I can still remember the day we officially put our house up for sale. Even though it was a seller's market and there was a home buying frenzy, it was hard to believe we had so many great offers in just a matter of hours!

Donetta and I were giddy with excitement because we'd been talking about selling our home to travel full-time for years. Almost every morning we would go for a walk around the Route 66 Park in Yukon to discuss our dream. Our running joke was always saying "maybe this will be the year" as we hoped one day that day would eventually come.

On July 14th, 2020, that moment finally arrived when we walked out of 901 Hyacinth Hollow Drive for the last time.

The next day we were homeless and living from a hotel.

A crazy idea turned into reality.

Unless you're wanted by Interpol or a mafia boss, most humans probably think it's insane to leave everything behind to pursue a new life into the unknown. Why anyone would intentionally choose to embrace daily uncertainty seems ludicrous to many people.

Even after four years of adventure, some of our family and friends still don't understand our unconventional lifestyle choice. It's just not normal, but then, we've never been normal anyway! 😜

I'd be lying if I said the road to traveling has been paved with gold.

Traveling for a vacation is completely different than traveling as an everyday lifestyle. It requires a different mindset when you know at the end of your stay there's no place to go back to. Life from the road is a continual cycle of moving and adapting to the world around you.

Sometimes it's exhausting to pack up and go to a new place every day. Other times it's stressful or filled with disappointment when plans don't work out. Mass tourism and high prices have changed things too.

Despite this craziness we've discovered a real sense of peace and happiness in it all.

When we take the time to drive slow and explore the backroads of America, it brings a huge smile upon our face. When we experience the regal majesty of the mountains or the beauty of the waves in the ocean, it makes our souls feel connected to something greater than ourselves. Knowing we're no longer living the American Dream and choosing our own is rewarding.

And not mowing lawns or doing home maintenance is still a blessing.

Some of our best memories so far.

Last year we took a three week trip to Alaska, something we desperately wanted to do for a long time. The first two weeks were an incredible journey throughout the Alaskan wilderness but our cruise was canceled the day we arrived thanks to engine failure. While we got to spend the weekend on the ship in port drinking free booze, it was devastating to end our dream by going "home" early.

The good news is we got our money back AND a free cruise - which we finally experienced in May for our 33rd wedding anniversary. It was epic! ❤️ 🛥️

While we're behind and still working on the articles about Alaska, the opportunity to see humpback and orca whales, along with the sea otters, moose, eagles, and brown bears with such breathtaking views was one of our best memories so far.

We've spent two months in the Netherlands, hiked Twin Sisters Peak, watched the elk in Estes Park, driven the Road to Hana, paid respect to soldiers in Normandy, and visited a lot of National Parks.

It's an endless list of magical moments I hope we never forget - though we better start writing faster or we might forget as we get older. LOL!

Every day I am grateful for the life I lived. Donetta feels the same way. Especially since we've been able to do it all together.

The road to the future.

As we sit on the Grandeur of the Seas enjoying a five day cruise in the Gulf of Mexico right now, the only thing I can say for certainty right now is there is none.

I've written numerous times about how short life is and there's no guarantee for tomorrow, and in the present moment in our country, we don't have any safe bets or hopeful circumstances to really count on. So how can any of us really plan for the future? I mean we can try but we're at the mercy of things beyond our control.

Besides, our travel lifestyle has already changed dramatically and lessened since we started, mostly due to the rising cost of everything and the struggling economy. Instead of being on the road full-time we've spent time in places for weeks or months. This wasn't the plan but here we are. 🤷‍♂️

What I do know is this.

Donetta and I would love to turn this solo publication into an independent magazine, one that explores the totality of traveling, whether it's on a part time or full time basis, and without regards to the method of travel.

Currently most publications cater toward those who own RVs, motor homes, or expensive travel vans, who also have plenty of discretionary income to roam the earth in search of adventure. Rarely do we see anything created for the working class people without limited funds at their disposal. It feels like they're selling a lifestyle that's unattainable to many Americans and we want to show that it's not.

Additionally we'd love to get other writers and content creators involved so we could incorporate the ideas, experiences, and advice from other travelers, as well as finally offer some video entertainment to our readers.

Our passion for the traveling lifestyle has never waned so we think maybe it's a great idea for us to pursue. What are your thoughts?

There are some interesting digital nomad visa options available in other countries and we've talked about going to Spain, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, and the Netherlands for an extended time. Some countries are extremely affordable compared to the United States so we could get more bang for the buck. Perhaps that's the goal in 2025-2026.

Overall we've been extremely fortunate no matter how our future adventures turn out. We continue to work on new ideas and figure out things as we go along and hopefully we'll be able to cruise the highways a lot longer. We just can't imagine sitting idle or stopping at this point - unless it's in Colorado. 🏔️

I'll wrap up by saying this ...

Please find your own opportunity to get out and explore this year, even if it's for a week or two. Find a new place to visit and take it all in. Hit the road and go somewhere, anywhere. It could be great for your soul.

Until next time.