27. A Cross Country Bike Ride Changed His Life @ Cory Mortensen A Travel Path podcast

28:56

In this episode of Travel Tips, we welcome Cory Mortensen back. He is a bestselling author of three books and has traveled all around the world. He has spent extensive time in Ecuador and during this show he shares his insight on how to make the most of your trip. Resources Cory’s Website and Books · https://www.thebuddhaandthebee.com/ Stays · https://www.hostelworld.com/ Blogs from Cory · https://thetransparenttraveler.wordpress.com/2015/12/23/hiking-the-quilotoa-loop/ · https://www.thebuddhaandthebee.com/post/how-do-you-pack-for-a-trip-around-the-world…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
27. A Cross Country Bike Ride Changed His Life @ Cory Mortensen 55:23

45 weeks ago55:23

55:23

Welcome back, Pathfinders! In today’s show I sat down with Cory Mortensen. He is a best-selling author of three books. During this podcast, we discussed his first book “The Buddha and the Bee” and how a month long bike road across the United States changed the trajectory of his life. It was an inspirational show with tons of knowledge and insight from a very experienced traveler. Sources Cory’s Website and Books · https://www.thebuddhaandthebee.com/ Applicable Blogs from Cory · https://www.thebuddhaandthebee.com/post/how-do-you-pack-for-a-trip-around-the-world References · https://www.sporcle.com/ Books Mentioned · The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer: https://amzn.to/3yptMs4 · Micro Adventures by Alastair Humphreys: https://amzn.to/4dDg2K9 · On The Road by Jack Herouac: https://amzn.to/44GfShd · Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer: https://amzn.to/3wMjotH · Blue Highways by William Least: https://amzn.to/44LunA7…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
Guide For Van Life in Baja 46:59

45 weeks ago46:59

46:59

In this week of Travel Tips, we welcome Taylor and Kevin from Mathers on the Map back on the show to talk about Baja. Exploring Baja: A Three-Week Adventure Baja California is a haven for adventurers seeking a blend of rugged landscapes, pristine beaches, and vibrant culture. Whether you're drawn to the desert's tranquility or the thrill of ocean activities, Baja offers something for everyone. But how long should you stay to truly immerse yourself in its wonders? Let's dive into a three-week itinerary, balancing must-see attractions with off-the-beaten-path experiences. Duration: How Long to Visit? Three weeks is the sweet spot for a comprehensive Baja adventure, especially if you're driving from the tip of the peninsula to its southern reaches. However, if time is limited, even a week can provide a taste of Baja's charm, albeit with a more touristy focus. Flying into Los Cabos or Cabo San Lucas allows for a convenient starting point, but for those craving a more remote and authentic experience, hitting the road is the way to go. To Do: Adventures Await From paddle boarding along the Sea of Cortez to hiking through rugged mountains, Baja offers an array of outdoor activities. Surfing enthusiasts will find waves aplenty, while wildlife enthusiasts can marvel at the migration of gray whales. Whether you're spearfishing in crystal-clear waters or simply soaking up the sun on a secluded beach, Baja beckons with endless possibilities. Exploring the Landscape Baja's diverse terrain ranges from desert expanses to mountainous peaks, with microclimates creating pockets of lush greenery amidst arid landscapes. Hot springs provide a welcome respite, while the Sea of Cortez teems with marine life, including playful dolphins and majestic rays. Embrace the dry desert climate, where humidity takes a back seat to breathtaking vistas and unparalleled tranquility. Planning Your Journey Before embarking on your Baja adventure, thorough planning is essential. Research your route, gather necessary paperwork such as passports and car insurance, and familiarize yourself with local customs and regulations. Traveling with a group can offer added security, especially for those venturing into remote areas. Allow ample time to obtain required permits and documentation, ensuring a seamless journey from start to finish. The Two States of Baja: Contrasts and Comparisons Baja's southern state is a magnet for tourists, boasting warmer temperatures and a safer environment. Winter months witness an influx of visitors, drawn by the region's inviting climate and vibrant culture. Meanwhile, the northern state offers a more rugged and untamed landscape, perfect for those seeking solitude and serenity amidst nature's splendor. Best Time to Visit: Finding Your Ideal Season Winter through late spring is prime time for exploring Baja, with mild temperatures and fewer crowds. Easter festivities bring locals and visitors together, transforming beaches into lively gathering spots filled with music, food, and camaraderie. Whether you're chasing waves or simply savoring the region's laid-back vibe, Baja's allure knows no bounds. Kid and Pet-Friendly Activities: Making Memories for All Baja welcomes travelers of all ages, with plenty of activities suitable for families and furry friends alike. Campgrounds along the coast provide a safe and scenic retreat, while dog-friendly beaches invite four-legged companions to frolic in the surf. Embrace the spirit of adventure with your loved ones by your side, creating cherished memories that will last a lifetime. Transportation and Accommodation: Finding Your Way Whether opting for van life or traditional lodging, Baja offers diverse options for every traveler. Renting a car provides flexibility and freedom to explore at your own pace, while camping under the stars offers a truly immersive experience. From beachside campsites to remote hideaways, Baja's landscape serves as the ultimate playground for those seeking adventure off the beaten path. Recent Events and Safety Considerations While Baja's remote beauty captivates travelers, recent events serve as a sobering reminder to prioritize safety. Stay informed about local conditions and heed warnings from fellow travelers, especially when venturing into isolated areas. Utilize resources like the iOverlander app to find safe camping spots and connect with fellow adventurers, fostering a sense of community and camaraderie on the road. Budgeting: Making the Most of Your Journey Budgeting for a Baja adventure requires a blend of resourcefulness and flexibility. While touristy areas may come with higher price tags, venturing off the beaten path can yield affordable dining and accommodation options. Embrace local markets for fresh produce and immerse yourself in Baja's culinary delights, from street tacos to seafood feasts. Remember, the true value of a Baja adventure lies not in its cost, but in the priceless experiences and memories it creates. 3, 2, 1 Countdown 3 Things to Pack to Baja: Traction Pads · Surfboard · Camera · Great Books · Sunscreen · Starlink 2 Complaints to Be Aware Of: · Shakedowns with Police · Don’t drive at night 1 Thing You Can’t Leave Baja Without Doing: · Camping at 9 Palms Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:15Why Baja? 03:45 How Long Should Someone Visit Baja For? 08:00 How Far In Advance Should You Plan Your Trip 09:15 The Two States Baja 10:15 Best Time to Visit Baja 14:45 Child and Pet Activities 16:15 Transportation 19:30 Camping 22:30 How Remote is Baja? 24:15 Recent Events in Baja 31:15 Nightlife in Baja 34:15 Budgeting 39:25 3, 2, 1 Countdown Mathers on the Map Online · YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MathersOnTheMap · Website: https://www.mathersonthemap.com/ · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mathersonthemap · Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mathersonthemap · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MathersOnTheMap/ iOverlander · https://www.ioverlander.com/ Article on Surfers Must Dos · Grey Whales: https://bajagraywhales.com/ · Arch of Cabo San Lucas: https://www.visitloscabos.travel/places-to-visit/the-arch-of-cabo-san-lucas/ · Starlink · https://www.starlink.com/ Podrockers · https://amzn.to/4dCVoKq (may receive commissions) Camping at 9 Palms · https://ioverlander.com/places/7753-nine-palms Delicioats · https://delicioats.com/discount/PATH Use Code PATH Music · Music • Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-toes/ready-as-ever License code: WYQ2IKRBMVFP3EJS Disclaimer *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
26. If You Change Your Mindset You Can Change Your Life @ Mathers On The Map 1:05:12

46 weeks ago1:05:12

1:05:12

Welcome back, Pathfinders! Today, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kevin and Taylor Mathers from Mathers on the Map. Their story is nothing short of inspiring – a tale of wanderlust turned lifestyle. Once they dipped their toes into the world of travel, they were hooked, and they took actionable steps to turn full-time travel into their reality. While their journey takes many forms, van life remains their favorite mode of exploration. For Kevin and Taylor, it's not just about the destination; it's about the journey, and nothing encapsulates this better than life on the road. From a Long-Distance Relationship to Travel Hacking Their journey began with a long-distance relationship that prompted them to seek out ways to save money on travel. Enter travel hacking – a game-changer that allowed them to snag $20,000 plane tickets for a mere $100, thanks to credit card bonuses and strategic spending. This savvy approach to travel has saved them over $100,000 over the years, making globe-trotting more accessible than ever. Escaping the Rat Race: From Corporate Careers to Mathers On The Map The conventional nine-to-five grind wasn't cutting it for Kevin. While on the path to becoming a corporate IT VP, a glimpse into the world of Instagram opened his eyes to a new realm of possibilities. Inspired by those making a living through social media, Kevin dove headfirst into entrepreneurship, trading endless hours at the office for a more flexible and fulfilling lifestyle. Today, they've transitioned from side hustles to full-time YouTubers, proving that with dedication and ingenuity, anyone can craft their dream career. Benefits Beyond the Rat Race Leaving behind the security of a traditional job can be daunting, especially when faced with the allure of benefits and pensions. However, Kevin and Taylor stress the importance of evaluating these perks critically. Not all benefits are created equal, and understanding what you truly need versus what you're sacrificing is essential before taking the leap into full-time entrepreneurship. It Started With a Road Trip From Coast to Coast Before they were Mathers on the Map, a seven-day road trip across the US for a work relocation marked the beginning of their adventure. From the Grand Canyon to Elvis's House, each stop fueled their passion for exploration. This journey kickstarted their travel goals, ultimately inspiring them to aim for 30 countries before turning 30. Nursing Per Diem: Balancing Work and Wanderlust Taylor's career as a travel nurse provided the perfect balance between work and travel. With flexible contracts and ample time off, she was able to explore various destinations while still pursuing her passion for nursing. Transitioning to per diem nursing allowed even more freedom, aligning perfectly with their nomadic lifestyle. House Hacking: Building Wealth Through Real Estate Their duplex was a game-changer, allowing them to offset their mortgage while building wealth through real estate. Inspired by the concept of house hacking, they transformed their living situation into a profitable investment. By leveraging Airbnb and long-term rentals, they've created a sustainable source of income that allows them to travel. The 30 Under 30 Challenge: Chasing Adventures Around the Globe From Costa Rica to Bali, Mathers on the Map embarked on a mission to explore 30 countries before hitting the big 3-0. Breaking free from the conventional vacation mold, they embraced backpacking and gap years, opening themselves up to a world of adventure and cultural immersion. Van Builds: Crafting the Perfect Home on Wheels Two van builds later and they've perfected their mobile abode. From climate control for their baby to a custom crib, each upgrade reflects their evolving needs and priorities. By prioritizing functionality over luxury, they've created a cozy haven on wheels that accommodates their growing family. Current Challenges and Memorable Moments Balancing home life with their nomadic lifestyle poses its challenges, but the memories they've created along the way make it all worthwhile. From impromptu house tours in the Philippines to slowing down to savor moments with their son, Wyatt, every experience enriches their journey and strengthens their bond as a family. In the end, Mathers on the Map isn't just about the places they've been; it's about the people they've met, the lessons they've learned, and the memories they've made along the way. As they continue to chart their course through life, one thing remains certain – the adventure never ends for this inspiring duo. Final Five 1 Thing You NEED While Traveling: · A No international fees ATM card and Credit Card 1 Thing You Learned You DON’T Need: · Half as many clothes 1 Question: · What is your favorite destination? · How much do you make on YouTube? 1 Thing to Start: · Start a side hustle · Look into travel hacking. YouTube Channels · Kara and Nate · The Van Wives · Flying the Nest Travel Tips · Baja Chapters · 00:00 Introduction · 03:30 Travel Hacking · 07:45 Exiting the Rat Race · 12:15 What Are Your Benefits? · 14:15 It Started with a Road Trip · 18:00 Nursing Per Diem vs. Travel Nursing · 21:45 House Hacking · 26:45 Delicioats · 27:30 Commitments of Owning Real Estate · 30:15 30 Under 30 · 41:45 Van Builds · 47:00 Mistakes and Embarrassing Story · 48:30 Current Travel Frustrations · 49:45 What Do You Love Most About Your Travel Lifestyle? · 55:00 Coolest Travel Experience · 57:15 Final Five Mathers on the Map Online · YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MathersOnTheMap · Website: https://www.mathersonthemap.com/ · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mathersonthemap · Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mathersonthemap · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MathersOnTheMap/ Links · Real Estate · BiggerPockets: https://www.biggerpockets.com/ · Rich Dad Poor Dad: https://amzn.to/3QAxyoz · The Book on Rental Property Investing: https://amzn.to/3UySFsJ · (Commissions earned through purchases on this page) · Ultimate House Hack Blog: https://atravelpath.com/become-the-ultimate-house-hacker-by-buying-an-rv/ Past Episodes · Laura and Jason: https://atravelpath.com/road-trip-with-kids/ · The Miles Van Life: https://atravelpath.com/show18/ · HappilyEverHanks: https://atravelpath.com/happily-ever-hanks/ · Koda and Court: https://atravelpath.com/travel-nursing/ Mathers On The Map Content · Van Build Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfHkUGUkCAgw1D-RgEz262fOdf3RjNad8 · Their Van Build Series 2.0: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfHkUGUkCAgzxf-EkF3-0foL8WLZecptt · Van Life with a Baby: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLmsySs2e7M&t=1276s Products · Ogo Composting Toilet: https://amzn.to/3Wx3aPU Travel Hacking · Charles Schwab No International Fees Debit Card: https://www.schwab.com/checking · The Points Guy: https://thepointsguy.com/ Delicioats https://delicioats.com/discount/PATH Use Code PATH Music Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/rocky-mountains Disclaimer *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
Banff National Park Travel Guide 29:34

46 weeks ago29:34

29:34

www.atravelpath.com https://delicioats.com/discount/PATH Use Code PATH Banff National Park Travel Guide Welcome back to Travel Tips! We joined Dedra and Garron to talk about one of the gems of their home country: Banff National Park in Canada. Nestled in the heart of Alberta, Canada, lies a natural wonderland waiting to be explored – Banff. Having grown up not far from this pristine here, they had the privilege of visiting Banff numerous times, each visit revealing new adventures and hidden treasures. With insider knowledge and tips garnered over the years, they are here to guide you through an unforgettable Banff experience. Outdoor Adventures Galore Banff isn't just a destination; it's an outdoor enthusiast's paradise. Whether you're into hiking, camping, snowboarding, skiing, backpacking, or simply exploring with your furry friends (yes, Banff is dog-friendly!), there's something here for everyone. Duration of Stay While a weekend getaway is feasible for locals, they recommend dedicating at least two weeks to truly immerse yourself in all that Banff has to offer. If time permits, extend your stay to three weeks to explore the surrounding area. The Enchantment of Blue Waters Banff boasts stunning azure waters that captivate visitors from around the globe. While Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are iconic spots, they can get crowded. For a more serene experience, head to lesser-known gems like Saskatchewan Crossing in the northern part of the park, where you'll find equally mesmerizing blue waters minus the crowds. Best Time to Visit Timing is key when planning your Banff adventure. Summer, particularly July through August, offers ideal weather for outdoor activities. However, be prepared for potential snow in June and forest fires in August. For winter sports enthusiasts, the period between December and February promises snowy escapades. Getting There and Around Calgary serves as the gateway to Banff, with a scenic drive of about 1 hour and 40 minutes. While Banff town is easily navigable on foot, renting a car is advisable for exploring attractions further afield. Shuttle services are also available for those who prefer not to drive. Currency Exchange and Budgeting Ensure you exchange your currency for Canadian dollars (Loonies and Toonies) before arriving, as foreign denominations are not accepted. Budget around $100-150 per day for a comfortable experience, but savvy travelers can save by cooking meals at campsites and stocking up on supplies in Calgary to avoid inflated prices in Banff. Accommodation Options Finding free lodging in Banff can be challenging, but the national parks offer a plethora of campgrounds for outdoor enthusiasts. Tunnel Mountain Campground is a prime choice for its proximity to town, while the Canmore area boasts more budget-friendly options. Embracing Banff's Nightlife Banff has a small nightlife with bars, great dining, and clubs. That said, many visitors opt for quiet evenings by the campfire, soaking in the starlit sky and relishing the tranquility of nature Chasing Sunrises and Sunsets For unparalleled views, ascend Sulphur Mountain via the Banff Gondola or embark on a mountain hike to witness breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. Each vantage point offers a unique perspective of Banff's majestic landscape, so don't miss the opportunity to capture these magical moments. Money-Saving Strategies Maximize your Banff experience without breaking the bank by prioritizing free activities like hiking and stargazing. Limit dining out to a few special occasions, opting instead for budget-friendly meals around the campfire. Stock up on groceries and fuel in Calgary to avoid inflated prices in Banff. Banff isn't just a destination – it's an invitation to connect with nature, embark on thrilling adventures, and create unforgettable memories. So pack your bags, lace up your hiking boots, and get ready to unlock the wonders of Banff. Your next great adventure awaits! 3, 2, 1 Countdown 3 Things to Pack: · Marshmallow Sticks · Tent · Hiking Boots · Water · Swim Shorts · Sunscreen · Bear Spray · Passport 2 Complaints: · Crowds · Limited Parking · Costs 1 Thing You Can’t Leave Banff Without Doing: · Beaver Tails · Mount Yamnuska Chapters · 00:00 Introduction · 03:30 How Long Should Someone Visit Banf? · 04:45 Where to find Blue Water? · 05:30 Best Time to Visit Banff · 06:45 Transportation · 08:30 Currency and budgeting · 10:30 Sleeping Arrangements · 14:15 Nightlife in Banff · 15:30 Sunrise/sunset · 16:45 Money Saving Tips · 19:30 Restaurants · 20:45 Nearby Activities · 23:15 Delicioats · 24:00 3, 2, 1 Countdown · 22:45 3,2,1 Countdown Connect With The Route to Happiness · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/route_tohappiness/ · YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theroutetohappiness · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/671668523352712 · Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theroutetohappiness Near Banff · Canmore: https://www.canmore.ca/ · Yoho National Park: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/bc/yoho · Lake Louise: https://www.banfflakelouise.com/ · Icefields Parkway: https://icefieldsparkway.com/ · Kananaskis Mountains · Mount Yamnuska Hike: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/alberta/mount-yamnuska-traverse-and-west-col-descent Blue Water · Lake Louis and Moraine Lake: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/visit/les10-top10/louise · Saskatchewan River Crossing Transportation · Calgary Airport: https://www.yyc.com/en-us/ · Shuttles: https://www.banfflakelouise.com/explore-the-park/transit-shuttles Camping · Tunnel Mountain: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/activ/camping · Canmore: https://www.hipcamp.com/en-CA/d/canada/alberta/canmore/camping/all · Very inexpensive camping at Abraham Lake Sunrise · Sulphur Mountain: https://www.banfflakelouise.com/experiences/sulphur-mountain-trail · Any mountains or hikes · Banff Gondola: https://www.banffjaspercollection.com/attractions/banff-gondola/ · Lake Louis Restaurants · Park Distillery: https://parkdistillery.com/ · Grizzly House · Fairmont Hotel: https://www.banff-springs-hotel.com/dine/ · Beaver Tails: https://beavertails.com/ Music Music • Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-toes/ready-as-ever License code: WYQ2IKRBMVFP3EJS Disclaimer *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
25. Pushing Past Discomforts To Do What Makes You Happy @ The Route to Happiness 1:06:34

47 weeks ago1:06:34

1:06:34

Links www.atravelpath.com https://delicioats.com/discount/PATH Use Code PATH Pushing Past Discomforts To Do What Makes You Happy @ The Route to Happiness Welcome back, Pathfinders! We have an incredible show in store for you today. We sat down with Dedra and Garron from “The Route to Happiness.” Learn about their incredible story overcoming financial, physical, and emotional obstacles to live the life they love. Facing Adversity and Embracing Change In the midst of college life, a frightening cancer scare in Dedra’s thyroid forced them to confront mortality and make difficult decisions. Dropping out of college became a necessity as they focused on their health and began pondering the direction of their future. Embracing uncertainty, they sold off their possessions and embarked on a spontaneous journey to Victoria Island, where the seeds of their nomadic spirit were planted. Van Life: A Fusion of Freedom and Responsibility With a longing for freedom and a deep bond with their canine companions, van life emerged as a natural compromise. Beyond mere travel, it represented a lifestyle centered on autonomy, spontaneity, and a connection with nature. Exploring various job opportunities, they eventually found their stride in entrepreneurship, establishing a successful dog-walking business that provided both financial stability and a sense of purpose. Crafting Their Sanctuary on Wheels The decision to purchase a Ford Transit and undertake its conversion into a mobile home marked a significant milestone in their journey. Despite lacking prior experience, they dove headfirst into the challenge, dedicating two years to meticulous planning, construction, and problem-solving. Along the way, they encountered setbacks and frustrations, yet each obstacle served as a lesson in resilience and adaptability. Conquering Fear through Exploration Despite grappling with anxiety and self-doubt, the Route to Happiness refused to let fear dictate their path. Instead, they embraced the unknown, finding solace and empowerment in the act of exploration. From hiking the Pacific Crest Trail to flying a small plane over majestic landscapes, they continue to push past their comfort zone, discovering newfound strength and courage with each adventure. Navigating the Road Ahead As they contemplate the future, the road ahead stretches before them, ripe with possibilities and opportunities. Whether settling down or continuing their nomadic lifestyle, one thing remains certain: their journey towards happiness is an ongoing pursuit, filled with twists, turns, and unexpected joys. As they continue to chase their dreams and explore the world, they serve as a beacon of inspiration for all those who dare to embark on their own path to happiness. Final Five 1 Thing You Can’t Live Without: · Toilet · Travel insurance 1 Thing You Don’t Need: · A negative attitude Question For Your Past Self: · Where Do You Sleep? The Route to Happiness were pretty fearful about where how and where they would sleep during van life. They have since learned that if you are on the road for a while, you stop worrying about whether you will get a knock and have to move. They have also found that finding places to stay was easier than they expected. · How Do You Get Mail and Packages? This one took them some time to figure out, but now they ship via UPS to a UPS store they are headed to. 1 Thing Someone Can Do Now: · Learn online skills. It doesn’t mean you have to start your own business, but learning online skills is helpful. And start getting creative by thinking outside of the box. Don’t just listen to how everyone else does it, think about what would work best for you. YouTube channels · Amen and Bec: https://www.youtube.com/@eamonandbec · Divine On the Road: https://www.youtube.com/@DivineOnTheRoad · Kara and Nate: https://www.youtube.com/@KaraandNate Chapters · 00:00 Introduction · 02:45 How Did You Get Started Traveling? · 10:45 The Route to Happiness · 12:30 Funding Their Travels · 20:45 Buying a Ford Transit · 23:00 Conversion Process · 27:15 Mistakes · 29:15 Hiking the PCT · 30:00 Delicioats · 35:00 Pushing Past Discomforts · 42:45 Travel Frustrations · 44:30 Traveling with 3 Dogs · 46:30 Honest Cost of Van Life · 49:45 The Barriers of Traveling from Canada · 52:30 Starlink · 55:00 Coolest Travel Experience · 57:15 How Long Do You Plan Continuing This Lifestyle For? · 60:00 Final Five Connect With The Route to Happiness · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/route_tohappiness/ · YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theroutetohappiness · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/671668523352712 · Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theroutetohappiness Past Episodes Mentioned · 18 Chad and Eileen: https://atravelpath.com/show18/ · Travel Tips: Alaska: https://atravelpath.com/alaska/ YouTube channels · Amen and Bec: https://www.youtube.com/@eamonandbec · Divine On the Road: https://www.youtube.com/@DivineOnTheRoad · Kara and Nate: https://www.youtube.com/@KaraandNate Kantishna Air Taxi Through Alaska · https://www.katair.com/ Internet · Starlink: https://www.starlink.com/ · Weboost: https://www.weboost.com/ Music • Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/rocky-mountains Disclaimer *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
EVERYTHING You Pay When Buying an RV - We Are Underwater 25:20

