How We Started a Life of Travel
In 2021 we quit our jobs, moved out of our apartment, and into our 30 ft travel trailer, with no idea what the future held. Here’s how we did it.
2020 - IDEAS SPARK
As you might have guessed 2020 was an interesting time for us. But we looked at the experience as an eye opener. We realized that we had so many options in life. We COULD do something different if we wanted to. We didn’t HAVE to stay where we were, doing what we were doing. So, we started reading a lot of blogs and watching a lot of youtube and became hooked on giving this fulltime RV thing a try. During this time, we began looking at everything we owned, and thought, do we really need this? The downsizing process then began and let me tell you, it felt SO good.
We donated piles and piles of stuff we hadn’t looked at in years. Clothes, books, puzzles, games, unnecessary amount of kitchen glassware. It was like we could breathe a little better. Afterwards we would constantly open our cabinet and feel such relief to see only a couple mugs, not a cluster stacked all over each other.
Note: Once our RV journey started we continued to get rid of things we thought we needed but realized we didn’t. We’ve never gotten rid of something and wished we hadn’t.
DECEMBER 2020 - WE BUY A TRUCK!
After some months of extensive research on what truck and trailer we could afford and how much weight we wanted to be responsible for, we came to the conclusion that a 1/2-ton truck would be a good start for us. So, one day Mike & I decided to head over to the RAM dealership that was just down the road from us. We had no intention of buying. We just wanted to get into some trucks and get a feel for what was out there.
But let me tell you, our salesman Kobe, was looking to sell us a car! We told him our preferences and what we would be using the truck for. He showed us a hand full of selections they had on the lot, and we got in and tested them out. Once we had a moment to ourselves, I told Mike it was his call on whatever he wanted to do. He wanted the Dodge Ram 1500. So, we went ahead with the process. We said goodbye to our Honda Accord and hello to our new Ram 1500. We were so excited!
Note: This was not the first dealership we went to. We checked out a few others when we were visiting family in South Florida but no truck or salesman really clicked with us. We had a remarkable experience with the salesmen at RAM and I think that contributed to us deciding to buy the truck that day.
JANUARY 2021 - WE BUY AN RV!
Our original plan for buying an RV went something like this, we wanted something used, paid in full, and bought a couple months before the lease on our apartment ended. We thought this was a logical plan because then we wouldn’t have a payment, we wanted to customize it anyway, and we would only need to rent a parking space for a few months until our lease ended. However, that is not what happened, and we are SO happy for it.
While we were at my parent’s house for Christmas, my uncle told us about this Tampa RV Show that happens every year. Apparently, it is the biggest one in world, and Mike & I had NO IDEA of it! Feeling pretty jazzed, we decided to check it out because it would give us a chance to see so many layouts from many different brands. At the show, we looked at a lot of RVs but we kept going back to this one that had different features from the rest. A HUGE side window that would be great for camping in the mountains or the beach, a decent size fridge and some other newer features.
Now the ball was in my court, I told Mike, I REALLY liked this one. Since we were jumping into this new lifestyle and had NO IDEA if it was going to work out for us, we figured financing wouldn’t be a bad idea seeing as it would be less money down and a easy trade in process if necessary. Being newbies we also wouldn’t have to worry about buying someone elses problems and not knowing how to fix them. And lastly, we would be able to start doing weekend camping trips now and see if we actually want to move into it full time or just keep it for smaller trips. So, as you probably guessed, we bought the RV, a Keystone Springdale 260BH.
JANUARY 2021 - AUGUST 2021 | LOTS OF CAMPING TRIPS
At this point we couldn’t believe what we just did. In a little over 30 days we traded in Mikes Honda Accord for a Ram 1500 and bought a brand new travel trailer. To say we were excited was an understatement. We bought our travel trailer through General RV and luckily, they allow 60 days until you need to pick up the trailer, so we had some time to figure out where we wanted to store it.
Being in Orlando, there were two things, there was limited availability and it was double the price as something just outside Orlando. We ended up renting a parking space at Compass Storage in Tavares, about 45 minutes from our apartment. A week later we finished up our paperwork at General RV and left with our new home. Energy was high and Mike was so excited he booked a campsite at a park nearby the next week! We didn’t even have a water hose yet.
For the next 8 months we were at campgrounds almost every week. From Wekiwa Springs, Lake Louisa, Trimble Park, to Gamble Rogers beachside. We were learning about parts of Florida we had no idea existed! And the more trips we took, the more we wanted to be in that RV. We were ready to start this adventure.
SEPTEMBER 2021 - WE QUIT OUR JOBS, SELL MY CAR, & MOVE OUT OF OUR APARTMENT
As September crept closer and closer things got a little bit more real. We were actually doing this. Both being at our current jobs for a few years, we had established a good relationship with our bosses so they both knew our plan before we put our notice in. We said our well wishes and began to finish getting the last bit of our things out of our apartment.
We decided to rent a 5x5 UHaul storage unit to put items that we didn’t want to get rid of just yet but also not take with us in the RV. We paid $52 a month and definitely recommend this if you are planning a big lifestyle change.
One thing we didn’t have planned was to sell my Toyota Prius. I really loved my car and it was already paid off but once I saw how much Carvana was going to give me, we gladly said our goodbyes. Carvana paid me what I bought the car for 3.5 years ago!
OCTOBER 2021 - DECEMBER 2021 - ADJUSTING TO OUR NEW HOME + GETTING MARRIED
Our first week living in 30 feet of space was new and exciting. We brought SO MUCH stuff now that we look back at it. At least 50% of what we originally brought we gave away. We chose to stay at Bill Frederick County Park while we got settled in because it was centrally located to any amenities we needed, came with full hookups and good internet signal.
Over the next 3 months we got married on the beach, had the perfect backyard celebration, and visited a lot of places around Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. Finally, it was time to set off to what we were hoping was our next job for a few months.
JANUARY 2022 - PRESENT
We were officially hired at our first seasonal job at Lajitas Golf Resort near Big Bend National Park. We worked there for about 5 months before we set off for a summer of travel. In one year we went to 16 states, visited 16 National Parks, rafted in the Flathead and Colorado River, biked on an old railroad path in Idaho, took an open air gondola train ride in Colorado, saw some of the Northern Lights, and SO MUCH MORE!
If there is a new adventure you want to start, GO FOR IT! You never know where it will take you.
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HEY THERE!
WE’RE MIKE & DEANDRA.
Two adventure seekers traveling the U.S in our 37 FT. travel trailer with our two companions, Griffin & Lucy. We share our life on the road and travel guides to our favorite destinations.
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