Ditching mainstream for an Airstream – our quest to simplify

Dear, sweet, friends. I’m so excited to tell you about this big change in our lives. You are my people, my community and I’ve been bursting to tell you . . .

In just a couple weeks my family and I will say goodbye to our traditional home and move into a 180-ish square foot Airstream trailer. Not just for a weekend camping trip – but for a year. And we’ll take that shiny, tiny home all around this beautiful country.

That’s right. We’re ditching mainstream. . .for an adventure in an Airstream.

I know this sounds crazy. Let me explain. . . .

We’ve spent the last 12 years pursuing the American Dream – a 2,000 square foot house, two cars, two full-time jobs, a couple vacations a year, kids in public school and preschool – we worked extremely hard and were very happy, grateful and blessed.

Life was good but we wanted something else. Something different.

We were sick of the stuff, the excess, the clutter. A life dictated by a 9-5 job. A rat race that had us thinking if only we had a bigger house, more storage, more money – things would be easier and/or we would be happier.

We spent the last year talking about buying a new house or moving to a new part of the country. We spent a year looking at big, beautiful houses – dream houses, really, but nothing felt just right. Even if we could afford it, we kept asking ourselves – will that gourmet kitchen really make us happy? Will that waterfront property really bring us joy? Maybe. But for how long? And how hard will we have to keep working to keep up with that dream house?

I remember growing up how much I loved reading the “choose your own adventure” books – where you choose the fate of the main character and you have a choice in how the story comes together. For so many of us (myself included) – we get to adulthood and we all seem to purchase the same copy of the American Dream how-to guide and we all just follow along. I think it’s easy to forget that we are storytellers – and our life is our story. My husband and I asked ourselves are we choosing our own adventure or are we just doing the status quo? And what was most important to us?

Don’t get me wrong – this life that we have built over the last 12 years, as a couple and a family, has been amazing. I wouldn’t trade those years for anything. We’re not running away from this life we’ve lived. But we are making a conscious choice to STOP and change direction. Something we’ve found takes a LOT of effort and work. We’re making a drastic CONSCIOUS change –  to live with less – so that we can experience MORE.

Less square footage – more fresh air, open space and nature.

Less stuff – more experiences.

Less work – more quality time.

Less distractions – more memories.

I want my kids to fall into bed every night exhausted from a day of exploring. I want them to see the stars at night and the sunrise in the morning. I want them to get dirty, be brave and to meet (and accept) people of all walks of life. I want to instill in my kids a value for travel and an appreciation for various cultures. I want them to see what a beautiful country we live in and to learn it’s history, nature and cultures, firsthand. And more than anything, I want them to know – they can follow their dreams and they can choose their own adventure.

So we’re doing this – now. While we can. While we’re healthy. While our kids are old enough to appreciate it, but still young enough that we aren’t pulling them from extracurricular activities, sports and social circles. While the kids still seek our attention and want to spend time with us.

Thanks to our many, many years of living below our means and saving as much as we could – we paid cash for the trailer and the tow vehicle. We’ll be traveling debt-free. My husband took the next year off from teaching and I can’t wait to spend a year as a family, exploring, learning, loving and being together. My husband will be taking the lead on homeschooling the kids – but I think we’ll ALL be learning so much.

I will continue to blog here at Queen Bee Coupons while we’re on the road – it’s not only my baby but it will be our primary income source – so don’t you fret, it’s not going anywhere. In fact, I hope the content on this site gets better as we add new and interesting posts about traveling as a family, on a budget, debt-free, around the country.

I did create a blog JUST for our travels called TakeThatExit.com. I’ve already been posting over there and if you want to learn more about our journey, here are some good posts to read:

• Why we decided to travel full-time
• How we afford full-time travel
• What about the kid’s school?
• Our monthly budget on the road {tentative}
• Our maiden voyage to Grayland Beach State Park

Here are some ways you can follow us via TakeThatExit.com :

• SUBSCRIBE to the Take That Exit email newsletter – probably the best way to get updates, since Facebook isn’t so great about sharing updates of your favorite pages these days. The email updates only go out when we have a new post – which likely won’t be more than once a day or 3-5 days a week.
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Instagram

I’ll be sharing all the details – the good, the bad and ugly.

• What’s it going to be like living with four people in 180 square feet?
• How are we making money on the road?
• How much does it cost to travel full-time in a trailer for a family of four?
• How are we going to homeschool our kids on the road?
• How will we handle the hardships – like repairs, breakdowns, stress, etc?
• What kinds of meals am I cooking on the road?
• What things are we learning about ourselves and the world on this journey?

All of this. I’m sharing it all. It won’t always be pretty, but it will be real. It’s us following our dream!

I hope you’ll join me – and virtually come along for the ride! I’m so attached to you and the Queen Bee community – a community that stretches across this beautiful country. I’ll need you along the way and I hope to keep providing value to you as we travel and grow through this journey!

And I’d LOVE for you to comment and share your suggestions or tips for places we should visit along the way.