47 weeks ago25:20

25:20

Get Your Delicioats Discount Today! https://delicioats.com/discount/PATH Use Code PATH Welcome back Pathfinders. In this podcast we broke down every fee we paid when we purchased our RV, and how we are unfortunately underwater as a result. The moral of the story: Do your research AND don’t let emotions get the best of you during the buying process. Follow along with this blog for a more accurate breakdown of the buying fees: https://atravelpath.com/buying-an-rv/ Other blogs mentioned during this show: RV Tech: https://atravelpath.com/mobile-rv-technician/ How Much We Made Renting Our RV: https://atravelpath.com/renting-camper-van/ How We Saved Money to Buy an RV: https://atravelpath.com/become-the-ultimate-house-hacker-by-buying-an-rv/ Episodes Mentioned Chris and Sara: https://atravelpath.com/chris-and-sara/ Music Music • Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-toes/ready-as-ever License code: WYQ2IKRBMVFP3EJS Disclaimer *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
Thailand Travel Guide: Food, Culture, and Temples @ChrisandSara 34:19

47 weeks ago34:19

34:19

www.atravelpath.com https://delicioats.com/discount/PATH Use Code PATH 00:00 Introduction 03:00 Why They First Visited Thailand 03:45 How Long Should You Visit Thailand For? 05:15 Best Time to Visit Thailand 06:15 Flying a Dog to Thailand 07:00 Transportation 09:15 Lodging 10:15 Nightlife 12:00 Cost 13:00 Delicioats Ad 14:45 Internet 15:00 Experiences 16:45 Food 21:00 Exploring Thailand 27:30 3, 2, 1 Countdown In today’s show we welcome Chris and Sara back to Travel Tips. Join us as we take that far journey across the world to learn all about visiting Thailand! Why Thailand? While Thailand is renowned for its breathtaking beaches, it's the digital nomad lifestyle that truly captured Chris and Sara's hearts. The abundance of coworking spaces, high-speed internet, and affordable living costs make it an ideal destination for remote workers and entrepreneurs alike. With a plethora of outdoor activities, from surfing and kayaking to exploring majestic mountains and ancient temples, Thailand offers a diverse range of experiences for adventurous spirits. Planning Your Visit For those considering a trip to Thailand, timing is key. The months of November to February offer the most favorable weather conditions, with cooler temperatures and minimal rainfall. However, it's essential to avoid the burn season, typically occurring in April, when air quality deteriorates due to agricultural practices. Planning a visit during the winter months ensures optimal conditions for exploring Thailand's natural wonders and bustling cities. Transportation Getting around Thailand can be an adventure in itself, particularly for first-time visitors. While motorbikes and mopeds offer a convenient and affordable mode of transportation, they also come with risks, as traffic can be chaotic and accidents are not uncommon. For those less confident in their driving skills, alternatives such as songthaews (shared taxis) and tuk-tuks provide a more relaxed way to explore the country's diverse landscapes. Accommodation and Nightlife Finding accommodation in Thailand is relatively easy, with options ranging from budget-friendly hotels to cozy Airbnb rentals. Chris and Sara recommend staying near popular areas of town to maximize convenience and accessibility to amenities. As for nightlife, Thailand offers a vibrant array of experiences, from bustling night markets to lively clubs and bars. Exploring local night markets provides an opportunity to sample delicious street food, shop for unique souvenirs, and immerse oneself in the vibrant atmosphere of Thai culture. Embracing Thai Time One of the unique aspects of Thai culture is its relaxed attitude towards time. Visitors are encouraged to embrace the concept of "Thai time," where schedules are flexible, and patience is key. Whether waiting for a restaurant to open or navigating transportation delays, adopting a laid-back approach to time management enhances the overall travel experience and allows for a deeper immersion into the local way of life. 3,2,1 Countdown 3 Things to Pack to Thailand · Sunscreen · Modest Clothing · Bug Spray 2 Complaints or Things to Be Prepared for in Thailand · Bugs · Heat · Culture: shoes off, lots of bowing, land of smiles, be respectful · Thai Time: Don’t be in a rush 1 Thing You Can’t Leave Thailand Without Doing · Any of the temples Chris and Sara Online · Website: https://www.chrisandsara.com/ · YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chrisandsara · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisandsara_ · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrisandsaratravel Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chris-and-sara Flights · Going: https://www.going.com/ · Google Flights: https://www.google.com/travel/flights Travel Hack Resources · Lisa and Josh: https://www.youtube.com/c/LisaJosh Thailand Locations · Phuket Beaches: https://www.phuket101.net/phuket-best-beaches/ · Ko Chang · Thailand Water Festival (Songkran) Music Music • Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-toes/ready-as-ever License code: WYQ2IKRBMVFP3EJS Disclaimer *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
24. Medical Tourism, Flying With Their Dog, & RV Conversions @ChrisandSara 52:08

48 weeks ago52:08

52:08

www.atravelpath.com https://delicioats.com/discount/PATH Use Code PATH Chapters · 00:00 Introduction · 08:45 Remote Work · 11:15 Transitioning to Van Life · 16:00 Money Tips · 17:45 Delicioats Ad · 18:30 Home Base · 21:45 Renting Their House Out · 25:45 Current Travel Frustrations · 29:45 Expenses · 33:30 Medical Tourism · 38:00 Traveling with a Dog · 42:15 Final Five Hello Pathfinders! What a great show we have in store from Chris and Sara. Chris and Sara have been documenting their travels for many years and have traveled all over the world. It was interesting to learn that although they had remote jobs, they weren’t sold on the fact they could travel until they ended up in Thailand and had an AH-HA moment that they could work from anywhere. In this episode, learn all about: Routines While Chris prefers a routine, Sara likes to mix things up. Living in a van or truck camper allows Chris and Sara the best of both worlds. Since they can fit most of their routine essentials in their vehicle (workout and cooking equipment), they can still follow a routine throughout their day. At the same time, they are mobile and can pick up and move to a new location. Chris and Sara found that this style works best. When they are in hotels or Airbnbs, they have a difficult time keeping up with their routine because they have to venture to a gym or find a new place for breakfast and a cup of coffee. Van Life Chris and Sara pointed out that van life isn’t as glamorous as it is made out to be. They are glad that more and more influencers seem to be showing the not-so-pleasant sides of this lifestyle. Their biggest struggle used to be internet, but Starlink has been a game changer for them. One of their biggest pieces of advice before starting out is to rent something. This way, you’ll be able to figure out exactly what you need and how big your van needs to be. They quickly realized their first van was more space than they needed, so they swapped that for one that was 5’ shorter. Money Tips Like most travelers, fuel is their largest expense. To combat this, Chris and Sara have found that staying put can lower their expenses by reducing or eliminating their fuel cost. On top of that, they like to hunker down in remote areas in the west, and in those dispersed camping areas they often don’t have to pay to camp. These two strategies have made van life very affordable for them. Renting Their Home During the pandemic, Chris and Sara bought a house because they weren’t sure what was going to happen with the world. They also needed a space to build their second van. Since they travel so often, they have used their home as a source of income by renting it on Airbnb. We shared stories of some of the headaches with renting your home out as well as some systems you can put in place to ensure you bring in the right guests. Chris and Sara are also in favor of the idea renting their home out on a more medium-term basis, using Furnished Finder to host travel nurses. Medium or short-term renting allows them flexibility to get back their home if they need to, as opposed to someone who has a year-long lease. Having a Home Base Chirs and Sara mentioned that it is nice to have a home base even they though travel full time. Being able to reset, have their own shower and laundry facilities, and just a place to veg out for a bit is refreshing. Plus, it reignites some of that excitement before they head back out, as opposed to if they were constantly traveling. Current Travel Frustrations One of their top travel frustrations for Chris and Sara is the language barrier when they are visiting foreign countries. To combat this, they take advantage of apps such as Google Translate or Pimsleur. Another frustration is dealing with a few clients who see that they are posting on social media. Although the pandemic helped bring familiarity with remote work, there are still some clients who give them a hard time because they believe they should be focusing on their project. Although they meet all their deadlines and Latergram, they can’t make everyone happy. One piece of advice Chris offered was to separate this as much as they can, and even block your clients from seeing your social media posts. Expenses Balancing finances while traveling requires careful planning and budgeting. Health insurance premiums, coupled with the added expense of travel insurance, can quickly escalate costs. Chris and Sara have learned to prioritize their health and safety by investing in comprehensive insurance coverage. Additionally, they've encountered unexpected expenses, such as windshield repairs and tire replacements, due to extensive driving. By equipping themselves with the necessary tools and preparation, they mitigate financial burdens and ensure a stress-free journey. Medical Tourism Seeking medical care while abroad can be daunting, but Chris and Sara have discovered the benefits of medical tourism. Some people retire to countries like Costa Rica and Mexico, where healthcare is more affordable. Whether it's routine check-ups or specialized treatments, they've found peace of mind knowing that they can receive professional care without breaking the bank. Through careful research and planning, they've embraced medical tourism as a viable solution for their healthcare needs. Of course, do your own research before deciding on which country you wish to get your medical care done. Traveling with Pets As pet owners, Chris and Sara understand the challenges of traveling with furry companions. Certain destinations impose strict regulations, particularly regarding rabies-free policies. While navigating these restrictions can be cumbersome, they've found solace in pet-friendly countries like Korea, Brazil, and Mexico. Prioritizing their pet's comfort and well-being, they opt for car travel whenever possible, ensuring a stress-free journey for both themselves and their furry friend. By selecting airlines with pet-friendly policies and adhering to standard restrictions, they navigate pet travel with ease and confidence. Final Five What Can’t You Live Without? · Shower · Passport What Have You Learned You Don’t Need? · Extra clothes When Is the Right Time to Jump into Traveling? · There is no perfect time and everything is changeable. People can plan for an entire year, but they miss the spontaneity that comes with travel. What Could Someone Start Doing Today? · If you don’t have a remote job, start working your way there. If you have a job where you can work remotely, you can maintain a travel lifestyle even longer. It’s harder to prove to current job or boss that you can do it remotely if it isn’t already remote. YouTube Channels · The Dangerz: https://www.thedangerz.com/ Travel Tips · Thailand Chris and Sara Online · Website: https://www.chrisandsara.com/ · YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chrisandsara · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisandsara_ · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrisandsaratravel Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chris-and-sara Videos Referenced · Auto Rickshaw Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFKEiQ9Hu2g&t=904s Past Episodes Mentioned · 18. Chad and Eileen Miles: https://atravelpath.com/show18/ · 9. Linnea and Akela: https://atravelpath.com/solo-female-van-life/ · 19. Courtney and Dakota: https://atravelpath.com/travel-nursing/ Renting Platforms · Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/ · Vrbo: https://www.vrbo.com/ · Furnished Finder: https://www.furnishedfinder.com/ Language Apps · Google Translate: https://translate.google.com/ · Pimsleur: https://www.pimsleur.com/ Music · Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/rocky-mountains Disclaimer *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
Where Should We Camp Next? Budget Camping @ The RV Atlas 38:59

48 weeks ago38:59

38:59

www.atravelpath.com https://delicioats.com/discount/PATH Use Code PATH Like we mentioned in the show, this episode of Travel Tips is a little different. Jeremy and his wife, Stephanie are authors of several books in the camping world, and today we discuss their latest release: “Where Should We Camp Next? Budget Camping.” Tune in to learn all about: How The Price of Camping Has Changed Since the pandemic, RVing and camping has become increasingly popular. As with everything, pricing comes down to supply and demand. With the increase in demand for camping, the cost of camping went up. Jeremy explains how many new and existing private campgrounds have raised their prices over the years, so they wrote this book to inform campers that there are still budget friendly choices out there. Types of Campgrounds When it comes to camping, there are two broad categories: Public and Private. Public campgrounds feature anything from national forests, state and national parks, and basically any dedicated public camping site. These sites often lack amenities, utilities, and hook ups, but they tend to be in the more beautiful locations. Public camping sites are more budget friendly. Private campgrounds are smaller and either owned by large corporations or mom and pop. They tend to have more amenities such as pools, playgrounds, and dog parks, and RV sites usually have hook ups. Because of all these extras, this type of camping comes with a higher price tag. Memberships We also chatted about the different types of camping memberships that a variety of campgrounds offer. Most privately owned campgrounds have a $20-40 reward system where you can pay an annual fee to receive discounted stays. We also discussed some of the more expensive memberships, that can cost thousands of dollars, but can be worth it if someone is camping full time. Renting Sticking with the budgeting theme, renting your RV and gear can save you some money as well. Renting an RV isn’t cheap, but if you aren’t completely sure what you want, or if you don’t plan on doing a ton of camping, starting with a rental could be a good choice. We also briefly touched on the idea of renting camping gear. This hasn’t become popular quite yet, but it is something worth looking into before you buy a ton of stuff you only use once. Camping Mistakes We went over a few mistakes that new campers make. For one, most people overpay on their first RV. We went into a lot more detail with this during Part 1. We also talked not making your first trip be too far away. It’s always best to do some sort of local “shakedown trip” after you first buy or at the start of the season to make sure everything is working well. Lastly, planning last-second trips to iconic locations can be a mistake. These places get booked up far in advance. If you are planning on hitting a popular destination within the next year, you should check out the availability window and be ready whenever it opens. 3, 2, 1 Countdown 3 Favorite Camping Activities: · Cooking · Hiking · Surfing/kayaking 2 Camping Complaints: · Sites are too small · Camper lights 1 Favorite Campground · Fort Wilderness, Disneyworld Chapters · 00:00 Introduction · 02:15 How Has the Camping Price Landscape Changed Over the Years? · 05:30 How Can People Control Their Costs? · 07:30 Campground Categories · 10:00 Camping Memberships · 16:30 Renting Camping Equipment · 18:00 Budget Friendly Camping Gear · 19:15 How Far in Advance Should Someone Book a Campsite? · 19:45 Common Mistakes First Time Campers Make · 22:00 Other Camping Books · 28:00 Delicioats · 28:45 3,2,1 Countdown The RV Atlas Online · Website: https://thervatlas.com/ · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thervatlas/ · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rvfamilytravelatlas · TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thervatlas Get The Book · Where Should We Camp Next? Budget Camping: https://amzn.to/3Qu0eQf More Camping Books by The RV Atlas · RV Vacations: https://amzn.to/3Q6cTs8 · See You at the Campground: https://amzn.to/49Foo0E · Where Should We Camp Next? 50 State Guide: https://amzn.to/4cYagCB · Where Should We Camp Next? National Parks: https://amzn.to/3xONm0f Camping Rewards · Jellystone: https://www.delawarejellystone.com/special-offers/camping-deals/ · KOA: https://koa.com/rewards/ · Spacious Skys: https://spaciousskiescampgrounds.com/spacious-skies-loyalty-program/ · Thousand Trails: https://thousandtrails.com/membership-info Camper Renting · Cruise America: https://www.cruiseamerica.com/ · Road Bear: https://www.roadbearrv.com/en · El Monte RV: https://www.elmonterv.com/ · Outdoorsy: https://www.outdoorsy.com/ · RVshare: https://rvshare.com/ Budget Camping Gear · LL Bean: https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/915?page=camping-and-hiking-gear&bc=29&csp=f&nav=gnro-29 · Cabela’s: https://www.cabelas.com/c/camping · Lodge Cast Iron: https://www.lodgecastiron.com/ · Blackstone: https://blackstoneproducts.com/ · Weber Q: https://amzn.to/4cXXWSX Future Camping Books · Where Should We Camp Next? Journal · Where Should We Camp Next? Children’s Journal · Children’s Book on Camping · Children’s Book on Hiking Camping Locations Mentioned · Cape Hatteras: https://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm · North Bend Park, Virginia: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233563 · Woodford State Park, Vermont: https://vtstateparks.com/woodford.html · Assateague Island Campground: https://www.nps.gov/asis/planyourvisit/marylandcamping.htm · Lower Pines, Yosemite: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232450 · Fort Wilderness: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/campsites-at-fort-wilderness-resort/ · West Glacier KOA: https://koa.com/campgrounds/west-glacier/ · Delaware State Parks: https://destateparks.com/Camping Previous Episodes Mentioned · Laura and Jason: https://atravelpath.com/road-trip-with-kids/ Delicioats · https://delicioats.com/discount/PATH Use Code PATH Music • Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-toes/ready-as-ever License code: WYQ2IKRBMVFP3EJS Disclaimer *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
23. When Is The Right Time to Take Your Children Camping? @ The RV Atlas 46:56

49 weeks ago46:56

46:56

www.atravelpath.com https://delicioats.com/discount/PATH Use Code PATH We have an excellent show in store with Jeremy Puglisi from The RV Atlas. In this show, we break down ALL things RV. The RV Atlas is a website, blog, and is celebrating 10 years of their highly renowned podcast with the same name. They have been camping for over a decade and The RV Atlas podcast keeps listeners informed of campground reviews and current trends in the RV space. The RV Atlas has also written several best-selling books and tune into Travel Tips where we discuss their latest release. In this episode you’ll learn all about: Camping with Kids When should you start? How young is too young? How is it possible to plan trips as a family when everyone’s schedules are so busy? If you are travel seeking parent, you have probably had these thoughts. The RV Atlas shares how they had similar feelings many years ago when the birth of their twins pumped the brakes on their passion for travel. They saw an ad for RVing, and the rest is history. RVing provided them with an outlet where they could escape with their children at a very young age, and they continue this today while their kids are in high school. Buying an RV When you buy an RV, do you know exactly what you are getting? After you sign that stack of papers at the RV dealership, your monthly payment can add up very quickly. We actually pulled up our RV purchase contract to reflect on everything else we paid for: · State Sales Tax · DMV Fees · Documentation Fee · Vehicle Service Contract (Warranty) · Paint/Fabric Protection · Roadside Assistance · GAP Insurance · Tire/Road Hazard Gee, that sounds like it could be a blog post of it’s own! (Stay tuned) On top of that, if you are financing, the majority of your payment DOES NOT go towards principle. That means you could be making expensive monthly payments without seeing your balance being reduced by much. On top of that, RVs are a depreciating asset, so you can very quickly be underwater. Buying vs Renting Your RV Gear Like I mentioned, The RV Atlas has been doing this for many years. One of their favorite camping hobbies is kayaking or paddleboarding, yet they don’t bring these items with them. They have found that they are big, clunky, and a hassle to move. If the stumble across an area that is ideal for these activities, there usually are rental places available. Experience > Features The RV Atlas made it clear that they got into the RV life to make memories and share experiences. RVs continue to get newer, bigger, smarter, and most would call better. The RV Atlas shares a good point that when you RVing, you are going with the idea to spend time OUTSIDE. All the bells and whistles are cool, but the novelty wears off fast and soon you are stuck with all these gadgets that you paid extra for and don’t use. Plus, people like to fidget with things. The more you fidget, the more likely it is for something to go wrong. And More! Final Five What Is One Thing You Can’t Live Without? · North Face Recon Backpack · Cabela’s Hiking Boots · Blackstone Griddle What Is One Thing You DON’T NEED While Traveling? · Kayaks · SUPs (Stand Up Paddleboards) What Question Would You Ask? · How much should you spend on an RV? Other Influences · RV Love · The Fit RV Where Are We Headed for Travel Tips? · Stay Tuned! Chapters · 00:00 Introduction · 04:45 How Did You Start Off Traveling? · 07:00 How Did Having Children Originally Limit Your Travels? · 11:00 How Were You Able to Start Camping? · 12:00 When is a Good Age for Children to Start Camping? · 15:15 What Lessons Has Camping Taught Your Kids? · 17:45 Packing and Preparing an RV · 19:15 Delicioats · 23:15 What RV Mistakes Have You Made? · 26:45 Current Frustrations with RVing · 30:00 How Far Out Should You Plan a Family Trip? · 32:00 What Do You Love Most About RVing? · 34:15 RVing Expenses · 35:45 How Can Someone Know What to Expect at a Campground? · 38:45 What are Your Future RV Plans? · 40:45 Final Five The RV Atlas Online · Website: https://thervatlas.com/ · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thervatlas/ · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rvfamilytravelatlas · TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thervatlas Get The Book · Where Should We Camp Next? Budget Camping: https://amzn.to/3Qu0eQf More Books by The RV Atlas · RV Vacations: https://amzn.to/3Q6cTs8 · See You at the Campground: https://amzn.to/49Foo0E · Where Should We Camp Next? 50 State Guide: https://amzn.to/4cYagCB · Where Should We Camp Next? National Parks: https://amzn.to/3xONm0f Marc and Julie (RVLove) Books · 400 Travel Hacks: https://amzn.to/3JnhDWM · Living the RV Life: https://amzn.to/4aUKIED (Commissions earned through purchases made on this page) YouTube Channels · The Fit RV: https://www.youtube.com/@Thefitrv Past Episodes Referenced · Laura and Jason: https://atravelpath.com/road-trip-with-kids/ · Marc and Julie: https://atravelpath.com/rvlove/ Delicioats · https://delicioats.com/discount/PATH Use Code PATH Music • Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/rocky-mountains Disclaimer *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
Your Guide for RV CAMPING in Sedona @RVLove 36:40

