vagabond. nomad. wanderer. traveler. gypsy.
After traveling the country for 10 years in an RV (mostly running on straight waste vegetable oil), we've been called a lot of things! And I love all of it. Those words bring a smile to my face. They bring back memories and sights and smells and emotions. I LOVED our life on the road. There was something new every day...and yet the pace was slower.
Here is an excerpt from our very first month on the road:
Everyday is an adventure and life is constantly in flux. We are meeting amazing, inspiring people and seeing God’s stunning creation at every turn. It’s wonderful to be able to move your home wherever you want…and yet, there are still struggles. Just like in “normal life” in a "normal house". There are joys and frustrations…excitement and exhaustion. When you are gone away from family and friends who have known you for a lifetime, you really start to miss the consistency and familiarity of those relationships. You wonder what is going on “back home” and you start longing for things that felt comfortable. By comfortable, I mean…things that you could count on. A steady paycheck, scheduled play dates, familiar surroundings, favorite coffee shops.
Eventually...those things became challenging. We craved community and reliable wi-fi. And a few other predictable amenities. And that's when we finally settled in Colorado, then Texas, and now South Dakota!
You can read more about our travels on our archived sites:
Live Lightly Tour (our public tour teaching about sustainable living)
Happy Janssens (our personal travels after the official tour)
Lots of Flickr photo albums here!
Are thinking about doing this with your own family?
Check out these resources!
Families on the Road :: A fabulous website spotlighting the blogs of families who are on the road short-term or long-term. Their forums are a wealth of answers to common questions for those of you considering travel. Also includes a section for wannabees!
See some of our remodels here!
I will never regret those years on the road...and if I had to guess, I would say we will be hitting the road in shorter spurts when the girls are older. It gets in your blood. Once a gypsy, always a gypsy.
