This is a bit unusual, but why not? Here’s my love letter to the road trip.
Continue reading “An Ode to the Road Trip”An Ode to the Road Trip
The Simple and Complicated Life on the Road
We’ve been back in a house for just over a month, which feels like a good time to reflect on our five-month 2020 life on the road.
We’ve all heard the myriad benefits of a life of full-time travel: a new and ever-changing environment, chasing good weather, meeting new people, and abundant nature. And certainly, we’ve seen all the photos. But with this sense of freedom comes some significant trade-offs in comfort, ease of living, work productivity, and sometimes even freedom itself.
Does life on the road live up to all the social media hype? How about the costs? What type of vehicles, vans, or RVs are even affordable?
Here’s what to expect:
Continue reading “The Simple and Complicated Life on the Road”Tales From the Road: Two Cows and a Horse
Hi, how are you? I don’t have any super financial hacks, tips, or tricks. Not this week. That’s because I’ve been busy with some major adulting, which I discuss at the end. Back when it was rainy and dark and 2020 and I was in a bad mood, I wrote about how I was considering taking a break from this site. One of your key pieces of feedback, thankfully, is that you guys seem to want some interesting stories about life after FI, or life on the road. Well, here’s a true story about two cows and a horse. Apologies if it gets a little weird. After all, I did spend six months of the pandemic reading Stephen King’s The Stand (read it before it becomes a mini series. You know it’s coming).
Please enjoy.
Continue reading “Tales From the Road: Two Cows and a Horse”Four Months on the Road: Can This Really Last?
We’ve moved from high mountain valleys and ridge lines, to coastal tide pools and arid western expanses. As much as this journey has been the best lesson in the school of life, after four months, how much longer can we go? Today, we find ourselves at a crossroad and we’re lookin’ to make a deal.
So dude…where to?
Continue reading “Four Months on the Road: Can This Really Last?”Three Months on the Road: Pacific Northwest
We’ve spent three months on the road, mostly in the Pacific Northwest. From our origin in Colorado, we’ve journeyed through Wyoming, Montana, and now the lovely state of Washington.
Let’s review, shall we?
Continue reading “Three Months on the Road: Pacific Northwest”In Contrast: The Reality of Life on the Road
What follows is an essay outlining the stark contrast of life on the road. It’s frankly easy to get really frustrated out here. Social media, blogs, and YouTube channels often paint a masterpiece of life on the road as an effortless, pillowy dream state and hall pass from reality. We’d certainly spent enough nights outside prior to this trip to know the ridiculousness of these claims. However, I like to be an honest guy on this website.
My mother nailed it when she said that the struggle for meeting basic needs and the lack of external social interactions can be a very real challenge. That said, might this be the very best place to be in the summer of 2020?
Let’s see why…
Continue reading “In Contrast: The Reality of Life on the Road”Week 1: Lander, Wyoming: Working Out the Kinks
This week I bring you the first installment of our homeless series from beautiful Lander, Wyoming. As described in this post, we’ve decided to list our house for sale and hit the road for an extended road trip. In our first week, we’ve seen the good, the bad, and the downright ugly of life on the road. Are we built to last?
Continue reading “Week 1: Lander, Wyoming: Working Out the Kinks”In Pursuit of Passion: Chuck and Maggie Odette
For those unfamiliar with the climbing world, climbers — perhaps more than any other sport participants — routinely restructure their lives in very unconventional ways to pursue the sport more fully. As we’ve discussed here and here, in the U.S. at least, this usually means taking on an increasingly mobile existence — sans house/apartment/permanent dwelling — and instead living in a van, pull camper, or some other makeshift shelter on wheels.
Today we want to highlight Chuck and Maggie Odette, one of many climber couples living this lifestyle. What’s different though is that they’re sort of doing it all in reverse. Instead of hitting the road and blowing off traditional life in their 20’s or maybe 30’s, Chuck and Maggie are now in their 60’s and 40’s, respectively, and are incredibly talented climbers who have retired early to live the climbing life.
Continue reading “In Pursuit of Passion: Chuck and Maggie Odette”