49 weeks ago36:40

36:40

www.atravelpath.com https://delicioats.com/discount/PATH Use Code PATH What an exciting episode about Sedona, Arizona! We welcomed back Marc and Julie from RVLove and they told us all about one of their favorite places to visit. In this episode you’ll learn all about: Camping Unbeknownst to many (including us during our first visit to Sedona), Sedon has a strict policy regarding sleeping in your car or RV. They told us about their favorite campgrounds near Sedona, as well as an incredible boondocking location. Hiking There is no shortage of beautiful hiking trails that offer spectacular views of the surrounding red rock in Sedona. Marc and Julie named a few of their favorites, including Boynton Canyon and Bell Rock. Sunsets in Sedona You can’t leave Sedona without experiencing a sunset, and how the fading sun casts growing shadows across the vast landscape. They shared a view of their favorite sunset locations in Sedona, although they also mentioned that as long as you have views overlooking west, you can’t go wrong! Restaurants Whether you are looking to fuel yourself for a long hike, or catch dinner with amazing views, Marc and Julie listed several of their favorite restaurants and Sedona. And don’t miss their tip on how you can sometimes find the best tasting food at popular destinations. 3, 2, 1 Countdown 3 Things You Should Pack to Sedona: · Hiking Boots · Layered Clothing · Bikes · Sunscreen 2 Complaints or Things You Should be Prepared For in Sedona: · Crowds · Planning Ahead & Limited Camping Options 1 Thing You Can’t Leave Sedona WITHOUT Doing: · Boynton Canyon · Watch sunset over the red rocks 00:00 Introduction 03:30 Favorite Activities in Sedona 07:30 How Long Should Someone Plan to Stay in Sedona? 09:30 How Far in Advance Should You Plan to Visit Sedona? 12:45 Is Sedona Dog Friendly? 15:45 Boondocking or Campgrounds? 18:30 Restaurants 22:45 Internet and Cell Service in Sedona 26:45 Overall Cost in Sedona 28:00 Nearby Attractions 32:00 Delicioats 33:00 3, 2, 1 Countdown RVLove on Social · Website (take the quiz!): https://rvlove.com/ · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rvlovetravel/ · YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Rvlove · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RVLoveTV Hiking in Sedona · Boynton Canyon Trail (with Subway Tunnel): https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/boynton-canyon-trail · Bell Rock Trail: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/bell-rock--3 Sunsets Locations · Boynton Canyon · Enchantment Resort: https://www.enchantmentresort.com/ · Airport Overlook Nighttime · Sedona UFO Tours: https://visitsedona.com/things-to-do/tours-sightseeing/ufo-tours/ · Restaurants Restaurants · Mariposa: https://www.mariposasedona.com/ · Pisa Lisa: https://www.pisalisa.com/ · Cucina Rustica: https://www.cucinarustica.com/ · The Vault: https://www.thevaultuptown.com/ · The Indian Gardens: https://www.indiangardens.com/ · Steakhouse 89: https://www.steakhouse89.com/ To Do · Holy Chapel of the Cross: https://chapeloftheholycross.com/ · Vortex ATV Rentals: https://www.vortexatvrental.com/ · Our Sedona Video: https://youtu.be/mXY8S3Fhg_k · Our Sedona Blog: https://atravelpath.com/sedona/ Nearby Attractions · Jerome Ghost Town: https://azjerome.com/ · Grand Canyon: https://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm · Flagstaff: https://www.flagstaffarizona.org/ Camping · Cottonwood Campground · Verde Ranch: https://verderanchrvresort.com/ · Verde Valley Fairgrounds: http://www.vvfair.com/camping-and-rentals.html · Campground INSIDE Sedona: https://ranchosedona.com/ · Dead Horse State Park: https://azstateparks.com/dead-horse Dogs · Bring Fido: https://www.bringfido.com/ Music · Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-toes/ready-as-ever License code: WYQ2IKRBMVFP3EJS Disclaimer *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision. Transcript: Host: Marc and Julie, welcome back to the Travel Path Podcast. It's great to have you here again. Guest: Great to be back. Host: So, if anybody missed part one, we got a crash course on everything RV. You guys have been traveling for 10 years, talked about all the five different types of RVs you've been into or five different types of RV you guys have had over the years, talked about budgeting, planning, preparing—a whole bunch of information. Everybody, check out part one. For part two, travel tips. We're talking about one particular destination. So, Marc and Julie, where are we talking about today? Guest: I say we talk about Sedona. I say we talk about Sedona too. Sedona, Arizona. It's one of our favorite places that we've visited multiple times on our travels. And, yeah, yeah, we were just there last month. Actually, we're not currently there. We're in AR-Iona, but we're not in Sedona right now. But we do love it. In fact, in all of our years of travel before we actually got a home base back a few years ago, when people would ask us where we thought we would settle, it was on our short list of places because that surrounding area, yeah, that it's getting really expensive now and very touristy now too—very touristy, very busy. Host: So, obviously, you've been to Sedona multiple times. It's something that's very special to you. What made you decide to talk about Sedona out of all the places you've been? Guest: There's just something magical about it, you know? And anyone that's been there knows. And it is actually known for having what they call vortexes of these, and I should have looked up what's the proper explanation of what they, these special magical energy. It does attract a lot of people that are healers or spiritual teachers and authors and people that are going through major life changes and reinvention. There's something about it that just envelops you. And it's just incredibly scenic. It's very beautiful—red, scenic, very beautiful. If you like that kind of thing. If you're somebody who prefers like the keys and trees, maybe not. But we happen to love Red Rock scenery and landscape. And it's just quite stunning and in different times of the day, so beautiful. Amazing hiking, fantastic biking, yeah, biking, off-roading, Jeeping. And there's even some, if people—there's some Rivers there too. And it's also reasonable proximity to get up into altitude into the mountains, so there's a lot of really cool stuff with a reasonable too. Host: Yeah, yes, that's a perfect opportunity to talk about all the different activities that you can do. I know when we were there, we did atving through the Red Rock, which was amazing. Have you guys done anything specific that you've really enjoyed? Guest: You know, one of my favorite memories of Sedona is when we actually boondocked. We weren't in a campground. We were off a road called Forest Road 525. And we probably took—it was our first RV. It was the one, I think we showed in the last episode actually where that picture was taken. Right, so that is actually where we were parked. This is not a Photoshop of the RV in this scenic spot. This is the whole big photo that Marc took with the Drone. But we found this parking spot right with this 35t class A Motorhome that is not really well, not at all designed for off-roading. And we ended up with this fantastic spot. We did have to do a little bit of slow and yeah, get a little creative and slow to get in there. But what I think, I know what you're gonna say is what was so fun is we were at the day after we were there. You know those Jeep tours in Sedona, they have the pink Jeep tours, you know, and then the yellow ATVs. This road we're on is one of their popular exit points for one of their big tours, right? So they go on this big long super technical off-roading Trail, and then they come up to our RV. And because we came, we backed in from the end where they come on the big long route. And then so they see us and the looks on their faces were so classic because they're like, how in the world did you get that here? So that was a really fun memory. But we came in from the road, they came in from the trail, so we saw a lot of that there. We actually, funnily enough, haven't done Jeep. Well, we have done Jeeping, not one of the Jeep tours, but we do have a Jeep, and we did do some of the trails with our Jeep. Yeah, we've done a lot of biking and hiking out there too, though. Just the trails are so amazing and just even just watching a sunset or a sunrise because the land is so textured with all the red rocks and so much texture in the shadows. It's really dramatic for sun when the sun is setting while it's still craning the shadows and even just from the airport is actually one of the good spots for vantage points. There's a lot of great vantage points in town, but that's one of them. And in the last episode, we talked about sunsets, right? So any RV would be familiar with this. It's something we talk, we as RVers as a community talk about a lot. And it's like there are so many vantage points just to get an amazing sunset view from Sedona. So that can just be a fun thing, especially if you're there for a week or two, go to a different spot every night to see the sunset. That's actually one of the things we love about RVing is people can still enjoy the same sunsets, the same experiences of an area, whether you're driving a $5,000 motorized or if you're driving a $3-4 million bus conversion. That a lot of that lifestyle can be had from whatever price point. So. Host: Yeah, very true. There are definitely a lot of areas for sunset and sunrise. We went to one sunset particularly and it was so crowded. So I would say definitely give yourself the opportunity to see maybe where you can find less of a crowd. Just because sometimes. Guest: Good luck with that. In years ago was easier, less so now, yeah. But you know, also just try to avoid, and this, this goes for any touristy place, not just Sedona, but just obviously try and avoid weekends if you can. That's when the people that just have the weekends off. I think as RVers, that's one of the huge advantages of the lifestyles, you get to enjoy things because you're already right there. So you don't have to wait till Friday or Saturday or Sunday to go see something special. You can often do it, especially in the summer time, go and see it after hours or, you know, if you can get out in the middle of your workday, if you have a flexible schedule, go and do that. But yeah, absolutely. Host: So, to get that full experience of Sedona, how long do you think someone should actually plan their trip for? Guest: Now, we're talking about somebody who's just going for a little short vacation, like, do you want to, or somebody that's like an RV traveler that wants to either... Host: I think, you know, mostly we're talking van RVs that are typically listening. But, I know, of course, you could do Sedona in a little extended weekend. But for someone who's going to take their RV and really wants to enjoy some of those hikes, the Red Rocks, the food they have, how long do you think they should go? Guest: I think at least a week. I think so too, yeah, because there's a lot of great food, there's a lot of great hiking, and a lot of exploring. And especially because there's so much other stuff that's a reasonable distance drive from that area as well. You can drive to the Grand Canyon from Sedona if you want to do a day trip or get up to Flagstaff, you can go up to Jerome, that little quirky up on the hill. But I think it's really, it comes down to a couple of things. One is, what's your pace, you know? Do you have to work or have you just got the whole week off? Are you somebody who just likes to run around and see a bunch of things or take a more leisurely paced? But I think if you can give yourself a good week there, it's... there aren't a ton of campgrounds in the area and they are popular, the ones that are there, and they're not necessarily inexpensive because it's such a popular touristy area. But you can stay a bit out of there. You can stay half an hour away at places like Cottonwood, which is where we've stayed. There's a really nice state park over there as well. I think it's called Dead Horse. Terrible name. T-Ran State Park or something. But it's a nice location and, you know, if you're an RVer, you're a driver. So I mean, we don't necessarily have to be right in the heart of everything. Sometimes it's nice just to be out a bit of the main touristy area and we'll just drive in for a restaurant or drive in for or park somewhere and go do that biking and hiking and just try to avoid those downtown tourist areas at the busy days. Host: Yeah, of course. Now, when you're planning your trip to Sedona, how long in advance should you start planning? Because I know for us, we typically don't plan, but with Sedona and having some of the ordinances of not being able to just pull over and sleep anywhere, I think you do need to plan ahead a little bit because the camping is popular and those campgrounds fill up. So what do you think the planning time is for your trip? Guest: No, just as soon as you can because I don't know what the booking window is for that state park. You'd have to go in and check their website. But as soon as you can. We have a camping membership that we use. There is a campground in Cottonwood that, and that is one of the most popular parks in Arizona. So we probably, you know, when we're full-timing and we would go and stay there for a couple of weeks at a time, we probably planned that a few months in advance, yeah. But also, I recommend trying to go on a shoulder season when it's less crowded too. So that's a big part of planning is if you can go avoiding the peak times both on the day of the week but also the peak month, you have a much better opportunity which is usually outside of, you know, from Memorial Day to Labor Day is typically your busiest time anywhere in the summer. So you know, go in April, May, or go in September, October, something got nice times a year to be there. But I would say if if you are a planner, because not everybody is, three to four months or, you know, you could even plan one or two months out. Really just depends on your your stop. Host: Do you have a specific month that you like to go in or is it when it fits into your schedule? Guest: It's usually just when it fits into our schedule. We were there for a couple of weeks in June when we were doing that boondocking location we showed you at the beginning. And that got really hot. We were boondocking, so we weren't in a campground. We weren't plugged into power, so we weren't running the AC's. We positioned the coach in such a way that we could take advantage of the climate. And that's a really important part when you are boondocking, is to learn how to park your RV to work with the areas where the sun is coming up and going down and where what patio side so you can get the shade. So, just something to really be aware of when you start doing boondocking. I would say if you're going to Sedona in the spring in particular, just be really mindful of the weather because it can rain and even snow. It is an elevation and if you're boondocking out off that road like we were talking about, I mean, we've seen friends that have been really stuck and bogged in that and that red dirt turns into clay and it's sppy pretty and that can be raining and snowing right up till April or May. We, I don't think, I don't recall any significant rain when we were there the month of June, but boy did it get hot up to, you know, 95 and high 90s. And so, there would be a little bit every day that we would just run the generator and turn on the air conditioner just to cool things down. So, that was probably... I wouldn't want to go there July, August. I think that would be too hot. I would avoid it. It's still hot July, August is very hot. So, I think, you know, June, September, you know, May, June, September, October, I would say would be the optimal months to visit Sedona, yeah. Host: Perfect tips. And you guys are a dog family. So, how is Sedona traveling with pets? I found it to be pretty dog friendly when we were there. Guest: Yep, yep, it's dog friendly. And, you know, that is definitely a high priority for us when we travel. We use an app called BringFido, which I mean, you can search on Yelp and Trip Advisor and things like that and put in the dog friendly, and we usually search for restaurants with outdoor patios anyway, but they are the ones that are more likely to be dog friendly. So, for restaurants, but BringFido is a really great app to be able to find anything that's where you can bring your furry friends. Perfect. Host: Did you find a lot of dog friendly restaurants with patios in Sedona specifically? Guest: Well, actually, I don't think we had a dog when we went to Sedona because, um, sadly, we lost our first dog only five months into our travels. And so, we hadn't been to Sedona then. And then we were without a dog for about six years, which and the times we visited Sedona. And we do have a dog now, but we left him with somebody who took care of him just for the day. We just rented a car for the day. We were staying in the Phoenix area in Mesa and we just rented a fun convertible for the day. And we just took a day trip just to go and take a drive, have lunch at in Sedona, and left the dog behind. So, it was a date day. So, I wasn't paying much attention to the dog's needs that day. It was all about us. Host: But I'm sure they'll make it to Sedona at some point. Sounds like you'll be going back, yeah. Guest: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Well, that's the other thing too, like when you ask about the time how long someone should spend there and this is something we learned in all our years of travels is it's a shift of mindset when you go on a vacation regularly before we started RVing you feel like you have to jam it all into you know however long you've got to be there for a week or two but you need to switch gears in your mind that no this is this is a lifestyle now I don't have to see everything now and check everything off the listes let's just see what we see and do here now that fits our desires is suitable for this particular time of year and fits our budget and fits our just your own personal Cadence of of what feels good for you some people are more on the-go people and some people want to go a little bit quieter and slower uh is just remind yourself I can always come back and you you know you don't like we we're here in Tucson right now and I don't think we'll ever run out of things to do here there's just so much great and that's almost everywhere you can always find great things to see and do so I think um hit your first hit your main high points but then keep some things for later to come back. Host: Yeah, absolutely. Now, of course, you have mentioned you've stayed in boondocking which you shared an area there. You also have stayed in campgrounds there too. What do you prefer when you go to Sedona? Guest: Well, we like mixing it up. I think if the weather's right, it's hard to beat the boondocking. But if the weather's on the higher or colder side, we definitely like to have the convenience or a longer stay if we're staying multiple weeks. It's really nice to be plugged into, especially when you're working a lot of the time. It's like us, we stayed at a few different places. We stayed at the state park and then the Thousand Trails Park in Cottonwood. And then there is an RV park right down in town, but we haven't stayed at that one. And we've tried to can't quite recall off the top of my head, but it's with the solar panels too. That one's nice too. Verde Ranch. Verde Ranch is really nice too. Verde Ranch is really... it's not quite in Sedona, but it's one of those locations it's great to drive in. It's got really nice amenities. But there is one that's right in the heart of Sedona, and the name escapes me, but it's really easy to find in a Google search because I think there's only one and it is walking distance to everything. But it is hard to get into. It is very popular, and it's definitely a bit more on the more expensive side. But sometimes it's nice just to be at a place where you could just walk everywhere. Host: Yeah, absolutely. Do you guys have any favorite hikes that you've done in Sedona? Guest: Yeah, there's a couple. I love Boynton Canyon. But I would say my favorite hike is the Boynton Canyon. And I also really like seeing Boynton Canyon with the sunrise. Sunset from Boynton Canyon is beautiful, less crowded too. Guest: Yeah, it's less crowded. There's this Trail Angel who helps people get every time I go. I have... I didn't... we didn't go there on the last trip because we just drove up for the day and back. But there was... there's a gentleman from Texas called Roger. This is how much of an impression he had on me. I saw him more than once that I would go, and then he had these little red rocks and were in this heart shape, and he just would hand them out to people going on the hikes. It was really sweet, very nice. Host: Have you ever done the Subway cave? It's off the Boynton Trail. Guest: No, I haven't done that one. Do you recommend it? Host: We did that and then continued down to the Boynton Canyon Trail, and we did that more in the middle of the afternoon. But I imagine for sunset it would be absolutely beautiful. Guest: Yeah, we actually saw the sunset from the Enchantment Resort, and you can go out, but you have to get there earlier than normal, then the sunrise time because of the mountains and the shadows. It actually sets much earlier. So, get there earlier in the day. That gets very crowded as well, but it's beautiful, a terrace to sit out there, and they've got the little fireplaces and really just gorgeous. Host: Yeah, sounds beautiful. So, what do you guys like to do at night then other than the sunset? Guest: I... to go out to eat. So, there's some great... I think have you done anything else apart from going out to restaurants at night? I think that's it. Yeah, other stuff that's good. We like to eat, so it's just being cheeky. Yeah, it's a dark sky town too, so the star viewing is really nice. Host: Yeah, nice dark sky watching is amazing. Guest: Yeah. And we haven't done these, but we've heard of people going. You can go and, like, I think they... you were... or you know, ghost hunting tours or something like that. But we haven't done those. Host: Yeah, we heard about them, but we didn't do them. But mostly, and because it does get darker there with the canyons, it's mostly just going out to... going out to restaurants is our favor to do. Guest: They do have some great ones too. And especially, you know, Mariposa and Piza Lisa and... Thea by the same person, yeah. Lisa D has a restaurant who has several restaurants. We haven't been quite to all of them yet, and we've been to, I think, maybe three or four and always really good and really different. And then, are we up to the restaurant part of the podcast now? Can I talk more about the restaurants? Host: Yeah, we can talk about restaurants now. Guest: I wasn't sure if I was jumping the gun. Piza Lisa is great for, as Marc said, for really nice pizzas and salads. And you can sit out... they've got a little terrace out there where you can sit out if you get there early enough to... it's on the main highway, so it's not like you have the majestic open view like some of the other places. But the price point of that restaurant is more, you know, midpoint, which is great. Always really good food and a good vibe in there. Um, we recently drove up there for the day and had lunch out on the terrace at a place called The Vault Uptown. VLT that had a great big patio with amazing views. Amazing views and that's some great food too. But if you also want that view, you can also go to... you can go to Chipotle right next door that has a patio as well. So, yeah, we had a great lunch, and, you know, they have nice cocktails and everything at The Vault. But that's when we left, I said, you know what, if we're in this area again, and I do really like the idea of trying that Chipotle out. And another place that I really like is called the Indian Gardens, and it's an Indian Gardens Courtyard or something like that. And it's a little bit past all the rest on 89, and it's this cute little place on the left-hand side, and it's got like a little market, and you can get things to go, coffees and sandwiches and wraps and things to go. But they've got this really darling little courtyard out the back where you can sit and have some lunch or have breakfast. And that's not open for dinner, that's a daytime place. But that's really lovely. I think that would be my favorite so far. Yeah, that's... anything you try and get off the main bit is always a good thing. Oak Creek Canyon's also got good choices. That's where Kachina Rustic is, which is that Italian restaurant that's quite big actually. Another one of that's actually a tip from our travels is from all the years and we travel when you go to a touristy area, you often find better food if you go off the main strip because to find someone that's a smaller restaurant that's more focused on the food instead of the tourist attraction. And in fact, sometimes some of the best restaurants we've had have been strip mall restaurants that are just small family-owned ones that are really focused on the very unassuming. Sometimes we've gotten to places because they were really well-reviewed on Yelp or Trip Advisor and then we'll pull up in the parking lot and we'll go, oh, really, it's I had, and it was this strip mall restaurant, and I remember the first time being really let down. But we went in anyway, it was fantastic. And then, so the next time we're like, you know what, this is a good sign. So, now we almost always find that strip mall restaurants, if they're well-reviewed, be turned off by the fact that it's a strip mall. You're not going to get views mostly, hardly ever, I don't think ever. But the food's really good and the service as well. So, they can be some real hidden gems. I don't remember any of those in Sedona. Host: That's okay. So, how's the Wi-Fi situation in Sedona for you? Guest: You know, it depends on where you stay, and we prioritize our travels around internet connectivity. But the campground that we originally can stay at with our camping membership for no nightly fee has really poor internet connectivity for the bulk of that campground. So, that's part of why we don't stay there as often because only a small percentage of that campground has connectivity. So, that does play a factor, and especially if you go on peak times when you go to any small areas when you have peak times, the crowds can start reducing the speeds on your connectivity when you overload the towers. But what we found, the... this is why we moved from that. And here's a little tip: that campground that we mentioned that's part of our membership, it's called Verde Valley, and we've been to some others. So, if it's got Valley in the name or Canyon in the name of a campground, that's usually a tip that the internet's probably not going to be great. Right, like Hidden Valley. Oh, be careful, that one. Host: Yeah. Guest: So, anytime got Canyon or Valley in the name of a property, call them and ask them what the cell coverage is like. And if you're speaking to just somebody who answers the phone, make sure you ask what carrier they have because they might say, oh, yeah, mine's great, and they might be Verizon, but you might be T-Mobile, so you know that doesn't really mean anything if there's not a T-Mobile tower in the area. So, that's why we actually left Verde Valley years ago to go down to and we discovered the Dead Horse Ranch State Park, and that had really good cell coverage there. So, that was great, and that was a nice drive into Sedona and also Cottonwood. That's not far. So, it's got some good restaurants too, and it's not Sedona proper, but I would call it in the Sedona area, has some really good restaurants and a nice vibe down there, some murals, and it's a fun little town. So, sometimes there are just neighboring those really higher in more exclusive towns like a little enclave like Sedona, just the neighboring towns can be really cool as well. Host: Yeah, absolutely. Now, are you guys traveling with a Starlink or like a T-Mobile home internet base or how are you getting internet right now? Guest: We are just using our cell phones on T-Mobile network. But that's about to change this week. We're getting a new Peplink. Most of our travels, the last seven or eight years, we've had a mobile router of Peplink right antennas. And we're missing that right now, and so we're going to be getting that put back in here this week. But we don't have Starlink yet. We haven't... I think if we were full-timing, you know, it might become more of a priority. I'll be really honest. We had redundancy with our... with our Peplink. We would have like... well, we used to have three carriers. We had T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon. So, if we weren't in a good area for one, then the other would kick in. So, we actually never found the internet to be lacking to need Starlink. But we have seen places in our travels that are. But when we had connectivity and we were full-time, we would just move. But now with Starlink, there are a lot of other options, you know, like one particular we can think of is Blue Mesa in Colorado. No cell coverage from any carrier there, so Starlink is gold there. Very good. So, if it's important, you should have it. Now we have heard good things about T-Mobile home, and we did look into it, but when I put in our address, we weren't eligible. So, I might try that again. It might have changed. But I have heard good things about T-Mobile home. We do have T-Mobile on our cell phones, and we've been with them since 2017. So, we've had Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile for ourselves, and I would say I'm the happiest with T-Mobile. Very good. But really, we're just happy with Jebin Works. We've had really good experiences with T-Mobile, and the service is great. Host: Yeah, absolutely. So, transitioning back to Sedona, what did you guys feel like the overall cost was when you go? Do you feel like it's more expensive or less expensive than, you know, you typically...? Guest: It's more expensive, but it's worth it. There's nothing like red rock. Yeah, it's... we don't mind. We don't mind. I mean, you're not living there. Like, we didn't end up buying a house there, but it's nice to go visit. And that's when we... you know, this is one of the things we like when you're traveling, you might stay in some places and be spending less so that when you go to other places that you really want to go that are more expensive, it's a bit more of a splurge, and then you treat that more a bit like that's your vacation, you know, within your life on the road. So, we do that with... with our living. There've been times we're down in, you know, the Florida Keys. No, I'm taking that week off work because I'm spending a fortune on my nightly fee, so I'm not going to sit here working away. What a waste. So, that's what we do. And we try to do that in Sedona too, is to just really immerse and explore it more and do less work. And then when we go to the other places that maybe aren't as exciting, then we hunker down and do work. So, it's good to have that flexibility. Host: Yeah, perfect. Now, if you haven't mentioned it already, are there any other nearby attractions that people should be on the lookout for when planning their trip to Sedona? Guest: Oh, you know, again, I think it's... it's the surrounding areas. So many people just head straight for that downtown area, and it is really nice. It's... if you can just get... go park and just walk, there's some little boutiques and coffee shops and things. But just... just go out, even just go for a drive. What's that little loop where you did your biking that we drove through last week? What was that called? Was that a little park, was it? No, it's off 89, so if you're coming in from Cottonwood heading into Sedona, it's off to the right-hand side, and it's like a little park, like a little loop. But I forgot. Red Rock Loop or something. Red Rock Scenic Loop, it might be called. Don't quote me on that. Might be, actually. But it's a really lovely little drive. We saw this really cool architectural feature. There's some gorgeous homes around there. So just seeing the architecture. The Holy Chapel of the Cross is a really beautiful, very well-known tourist attraction there that's a really gorgeous place to visit. But again, just getting out, you know, we... for us, we just like getting out of the crowds. Yeah, the little town Jerome, the little mining town, is a quirky little place that if you want something unique. And they had an amazing... what was it? Kaleidoscope store there that was fantastic. They shipped all over the world because they were a specialty shop. But yeah, and then again, getting up into the mountains too. So, if you get tired of the Red Rocks, you want to get up into some green forestry stuff, it's an easy drive as well. And in Cornville, we even just did the loop. So, sometimes we'll just drive with no destination. We... I remember once we were, you know, over in the California area, and we just couldn't stand the traffic, so we just got out of there, and we just... we just drove. So, we do that with Sedona, around that downtown area. We're not really big fans of those crowds down there. So, just... almost any direction you can take that drive up north to Flagstaff, 89 is quite a curvy road if you like that. And that's... and there's some great places to stop and hike along there as well, and some stores, that little Indian market as well. So, yeah. Host: Yeah, perfect. Yeah, no shortage, that's for sure, of any activities in or around Sedona. The only thing I'll add, we did... so the Jerome ghost town, which I think you were talking about the mining area, we went to the Jerome ghost town, which is a really cool place to visit. And I thought it was brilliant how the people there, it was a mining area and then it shut down and they didn't know what to do with all their equipment, so they just left it there and turned it into a destination. And now it's a big tourist attraction. Guest: Yeah, now they're making money instead of having to hold it away would have cost money. Host: Yeah. And I'll link our video in Sedona and the show notes as well because we did... there wasn't a ton of overlap because there's a ton of things to do in Sedona. But there's a... we did some things you guys mentioned but a lot of things we actually... we did differently. We did... we stayed at the fairgrounds in Cottonwood. I can't remember the name of the fairgrounds, but we had a hard time finding a place to stay. And we did our Vortex ATV rides through Cottonwood, so it was a little more economical 'cause it wasn't in Sedona. But we could look out and see the Red Rock. And the best part about that ride was they gave us an iPad with a map on it, and we were by ourselves. So, it wasn't guided. We did it on our own time, and that was amazing, just driving through the off-road, the dirt gravel roads, looking at all the Red Rock in the distance. So, we'll add a link to everything that we did as well in the show notes. Guest: Yeah, looking forward to watching that. Yeah, and this is what I love, is that, you know, you can learn from other people where they went, what they did, what they saw, but you'll always have your own experience of it. But just... and know that you can watch someone can watch your video, listen to this podcast, watch someone else's video, read another blog, and then they'll go there and then they'll never have the same experience that any of those other people had. It's always just so different. I mean, there's one thing that's really cool about. Host: Like you guys said, we were there a day and a half and we really want to go back, and you guys have been there a bunch of times and there's still things you haven't done yet. So, it just goes to show there's... like I said, there's no shortage of activities. We'll start wrapping this thing up, the 3-2-1 Countdown, the final three questions of the podcast. So, what are three things you are bringing with you to Sedona? Guest: Hiking boots, layered clothing because the weather can change your climate with altitude quickly, and a bike. Bikes, it's great for biking, biking, hiking, and yes, the weather can really change. Host: Sunscreen. That's it. What are two complaints or things people wish they would have been more prepared for when visiting Sedona? Guest: Like I've said before, the crowds downtown, take that Highway 89 right, and there's such... back in 2014, it wasn't near as bad, but now it's much... there's a bottleneck around that, around that roundabout coming right into 89A. So, yeah, just plan your trip accordingly and try to avoid the weekends. One other thing... are only one... oh, one other thing would you warn them about, PL? Yeah, I think we already covered this earlier too, but plan ahead because you don't just expect to roll up and be able to park anywhere, like you said, if you have a van, you know, stealth camping on the... yeah, even... even we... we looked at maybe ending up in Sedona one day, but it's actually really strict with rules around RVs, like even having them on your own property in the town of Sedona in that area, so that kind of was taking it further down on the list. So, not as... be prepared to drive in. I would stay out of Sedona and then just come in on the days you want to come in. Host: Yeah, we had a really hard time. We drove for hours trying to find a place to stay in Sedona, so that's a very good point. All right, last question, guys. What is one thing, if you had to pick just one thing, you can't leave Sedona without doing? What would that be? Guest: Hike Boynton Canyon. What would you say? Watch a sunset over the Red Rocks. Yeah, you can't... you can't go there and not watch that whole progression of watching the shadows change the whole valley as the shadows change the rocks, and then the colors, because the colors get much more vibrant at that time of day. So, I don't think you can go to Sedona properly without having the sunset. Host: I agree with both of those. Guest: Yeah. Host: Did you have... did you have any sunset locations, or can you just not go wrong when you're in Sedona? Guest: I think you can go wrong. I don't think you can go wrong if you can get some elevation to be able to look down across a valley. I think that's important. Host: So... oh, what I liked about Boynton Canyon too is we talked about the temperature change. I remember we were hiking, it was hot out, but Boynton Canyon is so shaded, it was almost like 10 degrees cooler, and it was so refreshing doing that trail after we... we went off onto the subway tunnel and came back, and it was... yeah, it was really nice hiking that trail. Guest: It's not exposed like, I think the Bell Rock hike is beautiful too, but there was more... you're more exposed there, getting in and out. And that's why I like the Boynton Canyon too. Host: Perfect. Well, great, guys. Marc and Julie, thanks again for coming on the show. This was a really great podcast, informative on Sedona. This is definitely making us want to go back. Guest: Yeah. Host: Yeah, like we... we, for us, guys, makes me want to go back again too. Guest: We were just there last month. It wasn't that long, but it's... it's a wonderful place. Host: And last question before I say goodbye. Where can our audience find out more about you guys? Guest: You can find us at rvlove.com and on social media at rvlovetravel. So, come and hit us up and send us a note, and we'd love to say hi. Host: Great. Right. Marc and Julie, thanks again. Guest: Thank you, guys. Bye. Guest: Bye.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
22. How Much Can You Afford TO LOSE When Buying an RV? @RVLove 56:09

