Sounds crazy right? Yes, even to us and we lived it. In fact, the night before the first leg of our trip, I could not sleep thinking about the adventure ahead. Could we do it? Would we still like each other? And then, I remembered how hard we worked to get to this point. Excitement replaced worry, so I still couldn’t sleep!
Traveling cross country requires planning and preparation but I promise, it’s very doable. Our family started considering a three-month tour two years ahead of time. Our trip covered nearly the entire US, East to West and back again. Before jumping in the car, there was a lot to do!
While this was not an overnight decision, I believe that any family can do it. As we prepared to leave, it was great to hear how so many people were excited about our decision. But I was really saddened to hear this, just as often…. “We could never do that.”
Yes. You. Can. I promise. First, you have to “Eat the frog.” Start with the difficult stuff. And if you can make that work, the rest will fall into place. For us, the tough stuff included Budget, Work and School.
Budget
The question everyone wants to ask (but never does) is “How to afford it?” My answer is not earth shattering. It aligns with other traveling families too. Check out bloggers like Tsh Oxenreider and Stephanie Langford.
Simply put…we prioritize travel, we budget for it and set aside our time and money to do it. We live simply. Don’t buy a bunch of stuff. And we routinely save for experiences not stuff. Check out the hash tag, #experiencesnotstuff on Instagram where I photojournaled our trip.
It’s easy to forget that many of the costs of travel are incurred at home AND on the road. whether you’re at home or not. (Lodging, food, gas etc.) And you save money by walking way from things at home. (Think Kids Sports and Activities) Definite savings gained here!
Some families sell or rent their homes while on the road. We canceled our cable and internet and removed any unnecessary expenditures. A trip like this would marry really nicely with a job relocation or house move. Something to consider, if relocating is already in your plans. Step #1 Budget – check.
Work
We started socializing the idea of a three-month leave-of-absence for my husband. He discussed with his employer well in advance of the trip. At the time, my job transition was underway so we knew that would be portable. This advanced coordination produced some great conversations and created a win/win for everyone. Not to mention, a client happily awaiting his return but prepared for his absence.
Consider the increased connectedness which allows more and more jobs to be done remotely. With this in mind, you might even be able to maintain full or partial income. It’s worth starting the conversation as a family and then broaching it with your employer. If you’re in good standing with a company, they may be willing to work with you on a leave of absence or reduced schedule from the road.
While everyone’s situation is different, I challenge you to think about this as achievable versus impossible. Step #2 Work – check.
School
But what about school? Could I seriously homeschool our son for three months? Would he miss too much? So again, we just had a conversation with his principal and teacher. I researched homeschooling in our state and networked with other homeschool families. Everyone agreed that our son would gain so much more than he would lose. Step #3 School – check.
Our son is nearing the end of elementary school and the years literally flew by. My brain is still in kindergarten but he’s closer to middle school. Realizing he has less than 10 years under our roof brings me to tears. I’m fighting to slow the clock each and every day. No matter how simply we live, there just won’t be enough hours to spend with him. Not enough time feels like a recurring theme these days.
When we waffled about whether or not to take the leap, I reminded myself that “The days are long, but the years are short.”
Because even with my best efforts to live simply focused on experiences, not stuff, I can’t replicate the dedicated time we had on the road. (Sometimes too much time together but that’s for another day.)
As a parent, I know I’m not alone in feeling that children grow up too fast. I see kids graduating from high school and college that I’ve known since they were little. Soon, that will be my son. So before that happens, I’m doubling-down on #experiencesnotstuff.
Want to see pictures from our trip? Check out our Instagram page. Curious about where we’ll go next? Subscribe HERE!
Leave a Reply