I've posted in quite a few threads and put up a lot of details about the year long journey my wife and I are planning, so I thought I should consolidate in one place now that I have a better handle on what I'm going to need.
About Us
Matt - 43 y/o.
Janet and I have always wanted to travel. We've managed a few trips over the years, but not as many as we'd like. In 2010 we spent two weeks driving to Seattle and back and it was an amazing experience that we wished we had more time to continue. So, this past summer Janet and I were on a long drive to a photo shoot, and I started thinking back to that trip and about how great it would be if we could just drive across the country taking photos of different people and places without the pressures of a 9 to 5 job and a set schedule. Just drive until we didn't want to drive anymore, and stay somewhere until we got bored with it. I tried working out how expensive it would be to just spend a year or more on the road. Pretty expensive it turns out, so the idea kind of went into storage.
This past Fall I took a class on existentialism and kind of had an awakening of feelings and attitudes that had, up until then, been held in check. I took a good look at our lives, where we were going, and what we could expect when we reached the end. Our days had started to blend together into this deluge of mediocrity, and I realized that if we stuck to our current path we would never be truly satisfied with our lives.
Being an atheist, I am certain that the life we have is all we've got and that ultimately nothing we do will ever make a difference outside the little bubbles we call our lives. All of this struggling to be good citizens, to fit into this mold that society has fabricated for us, it's all pretty pointless. In the grand scheme of things the now is all we have. The past is dead and the future is merely theoretical. Eventually we will die and have nothing, so why not enjoy the time we have? My point being, something needed to change.
Knowing mine and my wife's personalities and general lack of motivation, I knew that we needed to do something big or we'd just slide back into our routine. But what? Well, jump back to summer and reaproach my idea with I "screw it" attitude and a need for big change, and here we are.
The Plan
Our plan is to buy a used high-top cargo van and make it livable for two people over the summer. Once the van is ready we'll do some test runs over the summer before we commit 100%. Then, come winter, we quit our jobs, rent out the house, cash out my 401K and head down to Florida where it should be pretty warm. From there we'll head west and circle the whole country. My 401K isn't much, but if we're frugal and can find some work on the road it should last us until August. If my quoting my job doesn't blow up in my face, I am going to try to freelance for the company I work for now doing the parts of my job that can be done online. By August we'll have circled back to Michigan, and it'll be decision time. We should know pretty well after 8 months on the road if van dwelling is really for us, and how we want to proceed. We'll either finish out the year as planned, and start all over again in January, or we'll choose a place we've visited where we can plant new roots either van dwelling, going back to a traditional lifestyle, or some mix of the two. We can only use the 401K once, so a lot of that decision will depend on what kind of work we're able to find.
Our Goals
We have a few things we want to accomplish:
The spreadsheet covers:
At the moment we're looking at an overall budget of about $30,000 for the first year, which includes buying a used van and prepping it for the road. We still have some saving to do. As usual it all comes down to how much money you have. It may turn out that we're too poor to even start. Who ever thought living in a van down by the river would have a price tag. lol
So, until I get an official blog going, I'll be posting our progress here.
About Us
Matt - 43 y/o.
- Background: Graphic Designer for 17 years with degrees in English and Photography
- Likes: Photography, roleplaying games, movies and planning trips
- Personality: Kind hearted existential atheist with leanings towards his own brand of socialism.
- Background: Mother of 2 grown kids.
- Likes: Scrapbooking, crocheting, professional wrestling and country music
- Personality: Nicest woman you'll ever meet. Sweet, kind hearted and hard working. She keeps me balanced.
Janet and I have always wanted to travel. We've managed a few trips over the years, but not as many as we'd like. In 2010 we spent two weeks driving to Seattle and back and it was an amazing experience that we wished we had more time to continue. So, this past summer Janet and I were on a long drive to a photo shoot, and I started thinking back to that trip and about how great it would be if we could just drive across the country taking photos of different people and places without the pressures of a 9 to 5 job and a set schedule. Just drive until we didn't want to drive anymore, and stay somewhere until we got bored with it. I tried working out how expensive it would be to just spend a year or more on the road. Pretty expensive it turns out, so the idea kind of went into storage.
This past Fall I took a class on existentialism and kind of had an awakening of feelings and attitudes that had, up until then, been held in check. I took a good look at our lives, where we were going, and what we could expect when we reached the end. Our days had started to blend together into this deluge of mediocrity, and I realized that if we stuck to our current path we would never be truly satisfied with our lives.
Being an atheist, I am certain that the life we have is all we've got and that ultimately nothing we do will ever make a difference outside the little bubbles we call our lives. All of this struggling to be good citizens, to fit into this mold that society has fabricated for us, it's all pretty pointless. In the grand scheme of things the now is all we have. The past is dead and the future is merely theoretical. Eventually we will die and have nothing, so why not enjoy the time we have? My point being, something needed to change.
Knowing mine and my wife's personalities and general lack of motivation, I knew that we needed to do something big or we'd just slide back into our routine. But what? Well, jump back to summer and reaproach my idea with I "screw it" attitude and a need for big change, and here we are.
The Plan
Our plan is to buy a used high-top cargo van and make it livable for two people over the summer. Once the van is ready we'll do some test runs over the summer before we commit 100%. Then, come winter, we quit our jobs, rent out the house, cash out my 401K and head down to Florida where it should be pretty warm. From there we'll head west and circle the whole country. My 401K isn't much, but if we're frugal and can find some work on the road it should last us until August. If my quoting my job doesn't blow up in my face, I am going to try to freelance for the company I work for now doing the parts of my job that can be done online. By August we'll have circled back to Michigan, and it'll be decision time. We should know pretty well after 8 months on the road if van dwelling is really for us, and how we want to proceed. We'll either finish out the year as planned, and start all over again in January, or we'll choose a place we've visited where we can plant new roots either van dwelling, going back to a traditional lifestyle, or some mix of the two. We can only use the 401K once, so a lot of that decision will depend on what kind of work we're able to find.
Our Goals
We have a few things we want to accomplish:
- Explore the beauty of our country
- Take a lot of pictures of awesome stuff. I don't shoot enough.
- Meet new and interesting people
- Watch less TV
- Get in shape. Eating less and doing more outdoors should make this happen
- Find a new path that makes us happy whether that means new scenery, new jobs or something else.
The spreadsheet covers:
- Where we'll be staying
- Average low and high temp at each location
- Amenities at each location (Electricity, Wifi, Shows, Laundry, Rest Rooms)
- Lodging costs
- Daily food budget
- Daily milage drive and gas costs based on 2014 pricing by month and state
- Cost of state park annual passes
- Details on our solar setup
- Details on our Wifi boosting setup
- Misc. and wishful thinking expenditures
- Average monthly budget
At the moment we're looking at an overall budget of about $30,000 for the first year, which includes buying a used van and prepping it for the road. We still have some saving to do. As usual it all comes down to how much money you have. It may turn out that we're too poor to even start. Who ever thought living in a van down by the river would have a price tag. lol
So, until I get an official blog going, I'll be posting our progress here.
. 