50 weeks ago56:09

56:09

www.atravelpath.com https://delicioats.com/discount/PATH Use Code PATH Welcome back to the show Pathfinders and holy smokes, Marc and Julie from RVLove did not disappoint! This was an information packed, nearly hour long episode on all things RV. Whether you are a newbie or seasoned RVer, there is something here for everyone. Listen in as RVLove shares all about: Buying an RV Over the past 10 years, RVLove has been through all sorts of RVs, and they offer many, many tips on the buying process. Instead of asking “How much can you afford?” RVLove frames the question, “How much can you afford to lose?” RVs depreciate and they are expensive, so it is important to know how much everything can cost you. They offer specific tips on why you shouldn’t wrap your warranty into your loan, as well as the pros and cons of the many different types of RVs. How Has the RV Life Changed You? RVLove shares how they have become changed individuals after spending so much time traveling. The more things they see, the more perspective they have about the world, which results in more of an open mind. How to Get the Right Information About RVing? With so much clickbait and distractions available online, it is tough know whether you are getting the right information. You can watch 10 different videos and hear 10 different opinions on why you should or shouldn’t do something, so it can be overwhelming. While you don’t want to over-analyze, you definitely want to do your homework before you buy an RV. RVLove shares some tips on how you can verify the information you are receiving. Remote Income In order to make the most of full or part time travel, having a remote income source is key. RVLove shares their story on how they were able to achieve remote income positions at the beginning, before transitioning to their own business. Learn about all this and much more in this episode of A Travel Path Podcast! Chapters · 00:00 Introduction · 03:45 How Did You Get Started RVing? · 09:15 Living Out of Two Suitcases · 11:45 Downsizing and Letting Go · 14:30 Delicioats · 15:15 Pros and Cons of Different RVs · 21:00 All 50 States in 3 Years · 23:00 Biggest Challenge to Get on the Road · 24:45 Buying a New or Used RV · 38:00 How Much Someone Some One Save Up Before RVing Full Time? · 41:45 Books by RV Love · 44:00 How to Get the Right RV Information · 48:45 What Is Your RV Type? Quiz · 51:00 How Has the RV Lifestyle Changed You? · 52:45 What Is the First Step Towards Full Time RVing? RVLove on Social · Website (take the quiz!): https://rvlove.com/ · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rvlovetravel/ · YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Rvlove · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RVLoveTV Books By RVLove · Living the RV Life: https://rvlove.com/book/ · RV Hacks: https://rvlove.com/rv-hacks-book/ Blogs by RVLove · Cost of Rving: https://rvlove.com/planning/cost-of-rving-full-time-vs-part-time/ eBook Chris and Cherie · The Mobile Internet Handbook: https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/book/ Past Episodes · #17 Phil and Stacy: https://atravelpath.com/show17/ · #6 Jim and Michelle: https://atravelpath.com/retired-full-time-rv-living/ RV Rental · Outdoorsy: https://www.outdoorsy.com/ · RVshare: https://rvshare.com/ · Cruise America: https://www.cruiseamerica.com/ Music • Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/rocky-mountains Disclaimer *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision. Transcript: Host: Marc and Julie, welcome to the Travel Path Podcast! Thank you for joining us. Guest: Thanks for having us. Host: Yeah, so we know you as RVLove. You guys sold your home in 2014 and have spent the past 10 years traveling full-time and part-time in a variety of different RVs. You're also bestselling authors with a focus on educating RVers. I just want to remind our audience to pay attention; I feel like there's going to be a lot of great information here. Also, I want to give a shout-out to Phil and Stacy from "Today is Sunday," who were on episode 17. I mentioned you guys were a huge influence on going full-time. Before we dive too deep, why don't you share a little about yourselves and then tell our audience what your current travel lifestyle looks like? Guest: Alright, sure. Well, as you mentioned, we hit the road in 2014 to go full-time because we wanted more time together and had limited time off from work. We thought it would be a great way to go. I had some limited travel experience before that, doing some RVing with my family when I was growing up, but hadn't done any extensive RV travel. And Julie had not either. My family, when I—just for anyone listening—I'm originally Australian, but I've been in the States since '08, so I'm a citizen here now. But we met in Boulder, Colorado, in 2010, married in 2011. Yeah, met in 2010 and then we hit the road. And actually, it was funny because we hit the road in 2014, and then for the next over six years, so we actually spent way more time those first eight years of our marriage and our life together in the RV than we did in a regular house. So that was unique as well—still living in a small space, yeah, and working—still married, still even working together. That's great. And then you asked what type of travel we're doing right now. So we were full-time travel from 2014 to 2020; we bought a home base in 2020 and started doing part-time travel. Um, but some years more than others, but this year, right now, I mean, we've been out every month for quite a few of the months. We've been six of the last seven months; we're out since early October. We've only spent one month at home. So we all have been out for I think seven months by the time we get back, so yeah, might as well be full-time travel, right? Well, with the current rig we're in, you totally—this. Host: Yeah, yeah. So Mark, you had mentioned on your website that you worked a 40-hour-a-week job with very limited vacation time and you said RVing was a solution that made you feel like you had more time off. Can you elaborate on that and then how did you get started RVing? Guest: Yeah, sure. Well, I wanted to have a remote job for a long, long time, and I was having trouble finding an employer that would do that. And so I just made it my mission to find an employer that would allow remote work. And once I did that, it was only about three months that went by before I realized, well, I never go to an office, they don't really know where I'm at, so we could be anywhere. And that's when it started opening the idea of doing some more travel. Julie and I did some vision boarding and visualizing what we wanted out of our life, and a lot of it revolved around travel, not possessions. And so that's when we decided to make travel a bigger priority and started doing a lot more research. And in about nine months of heavy, extensive research is when we bought an RV, sold the house, and launched on the road. I had a full-time job at the time that was remote, that was paying all the bills for that, and that allowed that freedom and that remote lifestyle. And I actually didn't tell many people at all at my work that I was going to be doing that because I felt confident that I'd have internet connectivity if we made it a high enough priority and that the longer I went without telling anybody, as long as I didn't have any hiccups, then I would have lots of evidence to say, "Hey, it's totally how long?" Oh, you just—you noticed I'm traveling? How long? Oh, the last two days. Well, I've been doing it for four months. So that was a really great way to come back and say, "This is totally doable; you had no idea I'm doing this for all this time." And I even later went to Australia and didn't tell anybody either. Wouldn't recommend that; the time zone—time hurts; it crushes you. Yeah, but Marc was uh doing remote work before CO made it cool. Host: Yep, funny. Yeah, Australia—you might be showing up a little bit late to work or early depending on what the time difference over there is—brutal. Guest: You would—yeah, to work my 8-to-5 job, I had to work midnight to 9 a.m., and he's not a—not a—and I'm not a night person, and so it was actually really tough because we were also visiting friends and family in Australia. We'd spend a lot of time with them during the day, so I'd work midnight to 9 a.m., have a couple-hour nap, go hang out with friends and family, have a couple-hour nap, and then go back to work. I never got big chunks of time to sleep for a month, and by the end of the month, we would both be delirious. We were literally—wouldn't recommend doing that very often. Just take the time off and just have a vacation; that's our recommendation. Host: Yeah, it is hard to balance, especially if you're traveling that far to balance working full-time with travel and getting those experiences in. So that's probably one of the first lessons you learned was to just separate those a little bit. Guest: Yeah, even domestic travel, the time zones are still a factor, you know. If you have a job that has specific hours and not an asymmetrical or asynchronous job, you know, when you're on the Pacific coast, it's amazing in the summer because you can be off work at 2 or 3 in the afternoon, the sun doesn't go down till 9, you have this whole evening—it's almost like every day is two days. But when you're on the East Coast, unless you'd have to either try and get some stuff done before work or your evenings are short, so lots of modifications. Host: Yeah, so over about 9 months of really planning this, you know, putting a lot of thought into it, considering all the options, doing the vision boards, and really looking into travel over possessions. That's a classic example—doing four months without telling your employer that you're going remote. That's the example of not asking for permission, asking for forgiveness. Guest: Yes, exactly, exactly. And, you know, it—it worked for us. We just—we wanted to spend more time together, we wanted to spend more time with our dog, and, you know, that was RVing is the best way to do that. We—we really wanted to do some international travel, but as long as we had her, it just wasn't really feasible. So we—and we love to drive, we love road trips, we love driving. So, uh, we had a couple of spirited vehicles in the garage. So that's why we, uh, you know, looking for ways that we could go and do more road trips and try some of these most beautiful roads and scenic byways and highways in North America. Yeah, and that's actually part of why we chose the RV we did to start with, is because we had a WRX and a Mazda Miata in the garage, so we loved—yeah, so we loved these sporty cars. And so we decided to sell both of those and then buy a less expensive Mini Cooper Convertible, um, so that we could just have a car we didn't care about as much to tow behind the RV. And then, uh, and had a backseat for the dog. Yeah, but it was really great to go do the exploring, and it was especially fun to switch from the big lumbering class A motorhome to this fun, nimble light sports car. Host: Yeah, you don't want to put too many dents or dings in the WRX when you're driving up those rough rocky roads out west. Guest: Well, that was one of the things. I think our cars were—you know, they were not new but newer and nicer and had a payment on them both, and we're just like, we didn't know how they're going to get impacted being dragged around the country, and, uh, by consolidating and getting rid of those payments too, made a huge difference. But yeah, that Mini—we really had a bit of a rough adventure sometimes; we broke it boondocking, but it was a great car. Host: So, I know, Julie, you have a pretty interesting story as well, how this whole thing started out. So you moved to Boulder, Colorado, from Australia with just two suitcases after selling everything. Can you talk about some of the events that led to that, and then what did that experience teach you about how much stuff you actually needed? Guest: Say very succinctly, as my business blew up in 2008, like so many people when the economy imploded, so did my business. And I laugh about it now, but it was actually a really traumatic time in my life; it was very difficult. I know anyone that went through that, I empathize; it was a tough time. And I needed to start my life over, and I'm like, well, and I was single at the time. And so I'm like, well, if I'm going to start over, am I going to do it here in Sydney? And if anyone's been to Sydney, it's a beautiful city, but it's a big city; it's a fast-paced, one of the big expensive cities of the world. And I'm like, I just don't know if I want to do that again here; just the thought of it was very exhausting, actually. I think I was just burned out and needed a reset. And honestly, I was so broke I couldn't even afford to move out of my apartment, to be honest. I just—I couldn't even afford to send the car back to the lease company; I couldn't afford to do any of that because they wanted a big balloon payment. What am I going to do? So I sublet my apartment and I sublet my car, and then I just put, you know, my stuff in two suitcases and used frequent flyer miles to get over to Colorado. And I'd been at a conference six months earlier and I'd met some people, and somebody had a friend of a friend that had an apartment available for sublet. So I was able to be very creative and live for three months in—I think I lived three months rent-free in three months in Boulder for the amount of time I rented my apartment in Sydney for six weeks or something; it was something like that. I had to get very creative. And, um, so yeah, but it—it just made me realize that you really don't need that much stuff. And it's actually shocking to me when Marc and I met and married a few years later after—you know, back and forth, Australia, I eventually got a job, got sponsored, and then we met, got married, and had the townhome. And I'm like, how the heck am I downsizing when I moved here from the other side of the world with two suitcases? How did I end up with stuff again? Obviously, not as much stuff as I used to have from accumulating it over my life, but still, even periodically in the RV, we still go through and declutter and downsize and get rid of stuff. You just have to; it's human nature, I think, just to accumulate even little things. It just—I don't know what it is; it's an illness. Host: It is, yeah. I think I mean, part of it, we've heard that's been like the biggest, one of the biggest challenges so far, especially dealing with people who are going full-time, is just downsizing and getting rid of, you know, half, more than half, of the stuff that you own. Um, we've got a lot of content where we discussed, you know, not just the physical struggle, but the emotional struggle with that as well, because you're letting go of, you know, things that are—you're letting go of things that are important to you because, you know, you have to just make that choice, right? Guest: You have memories associated with those things, memories and people, and especially if people have departed, that's very hard to think about. You hear about a lot of people having trouble giving up the furniture that their parents or their grandparents had, and they're holding it for their kids. But if you can have that conversation with the kids now, I don't know about you guys, if you'd be wanting your grandma's furniture, probably not, even if it was top-of-the-line, expensive, fancy stuff back in the day, probably not your style. And so often, people can be holding onto that and paying to store it only to find that, well, they didn't want it anyway. So you've got to get practical too. Host: The two tips we've learned so far, I'll just sum that up really quickly, was Jim and Michelle had mentioned that they didn't want to leave the burden to their children because ultimately, you know, they're going to pass at some point, and their children are going to have all this stuff. They just figured they'd get rid of it for them before, you know, their children inherited it. And then Phil and Stacy had mentioned that those things that they have a strong emotional attachment, just take a picture of them. You can create a photo book online; you can always reference them. But the memories, you know, you can look at and go back to that place. Guest: And you could even take that up a notch and just put your iPhone on a tripod and do a little video and just film yourself having the item and telling a story, and just say, "Oh, this was given to me by my Aunt Mary, and this is what it meant to me," or this, and then actually have a story, and it's like watching your own little home movie, you know? So that's how easy to do these days is just hit play and uh, just have a conversation with it about. Host: Uh, 2014. We've probably come a long way with the technology and everything. Um, you talked about how you had transitioned your cars, right? You—you had switched to the Mini Cooper. Did you say it wasn't Mini Cooper? Guest: Mini Cooper S convertible, yep, yep, it was. Host: You switched to the Mini Cooper, um, but you also had mentioned that you've gone from five different RVs in your past 10 years of traveling so far, uh, motorized, towable, large, small, you name it. What are some of the pros and cons of each that you've discovered and um, what were some of the factors that influenced you to replace what you already had? Host: Hey, guys, I wanted to take a quick break to tell you about Delicia Oats. We've been enjoying Delicia Oats for many years, and they have helped fuel us for those extra-long hikes. They are flavored oats that come in a pouch and are very easy to set up. Just add water, give it a shake, and let it sit overnight and enjoy the next morning. Or you can add boiling water if you like them served hot. We've also added them to our morning smoothie, or I'll sprinkle some into my yogurt for some extra flavor and to help fill me up. You can make them in less than a minute, and there is no cleanup, which is huge for us on the road. Now, if you're like me, the first question you'll ask is how much added sugar is there, and here's a big one for me—no added sugar. They come in a variety of flavors; my personal favorite is cherry chocolate. Enjoy them for yourself by placing an order at DeliciaOats.com and use the coupon code "PATH" at checkout. That's DeliciaOats.com, D-E-L-I-C-I-A-O-A-T-S.com, and use the coupon code "PATH." Guest: Yeah, well, most all of our full-time travel was in a class A motorhome, the Big Bus type motorhomes towing a car. Um, part of it was the Mini Cooper, and then we switched to a Jeep so that it'd be easier to tow. But I want to jump in just there before you go into the details. For the first— it sounds like we've had a lot of RVs. It sounds like we change on average every two years, but for the first six and a quarter years, we only had two RVs. But it's been since we've gone part-time that we've been we switched a lot more when we went to part-time. Um, and the main reason we switched from the first coach to the second coach was cargo carry capacity because the first one was just inadequate for that and it was a little unsafe. Um, and then so we went to a diesel with much higher capacities. But we've actually—we have enormous experience, and we love learning from everyone else we meet in all of our travels. We did a lot of research ourselves, but then we also continually research with everyone else. And now we also wanted to have the other experiences to share with people. And so now we've traveled in 17-foot travel trailers and 45-foot classes and everything in between because we have owned five, but we've also rented or borrowed a lot of the other types too. Um, and really, the type of RV you have depends on the RV travel style you want to enjoy. You know, a couple years, we had a smaller Class C, which was a very nimble and faster-paced travel. Um, and now we have a truck and fifth wheel, which is a slower-paced travel but really homey, and we really enjoy that. This is the fifth wheel we've got here we're in, and it's so—they all have their own reasons and your own seasons for why you change them. Part of the reason we resisted having a fifth wheel for a long time is Julie is not very tall, and so a lot of fifth wheels, the cabinets are very hard to reach, so that's a challenge. But I didn't want to get into a big truck, and Julie didn't want to drive a big truck, but now she actually has quite a bit of comfort around that, and so she does drive the big truck. And then we've got an RV that has a big pantry that has low-level storage for easy access for her. So, but again, a lot of it depends on your travel style and pace is a big part of why you choose different ones and just different seasons of RV life. So when we first started out, we were just, I think, like most people that hit the road, you were like, "I want to see everything. I want to go to Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon and all the top things on the bucket list, right? I want to go to all the national parks. I want to visit all 50 states, 48 with the RV. We have not driven to Alaska. I know many people have, but that's such a—and we didn't drive to Hawaii, which most people don't either; we flew to Hawaii. And actually, we did the 48 states, funnily enough. We love to share that we did all 48, the lower 48, in three years, a little over three years, while working full-time. And I think when you really think about that, like, this is such a big, vast country. And for anyone—I don't know how good geography is, but the size of the United States is the same size as Australia, geographically very similar. But there's nothing to really see in the middle except the Outback, and it's very hot. But in the US, there is so much you can see in every single state. And it's shocking, actually, when you think what a big country it is. And let's not forget Canada too; we love Canada. We should say North America, not just the US. But that—you know, even though it's so big, it's shocking how much you can really see if you're focused and you plan it in a relatively short period of time, because we saw all of the 50 states before age 15, which is pretty cool. I mean, a lot of people will never do that in their life, and that's something we feel really grateful and really blessed to have been able to do that at an age where we're still young and fit and healthy enough to get out there and do the hikes and, you know, get out there and not just do the little 500-meter loop, take a few photos, and get back in your vehicle, which some people do, but to really get out and, you know, bike and hike and do everything. So, I think, just that season of life, so we were going at a pretty fast pace that first few years, but we still stayed, we tried to stay for a couple of weeks at a time. And then we switched to the second rig, very similar kind of a travel pace, but we'd already seen all 50 states with our first rig, so then we changed gears where we're less about just going and exploring everything, and we would've been more time just really working in the RV and renovating the RV; we renovated that older one. And then a lot of the places we're going to now, we're going back to. There are less places that we're going to for the first time. So, for example, we're here in Tucson right now. We've been here before; we love Tucson, but we haven't gone out and done a ton because we had poor internet in Mesa in the Phoenix area, and we didn't get as much work done, and we had a lot of social time with friends. So now we're here, we're kind of playing catch-up. Host: Right, so you know, adjusting our schedule like that, but the different kinds of RVs just fit the season of your life. Guest: Sure, yeah. Host: Um, you guys are speaking our language. That's actually one of Hope's goals, is doing the 50 States before we turn 50. Of course, she turns 50, which we're on track to do. So, and um, the same thing, that's the reason we took our trip. You talked about wanting to do those longer hikes while you're young and you still can. That's the reason why we did this young while we're continuing to do it so that we can take those longer hikes and the scenic things and do that at a younger age while we still have our knees, right? Um, so 3 years, all 48 states, was that looking back on that, was that too fast or was that the perfect pace, do you think? Guest: Probably a little fast, especially working full—you know, you try to tell people to slow down, they're not going to, they're going to do it anyway, so just, you'll figure it out. But I will say, if you—Marc is very disciplined with his work schedule, we don't have kids, okay? So, if you have kids and you're trying to do a job, you know, travel, set up your RV, pack it down, road school the kids, all of these things, they just take more time and so you need to allow for that. But, yeah, well, you know, in the Northeast where you guys are from, you can knock out a lot of states quick because they're a lot smaller, but out west, in a weekend— Host: Yeah, they're a lot bigger. Guest: Yeah, Rhode Island, if you blink, you miss it, it's only 20 miles driving across it, right? So, it's quick, yeah. You drive four hours, you're in—yeah, four different states out west, you're still in the same state driving the same day, exciting when you have that state sticker map and you just go through and subtly your numbers go away— Yeah, but that's one of the funny things about a goal of hitting all 50 states, is like, you're in Texas, you're going to Colorado, but you decide to go through all these Midwestern states in this big arc because you want to make sure you get to these other states on your way, do that. We've done that, we do that. Host: Our rule is we have to do something cool in that state, like it's fun, we have to have an experience in every state, memorize every state on the East except Delaware, we've driven through Delaware a thousand times but haven't stopped there, so we have to actually stop there one day and do something cool. So, if anyone's listening for something cool in Delaware, let us know, at least stop. Guest: Yeah, everyone's got their own rules—nwe have to have a memorable experience. Some people have to visit the state capital, some people have to spend multiple nights and like that, everyone has their own rules of what they qualify, but you, that's your rules, so you can do them however you want. Host: So, going back to when you guys first started out, obviously, just mentioned it took about nine months to get there, a lot of work was involved in that, just planning, processing everything, um, what was the biggest challenge you faced in getting on the road? It doesn't sound like it was talking to your boss about going remote because he didn't do that, but what was the biggest challenge you had to overcome to get there? Guest: You know, I think when we first started out, we spent a lot of time researching online, YouTube, and um, we found a great ebook, actually. Our first question was not about the RV but was around the internet because if we can't get solid internet to work from the road, there's no point in setting foot on a dealer lot, starting our RV shopping because it's not going to happen. Yeah, in 2013, that was a lot more challenging than it is now. And we found an ebook by Chris and Sherie from Mobile Internet Resource Center. I'm sure you've heard of them or most of your listeners have. And I mean, they are—they are the reason, I think, a great many of us are being today because they are the gurus on all things mobile internet and connectivity. And so, we read their ebook, and it was just like, "Oh, we can do this." Because we're thinking, "Do we need to get satellite and all kinds of things?" But no, cellular, you can do it with that. And sure enough, we've just followed their lead, you know, the whole way. And we changed our plans and set up a few times along the way, not often, but often enough to just revisit it every couple of years and make sure it's still optimal set up for us. And so, that was a great resource, and we just devoured, you know, YouTube videos and blogs. We didn't read any books, there weren't any, except for that ebook. But I think, I think back then, what do you think was the biggest challenge? Was trying to figure out which RV we really wanted. We—we thought we wanted new until I remember we were at Camping World on a Sunday, and the sales department was closed, and we were looking at the accessories, the store was open, and some guy who worked in service came by and he said, "Are you planning on buying an RV?" We said, "Yeah." He said, "Whatever you do, don't buy new." Host: Wow. Guest: Planning on buying new, you know, when you're new, when you're new, you don't know. You assume it's like buying a new car, I'll buy new, I'm going to get the warranty and everything's going to be great. Well, the more you learn about RVing, the more you realize, no, it's not that way, your first RV is going to teach you the most and is going to depreciate hard and you're going to lose money. And so, I actually have a thing I want to start saying to people instead of saying, "Well, how much does an RV cost?" or "How much can you afford?" I would turn it around and say, "Well, how much can you afford to lose?" That's the question. I'm not saying that to be mean, just so much as it is going to cost you money. This is, for most people, unless it is your only viable option for housing, which is the case for some people, but many of us are out there living this by choice, and we're, you know, privileged, really, to do that. But you don't want to financially disadvantage yourself too much. And so, your first RV will teach you the most, so spend as little as you can to get something that's going to do what you want and needed to do. And then, once you learn more, then your next RV, you can look at. I know going to be a lot of people probably disagreeing with me in the comments, and that's that's just fine, that's just my opinion after 10 years and five rigs, and you do you, but you know, that's what, if that would be back then, I would have spent less than what we did on our first setup. I think we could have had just the same great experience. Um, it was a good rig, but I don't think we needed to spend that much. No. So, start with something that doesn't have everything you quite need because chances are, at some point, you're going to want to upgrade anyway, so might as well not spend a ton of money on your first. A lot of ours change within the first year or two, some, some transfer in less, switch in less than a year because they realized they made a mistake. We see a lot of people get forced off the road pretty early on because they've picked a dud rig or they just got unlucky or they—it was costing them more, it was costing a lot more than when we started. When we started 10 years ago, the cost of RVing is much higher now, not gas, surprisingly. I know we had that period where gas went high. When we started, it was