Written by Michael Boyink in Weekend Reads
Our most popular Instagram photo this week was this shot of Crater Lake, Oregon
What If One Family Member Hates Travel?
Talon Windwalker of 1Dad1Kid is a single parent traveling with (as you might guess) his one kid - a teenage son “Tigger”.
Talon posted an article this week titled When Traveling Styles Collide where he talks about how he handles the tension between his personal wanderlust and his sons preference for staying put.
Talon sums up:
Our traveling styles may be shifting in opposite directions, but thankfully we still have enough commonalities that it works well.Talon @1Dad1Kid.com
We’ve seen changes in our own two children and their travel preferences. We left when our daughter was 12 and our son was 13. She hated the idea of travel and he was excited about it.
They’re now 16 and 18. She’s adapted well and enjoys travel. He’s ready to be done and off on his own.
Bucket Gardening
One downside of fulltime RV or boat-based travel is that you lose the ability to have a garden.
Or so we thought.
How to Bucket Garden – Container Gardening for Beginners has us convinced we may be able to fit a garden into the fulltime RV lifestyle.
We’re headed to a spot where we will be until September so we now plan to try bucket gardening while there. Once we’re rolling again? I’m thinking a few plants in buckets would survive in the bed of the truck.
Owned By Your Stuff?
An article at Christ and Pop Culture asks the question So Much Stuff, So Little Time: How Do We Keep Our Possessions from Possessing Us?
In the article (that yes, quotes yours truly as a “minimalist”) author S.D. Kelly tells of her confusion about possessions:
What gets confusing is knowing the difference between the things we need and the things we don’t need. The basics are shelter, food, and clothing. But what happens after I have the things I absolutely need? What should I be acquiring? S.D. Kelly @ChristandPopCulture.com
For us knowing what we need and don’t need is quite simple. Either we use it on a regular basis or we don’t. If we don’t use it, we don’t need it. We have little room for the “someday I might” stuff.
Past that?
Acquire experiences.
Life After Travel?
While we were planning our escape from the suburbs I wondered “who will we come back as?” How would we be changed, molded, and improved by our experiences?
Caz, Craig and their girls Kalyra and Savannah are a traveling family from Australia. They have traveled in a variety of modes from camper trailer to suitcase. They recently decided to stop down for 18 months. Caz writes about the emotions she’s feeling during the transition.
She feels angst over returning to a more structured and traditional life:
I drop the girls off at school, and the fear constricts my breathing. I don’t want to be separated from them. What will happen to our bond? How can I still protect them? What moments am I now going to miss? Am I making the right choice?Caz @ytravelblog.com
But she also feels excited:
I release them with a hug of excitement for the friends they’re about to make and the exquisiteness they’ll feel with their independence.Caz @ytravelblog.com
The main reason we are stopping down for the summer is to allow our kids to gain independence and build relationships on their own. They’re both looking for summer jobs and the girl has sourced her own internship at the local humane society.
These experiences are important steps in their path to self-sufficiency. As parents we have to honor these desires and provide the downtime to allow them - even if it means a bit less road-tripping adventure in our own lives.
New Fulltime RVing Family Spotted
Parents Megan, Jake and their children Ivan and Inga recently hit the road from Wisconsin.
They are blogging their adventures at http://www.ourfreewheelinfamily.com.
Megan’s recent post Grabbing the Bison by the Horns details their move from security to adventure:
About three months ago, Jake and I sat down with a bottle of red wine and decided to accept a six month gig in Yellowstone….So we said goodbye to Jake’s benefits (and hello to Obamacare), accepted a 50% pay cut to Jake’s salary, crossed our fingers that there would be good enough internet coverage for me to work and HIT THE ROAD. Goodbye security. Hello adventure and the OPEN ROAD.Megan @OurFreeWheelinFamily.com
As you make your way to your job this week - imagine what it would be like if your “office” was in a National Park. Jobs pay in money but they also pay in Psychic Income.
What psychic pay scale are you on?