This weekend marks two months on the road for us – it’s gone by so fast and I am just now feeling like we’re getting the hang of it. We have been to eight states and driven thousands of miles. I’ve blogged a lot about the things we’ve seen – but not much about our day-to-day life.
I thought it would be fun to do a Q&A series – you ask questions about life on the road and we’ll do posts addressing those topics! What do you think?!
What do you want to know about life on the road? What aspects of living in a 30-foot Airstream trailer and traveling full-time do you want to know the most about?
Leave your questions on this post and we’ll work to start answering them. . .
p.s. For those of you who subscribe to our newsletter – do you like the real-time delivery of one post at at time? Or would you prefer one email, once a week with all the posts from that week? Thanks!
How are your kids adjusting to not seeing their friends? Do they miss them?
Great question and topic! 🙂
I would love to see pictures of your set up inside. What’s a normal day like? How’s homeschooling going? HOw do you choose campgrounds/where you’ll set up.
Great questions. Yes, I keep meaning to give a tour of the inside. I need to do that. 🙂
I like the way you are doing it now. But if it works better for you to change to once a week, that is fine too. I am enjoying going along for the ride. I am originally from Montana and have been to many of the places you visited.
How are your kids getting along with each other and with you as a parent? Especially as compared to before the start of this adventure. 🙂
Good question and topic!
I’d love to see how you’re schooling the kids and, more specifically, if/how you’re incorporating all your different destinations into their learning.
Yes! We would love to write about this more. Good topic.
I enjoy your updates as you experience them and are able to send them. How about a word or 2 from the kids?
We’ve thought about this, having the kids write posts or perhaps do a video.
We’ve thought about doing this for years. Our son is now married and out of the house. But we have our 14yr old daughter still at home. Just trying to see if this would be a lifestyle we could endure. What are some of the struggles you’ve been faces with so far?
Good question!
You’ve mentioned that you’ve had some challenges as a family living in such a small space, I’d like to hear more about this. We’re considering traveling with our 2 young kids and I’d love a glimpse into the reality without putting a happy spin on it! 🙂
I don’t think I’ve seen is a full month budget posted yet, right? And have an expenses suprise you being higher or lower than expected?
How do you keep face-to-face connections?
Ie: What do you do when you need a moms night out with friends, or a date night, or a play date? Do you have a plan to visit grandparents/family?
What to do when someone needs a bit of alone time? I’m a big fan of solo runs — what about all of you in this new chapter of your life?
How are the showering and laundering situations? It seems like the public offerings have worked fine, but do you miss your own space?
And a big yes to a tour of your home! I love to see how families make it work (or not!) organizationally.
Thanks for sharing your awesome adventures!
As for email notifications, I like the “as the posts occur” frequency.
I would also love a tour of the inside of your Airstream.
I like getting the posts as you post them. I look forward to the posts wondering if there will be one today or not. But if it is easier for you to send them all once a week that is understandable.
I’d be interested in how/what you are cooking. It seems like you eat out a little (which is something I would probably want to do too) but you must be cooking a lot too. How do you fit it in when you want to explore a new area? Are you making lots of sandwiches/cereal/fruit/toast and easy to do items? Plus, without a lot of storage how often do you shop for groceries?
I’m a scrapbooker. Do you plan on scrapbooking or making a photo book of your adventure for your kids/family? This would definitely be a nice project for the kids to write about their adventures as a lesson for homeschooling and to be able to go back and relive those memories and lessons again years from now. They are really learning a lot about the United States.
Thank you for sharing your adventure. I’m really having a fun time reading about it.
I thought of this but didn’t want to ask it, but since I shared your blog with a coworker & the first thing she mentioned was the same thing I’ve been pondering…..I guess I’ll ask it. Feel free NOT to address it though, because it’s personal.
In such a small space for such a long time….how do married people um…”remain close?” 😉
Heather – Ha! I was wondering if we were going to get that question. We’ll answer that in the Q&A. 😉
We full time too (2 adults) so I am always interested in costs and budgets. I would be interested in your food shopping and food storage issues.