like $3.50 something a gallon, we saw over $4 a gallon in our first year, and now we're seeing it again around $3.30 a gallon, but we've seen it in the sixes, and so, a lot, so, especially Host: seven, seven was our highest, 7.40 in California, but yeah, it's tough to prepare for how much you're going to be spending on fuel. Guest: Fuel is one of those expenses that you can modify, and you've got a van, so that's got better fuel economy than most. Host: Yeah. Guest: Yeah, but slowing down the pace, slow the reduced spend on fuel, and in fact, I was just, you know, we just, I was just doing a little recap on the last three years of our winter travel, you know, this year, we're in Arizona, last year, California, year before, we went to Florida, but also to California, um, and just looking at the fuel expense, you know, the first Florida trip, we spent $700 a month on fuel, and then last year, we were spending like five, and then this year, um, under, it's only three. And so, part of it's slower pace, but part of it's also, you know, just fewer mileage, you just change your travel plans, if it's a big part of your budget, don't go as far and don't—and stay longer. But I would say if people—if—if the cost of fuel is freaking people out, just don't buy an RV, that's my answer, just don't get one, because you never know what's going to change. I mean, you could wait for gas prices to go down, but they go up and down, I don't care who is president, they go up and they go down, and people just like to distract and blame, and that's something that is out of your control, so you're going to let it control you and your travels, and just like, you know what, maybe go out for dinner one less time a month and make a meal at home and what you save, you put it in the tank. I mean, it's your choice, if you're going to freak out and just whine about gas prices all the time, just go and drive your hybrid vehicle and stay in an Airbnb, then you won't have to fix it you don't have to worry about depreciation, that's a whole other episode, but really, I mean, I'm very direct about these things now, people may not like it, but also do your research, like one of the guys I met once that was the most ridiculous was he had—he had four different RVs in six months, he bought a Class C RV, didn't like it, bought a Class A gas, didn't like it, bought a Class A diesel, didn't like it, bought a Prevost bus conversion, you know, a half million dollar coach, finally was satisfied with that, but he obviously had more dollars than cents because he was just spending like crazy. If he would have just done a little more research, maybe gone on a test drive or something before just buying him, he could have saved himself a lot of hassle, a lot of money, and just ended up—it was a $700,000 rig, he ended up with a used $700,000, but you know they, you know, probably a couple of million years, yeah, do your research, but yeah, and rent. We say rent an RV, full disclosure, we did not rent, you know, not saying we advise people against it, it's a good idea to rent and be sure that this is something you really want to do. Now, the one that you rent, you can through companies like RVshare, for example, you can rent from companies, from individuals, rather, so you can do the—the ones with all the branding on the side from Roadbear and Cruise America, all of that that have the dog sticker looking out the window, but or you can get one that just looks like a regular normal RV owned by private, uh, people that just want to make a bit of money to help offset the cost of ownership. And that feels to me more like the kind of a—you can rent an RV, even the same brand, make, model, and size that you're even thinking you might like to buy, and rent that first, and it seems expensive, I think people look at that and think, "Wow, it's so expensive." Well, they don't realize is old—no, what is expensive is if you make a poor choice buying, and you have to get out of that, you're going to spend a lot more than you're going to think, "Wow, that RV rental would have been cheaper in it." I think, case in point, is our friend that we bought the Class C from, was a 25-foot Mercedes Sprinter little Winnebago navon, and he's 6'2" and he full-timed in that for a few years, and then he—he then he had it in storage and we rented it from him, then we bought it from him, and he was going to buy a Class B van, like, "I want a van, I want a van," and then he rented one for a weekend and realized this is—I'm too tall and if I want a friend to come and hang out and visit, this is not going to work. So, that's why he went from a B to a C, and so just renting it, renting it for a week, and saved him on making an expensive mistake, and probably the B would have been more expensive than the C too. So, that was a good move for him. Host: Yeah, being tall, I'm 6'4", being tall in a class B van, it really limits the floor plan you can choose. Um, since you guys started in 2014, obviously the landscape and just the world has changed quite a bit. Is there anything you would do differently now starting out? Guest: Well, I already said one, I wouldn't have spent as much on our first coach. I loved our first coach, it was beautiful, it worked great for us, except for the weight. We didn't understand, now that's not true, we didn't—it's not that we didn't understand about the—it was very difficult to find out the information that we needed to make that decision. And we're so happy that there's so much more information out there now that people, like, for example, how much does your stuff weigh? How much does your, you know, your food and your clothes and your work equipment and the stuff you want to take with you, how much does that weigh? And I don't know if maybe some people here have gone and literally weighed their stuff before, but we didn't. I actually intended to, we didn't. I intended to, but part of the transition was we bought the RV and then we set it up out behind our townhome, and I was working in there, and I brought the dog to transition so it would make an easier transition to actually hit the road. Meanwhile, Julie's just bringing stuff out from the house, and I remember her vividly saying, "It just keeps taking it," like it had tons of storage space. You're supposed to, because a lot of people think, "Oh, there's lots of storage space, it must have storage capacity," but it doesn't. Those are not the same thing, and so that's important. And so we found—and we did a video on this—and I think this one of the videos that I'm really, you know, proud of. Not that it was anything fancy or special, but it just, I think, shared a lot of information that wasn't out there at the time, and now we hear a lot of others talking about weight and being really mindful of their weight more, and that never used to be the case. I'm really happy to hear and see that so many people are mindful of that now because there's so much more awareness. So, I think the weight thing is a big issue. Do not trust the salesman to say, "Oh, yeah, your truck can tow that," or, "Yeah, it can." No, they're there to sell you something, do your own research, and don't just copy—don't just copy what someone else is doing. "Oh, I like that couple, they've got this setup, I'm just going to get what they got." Well, it may not be right for you. You know, like really ask yourself those big questions about what's important. We met a lot of people, remember the first trip to Tahoe, we met that couple that had been full-timing for 18 years, what did we do? Yeah, they've been—they've been full-timing for 18 years, our first RVing for 18 years, and then Julie asks them, "This is our first weekend, Julie asks them, 'So, what advice do you have for us as new RVers?'" Like, "Well, it's too late for that. I would have told you to get an RV with a washer and dryer." I'm like, "Really? That's your only advice?" That was, and then the conversation ended. I'm like, "So, 10 years we've never had a washer and dryer or any of our RVs, and we don't miss that. It's not something high value to us, we'd rather have the storage space for the extra clothes and then do laundry less frequently than have an actual washer dryer in the machine." So, yeah, it's different, everyone random answers to a lot of your questions. Host: But it would just kind I feel like. I'm an optimistic person, but for some reason when it comes to appliances, I feel very—I'm very pessimistic about putting a washer under, I just feel like it's asking for problems. I don't know, I don't know how common they are, but most St to go wrong. Guest: Yeah, we often say, you know, try and choose a less complex RV, less options, because there's less things to go wrong, the more simple the RV, the less things can go wrong, because RVs have a lot of maintenance. There's a lot of cost related to—we have a lot of blog posts on our website RVlove.com with things about costs of RVing, and I think that kind of thing is really important to share so people go in with eyes wide open. So, just make sure you reduce your debt as much as you can, reduce your expenses, make sure you have some padding because there's going to be unexpected expenses, and so plan ahead, be comfortable with what you're going into, at least if you're going full-time, you're trading, you know, one expense for another, but if you're trying to do both with having a home base and renting, just doing extended RV travel, then that can get expensive. And that is part of the reason why we have actually had three rigs in the last three years as part-timers because, you know what, we found like we—we had that little Casita, it was a little fiberglass, and we and we wanted something we could tow with our Jeep. We love our Jeep, we didn't want to change that, and we wanted something that would fit in our carport, so we had really limited parameters, and we wanted something quality, and so that ticked all the boxes, but it's so small, and they're cute and lovely, and we got lots of compliments in the parking lots when we would go to the store, but we're the kind of people that, we're not just using it as a base camp to go hiking all the time, we come back and we do work, and so we need more space. And so, it just was ultimately too small for us, especially once we got the dog and another dog, he's around here somewhere, and then that—we had that about 16 months, and then we rented our friend's Class C and ended up buying that, and that was good, and we went on a longer trip, that was much more comfortable for our longer four or four and a half month trip to Florida, and then we came home, and because we love where we live so much in Colorado, we actually love being there in the summer and the fall. So, the RV was hardly getting used, it was sitting out there. It's a motorized, it needs to be used and driven, so it was just heartbreaking to see it out there not getting used as much as we—you would hope, and then you, you do the math on it, like, this is a mortgage payment, I have a mortgage payment sitting out there depreciating every month, and so, you know, we're not independently wealthy and retired, we're still trying to, you know, get to that point where we—we can retire someday, and so it became a financial decision where it just wasn't the amount of money that was in it was just not worth it. And then we changed this, which is a truck that Marc can use around town and around home, you wanted that anyway, he does a few little handyman market construction jobs here and there, and then, uh, this fifth wheel that we ended up buying from a friend, it's used, it was two years old, but it's great, and we're—we're in the whole setup for half of the cost of what the—uh, the Mercedes was, the—it's on Mercedes chassis, which is very expensive, those little Class C's on the Mercedes chassis, the service and everything, they—they—they go really well when you take care of them, nothing tends to go wrong in between the services, but it's some sticker shot when they do go wrong. Host: Yeah, that sounds like kind of a long story short. Over time, your needs, your lifestyles, are going to change, as well as the RV type that you're going to be driving. You had mentioned having some sort of cushion or padding, some savings allocated in case things go wrong. Do you have a number on how much you should have saved up when you're traveling full-time? Guest: I don't think necessarily so much as probably a number of months. I mean, you're talking just for RV-related or just in general? Because anyone out there that you're learning from, say, doing financial investing, would say you should have six months' worth of savings just in case you lose your job or if something happens. Host: I guess that's, yeah, the six months is a good rule of thumb, I guess. So RV-related, people don't have that. Guest: A lot of people, especially if people are doing the full-time RV life, because they're trying to do big savings, and because that's an opportunity, you can do it where you spend significantly less than other styles of life. But especially if that's your goal and your priority because you just don't travel as far and you don't travel as fast, and that's a great way to save money if you're staying in campgrounds a month at a time instead of moving every week. And do your research to know how to do it inexpensively, like Julie and I have been out on this trip for a hundred days, and we've spent next to nothing on our campground stays because we have a campground membership that we've been staying in membership campgrounds with no nightly fee almost the entire trip. And so we spent some money on fuel but not that much. And so if you're in the Southwest, yeah, or if people Boondock, but how you want to travel can make a massive difference in what you save. And so I think percentage-wise, I just wanted to say people should have some cushion. Don't just go right on the very thin line because there's going to be something that happens, and you need to have some cushion for things to happen. And if it doesn't, but it will, but if it doesn't, but it will, then you'll have that money. But that, Marc point there about an extended warranty, you can get an extended warranty, but you can buy a used RV and get an extended warranty. Don't roll it into the cost of the financing. If you finance your RV, pay separately for the extended warrant. I don't care if you have to put it on an interest-free credit card and divide it by 11 and pay it off in the year so you don't get hit with that interest and whatever you have to do, actually. Our extended warranty company, you can do whatever. I think it's for payments or something. They have like a payment plan. Don't roll it in, def financing because a lot of people will finance an RV over 15, 20 years or more, and if you roll in that $7,000 payment for or 5,000 or $4,000, whatever it costs you for an extended warranty, you have to do the math on what that is really going to cost you factoring in the interest. So don't do that because or what you can do is put that money aside and so that let's say I don't pull a number out because it depends on your rig, right? Let's say it's $4,000. You can put 4,000 aside. Don't touch it. How disciplined are you, right? Or get an extended warranty, but then that sometimes we'll have something on the RV like when we had the nav on down in Florida that it would have qualified to be fixed under the warranty, but we couldn't get into a shop for six months. We needed it fixed like right away, so MK had to fix it. So even though you have a warranty, it doesn't always mean you'll be able to get into a shop to get it repaired right away or just may not be convenient on your most, most repairs on RVs can be done by someone 80% if you're willing to get your hands dirty and watch a couple YouTube videos. Most RV repairs can't be done yourself. They can be done. Host: And you mentioned you can't get into the RV dealer, but even sometimes if you get it into the RV dealer, they still might not do it or they might not do it for quite a long time horror stories. Yeah, we're smiling 'cause we wish we broke a lot of you guys' rules. We wish we had listened to this podcast before we ended up buying. But yeah, have has anyone ever said you guys should write a book? Guest: They have, and we did. We've written two of them, two bestselling books. Our first book, "Living the RV Life: Ultimate Guide to Life on the Road," is one that's focused on people who want to do extended RV travel. And then we have a second book, "RV Hacks: 400 Ways to Make Your Life Easier, Safer, and More Fun." And that's both have U Been bestsellers and both are, yeah. But that's funny that that's the first one. Yeah, that was our first rig, and fun fact, do you recognize this location? So don't... So that's a donor that is the donor M took that with the drone. And then the second book, about a week after month after we moved into our new house and now upside down and no furniture and our heads were spinning going, "What the heck?" Um, something... El, you go full time, you get off the road, you're so used to having your furniture in your RV that you realize you don't have any furniture when you have a... Yeah, we just start back into a house. But I'm glad we didn't pay for storage all those years because it wouldn't have fit and worked in this house. Now, our house is furnished. It's small. It's a th000 square feet, but it's perfect for us, felt very palatial after moving out of a 350 square foot RV. But this is the second book, "RV Hacks," and that's broken up into six chapters. Um, driving out the repairs and maintenance camp in campgrounds, I'll be living, working on the road, families, kids, and pets. So there's something for everyone. And it's one of those fun, easy books you can open at any page, and you just, like, read a hack. You don't have to read. You can read from front to back, or you can just randomly jump from chapter to chapter or, you know, play trivia games when you're driving down the road and see how well your significant other knows the answer to that question, whatever. But, uh, yeah, they're great, um, fun books that I, you know, the publisher reached out to us for the first one in early 2018, and I'd always kind of thought wanted to write. I've always wanted to write a book, actually, but then when the publisher reached out and said, "Well, there isn't anything out there to... We see RVing becoming a much, uh, bigger trend like extended and full-time RVing," and so they, they had a lot of foresight, and we said, "We think so too." So, yeah, it was great to be able to consolidate that into one place where you can go and read blogs, YouTube videos, like we did all of that as well. There's a lot more information out there now than there was when we started. So that's both good and bad because it's good because there's a lot more information, information out there, but it's challenging because now it's overwhelming, and you don't know what to trust. There's a lot of drama and clickbait content out there now. Um, we actually don't even watch YouTube anymore or any other YouTube especially, but because there we know seeing a lot of the drama, clickbaity type headings, and it's like, "Oh, we got kicked out of the campground." I'm like, "Really? In 10 years, been kicked out of a campground, like, really dude? What did you do?" I mean, you just... You're trying to get it worries me that a lot of people watching these YouTube videos get a bad, um, perspective for the lifestyle. It doesn't have to be that way. It doesn't have to be. I'm not... It's not all sunshine and roses and rainbows. I really want people to know that it is not. But it is also not full of all this drama, scary stuff that you're seeing. But that's the stuff that people click on, and they create that content because that's how they make money. So it's so... We just done. Host: Yeah, and that goes for not just the RV world, but everything nowadays. Whether it's financial, real estate, there's contradicting information everywhere. So you bring up a good point. There's a ton of... You can look up 10 different videos that say 10 different things about what you should do RVing. How can people know that they're actually getting good information? Guest: Well, I think like anything, whether it's RVing or anything, you really need to spend a bit of time looking at the source. Do you know, is their face on there? Do they tell something about themselves and their story and their experience? I've seen some blogs where their experience is living in a trailer in their grandmother's backyard, like, literally, and then they're positioning themselves as these experts. I'm like, okay, I'm not really... Not getting that here. But, you know, do some research. How long have they been doing it? What, you know, how are they communicating? Like, it shouldn't be in a way that's being very forceful on a certain way of opinion so much as realizing that everybody's different and there's no one right way to RV. So I think getting balanced information is a really important point. Check on what is their background and experience, um, and, you know, I think that's one of the things that we really like about "Living the RV Life." We say, "Look, you can spend months researching YouTube, but you could read this in a weekend and it will give you a good baseline. And then you can with that go do your other research and see if it's aligning with that, because this was all verified and, you know, checked. This is not just us whipping out a book with our opinions. This is with a major publishing house. They edit it, they fact-check everything, and that takes a long time. And when you're turning out YouTube videos and blog posts, they're often thrown up in the matter of an hour or so. And ours, our blog posts, we can take 40 hours to write one article because we do a lot of research, do a lot of, you know, checking accuracy, and also not trying to force our opinions onto other people, but so much as get them to ask the questions that's going to help them reach the correct answer for their own selves, their life stage, their financial situation, their goals. Like, there'll be some people might say, "Just go out and do it. What have you got to lose?" Well, that's easy to say when you're 20s and 30s. But if you're someone, you know, like 40s or 50s or someone who's 60 and approaching retirement, well, that may not make the most sense. But it's harder for them to recover if they make a bad decision, right? So, you know, you've got time on your side when you're younger. And so I think, you know, the more money you're planning to spend, the more plan time you're planning to spend in an RV, the more you have on the line, the more you really want to do your research before you dive in so that you know that you're doing it as smartly as you possibly can. But there's, like I said, there's a lot of scary stuff out there online. It doesn't have to be that way, but certainly go in with your eyes wide open and buyer beware. And it's balancing, how do you balance that? How do you, you know, do that research but then go into analysis paralysis where you're so terrified to make a decision that you... And I think that can be really tricky for some people. But when you know yourself and what's important to you, and then you find that things are checking the boxes, then you'll know it's like... But they say, how do you know when you've met the right partner? You just know, right? 100%. Host: Yeah. Do the research on the research that you're getting. And if it turns out that that source has written two bestselling books, even better. I can't believe how... Guest: Through the reviews, yeah. Don't just trust or believe us. Go read the reviews and see what other people say. Host: Sure, yeah. And I can't believe how fast this episode's flying by. I feel like I haven't asked half the questions I had written down, but that's okay. We've opened up a whole other... Not can of worms, we've gone on a whole different route, and it's been really informative. Thank you guys for sharing so much information. I do want to add, you talk about 400 RV hacks. Um, I can think of one hack somebody could do right now, which is heading over to your guys' website, RVLifestyle.com, and filling out the "What is your RV type?" Quiz. When I did it before, personality, what's your, what's your RV style? That's a fun little quiz, and I did it right before, yeah, right before we started the podcast. We were preparing, and yeah, it takes, it's 10 questions, takes like two minutes. We both got Adventurer. So, and it's, I would say it's pretty deadly accurate. I got the... I took a screenshot. Let me see what it says. "I'm glad to see you're aligned with your travel partner. That's a big first step." Yeah, see here, it's both. Can you see it? Yeah, try, try, try, and tested, good dose of the great outdoors. Um, I like this part: "Your preferred choice of RV will be determined by where it can take you and what activities it offers. Um, you like national parks, heading out on a new trail, paddling a quiet stretch of river, um, so much better if it is shared with a friend, furry or otherwise." That's... Guest: And then you'll have somebody that only wants to stay at high-end RV resorts with level paved sites and no... and dirt, and, you know, that's... that's... that's a different kind of style. That's why we always ask the questions, so make the right decisions for them, and, and, you know, you can have the best of both worlds. I like both, actually. I like staying at nice, clean, level campgrounds, and then I love going out and boondocking in the desert, and then when that gets a bit old, we go back in and have a really long shower and think how wonderful that is. Do your laundry, exactly. Yeah, yeah. We'll put a link in the show notes for all the sources we talked about today, and, yeah, it's just RVLifestyle.com. At the top of your website, you can fill out the quiz. But yeah, we'll start wrapping this thing up. If you could have listened to this podcast when you were first starting out, what is one question I did not ask tonight that you wished I would have, and how would you answer that? Guest: Well, I'm glad you didn't ask the question, "Where's the best place you've been?" So, you get a big green check Marc for that. Uh, but I think the biggest question that I wish more people would ask, whether it's, you know, you and the podcast or, is, how has the lifestyle changed you? Because we go out with a big long bucket list. I want to go here and there and do this and do that, and you think it's about the places and the experiences, and it is, but then along the way you realize you grow and you change and your perspective on life and the world changes along with that, and your mind opens, and then you start to realize, actually, funny, just before the call, I posted on, um, on your Instagram at RV Love Travel, if you want to check it out, and it's like Marc sitting here at the desk that we're sitting, talking to now, and we're here at a park, we're surrounded by park models, so it's not a particularly scenic location, but the sunset was unbelievable, and you just... You can see, I did a pan around the windows, and you're just surrounded by these, and it's just those moments where you just, in everyday life, that didn't happen as much. You have to make an effort to go out and see a sunset, and this sounds so sunrise, too. I'm just not a morning person, but, uh, just... Just those moments where you just stop and you... You, I think, you become more present with all the little moments that happen, where some of our most memorable, special experiences were actually not any of the top, big places. Some were, but not all, and there were places I would never necessarily say, "Oh, you have to go here," it was just that that experience that day happened to be magical for reasons that I can't even always explain. So, I don't know if this makes sense, if I'm getting a little esoteric, but I think it's just we're different people now than when we started, and, uh, and I like that. Host: Yeah, no, makes perfect sense. Yeah, that's great. Um, for someone listening to this podcast who wants to set up a lifestyle where they can travel on their own terms but aren't quite there yet, what is one thing they could start doing today? Host: Do a budget and get clear on your finances, yeah, so you know how, like if you can generate a find a way to generate income mobile, then that's a big first step, you know. I chose to leave my, you know, good job to find another job that would allow me to do remote, is a huge factor for us to be able to hit the road. I eventually left that job too, so we could just launch our, do our own business to have even more freedom with our schedule, but I think to Julie's point, yeah, have you figured... Have it figured out financially how you're going to make the lifestyle sustainable longer term? It's hard to... Once you get in there, you're going to want it longer and longer, and you need to, so you have to have some idea of the sustainability before you start, because you're likely going to want to continue. Host: Sure, yeah, that's great. Um, last question, guys, where can our audience find out more about you? Guest: Well, we're at RVLove.com, and you'll find everything that we have linked there. You can Google us, RV Love, and you'll find us on social media as well, and, yeah, we just love you to say hi and come and drop us a note on social media or shoot us a note in the email, and jump on our... Do that quiz, do that quiz, and figure out your RV travel personality that will get you onto our email if you check the box, and, uh, yeah, we'd love to stay in touch and keep sharing and keep learning and see more people out there and doing it, and doing it well. Doing it well, we... We want to see people thriving, and back to Marc's point about the finances, you won't feel free if you're drowning in debt, if you're, you know, drowning in credit card debt, you know. If you need to delay your plans a bit, but for some people, we've seen some people do it for a while to get out of debt, so it's what are your goals in life, not just for RVing, but what are your goals for your life, for your financial life, for your relationship, for it all comes down to knowing your why, why you're wanting to do it, and then prioritize that, yep, so start with that, know your why. Host: Wow, guys, so many valuable points and quotes and information in this podcast. Thanks again, and last, last question, just for... Doesn't stay in too much suspense, what are we talking about for travel tips? Guest: Need to talk about Sedona today. Yeah, Sedona, Arizona, on the cover of our book, and we love it, and we actually just did a little trip up there last month, so a fresh new restaurant to share. Host: Yeah, all right, everybody, keep an eye out for that episode airing in two days. Marc and Julie, thanks again. Guest: Thanks, everyone. Bye…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
The ULTIMATE Guide to Mackinac Island @Open Roading 28:21

