Leaving the fast lane, to enjoy the view
About 7 months ago we did a post, We answer YOUR questions about full-time Airstream living and travel and I think it’s about time we update our list with your newest questions!
Check out our FAQ post and then leave a comment on this post with any questions we haven’t covered! We will do our best to answer your questions.
I’ve always thought gratitude was one of life’s best remedies. Being grateful seems to be the perfect antidote for feelings of entitlement, frustration and anger. It doesn’t matter if you are living the American dream in a 2,000 square foot house or traveling like a gypsy around the country in 180 square foot Airstream – I believe that living a life of gratitude is one of the best life choices you can make.
Gratitude is so important to us that as soon as our kids were toddling around and old enough to converse we talked about having “a grateful heart.” Whether it was a tantrum in the store because they wanted a toy. . . or not liking the food on their plate – we talked simply about being grateful. Not in a “you must be grateful!” way but instead we created a dialogue with our kids that discouraged entitlement and helped them find joy in what they had or the moment they were in.
Will you help us plan our spring and summer plans? We are trying to pencil out our plans for the rest of the year. There are SO MANY places, we can’t possibly hit them all. We have tentatively picked this route for our travels based on family and friends we have living in the area and places we want to personally see.
Here is what we have so far . . .
MARCH 23 – APRIL 11 – Mesa, Arizona
Visiting Heather’s Grandma and extended family in the Phoenix area
APRIL 11 – JUNE 15 – Arizona, Utah, Southern Idaho
Sedona, Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Salt Lake City, Idaho Falls, Yellowstone
JUNE 15 – JULY 15 – Western Montana, Northern Idaho
Bozeman, Missoula, Wallace, Post Falls, Priest Lake
JULY 15 – AUGUST 5 – Western Washington
Spending time near family, friends in Seattle/Tacoma area.
AUGUST 5 – SEPTEMBER 15 – Oregon
Portland, beaches, Cottage Grove, Crater Lake
SEPTEMBER 15 – OCTOBER – Northern California
Would love to spend as much time near the coast as possible.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER – Southern California
Would love to spend as much time near the coast as possible.
This is a HUGE area to cover in one post, but we’d love to know which places you recommend along this basic route that we should make a point to see. National Parks, historical sites, state parks, boondocking spots, favorite campgrounds. . . . we’d love your ideas and we can fill in our map and refine our timing based on your suggestions.
Leave a comment here and let us know what we shouldn’t miss. . .
Travel dates :: February 8 – 11, 2016
We had a wonderful 10 days in Montgomery but with a deadline of getting to Phoenix by March 20 we needed to keep on moving down the road west. After Montgomery we headed south back to the coast to Mobile, Alabama for a few days.
We had a wonderful spot at Meaher State Park right on the water with beautiful views. I think knowing that this was one of the last places camping on the coast for awhile made us appreciate it even more. There were signs by the water that said something like “watching for alligators. . .” so we didn’t play much near the shoreline. 🙂
The first day that we got to Meaher State Park we got a tip from an Instagram follower that the nearby town of Fairhope was having a Mardi Gras parade that night. I was a little hesitant at first because I assumed all Mardi Gras parades were filled with debauchery, flashing and drinking. I also didn’t realize that Mardi Gras is a multi-week celebration across many communities – not just New Orleans. I was assured that the Fairhope Mardi Gras parade was very family-friendly and a lot of fun. . . so we ended up going that first night in town!
Liam reading at the bookstore in downtown Fairhope
We got to downtown Fairhope a few hours early and scored a great parking spot near the parade loop. We spent a couple hours walking around and browsing the charming businesses located downtown. We especially liked the bookstore the Page and Palette – definitely look it up if you make it to Fairhope.
We settled into spots along the parade loop about an hour before the parade was set to start, enjoying hot chocolate and popcorn, and trying to stay warm – it was a cold and windy day!
The parade started around 7 p.m. and it was SO MUCH FUN! The floats were all family-friendly, the music was wonderful and they tossed out SO MUCH STUFF.
None of my photos turned out, but I’m sharing them anyway, because I think they really show just how much fun we were having.
Early in our full-time travel journey our sister-in-law recommended checking into the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) – we are so glad we did! This association represents science centers, museums and related institutions across the country.
When you have a membership to a participating museum in the ASTC program you qualify for the Travel Passport Program – allowing you FREE admission to participating ASTC museums across the country!
Only a month or so into our travels we picked up an annual membership for the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana while traveling through. The annual membership cost our family of four was $85 (although we would have spend $48 in admission fees during our first visit, so our extra out of pocket was only $37).
Since then, we have used our Museum of the Rockies membership to get FREE admission for our family to science museums, children’s museums, zoos, natural history museums and many other institutions all across the country!
We have conservatively calculated that we have already saved about $317 in admission fees (that’s factoring in the initial $85 investment in the membership). And more importantly it’s provided us the opportunity to learn at these amazing institutions all across the country.
We're a family of four, ditching mainstream and hitching up our Airstream for a year of travel around the United States. Learn more about us
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