In the past few months, we’ve had a number of family and friends share their concern that our travel will cause long-term emotional and psychological damage to our children. The concerns shared with us include the difficulty of making friends (especially long term friends), and a sense of ‘not belonging’ caused by not having a single place…
One of our most frequent questions is, “How do you spend so much time with your husband?” (Replace “husband” with “kids” and you’ll get another frequently asked question, but that’s another blog post entirely.) Some people find the thought of their husband working from home, in their space all the time completely unfathomable, and I…
This is so great. My husband is working remotely about 80% of the time for the first time in our 8 year marriage. We have two little ones and it’s been a big adjustment for all of us. It’s been amazing, but definitely more of a challenge than either of us thought it would be. I appreciate the tips.ReplyCancel
Although it may seem like we jumped into the decision to abandon our lifestyle and go mobile, it has actually been a long time in the making. We didn’t just wake up one day and decide to sell the minivan, buy an Airstream and a truck and drive into the sunset. So, what did we…
I love this! I have a 2008 DWR 16′ Bambi and travel with my dog. I’m seriously contemplating leaving my hubby at home (on our farm) during the winter next year and heading south to MS, AL, LA and TX. Your blog is giving me courage! I’m on the other end of the spectrum…kids all graduated from college and getting married. Only tied down by my business, which I can manage from the road. Your pictures are great and your blog is an inspiration. It’s not too late to teach this old dog some new tricks!
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Sometimes I wonder what other people think when they see us. Especially on Sundays. Let’s face it – most people go to a campground on the weekend to get away. A mini vacation is just what some (okay, a lot) of us need after a stressful week. Pull out the camper, pack up the s’mores,…
This post is Part 2 of a series on our first Christmas experience living full-time on the road in an Airstream. Read Part 1 here. When Sam and I first started discussing our Christmas plans, we knew we wanted to spend the actual day somewhere special. As much as we love staying with friends & family…
I think the fact that you are doing it because you saw that it was drawing your family closer together is a good thing. The opportunity for your kids to learn to make friends quickly is a skill that will bless them all their lives. I also really like that you don’t have a predetermined date for when you will be done traveling. This allows you to continue to travel until it is right for your family to change to something else that serves you all better when that time comes.
I moved a lot as a kid. I went to three different schools in the third grade. My struggles weren’t from the changing schools, but the instability at home. My parents were divorced and my mom moved around to get work. She married again and divorced and married again for the last time. All my parents, step and biological, struggled with their own major emotional issues that affected us.
That’s the difference. You and Jess are creating stability through your healthy marriage. You have routine and habits and rules. Your children feel a deep sense of belonging to you instead of something more ephemeral like friends or location. I think I would have preferred a stable family than a stable location.
Thanks for sharing this Cassie. Your sweet girl is in good hands!
We’ve had similar conversations…and have posted some entries in the area as well:
http://boyinks4adventure.com/our-travels/but-what-about-friends/
http://boyinks4adventure.com/our-travels/being-that-family/
Thanks for the links! Both your posts are well written and insightful.
You shared your thoughts into words beautifully. These are good reminders as we may move around a lot.
If you can turn a move into family-strengthening event, then everybody wins!
Thanks for writing this. We also get these questions and your response is exactly how we feel.
It is comforting to know we are in good company! Your travels have inspired us.
Tyler and I wonder if we’re damaging our children by NOT traveling. Do they live in a bubble? Do they have any sense of the world? Then we think, they’re little–there’s plenty of time for that. Your kids are young, they aren’t in a friend-dominated stage of life yet. We are so jealous of all the adventures (just the good ones) you’re having. I think this will be nothing but good for them. And like you point out, if it stops being good for them, you’ll be the first to notice.
Thanks for the note Kristen – I actually laughed out loud at this one. Though we love Lehi, Jess and I are in part motivated by the bubble effect that exists.
It’s all about what your kids need and when, and I’m sure you’ll find the right thing at the right time for them.
We never had anyone express concerns to us, only supportive comments like, “What a great gift to give your kids! They will never forget this.” However, we were only at it for a year. Now that we are finished I can honestly say it truly did give us a stronger sense of family identity and drew us even closer together. I can echo what you said about how quickly kids make friends in a campground and how much more attentive we became as parents. There is just something about being all crammed into 360 square feet for twelve months…
Thanks Jenni!! Yes, most people don’t bat an eye when you tell them you are taking a year off to travel the country. Its the undetermined end date that gets us. We’ve seriously considering just not bringing it up at times. 🙂 How’s re-entry going for you guys?
Thank you so much for sharing this! We too have had concerns from friends and family members, and you put it so well that I’m going to refer them to your post for answers 🙂
Every time we travel with kids we get so much closer to each other, more peaceful, happier, and so in-tune with each other. Once we are home – gosh – so many distractions! I absolutely agree with you that traveling creates a very strong family bong and everything else that was mentioned in this post.
Eve – thanks so much for your comment!