50 weeks ago28:21

28:21

www.atravelpath.com https://delicioats.com?sca_ref=2606128.heLxZNHtFu Use code “PATH” Wow! What an information-filled episode this was as we welcomed back Joe and Kalyn from Open Roading to Travel Tips! We learned a ton about Mackinac Island in Michigan, and after speaking with them, it sounds like such a fascinating place to visit. It certainly doesn’t hurt that they spent a full season as Joe worked at a campground near the island (more on that in Part 1.) In this episode you’ll learn all about: Mackinac Island First of all, it is pronounced MackinAW, and Joe informed us pretty quickly that if your pronounce it they way it is spelled, the locals will be quick to correct you. The small island offers an escape from the modern world, as there are no cars on the island. Everything is either on foot, horseback, or bike. Biking Bike rentals are a popular activity at Mackinac Island, and the eight-mile loop along the edge is a scenic and peaceful ride. They shared the tip of renting a bike on the island as opposed to renting one and bringing it on the ferry. This way, if something happens with your bike, the company is on the island to fix it. We also cover the best time to visit, nearby attractions, where to stay, and so much more! You’ll definitely want to listen to this episode a few times if you plan on making a trip. And if you haven’t heard of Mackinac Island or weren’t considering visiting it, after listening I’m sure it will be on your list. 3,2,1 Countdown 3 Things to Bring to Mackinac Island: · Bike · Warm Clothes · Comfortable Walking Shoes 2 Complaints or Things You Should Be Prepared For: · Smell of Horse Manure · Dress Code at Grand Hotel · Bonus: Bugs 1 Thing You CAN’T Leave Mackinaw Island Without Doing: · 8 Mile perimeter bike ride Chapters · 00:00 Introduction to Mackinac Island · 05:30 How Long Should Someone Plan to Spend on Mackinac Island? · 06:30 When is Mackinac Island Shut Down/Best Time to Visit? · 09:15 Dog Friendly/Kid Friendly Activities on Mackinac Island? · 11:30 Bike Rentals · 12:30 Lodging & Transportation · 15:00 Activities · 16:30 Overall Cost of Mackinaw Island · 18:45 Planning and Reservations · 20:00 Favorite Food Spots · 21:30 Nearby Attractions · 23:00 Delicioats.com use code PATH · 24:00 3, 2, 1 Countdown Ferries · Shepler’s Ferry: https://www.sheplersferry.com/ · Mackinac Island Ferry Company: https://www.mackinacferry.com/ Lodging · Mackinac Mill Creek Camping: https://www.campmackinaw.com/ · Grand Hotel: https://www.grandhotel.com/# Restaurants/To Do · Millie’s On Main: https://www.milliesonmain.com/ · Sanders Fudge: https://sanderscandy.com/pages/stores · Ryba’s Fudge Shops: https://ryba.com/ Mackinac Family Heritage Pass (gets you into multiple locations in the area) https://tickets.mackinacparks.com/webstore/shop/viewItems.aspx?cg=MSHP&c=3 · Butterfly House: https://www.originalbutterflyhouse.com/ Fireworks · Saint Ignace: https://stignace.com/event/fireworks-over-the-bay/2024-05-25/ · Mackinac City: https://www.mackinaw-city.com/mackinaw_city_events_bak.php Nearby Attractions · Wilderness State Park and Beach: https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=509&type=SPRK · Harbor Springs: https://www.michigan.org/city/harbor-springs · Petoskey: https://www.michigan.org/city/petoskey-area · Charlevoix: https://www.michigan.org/city/charlevoix · Drummond Island: https://www.visitdrummondisland.com/ Previous Podcast Episodes · Indian Lake State Park and Upper Peninsula: https://atravelpath.com/michigan-upper-peninsula/ Music · Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): · https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-toes/ready-as-ever · License code: WYQ2IKRBMVFP3EJS Disclaimer *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision. Transcript Host: Hey Joe and Kalyn, welcome back to the Travel Path podcast. Thanks so much for being here again. Guest: Thank you for having us. Host: So, if anybody missed part one, we delved deep into your full-time travel lifestyle with your fifth-wheel RV. We covered everything from your work camping life to budgeting and all the other aspects of living on the road. Today, for travel tips, we're focusing on one particular destination. Where are we talking about today? Guest: Yeah, we're going to Northern Michigan and specifically Mackinac Island. Surprisingly, a lot of people haven't heard of this little island up there. Host: That's awesome. How much time have you guys actually spent on Mackinac Island? Guest: On the actual island, I think we've done four trips, four days in total. But we spent the entire summer in Mackinac City, which is just a ferry ride away from the island. So, the entire area is kind of immersed in Mackinac City, Mackinac Island, this whole space. And as a public service announcement to your listeners, it is spelled M-A-C-K-I-N-A-C Island, but when you go there, make sure you pronounce it "Mac" or the locals will be very eager to correct you. Host: That's a great travel tip. You always need to know exactly how to pronounce where you're going, otherwise that can happen. What made you guys want to share about this destination today? Guest: It's actually one of my favorite places because there are no cars allowed on the island at all. So, it really feels like you're stepping back in time. Everything is either accessed by walking, biking, or taking a horse taxi. Even the "garbage trucks" are horses pulling wagons to pick up the bins. It's just a quaint little place we've fallen in love with. Host: Sounds amazing. So, Mackinac Island is a great destination for someone who likes what type of experience? Guest: I would say a more laid-back experience, obviously. You're not rushing from place to place because you don't have a car. But if you want to be a bit more active, there are walking and biking options. And if you enjoy quaint shops, popping into boutiques, and indulging in the fudge, it's perfect. There are around 15 to 20 fudge shops on the island. And if you're into history, there's a fort and other old structures to explore. Host: The Grand Hotel sounds fascinating. It must be quite an experience. Guest: Definitely. It's very old and still functioning. Host: Sounds like a place where you'd really be stepping back in time when you visit. How long do you think someone should plan a trip for to get the full Mackinac Island experience? Guest: You can do the full experience in a day. But something we really want to do is spend the night sometime. We hear that it's a different atmosphere after the last ferry leaves for the day. The foot traffic builds up throughout the day, but you can see everything you want in a day or even an afternoon. It's a place you want to come back to and experience again and again. I think it's not just like one and done and yeah forget about it. Host: Perfect, so you could do it in an afternoon and just make it part of your trip to the Michigan Upper Peninsula. But of course, you could keep going back there every day, just taking the ferry over. I think it's nice to have that versatile type of trip. Now, I know that Mackinac Island does shut down for part of the year, correct? Guest: Yeah, yeah, I believe it's October. I mean, shut down, quote-unquote, if they can get through the ice, they will run a ferry. But most people are not taking that back and forth unless they're locals. There is an airport on the island, so if you're living on the island and can't get out via ferry, you can pay, which is pretty pricey, to take a flight out. And then you have to pay weight actually in the grocery and items that you bring back, in addition to the trip. Host: Wow. So, what would you say is the best time of year to visit to avoid the ice and flying situation? Guest: Yeah, July and August are probably going to be my favorite. I know people are like, "Oh, go maybe in the spring or the fall to avoid crowds." But the problem with the springtime is there are these things called midge flies, and they are like clouds of black flies all over the place, specifically by the water. And Mackinac Island is surrounded by water. So, if you go in May and June, expect to have that experience, which may color your entire view of the island. July and August are really the best, and then September, it's just getting really cold because, again, it's on the water. And so that breeze coming off the water is pretty cool. And when she's saying black clouds of midge, she is not exaggerating. Like, they are clouds. And if there's any white surface, the white surface just becomes black with these flies. They don't bite, but they are just a pain. Along with the time frame though, if you really want to enjoy the island, there's two ferry companies, Shepler's and Star Line, and Shepler's is the main ferry company. And you want to get on one of the first two boats out to the island because if you jump off one of those first two boats, you're one of the first people on the island, except for anybody who's spent the night the night before. And the streets are quiet and clean and, yeah, and clean. Everything is horses. And so, you really get the peaceful downtown. And there's a courtyard in front of the castle, and you can really just kind of walk through the courtyard, take pictures, and there's nobody around. And like I said, throughout the day, the amount of foot traffic builds, everything starts getting more and more crowded. So, your most enjoyable time will be those two to three hours in the morning. Host: That's awesome. So, don't sleep in those days. Plan to get up and get over there. Guest: Yes. Host: Awesome. Now, would you say it's a dog and kid-friendly place? Have you seen a lot of families there or pets at all? Guest: Well, that's a great question. For the dogs, I'm not sure. I've seen them take smaller dogs. In fact, I know you can because they sell tickets for them to put them on the ferry. But I guess it depends on where you take your dog. If you take your dog with you everywhere, you can take them on the island. There's not going to be anything, unless they're going to scare horses. I wouldn't — that's true — if they're afraid of horses or if they're going to bark at horses, probably not a good idea. Interestingly enough, selling tickets in the campground store all summer, we sold ferry tickets, and the number of times I would see one parent come back to the campground with the kids was very high. You know, one parent would come back and the kids would be getting ready to go swimming and be like, "Oh, did you enjoy your island?" And, "Oh, my husband's still there," or "Oh, my wife's still there." But the kids weren't having a good time. There's just not a lot of kid-friendly entertainment. There's history and things like that. But if you're walking and biking and shops, yeah, not a lot of transportation where the kids are going to get a break, where they're not going to be on their feet or not going to have to walk places. However, I would say in Mackinac City, which is where you're either going to from Mackinac City or St. Ignace, you're going to take the ferry over to Mackinac Island. There are three indoor water parks in Mackinac City, and so the kids really, really loved those. So, you can still take your family to the area and enjoy Mackinac City. And it's my understanding that you can get one wristband that will go to all three of those indoor water parks as well. Host: Oh, very cool. So that's something that you could go and like you said, go in the morning, go to Mackinac Island, take the family, and just plan to be there for maybe a couple of hours or where your kids' threshold is for being able to walk and pop in and out of shops, and then head back. And then you've got those really fun activities that they can kind of look forward to throughout the day. So, I think that's perfect. Guest: Exactly. Host: And we have talked about transportation. Obviously, you're either taking the ferry or you're flying over there. But do you bring your own bikes? Do they have bike rentals once you get over there? Guest: You can totally bring your own bikes. So, I think it cost — this last year, I think $16 per bike. Okay, that was more than I remembered. But anyway, it costs you to take your own bike. You can rent them over there. There are places on the island that you can rent them from as well. But don't rent them from the mainland and then take them over. It's not going to be as cost-effective. It's not really that expensive to rent the bikes on the island. The only thing I wouldn't rent the bikes is off the island and then pay to bring them over because if they break down on the island, you don't have anyone to replace that, whereas if you rent on the island, the company will ride out to you with another bike so that you can keep going. So, that is nice to know. Host: Wow, very good information. Yeah, that's a good tip. So, lodging. I know you said there are hotels or boutique hotels that you can probably stay at on Mackinac Island, which you haven't done yet. But where are you staying when you are going there in your camper? Guest: Specifically for RVing, there are RV parks on the Mackinac City side, and I think there's an RV park in St. Ignace. There's also a couple of casinos in the area that allow some overnight parking. So, if you're looking just for a quick overnight, you might be able to just pop into one of the casinos and park there overnight. I do recommend — and you know I'm not a shill for them, I worked for them, I'm done — but the best campground I think in that area is Mackinac Mill Creek. They have over a mile of their own beachfront property. So, they have a beach that you can walk your dogs on, they have a beach that's dog-free, and it's just really a beautiful place to stay if you're planning on staying for more than one or two nights. Yeah, it's kind of spaced out so the spaces feel a little bit like a state park with trees and everything, so we had a look at the other campgrounds in the area, and I think Mackinac Mill Creek by far would be the most enjoyable. Host: Awesome. And how are you getting from your campground to the ferry? Guest: So, you can take a couple of ways. If you're taking your bikes to the island, there's actually a rail trail that goes right to the ferry parking lot that you can ride your bike to the ferry parking lot and then just jump on the ferry. Otherwise, there's ferry parking pretty close by and they will shuttle you to the ferry. Or, a lot of times, campgrounds in the area have shuttles that run from their campground again to the docks. And not a lot of people know this, but there's free parking if you can get there early enough behind the Rusted Spoke. Host: That's specifically for that one ferry company, right? Guest: Yeah, they're rebranding, it's hard to keep it straight. That's specifically for that one. They are very much in competition, so you don't want to park in one slot and go to the other. Host: Very good. So, what is there to do at night? I know you guys have not stayed there and really experienced the full nightlife. I'm not sure the last ferry, so maybe what do you do right before you get on the ferry or what do you do once you get off the ferry back in the city area? Guest: Yeah, there are a lot of different restaurants there that you can go to. But if you're staying on the island, something that we would like to do the next time that we go is they have dinner at the Grand Hotel, which is very, very pricey, and you have to really dress up for it, no jeans, like you need to be wearing suit coats. So, it's again that kind of step back in time to another era. And so, that would be like a fun date night activity that you could do at the Grand Hotel. And then as far as just general activities throughout the summer, generally every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night, there are fireworks that are launched from either St. Ignace or Mackinac City. It rotates depending on the day, and you would be able to see those from the island or from either mainland. Host: Very cool, that's awesome. So, I guess transitioning, speaking about nighttime, any good sunset spots you guys have found? Guest: Pretty much everywhere, I think, because it's on like this, where the sun sets is kind of like on the water. So wherever you are, like on the beachfront, either on the island or over in Mackinac City, watching the sunset from one of those locations, you'll be able to get a good view. Host: Yeah, perfect. And now, because you guys are very budget-conscious, and if you haven't listened to episode one, make sure you do that. I have enjoyed seeing all your posts on your social media every month because you keep us updated that way, so it's really nice. But would you say the overall cost is more or less than you expected when you visited Mackinac Island? Guest: I think it's about what I expected because you are paying for the ferry and then you're paying to rent a bike, so you have to factor that in. And when you're on the island, really the only extra things that you would be paying for are activities. So, like, whether you're getting into the fort or you're paying for a horse taxi carriage ride or you're buying souvenirs from the shop. So generally, I think it was what we expected. To save probably the most amount of money and to have a good experience is to buy a ferry carriage ride combo ticket. Those are actually some pretty good deals rather than just taking the ferry and then getting to the island and deciding you want to do the carriage ride. And especially if you're not a fan of maybe biking or walking or you're not able to, that's a really great way to explore the island. Host: Perfect. Guest: One thing that is not budget-friendly is the Grand Hotel, like Kalyn said. You can't tour the hotel without paying, and then any meal there, anything that they have there, I mean, it's just... I think dinner was over $100 a person. Yeah, it's another level. Host: Is that the same thing as the castle you referenced earlier? Guest: No, you meant the fort. Oh, castle, sorry. The fort is the historical — this is a step back in time. Oh, no, no, no. Castles, forts too, though. Host: Those are definitely a step back in time. Guest: Yeah. And you can get a pass, I think, from any really the stores sell them, the campgrounds sell them. I can't remember the name of the pass, but I'll have to look it up and let you know, you can put it in the show notes. But it gives you access to the fort and to like a butterfly garden there, and to another place. So if you buy like the one-time pass, it's actually worth the that amount if you go to all the locations that are featured on the pass. Host: Awesome, very good tip. Yeah, we'll definitely link that in the show notes. Now, did you guys have to make any of your reservations ahead of time or do you feel like if you were just decided you wanted to head there you could get a ferry ticket and go on the island and enjoy the day? Guest: Yeah, you could totally buy everything day of, especially if you're getting on those first boats. Actually, if I was getting on the first boat, I'd want to buy my ferry ticket the day before. All the tickets are untimed, so you just buy it and then it's first come, first serve to actually get on the boat. So if you get there and the line is too long, you're just getting on the next boat as opposed to the first one. Yeah, and they run about every half hour to an hour. Host: Perfect. So for campsites too, are they pretty flexible? Guest: So, campsites, I would book further in advance if you are planning on staying for a weekend. If you can stay Monday to Thursday or Monday to Friday, you'd probably be fine booking anytime. I know Mackinac Mill Creek has 600, I believe, campsites, so they have the capacity, but they do fill up on the weekends, especially if there's any sort of holiday weekend going on. And so I think the other campgrounds fill up as well. But yeah, if you're staying Monday through Friday, you could just drive in and get a site. Host: Very good info. So, how about food spots? What did you guys find any favorites? Guest: Yeah, I don't know, we're not great foodies, so we eat PB&J. We do just pack sandwiches and save some money. But one of the restaurants that we did like on Mackinac Island was Millie's on Main, and we went there twice, and we got different things each time, and it was really, really good. The two fudge shops that I recommend, like I said, there's so many on the island, so you could actually just have fun sampling them all. But we really liked Sanders and Ryba's Fudge the best, so I would try those first. Host: Perfect. I'll take those recommendations, do my own little fudge tour there. Yep, it's the humidity, right? Is it really humid there or is that not so? Guest: So, we lived in Florida for six years, and it did not feel like Florida at all. So, it was interesting because when certain people would arrive there, it was never really got above 80 the whole summer, and there would be some people, and I can't remember where they were from, that would be complaining about the heat, and Kayla and I would just kind of look at each other and be like, "Where are these people from?" It's not hot. And so, it definitely didn't feel like if you're used to a Florida humid, it is nowhere near anything like that. Host: They're from northern Michigan. Guest: Probably. Host: Too funny. Alright, and if you haven't mentioned it already, any other nearby attractions either on the island itself or outside the island maybe near your campground that you haven't mentioned yet? Guest: Yeah, there is a Wilderness State Park, which you could stay there in an RV, but we found I liked the beach there the best. It was the quietest. It didn't seem like a lot of people knew it existed. So that is one place I would go. If you want more quaint towns, you can go a little bit further south of that into like Harbor Springs and Petoskey and Charlevoix. They're cute, just lakeside towns that you can visit. And then if you want to go north, kind of to the east side, we visited Drummond Island, which not a lot of people have heard about. It's very outdoorsy, like not as quaint as Mackinac Island but definitely more for like, what is it, four-wheelers, ATVs? Yeah, if you were into being more active. One thing too, one thing too with the Wilderness State Park and that area in general is the Wilderness State Park is a dark skies park. So if you are going to Northern Michigan and hoping to catch the northern lights, that is a good place to set up if you've seen that, you know, that, hey, the northern lights are possible tonight. It's a good spot to go. Host: That's very cool, and if you don't get the Northern Lights, you probably get some awesome stargazing, so take that. Perfect. So I think now we'll transition to the 321 countdown. Hey, guys, I wanted to take a quick break to tell you about Delicia Oats. We've been enjoying Delicia Oats for many years, and they have helped fuel us for those extra-long hikes. They are flavored oats that come in a pouch and are very easy to set up. Just add water, give it a shake, and let it sit overnight and enjoy the next morning. Or you can add boiling water if you like them served hot. We've also added them to our morning smoothie or sprinkled some into my yogurt for some extra flavor and to help fill me up. You can make them in less than a minute, and there is no cleanup, which is huge for us on the road. Now, if you're like me, the first question you'll ask is, how much added sugar is there? And here's a big one for me, no added sugar. They come in a variety of flavors. My personal favorite is Cherry Chocolate. Enjoy them for yourself by placing an order at DeliciaOats.com and use the coupon code PATH at checkout. That's DeliciaOats.com, D-E-L-I-C-I-A-O-A-T-S.com, and use the coupon code PATH. Alright, the final three segments of the podcast, 3-2-1 countdown. I just want to say too, you guys have rocked this interview talking about Ma Island. Thank you for being so detailed, and I feel like this is a place everyone, when they talk about going somewhere, it's out west, it's down south, but people sleep on Northern Michigan. There's a lot of cool things, fun things to do so out there. And I think we're lucky we had some insider knowledge working at a campground for a whole season. And if you're looking to go to Northern Michigan, we had it with Jim and Michelle, episode six or seven, I believe, and they talked about Upper Peninsula, and there really wasn't much overlap here. We could really listen to both episodes and have completely different things to do. So if you're going to do an extended stay there, definitely tune in. But we'll start wrapping this thing up here. So, what are three things you're packing when you're heading to Mackinac Island? Guest: I think number one is if you do have your own bike, pack your bike because that's hands down the best way to visit the island in our opinion. Dress in warm layers because you've got sometimes a cold ferry ride out in the morning and a cold ferry ride back in the evening, and then it will warm up throughout the day. And then good walking shoes, whether you're biking or walking, make sure you're really comfy as you're getting around the island. Host: Nice, bring your own bike, good walking shoes, and warm clothes. What are two complaints somebody might have or things they should be prepared for before visiting? Guest: So, it's an island where the primary source of transportation for a lot of things is horses, so it's going to smell like two things on the island, especially as the day goes on. It's going to smell like fudge and it's going to smell like horse poo. So that, a lot of people, they come back and they're like, "I wasn't prepared for that." So, again, if you go early, a lot of the horse poo isn't out yet, it's been cleaned up from the day before. But as the day goes on, it's going to smell a little bit more. And along those same lines, don't step in the mud puddles because they're not water. And then the second one is the Grand Hotel. A lot of people go expecting to be able to, "Hey, we're going to get to walk around the Grand Hotel, see a tour," and whatnot, and they're surprised that A, it costs money, and B, there's a dress code. At certain, is it all day to get in the Grand Hotel? The dress code, I think it's more at night. Host: Yeah. Guest: But, you know, they're just surprised that they can't go in in their shorts and a t-shirt. But you can walk the grounds, like the courtyard, which is very beautiful. So, smell some of the restrictions at the hotel, maybe a bonus would be bugs if you go at a certain time of year. Host: Yes, that's an interesting combination, horse poo and fudge, and don't get them confused which way you're downwind from. We've talked about a lot of things to do on Mackinac Island, but what is one thing, if you had to pick one thing, you could not leave without doing? Guest: The eight-mile perimeter bike ride. Yeah, I know we keep bringing up bikes, but it truly is so enjoyable. And you start in the town, and then you kind of get out of town, and you just have trees overhanging and you're by the lake the whole time. And it's, again, with that back in time feeling with you being on a bike and not driving, the perimeter, it really helps you just slow down and savor and enjoy the experience. Host: That's great. That does sound, I feel like it sounds like a really great place, but when you bring the factor that there's no cars, it just makes it that much more kind of alluring and desirable to go to, just to take a step out of for a little while and get on an island where you're riding bikes, it's horseback sounds like a really wonderful place. Guest: Yeah. Host: Well, guys, thank you for being so thorough with this podcast. We definitely want to add this to a stop at some point. And guys, if you're listening to this podcast right now, you saw, you heard how thorough they just were, and the part one was exactly the same. They shared their story on how they started out, how everything from budgeting and their entire basically their five past five years traveling full-time. So definitely tune in to that one. And Joe and Kayin, before we let you go, where can our audience find out more about you guys? Guest: Yeah, we're on YouTube, youtube.com/openroading, and same place on Instagram at openroading. And we respond to DMs there primarily. Host: Awesome. Alright, guys, thanks again. Guest: Yeah, thank you so much for having us. This was a lot of fun.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
21. The Workamping King & Budgeting Queen @OpenRoading 58:17

