In case you're wondering how we can afford to travel full time... WE WORK (of course)!
We didn't do anything crazy like sell all our stuff, or move into a tiny RV. We still have a home base waiting for us when we're done. We have a house sitter that is living rent free to maintain our property and take care of our animals and plants.
Half of our trunk space is set aside to hold all the work equipment we have to take from place to place. We have large monitors, keyboards, phones, docking stations, etc. that we set up at each house. Our work environment is very important to us. Our top priority is to maintain a clean, distraction free environment so we can be the model employee our employer would expect. Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm PST, we are logged in working full time. We take mini adventures on our lunch, longer adventures after work, and do all of our traveling on weekends.
Although it may not seem very exciting to be working from different locations, it really is an amazing opportunity for us. It allows us more time in each location than what we could afford by taking vacation hours. Plus, by staying put for a while, we learn about all the best places from the locals!
We book our vacation rentals in advance and maintain an average nightly budget that is comparable to a mortgage. We prepare all our own food to save money, check out all the free entertainment options that sound interesting, and plan out more expensive tourist attractions that we can't miss.
We find that we spend a lot less money on the road. We're not buying household items and our space is so incredibly limited that we can't purchase anything without making ourselves very uncomfortable in the car. We can't buy clothing, we can't buy toys, we can't order anything online (because we might not get it before we leave). So even though our housing costs are a little higher than if we were at home, we are able to keep our budget very low. This allows us a little flexibility to spend on experiences rather than things.
The inner minimalist in me is rejoicing!
You guys! Wow! Way to go out and make it the life you truly want to live. I’ve always been so impressed with how you conduct and navigate yourselves and this only reinforces just how awesomely cool you are! This is memory making stuff that will be one for the record books! Amazing! Love you all very much!
I think what you are all doing is just fantastic!! And what a life experience, making amazing memories, for Lance and Ava. Every child should have such an opportunity! I think you made a great decision to begin this amazing journey!! Be safe! Be happy! And most of all, ENJOY!!