot of very legitimate questions about why we are doing this. To get inside our heads a bit, we have compiled six reasons why we decided to quit our day jobs, rent out our house, and travel for the next year (or two?):
Read MoreAs I write this, I'm staring out our front window watching snowflakes fall on budding trees and green grass sprinkled with bright yellow dandelions. My eyes and mind are playing tricks on me though. It can't be winter anymore. I'm in denial that in one day it will be May 1st. It feels like just yesterday, on a random December evening, that we were eagerly waiting for Chip to come home from work.
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