51 weeks ago58:17

58:17

www.atravelpath.com https://delicioats.com?sca_ref=2606128.heLxZNHtFu Use Code “PATH” Welcome back Pathfinders! Today we have a great episode in store with Joe and Kalyn from Open Roading. Going Full Time Open Roading originally only planned on traveling for a year, but they soon fell in love with the lifestyle. Learn about how they were able to continue traveling and some of the obstacles they had to overcome that almost sent them back home. Workamping From python catching to gate guarding to a beet harvest, we discuss a ton of information about getting into workamping. We discuss the requirements to get into this industry as well as websites you can use to find jobs. And of course, I couldn’t change the subject without asking them their favorite and least favorite workamping jobs! Budgeting If you are familiar with their Instagram or YouTube, you’ll know that Open Roading are very detailed and open about their budget. We break down what a typical month looks like for them, and talk about some of the things they are spending most of their money on, like health insurance, fuel, and internet. Open Roading also shares their favorite budgeting app to make budgeting easier for them. The biggest takeaway I found here was that they meet with each other once a week to go over their budget. Most people will sit down on a monthly basis to go over this. You could almost hear the glass shatter as I came to the realization that if you only sit down once a month and are setting a monthly budget, it really doesn’t do you any good… Routines We talk about the importance of having routines while traveling. Although it can be difficult because they are never in the same place for long, Open Roading provides us with some insight on some things you can do stay consistent. For example, you can always wake up early, schedule a meeting, and exercise or take the dog for a walk (weather permitting!) YouTube Open Roading has made three attempts with YouTube after getting burned out and pumping the brakes a few times. In their latest effort, they have been met with some pretty big success. We discuss what they have done differently this time around as well as some of the reasons they believe their channel didn’t take off at first. And much more! Chapters · 00:00 Introduction · 04:30 What is Work Camping? · 08:00 Gate Guarding · 09:15 Work Camping Requirements · 13:00 Favorite/Least Favorite Work Camping Jobs · 16:00 Balancing Work Camping with Exploring · 17:15 Biggest Challenges to Start Traveling · 18:45 How Did You Know When You Were Ready to Hit the Road? · 20:30 What Adjustments Did You Make to Continue Traveling? · 23:30 Delicioats “PATH” · 24:30 What Are Your Biggest Travel Frustrations? · 26:15 What Are Your Most Helpful Travel Routines? · 27:30 What Do You Love Most About Your Travel Lifestyle? · 29:45 How Long Do You Plan on Continuing Full Time Travel For? · 30:45 Budgeting · 35:00 What Are Your Favorite Money Saving Travel Hacks? · 39:30 What Is It Like Traveling with a Bunny & Dog? · 42:00 What Has Been Your Coolest Travel Experience? · 45:15 What Can You & Can’t You Live Without? · 48:15 What Tools Should Every RV Owner Have? · 49:15 How Have You Been Successful Your 3rd Time Around with YouTube? · 53:00 How to Start Planning · 54:45 Influential YouTube Channels Open Roading on Social · YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OpenRoading · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openroading Videos From Open Roading · 5 Years of RV Life Cost: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVHSnw-1jI4 · Solar Setup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5De9SPEddfc · Clouds Rest Hike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX0dv05Z6yA&t=683s · Gypsum Cave: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ajkUK1Iarg&t=135s · How Much We Make on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5h49_LH4Ag Work Camping · Kamper News: https://www.workamper.com/ · Workamping Jobs with Wages: https://www.facebook.com/groups/workampingjobswithwages/ · Workampers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weloveworkamping/ · The UNBEETABLE Experience: https://www.theunbeetableexperience.com/ · Mackinac Mill Creek Campground: https://www.campmackinaw.com/ Budgeting · You Need a Budget: https://kalynbrooke.com/refer/YNAB Camping/Boondocking · Harvest Host: https://www.harvesthosts.com/ · Boondockers Welcome: https://www.boondockerswelcome.com/ Internet · Starlink Roam Plan: https://www.starlink.com/roam Favorite Experiences · The Presidential Chain Trail: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/new-hampshire/presidential-traverse-trail · Channel Islands National Park: https://www.nps.gov/chis/index.htm What Can’t You Live Without? · Portable Waste Tank · Solar Panels What Have You Learned You Don’t Need? · Extra Clothes YouTube Channels · Less Junk More Journey: https://www.youtube.com/@LessJunkMoreJourney · Kara and Nate: https://www.youtube.com/@KaraandNate · Flying the Nest: https://www.youtube.com/@flyingthenest Books · Alyssa Padgett RVing Across America: https://amzn.to/43bcV7B · (Commissions may be earned through purchases on this page) Music · Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/rocky-mountains Disclaimer *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision. Transcript Host: Joe and Kalyn, welcome to a travel path podcast. Guest: Thanks so much for having us on. Yes, it's so exciting to be here with you. Host: Yeah, we're looking forward to getting to know you guys. Um, so we know you guys on Instagram as Open Roading. You guys turned a year-long road trip into just about five years full-time in your fifth wheel. You post content on your YouTube channel, everything from RV how-tos to work camping, and very detailed budgeting videos, which I'll tell our audience right now to make sure they pay close attention to once that part comes. Um, but no pressure on you guys. Um, and I know you're very hard to miss driving down the road with your fifth wheel and your setup with your motorcycle attached to the front of your truck, so clearly, anything is possible. Um, but yeah, why don't we start by having you share a little about yourselves and letting your audience know what your current travel lifestyle looks like. Guest: Sure. So, we both grew up in Upstate New York. That's where we met, and then we ended up transitioning down to Florida, just love the Sunshine State, and that's when we started thinking about a potential travel lifestyle. She says "we," she means her; I was the one that started the conversation, like, "Hey, wouldn't this be cool?" And Joseph was still working at the time, so he was in the news industry as a videographer. And um, eventually, I was, you know, working on my online business. I had a blog that I was writing on different articles and starting to earn some money with that, and it got to the point where it was a full-time income, and Joseph could come home and work on it with me. And that was kind of the catalyst for like, okay, like, can I convince you now that we can get an RV? We don't, you know, have jobs that are tied outside our house. We can work from anywhere with a good cell phone connection. And so in 2019, that's when we started off. Yeah, and it was a whirlwind for that first year. We were traveling like every five days, and because we didn't have much black tank capacity, basically, we always had to dump and fill, so it was like every five days, why not move somewhere else? And we were trying to do the YouTube content all at the same time, and we really got burnt out over that first year. And then we tried again with YouTube a little while later, got burnt out again. So, our travel style now is a lot different than it used to be. Like now, we are trying to settle into a travel style where we only move every about two weeks, maybe 10 days if there's a reason. But two weeks is kind of what we're trying to get into, where we can kind of settle into a place, still do our work, you know, do a 30, 40-hour-a-week job from the RV, and then continue on. Host: Very cool. I'm not sure if you noticed there was a thumbs-down sign that got sent. I don't know if that was you or me, but that we were not giving you a thumbs down. I don't know where that came from, but that was weird. Guest: We have somebody watching, so weird. Host: Yeah, well, great. So, every two weeks or so, that's the path we want to take on this next trip. Is it... it would be a lot more relaxing going at that pace as opposed to getting up and going every... I mean, we were going every like two days when we were traveling. But our next approach will be closer to a week, maybe two weeks if we're lucky. Um, but you guys do a lot of work camping. What is that? Or maybe not so much anymore 'cause you guys are done with that now. We'll get into that later on, but what is work camping? Guest: We didn't actually start out work camping. We actually... because we were self-funded by my online business, and then Covid hit and the economy tanked, and we realized that our funding was not working and not as much anymore. And so that's where we started to look at how can we stay on the road as much as possible and also earn money with it. So, work camping is basically you work for someone else, like a campground, a state park, or even agricultural work with the beet harvest. And they are providing a place for you to stay for free, sometimes more. Resorts offer a discounted site. They don't exactly provide free housing. And then some jobs, you'll also get an hourly wage on top of the free housing. So, it's a really neat way to be able to still travel around the country, but yet you have these seasonal jobs and commitments throughout the year. Host: And how are you finding these jobs? Guest: Oh, this is all you. Yeah, there's a few different websites that I really, really like. So, one is Camper News, which is with a K, camper with a K, and sign up for their newsletter because they send out once-a-week emails organized by state, what kind of jobs are out there. And there is anything from, "We need help in the camp store for a campground in northern Michigan," to "Python control in the Everglades." So, you get a wide variety of opportunities through that. So, that's probably my favorite. And then, I would recommend two work camping Facebook groups, which is Work Camping Jobs with Wages and Work Campers. Both of those, people that are like management and owners of campgrounds or even farms that are wanting ranch hands, they are posting in there, like, "Hey, we'd love a camper to come for the summer or the winter season to work with us." And I think most of those, you can correct me if I'm wrong, are like resorts, campgrounds, ranch hands, stuff like that. Gate guarding isn't so much in that. You'd have to look specifically. We've been doing some gate guarding for the past three months. You kind of have to look for the gate guarding Facebook groups for those. And then the beet harvest is kind of its own animal. They have... it's a... if you just search the unbeetable experience M, um, that's a one-month-long work camping gig in several different locations across the northern US for sugar beet harvest. But look specifically for either of those, and you'll find those as well. Host: And are you able to negotiate at all, or is there so much demand for it that on the work side, that you kind of... you're stuck with what they're giving you? Guest: We never negotiated. We did with one, and we didn't get the job. So either we're really bad at negotiating, or... But I do think there is room, specifically in maybe the gate guarding, but it depends on demand at the time. So, in the summertime for gate guarding, we've been told it pays more because nobody wants to be down in Texas in the middle of the summer. But in the wintertime, there's a lot of people down there who are looking for jobs, and so actually, the pay goes down. And you can easily have a job if you're not taking what they offer, but you can still be picky about the jobs that you take. Like, you don't work for a specific company and have to go to each rig. It's they'll call you and say, "Hey, we have this gate available for you. Would you like it?" And you can say yes or no based on your criteria. And if people aren't familiar with what gate guarding is... Basically, it depends on the job that you have, but it's usually for the energy industry, the electric companies, or oil patch drilling sites. And you're basically just like checking people in and out, making sure that only the right people are there to work and keep the people out that are not supposed to be there. And our recent gate guarding job that we just finished was actually just security for an electric company, just watching their equipment, so we didn't have to check anyone in and out for that one. Host: Very cool to get started with work camping. Are there any general requirements or certifications you need just to get started, or does that all depend on the job category? Guest: It really depends on the job category, but I think the number one thing is a self-contained RV, one that has its own water tanks and waste tanks. We saw many, many work camping jobs that were just like "no tents," a lot of times no vans, no truck campers, unless maybe you could prove that it was completely self-contained. So, I would say that's the big one. Other than that, you just kind of look at each individual job. Yeah, and for gate guarding specifically, you actually do need a Level II security course for Texas at least.nYeah, for Texas, you need to take that, you need to take a drug test and screening. There's a security application so there's a little bit more involved with that one. Host: Okay, and then for the python control, you just can't be afraid of snakes, right? Guest: Yeah, um, crazy. Host: So, it sounds like... I was going to ask, does the work camping dictate where you travel, or the other way around? But it sounds like you're finding out where these jobs are and then you're heading in that direction. Guest: Yeah, that's what we try to do, I guess. At least like, what area do we want to explore and be in and would be satisfied to be stationary for six months. Host: Is that the typical time frame, six months? Guest: It depends a lot on what the job is, like if it's a seasonal campground, they're going to want you for the entire season. So, like, your Florida campgrounds are going to want you for the entire winter and up in Michigan, they wanted you from April through September or October. So, we specifically wanted to go to Michigan because we wanted to spend the summer near Mackinac Island and then that was close to the Beet Harvest. So, we just kind of did our planning ahead. We're like, well, we know we can get a job at the Beet Harvest because we did that the year before. So, we went from there to North Dakota and then for our goal that you talked about earlier, like, we were like, well, to make the most money to save would be gate guarding so we knew we'd need to head to different locations. Like, the agricultural jobs like with the Beet Harvest, that all depends on the harvest, the length of time, like how good is the weather for you to be able to go harvest. So, it typically takes two to three weeks for the Beet Harvest. There's more volunteer positions with state parks and national park services that usually require like a one to two month commitment at a time. And then the gate guarding, I mean they ask for a 30-day commitment and our first job was done after 12 days and then the next job lasted like 83 days so that's more of a wide range there. So, you just never know. Host: I feel like we're talking a lot about work camping, but I'm interested in it. It sounds... I hadn't really heard much about it. So, about six months roughly? I mean, it depends a lot on what the job is, but how soon before you start working are you looking and applying for those jobs? Guest: That's a good question. A lot of it depends on the season, to be honest. If you're applying for a winter job in Florida, Texas, Arizona at one of the resorts, not so much the gate guarding, but those resort-style RV park jobs generally a year in advance, you want to start looking. It doesn't mean you might not be able to get one a couple weeks before, you know, because somebody didn't come or somebody had committed and just backed out. But about a year before for those, for the summer jobs, a month before, there you'll still see places hiring, again, depending on the location. If it's a very in-demand location, they're going to have their stuff down right earlier, but cool, good enough. Host: What have been your favorite and least favorite jobs? Guest: That's a really tough one. So, I did the majority of the work camping because I was trying to bring in a second income while Kalyn was working on turning her business around. It's tough because my favorite job was the one at the campground in Michigan, but that one also was just something that it was like meeting our monthly expenses, you know, it was just kind of there to help supplement. It wasn't helping us put money aside for our future goals. So, when we finished the work camping job in Michigan, we kind of felt like we were still at the same place we were when we started that job, as opposed to like making progress financially. So, I really got to work with people, got to have front-facing customer service type stuff which I really enjoy. So, it was my favorite, but if I'm trying to save money for something then I would go with the gate guarding just because it's the easiest way, you're not having any expenditures really, you're just sitting there and making money, almost printing money in our second gate guarding job. But the first gate guarding job, I think, was our least favorite. I actually worked that one because it was a 24/7. So, we're there at the rig, we cannot leave together, we, it's like a constant, no time off. He's either sleeping or working, I'm either sleeping or working, and it just, even though it only lasted 12 days, was so exhausting. And it wasn't a busy gate. There are oil rigs we were checking in between 40 and 60 cars a day. There are rigs called fracking rigs where they have like over 100 cars or 150 cars coming in and out a day that you're checking in and out. So, we had an easy gate and we were exhausted after 12 days. Host: Yeah, no, it sounds like it's a great opportunity, like you said, you were working full time, Kalyn, and then once your online business slowed down a little bit, you picked up this gig and it sounds like it's great for someone either starting out without that income or in your situation, you had to make that adjustment. And even if you have, it's even better if you have somebody who is working full time and then you have someone else like a spouse or a partner who is doing the work camping and you're getting a free site so your housing is basically free and you have that other source of income. Guest: I did want to chime in there, are probably the majority of work camping positions look for couples. It doesn't mean the singles aren't out there because we're a prime example of that, like almost all our positions were singles, but Beat Harvest prefers couples over singles. A lot of the campgrounds prefer couples just because it's an RV site that they're providing and they want to have two people working from it. But don't let that deter you if you're a hardworking individual from applying anyway and saying, "Hey, I'm a super hardworking individual. I'm willing to work X number of hours a week and you can find a job." Host: Were you able to have a good balance of kind of work and play when you're doing that? Like, in other words, would you work at this place for however long you were assigned that location then would you take some time off in between and explore? Or how did you balance your work and your travel lifestyle? Guest: Yeah, that's what we did with the work camping. I felt like with the Michigan campground, it was a very nice balance of working and then being able to explore the area. When it came to like Beet Harvest and gate guarding, it was more you're just exploring in between driving to and from actual job locations. So, like when Beet Harvest was in North Dakota and the gate guarding, which was the next job was in Texas, so we kind of stopped on a couple places on the way down and then it was heads-down work again until gate guarding was done. Host: You touched on it a little bit and I do want to dial this back to where this thing started because point of this podcast is we're helping people who want to reach their travel goals. They haven't quite gotten there yet, but they're listening to this because they want to get to traveling and reach their travel goals. So, you were starting out, you had this dream to go traveling, you were working on your blog, and you were, you ultimately had a full-time income that could support your travel lifestyle. So that's how you were funding your travels, yes. But what were some of the biggest challenges you faced in getting on the road? Guest: This is kind of an interesting one. I feel like it was telling people that we were changing our lifestyle. It's a big hurdle to be able to go to people that you had commitments to and be like, "You know, we're selling our house, we're leaving the area, we're going to be traveling full time." And then it's even a little bit tougher too when you say, "We're doing it for like a year and then we'll see what happens." And now we're almost, you know, five years in and we're still not done. So, it's definitely having that conversation