As far as the posting I would continue to read either way..daily or weekly just keep them coming 🙂
What cell service do you have? Is it giving you the coverage you need? Do you have a wifi spot with it? How much data do you have with your service?
What are you doing for health insurance? What will you do about dentist appointments?
Every time I open my mail and see your newest blog, time stops so I can read it. My husband and I have traveled a lot in our 5th wheel and love being on the road. What really interests me is how rewarding it is for your children, and you, to see all of the wonders this beautiful country of ours has to offer. Not only scenic, but the history you are all learning, and that we are learning through your blog. Simply amazing and I’m glad your family took the big step and are pursuing everything. While you might have struggles now and then, you are certainly creating such wonderful memories for your children and you and your husband. Write whenever it works for you. TRAVEL ON!
Do you make reservations before you get to a place? And how do you decided where to go?
I truly anticipate and enjoy your blog posts! I’m curious about how you all deal with alone time, as another person posted. And how do you read? Do you purchase books for everyone or is there a travelers library or do you all Kindle?
I’d love to know more about meals, specifically about dinners. With limited space and time, what adjustments have you made from house living? Recipe ideas?
I love your blog and reading about your adventures. While I enjoy learning about the places you visit I would be really interested in your everyday mundane life on the road. Items like shopping, cleaning, laundry, how you receive your mail and how you pay your bills. I guess I am saying how do you handle life things on the road. Also do you get tired of moving and sightseeing all the time and just want to sit and stare out your window?
I’m loving following your journey! This is a dream of ours one day soon. We have two kids, 4 and 2, so we’re waiting a few years. We’ve been looking at the airstreams, but unfortunately haven’t seen inside the model you have yet. How is the storage working out? How do you store your homeschooling materials, kitchen supplies, clothes, and all the random things? I like to be organized and I’m afraid I’ll feel like things are stored everywhere in the airstream. I would also love to see homeschool posts. Also, how are the mattresses in the airstream? Are they comfortable enough for full time living or did you put in more substantial mattresses? Looking forward to a “house” tour. Thanks so much for sharing your journey with us! Can’t wait for it to be us one day.
First of all- thank you! I enjoy the posts as they come. It’s easier for me to snag a few minutes to read one post than to read several at a time. Hubby & I have a 1 year old & newborn. We are considering camper living due to him having to travel for work. I second the others in wanting to know about day to day household management- specifically laundry, food storage & cooking. I may not comment but I thoroughly enjoy every single post!
We’re always curious to hear how the reality of the experience stacks up against the expectations.
Has what you expected to be hard actually been easy?
Has something you expected to be easy actually been hard?
Have you been surprised by any people you have met?
Are you seeing your family dynamic change?
Has your move to living in a non-traditional way affected other areas of your life? (IE Do you look at politics, religion, corporate America, the ‘American Dream’ etc the same way?)
Lastly…lots of people consider this type of family adventure, yet few actually step out and do it. What do you think it was that made you say “yes” while most others say “no”?
How does your weekly meal planning work? I understand you don’t have the luxury of having a large pantry stockpile, a deep freezer, or as much fridge space as when you lived in your WA home. Do you have to make multiple grocery trips per week? Have you been able to gather local coupons and score any good grocery deals wherever you travel? Are you able to run your generator to keep your fridge and freezer goods at the correct temps while boondocking?
Love getting the newsletters in real-time, and love reading about your adventures! What an awesome gift to give your children.
You said life on the road has brought your family closer. But you are a married couple. How do you ever have any privacy as “husband and wife”? Hopefully this question is not too personal.
How are the meals going? Is it had to plan a variety of meals with so little storage on hand?
Do you miss having some private time to yourself since the family is together in such a small space?
I enjoy being on this journey with you – albeit on paper! (or computer!) I would love to see a map ongoing with the path of where you’ve been and where you’re going. Do you know precisely where you are going for the whole trip, or do you decide as you travel along? How do you decide how long you will stay in a particular location?
