Here’s What We Have Learned
2 Months After We Quit Our Jobs to Travel
Well, somehow we are already TWO WHOLE MONTHS into our work sabbatical & it feels like the time has flown by! We have had lots of time on the road to reflect on what we have learned in the past two months, so we are sharing those with you. Our hope is that our adventure will encourage you to think about the ways you can incorporate adventure into your own life, even if the journey doesn’t include quitting your job.
And with that…here are a few of our early learnings from the road!
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Let’s Talk Toilet Paper
I wish I were joking when I said that nice toilet paper is the luxury item we miss the most. As it turns out, campgrounds, rest areas, restaurants, etc. tend to use the cheapest 1-ply toilet paper on the market. I get it…the stuff is WAY cheaper than nicer alternatives, but let’s just say that when you go 2 months only using this toilet paper, you do start to miss nice, double-ply quilted toilet paper. That’s all I will say about that.
Pro tip: It might be helpful to bring a little bit of toilet paper from home, just in case.
You Don’t Have to Plan Everything Ahead of Time
Planning in advance inevitably gives you more options, but we have found that we really enjoy the spontaneity that we have available to us during this time. Our lives were so regimented before: we showed up to work at the same time each day, worked throughout the work day, cooked dinner & had a few hours to decide how we wanted to spend them. Rinse and repeat.
We really enjoy the flexibility of the road & have found that SUV Camping gives us a TON of flexibility with where we stay each night. Tent campsites generally do not book up (except on holiday weekends and even with that there are usually last-minute cancellations if you check frequently!). If you are open to wherever the road (or the sky!) may take you, you can generally find a good last-minute deal somewhere.
People Want to Support You
We were so worried to share our plans with friends & family because we knew they were somewhat unconventional. And yet, every person we told supported our journey (even if a few had questions about what we would do for work!). We have been so fortunate to be surrounded by such a great community. This honestly makes hitting the road a bit challenging at times because we miss our people!
Nonetheless, we have found that strangers have also been incredibly supportive! We have met so many amazing people on our journey, whether it is a KOA Store Worker in Cape Cod, an artist in the Catskills, a boutique owner in Salem, MA, or a retired Veteran in Billings, MT, we have had so many people ask us about our travels & share their experiences with us. Good people really are in every corner of the world & we are so fortunate to be able to meet them!
Saying “Yes” Often Yields the Best Experiences
Our favorite days of the trip have been the days where we wake up determined to say “Yes” to whatever the day has in store. It’s cheesy, but it’s true. It’s so easy to go along with whatever we planned out for the day, but we have found that the unexpected experiences are the stories that make us smile.
We have toured strangers’ campervans at campgrounds (in search of our own campervan one day!), stumbled upon random art studios, stayed with friends of friends, and accepted free custom spray painted t-shirts & handmade shoestrings all because we were open to a new experience. These moments have been our favorite moments of the past two months, even with all of the incredible sights (& delicious food!) we have experienced.
This is More Accessible Than You Might Think
Sure, you may have to make some sacrifices AND we certainly can’t spend money on our travels the way we typically would on a vacation, but we have been surprised by how accessible travel has been thus far. Converting our SUV into a camper has certainly made this process much more affordable, but we have also been traveling in the United States which is one of the most expensive countries for travel.
We have spent way more on food than you would need to spend because we are foodies who cannot say no to local cuisine. I don’t regret this at all, but I do think we could reel that spending category in if we wanted to do so!
Here’s a breakdown of our expenses for the first month of travel!
Travel Makes You Want to Become a Minimalist
When you’re traveling in an SUV, you have to be pretty particular about what you bring with you in order to maximize the space you have in the car. This inevitably makes us question whether we really need 1/4 of the items we bring with us. While the answer is probably no, I still enjoy having options (much to Phil’s dismay)!
The reality is that the things we bring with us in our travels are all things that we enjoy & use frequently, though traveling this way definitely makes us question the rest of our belongings. At the end of the day, we have a lot of stuff. We are appreciating that this chapter is making us evaluate which items contribute to the lifestyle we want to live and which items are simply taking up space.
The World is Full of Opportunity & Kindness
We have been soaking up the opportunities to learn from people from all corners of the United States and are excited for future opportunities to learn from folks all around the world. This adventure has continued to stoke our curiosity & we are excited for more adventures to come. At the end of the day, this world is full of incredible culture & people who are doing their best to make the world a better place for people around them.
We have been the beneficiaries of kindness and hospitality from so many strangers and we are thankful for opportunities to pay that kindness forward.
If you are interested in reading our stories from the road, you can do so here!