This week our Q&A deals with one of the most common questions we hear. Friends, family, and strangers… they all want to know the answer. The question takes multiple forms, but the idea remains the same:

When are you coming home?

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwLlumS9zUw%5D

Depending who you are, or when you ask, the response has been ever changing. We’ll break it down into three sections and shine some light on our answer.

In The Beginning

During our year-long preparation for life on the road, we had a simple solution; tell everyone we’ll be gone for a year.

This made a few things clear; we’d be cutting ties with our current jobs and the lease on our house. It also helped us explain to our families that they might not see us for a year.

365 days felt like a goal we could attain as well. We didn’t want to set ourselves up for failure. Neither of us had ever camped before, so we felt that a year would be a fair amount of time to commit to the lifestyle to see if we’d even enjoy it.

Lifestyle vs Road Trip

Needless to say, the nomadic life resonated with our souls as we expected it would. The adventure of fulltime traveling keeps us inspired and encourages us to be present everyday.

When we hear people ask us about our “trip”, or worse still “vacation”, it makes us cringe. Living on the road is a lifestyle – its freedom from consumerism and connection to nature. Our original “one year” answer sort of backfired, as we’ve realized one year is much too short for all the experiences we desire.

We don’t plan to live in a 16’ TT for the rest of our lives, but we do hope to grow and evolve organically, remaining aligned with our intentions.

Actually Coming Home

After six months on the road we stopped by our hometown to see our friends & family. It had some definite pros and cons.

We camped in the yards of family members which gave us some unique experiences. We were able to slow down, be free of “work”, and connect with our family. We ate many meals together, went white-water rafting, and didn’t feel burdened with a schedule.

On the other hand, we realized that we were back in a world of expectations. Our parents, siblings, friends, and neighbors all had individual expectations of us. It made us feel like we were being stretched thin.

This wasn’t rooted in negativity, it was just a stark contrast to life on the road – where days go by without anyone expecting anything from us.

The Answer

We’re already home. This 16-foot, 1985 Fiber Stream is our beloved abode. It’s our portable nook where all three of us can grow, learn, and experience life.

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