I am interested in how the budget is going. I would like to see how you are storing things. More on your meal planning and cooking. How is the medical going to go? If someone gets sick, are you planning on just going to urgent cares or what is the plan? I don’t think anyone takes meds everyday, but how would that work?
I enjoy reading the blog.
I too love your blog. Thanks to you our trip to Mt. Rushmore also included the Museum of the Rockies and tomorrow the Lewis and Clark Caverns out of Bozeman. We thought it would fun on the ride home to stop and see and its all Thanks to your blog and info.
My question, do you guys ever get scared out in the middle of nowhere? Or do you always stay in RV areas?
Monica – How did you like the Museum of the Rockies and the Lewis and Clark Caverns? I’d love to know what you thought! Also . . .great question. It’s an easy one to answer, so I’ll do that here, we haven’t really stayed in the middle of nowhere yet. We’ve always been around other campers – I think I prefer it this way. I would get concerned about being too far away from humanity . . . especially since traveling with our kids. We stay in a lot of campgrounds – either state parks or RV campgrounds and even all the Cabela’s we’ve stayed at have had plenty of other campers around.
We’re a family of 5 moving into our trailer full time in a week (possibly 2). I’m packing my kitchen today.
Are there any appliances you wish you had brought?
Did you bring anything you wish you had left behind?
How many miles a day do you try to travel?
How long are you staying in one spot?
Are most showers in state parks etc coin showers?
How are you dealing with internet? This is our last big concern.
I assume you’ve not started much school during the summer months, but would love to hear how you structure that….are you totally going “road school” or do you still have some traditional studies you hope to complete? Do you have down days where more book work gets done? Do you try to do book work in the car during travel days? We’ll have a 5th, 7th and 10th grader with us.
Anything you wish someone had told you?
Are you finding community on the road?
Thanks,
De’Etta
HI De’Etta – These are some fantastic questions. I have answers for them all! Will be working on a FAQ round-up!
These are great questions!
How do you handle missing your friends? Your family seems extraordinarily close, but do you ever want to spend time with just your friends? Or alone time with just yourself?
Do you ever have a day where you just hang out and don’t do much of anything? If so, are the kids ok with that or so they expect activities every day?
Do you feel settled into this new lifestyle or do you still feel like you’re on vacation?
Great questions, thanks Patty! We’ll include them in the FAQ!
Seeing your post about Mt. Rushmore reminded me: have you picked up a “passport” yet for the national parks? We visited the Sequoia National Park and I found one in the visitors center and now I’m PISSED I didn’t know about it before! Such a cool thing.
Hi Melissa – YES! Our kids both have passport books that they get stamped at the National Parks. WE love it. 🙂
My husband’s best friend’s parents traveled around the world on a sailboat for about 7 years. They felt like they were on vacation for the entire time. They were retirement age but I wonder if you feel the same way. Does the constant travel feel like vacation or more of an adventure? I know you children are loving the new experiences but do you feel pressured to make the entire trip an adventure for your children?
What are some creative ways you have discovered to be frugal on the road? Traveling and expensive seem to go hand in hand. Do you still collect coupons? Thanks for this blog! Sounds like such an adventure!
I’m not sure if this qualifies, but I’d like to see more regional differences from around the country. I’ve never been to Ohio, but I’ve heard, that in most grocery stores, there is an entire wall dedicated to just sausage! Being from Oregon that certainly isn’t the case here! I’d like to also know how the grocery store prices vary from state to state. And it would be fun to know what your favorite meals/regional foods are. Thank you! I really enjoy this blog!
Hi,
I am working with a team on renovating a 1957 airstream caravanner s 22′. I started my research to find the best fit AC/heating unit
I am trying to find the most proficient / quite AC/heating system for this specific trailer (ducted or duct less) my budget is flexible and main concern is noise.
Could anyone make some suggestions or help me to get more information to find the best fit system
Appreciate your help Sam