with people because they don't always understand like why can't you just do one to two vacations a year like normal people, you know, and have a house, an actual house. So that was probably the most challenging part. And then I would say on the road, staying on the road, something that I wish we had known before going on is that especially when you work for yourself, your income can really ebb and flow. And have a game plan, have multiple streams of income, you know, if you're getting on the road because you've spent years building a savings for a specific number of months, what are you going to do after that to fund? Just kind of like having a future game plan in mind of how you're going to be able to maintain staying on the road. It's like getting on the road is one thing but then being able to stay traveling is another. Host: How did you know you were ready? Was it just a matter of how much you were making with your business? Did you have a number in mind and you said, "We're ready"? Or how did you know when it was time to hit the road? Guest: I think when the right RV popped up. Yeah, we had a list of things that needed to happen, and one by one, they just started happening. We had a property in New York that we didn't think would sell because of the economy in New York, and it had been on the market for a long time, and it sold. Then we had an RV. We wanted to get an RV, but we had a specific list of, like, it needs to be this, it needs to be in our price range, which was not super high, and it popped up. The couple that was selling it was like, we told them we can't buy it until we sell our house, and they're like, "Oh, yeah, no problem." You know, and they actually sent us the deed in Florida before we even paid them a dime, so that we could get it registered. And it was just a super awesome couple, and like, everything just started falling into place. I'm like, "Oh, now's the time." And it solidifies that you're making the right decision, too. Host: Sure. And once that house sells, you don't have much of a choice. Guest: Yeah, now that doesn't mean we didn't have like nights of like tears or like, did we do the right thing, or freak out or anything like that. We totally went through all of that the first couple of months of travel, just like as we were getting used to everything. Host: Well, I'm glad you say that because I've had those exact same thoughts, too, so it makes me feel better. Did you have to make any adjustments? So your original plan was to do a one-year-long road trip. You decided to extend it, obviously. Were there any adjustments you had to make to extend that and to keep going? Guest: We had to, um, because we wanted to, like, Boondock more, I would say. We invested in... This is going to be like TMI, but, like, a portable black tank so that we could go longer because that was one of the things, like we had mentioned before, we were traveling, we thought this was going to only be one year, so that's where we're traveling every, like, four to five days. Um, and then we realized we wanted to slow down, we wanted this to be a lifestyle, and so we started buying things that would help us stay in places longer. Um, so things like that, yeah, the portable black tank, a macerator pump, a, uh, we have water storage that we have in the back of the RV, those are the only things that we really, we did buy a generator too, yeah, we bought a small generator, we have a, we have, we call it a minimal solar setup. It keeps us going, but it's not anywhere near what like some of these people have where the whole roof is covered in solar panels. Um, but the other transition I would say happened longer than a year, and that actually had to do with the work camping and everything, where we realized over the past year that if we want to keep doing this, we need to bring in another income stream. And so that has come down to, uh, YouTube and treating it as a full-time job to get that second income stream in so that we don't end up off the road because we literally did almost end up off the road uh, this last year. Host: Yeah, yeah, keeps it exciting. Guest: Oh, yeah. When, so when your back's against the wall like you try to do everything, yeah, now you got to find a way. Host: You'd mentioned you like the water jugs. You, you, it seems like when we watch your videos, you have a couple of almost unique and original ideas. Like the one I'm thinking of is you have that it's almost like a 2x4 and a string of like 5-gallon water drums in the back of your truck for extra water. Do you think of that yourselves or where do you come up with these ideas? Guest: That some people transport water with a like a 60-gallon water bladder. Some people transport water with a like a 60-gallon water bladder, to bring it from point A to point B. My problem with that is I can't, um, I can't functionally keep a 60-gallon water bladder full in the back of the pickup while on a travel day. Like, I want to have the RV full of water, and then I want to have extra storage. And so that's why we went with those, uh, with those, uh, six-gallon jugs in the back. And the 2x4 between it is literally when those jugs are empty and we haul the RV, they blow right out, like without the RV, they stay there fine. But when the RV is there, some wind suction comes in and just sucks them right out, uh, so the 2x4 is literally just to keep them from flying away. Host: Did you learn that the hard way? Guest: Yes, yes, on a, on a, like, 10-degree day. And so when The Jug hit the pavement, it shattered basically, yeah. Host: Oh, man. Oh, it was full. Guest: No. No, it was, it was empty, but it was, it was just so brittle. Brittle plastic and 60 miles an hour, just broken into a few pieces. Host: Hey, guys, I wanted to take a quick break to tell you about Delicia oats. We've been enjoying Delicia oats for many years, and they have helped fuel us for those extra long hikes. They are flavored oats that come in a pouch and are very easy to set up. Just add water, give it a shake, and let it sit overnight and enjoy the next morning. Or you can add boiling water if you like them served hot. We've also added them to our morning smoothie, or I'll sprinkle some into my yogurt for some extra flavor and to help fill me up. You can make them in less than a minute, and there is no cleanup, which is huge for us on the road. Now, if you're like me, the first question you'll ask is how much added sugar is there? And here's a big one for me: no added sugar. They come in a variety of flavors. My personal favorite is Cherry Chocolate. Enjoy them for yourself by placing an order at Delicia oats.com and use the coupon code PATH at checkout. That's Delicia oats.com, D-L-I-C-I-O-A-T-S.com, and use the coupon code PATH. Host: Well, on that note, we'll fast forward a little bit, talking about your past. We'll fast forward to kind of the future and leading up to where you are now. What have been some of the biggest frustrations you faced and currently face while traveling? Guest: I would say our current struggle is balancing the work and the play side of things because, like, we've got sort of three types of days. We've got work days, we've got travel days, which will take a lot out of you, and then you have adventure days and exploring days. And so trying to make sure that, okay, we need to get in like five to six good work days that doesn't leave... that leaves room for maybe one travel day a week or, you know, one adventure day a week. Kind of have to choose, so it's not... I used to go into a location saying we have a list of like 10 to 12 things that we have to hit, and that's not enjoyable because we're so stressed trying to make time for it all. And now it's like I have a list of 10 to 12 things, but it's like we've prioritized them now, okay, these are the top three, and if we have time, we'll go to the next one on the list. And that's made a little bit easier. And this is somewhat Creator-focused but also being able to have an adventure day that isn't for YouTube. So getting to a location being like, okay, we want to put this in a YouTube video, this particular hike or whatever it is, but then we also want to go on a hike together where we don't have the stress of also trying to create content. That was something we failed on our first attempt to, maybe second attempt at YouTube, is we were just trying to film everything, which was just adding extra stress because we weren't actually having a day to ourselves. Host: Yeah, I know, Kalyn, you have your business. It's you're helping women with planning, scheduling, and routines throughout their day, so clearly, I would assume like routines are your forte. Have you discovered any routines that have helped you specifically with travel? Guest: Yeah, and we're also like implementing routines now that we're done gate guarding and work camping in general and we're on the same schedule because we were just on opposite shifts for so long. But the key to staying on the same page has been weekly meetings. As we plan our week, we go through okay, where are we traveling this week? What are our adventure days this week? What are our deadlines for work stuff this week? And making sure that we're on the same page, that everything's getting done. And then like a quick five-minute meeting in the morning. But I would say morning routines too have been really good for us. Just getting up at the same time, taking our dog Trinity for a walk or going running, and having breakfast, and then getting to work and just kind of having that stability because on the road, you don't have a lot of that all the time. You know, things are changing. We don't have a laundry day because it really depends when we can get to town, you know, to do laundry. So there's not those routines, but we try to establish structure, sure, where we can. Host: So you put the routines in where you can control. You can't control where you are or what's around you, but you can control when you wake up, you can control those meetings wherever they are, um, and just that gives you more structure throughout your day. That's great. Um, what do you guys love most about your travel lifestyle? Guest: I love the fact that we have a different backyard every couple of weeks. So we are very active people. When we're in our best element, we like going on hikes and exploring places. And when you're in the same place for years at a time, you run out of hiking trails, at least within a short distance. So the fact that we get to a new place, it's like, okay, now everything behind us is new, even just taking the dog for a walk. It's going to be a completely new area that we're exploring, even before going on a hike. And I think the other thing is just like getting to get a broader perspective on the country as a whole. And someday, maybe the world if we ever do any world travel. But just being able to see like, oh, this is where your food comes from, to sound super simple, like I grew up in the country so I was aware of some of that. But like you go to different states and see how different people live, and it just gives a broader perspective on how our country works and how people work and how people can work together. Host: Same thing, Kalyn? Guest: Yes. Sorry. Sorry. I was like, he's taking that question. If he wasn't going to mention the broader perspective, I was going to chime in with that one. But yeah, even things that we knew nothing about, like, su... Yeah, we had no idea there were sugar beets that people literally were eating sugar from sugar beets. So that's like a whole thing that you learn, the oil industry, you know, all the workers that come together and the things they do on the oil patch. So it's... It's... you really get to see like the American work ethic. Host: Yeah, that, and I think going back to work camping, that's... that gives you those experiences at a deeper level. Like, yeah, you're in these areas, you can see things kind of from a distance, but when you're actually working those jobs, doing the gate guarding and doing the beet harvest, gives you even more of an appreciation for those things. That's great. You had mentioned world travels in your future, so how long do you plan on continuing this travel lifestyle for? Guest: It's unknown. It's unknown. As long as we are capable of, and Kalyn and, you know, things align, eventually, we'll probably transition into more like 80% travel and 20% at some sort of home base that we can come back to, especially if we start adding international trips, um, just to have a place where you have the same doctor's appointments and dentists and, and can come back and kind of recover before you go out again. So that's what we see happening in our future. I think no matter what it looks like, travel will always be a part of our lifestyle. Host: Yeah, that's great. We'll transition, we'll switch to budgeting tips, and I'll just remind our audience you're going to want to bring your pen and paper for this section here because you guys post on your YouTube and your Instagram, you guys are very thorough. You have not only monthly expenses but you break it down what you're spending money on, you have how much you're making with YouTube with work camping, your whole Alaska budget. We'll dig into. So breaking it down, stripping it down to kind of a monthly or weekly budget, what does that look like? Guest: Well, obviously, it's going to be different for everyone, but for us personally, for someone who tries to be really budget conscious, doesn't have like a truck payment or an RV payment, and also tries to do as many free activities as possible, we spend about $3,500 to $4,000 a month. And that includes everything. It includes health insurance, vehicle insurance. I think sometimes when people say, like, well, you know, this is what you can find that you'll typically spend in the RV lifestyle, they're not necessarily including everything that maybe $3,500 to $4,000 roughly. Host: And keep in mind, everyone, that's without the RV, that's without the truck payment either. Guest: Which we don't... we don't have any payments on those. Host: Yes, that's outside of that. So if you were going to finance just... you want to factor that into was that budget a little bit tighter when you started out? Have you been able to loosen that up since you've... own your business? Guest: It's actually a little bit tighter now because... I mean, everyone's feeling the effects of inflation and we recently did a... um... five years of RV life costs and at the beginning of RV life, we were spending probably around $350 for groceries, which was just food. And now we're struggling to come in under 500 a month for the two of us. So it's not like we've changed our practices, I think it's just that inflation coming through. Host: Yeah, yeah. Do you have any budget apps or tools that have helped you track your expenses? Guest: We highly, highly recommend You Need A Budget. Um, it is an annual fee, I think it's like last I paid was like $106. So it is a little pricey, but it takes... it connects all your credit cards and bank accounts, import the transactions automatically, very easy to reconcile and categorize things. And I think it's why we've been able to stay on top of all those numbers because we know exactly like where they're being attributed, um, so that would... I absolutely love that app and maybe they'll sponsor us in the future. We'd be totally game for that. I just love that you keep saying we track, we track this, we... I'm the one hiccup in the budgeting process. She does it. It takes her like 15 minutes every Friday to check in, do everything, and probably 10 of those 15 minutes are locating receipts that I've misplaced. Host: Yeah, I don't miss the days of scanning receipts and to get the copy online, and yeah, that's just painful. So, I was going to ask, my next question was how much time, so you're spending about 15 minutes a week, so about an hour a month, sounds like you've come up with a system where doing it per week is more efficient than just holding everything for the end of the month. Guest: Yeah, and because you can check, because you check in more often, you can pivot quicker, you know, if you see something like, "Oh, you know, our eating out spending is getting a little out of control," and we're halfway through the month, we know to rain it in and eat more at home. So, the more check-ins you can have, I think, I mean if you want a check-in daily, if you feel like that gives you peace of mind, do it daily, but we found like, I've found that Weekly a good Cadence. Host: That is a good point yeah checking in once a week because if you set a weekly or a monthly budget of you know 300 bucks for going out to eat but you only touch touch base every month then it's kind of pointless so actually doing that per week and then yeah that's a good tip right there yeah awesome um what has been some of the best travel hacks you've come across that have helped you save money? Guest: Boondocking one 1,00% boondocking we have so you can Boondock people Boondock with generators I don't recommend it but you can get a solar setup for your RV uh and it doesn't have to be the $50,000 solar setup like we set up our solar system I installed it myself so I did save myself some money there but for $6,000 we didn't have to use a generator our whole first couple years um we if we ever got close to the batteries running low which was rare we would get a campground for a night plug in get everything back up but but um but now we even have just a I think it's like a $800 or even less $300 generator that we can just use to charge us up if we have a couple cloudy days in a row but for that $66,000 we have 700 Watts almost 700 watts of solar and three 100 amp hour batteries um an inverter converter Char inverter charger converter something um does everything clearly he's an expert yes clearly and uh but it has run flawless for the 5 years that that we've been rving and you don't need all the fancy smancy now we also don't have uh some power sucking things like we don't have electronic uh stoves like it's a gas stove and and things like that and we also don't have a giant TV uh if you have a giant TV and that's a necessity then you might need more battery I don't know how much they take and we have the typical RV gas gas electric fridge that we just r on gas for we boondocking nice and I'm sure there's a video on there we'll Link in the show notes that you guys posted and you said $50,000 that's how much those things cost be50 Grand think that's a little I've seen I've seen I've seen at least $25,000 solar setups that people have like when their whole roof is covered in solar panels and they've got 12 batteries underneath like as a general rule when we started rving as a general rule 100 amp hours of battery was $1,000 that has gone down depending on the brand of battery you get um but yeah you can you can get expensive in a hurry with a solar setup. Host: Sounds like it yeah um and you did it for six grand setting up yourself the um so you talked about boondocking are you boondocking because obviously that replaces your camping expense how often are you boondocking when you're when you reference that $3,500 to $4,000 monthly? Guest: Um budget most of the time yeah it's we we Boondock unless we absolutely cannot it is obviously harder when you're closer to cities or East Coast or on the East Coast we will like stay probably an hour and a half sometimes two hours outside of where we want to go just so we can Boondock because it's it saves more money to even pay the gas to get there in back than it is in the campground fees that are usually near CI so we do that and there's also um Harvest host and boondockers welcome that you can take advantage of as well um so staying in people's driveways and sometimes it's fun to like just meet new people and and get to know others on the road so that's an option too. Host: Wow so that's almost 4,000 you're spending a month and that's really not including um housing or or finding a place to stay so your biggest expense is probably fuel groceries and you said your health insurance? Guest:Yep yep health insurance I was when we have starlink turned on for internet then our internet sell bill is expensive um because starlink itself is is $150 a month but we've opted for the ram plan so you can turn it off um like every month you can decide whether you want to keep it going or turn it off and so if we're on the East Coast where we have Verizon sell signal and T-Mobile sell signal then we'll turn it off and save that money there well when we have all three running that's going to be about 300 a month to 4 just for just for Internet yep. Host: Wow yeah like I said very thorough thank you guys for sharing so much detail on everything that's that should give everyone a really good idea of how much this lifestyle can cost um so you guys travel with Trinity your dog and Cody your bunny what's it like traveling with two pets like that and do you want to share how you came across Trinity or rather how Trinity found you? Guest: Yeah, that's, yeah, CU, she was at an oil pad for our first gate guarding job, and as people were showing us the ropes, we're like, "Is this your dog? Whose dog is it?" And they're like, "Nope, it just kind of hangs around here." And we got to know some of the workers, and they're like, "Yeah, she's been hanging around here for a few months," and she just seemed to get really attached to us. So we provided her water, um, she slept in our chair, she slept in our outdoor chair, and started providing her some food. But the problem is, we were like, we have a rabbit, and dogs and rabbits don't necessarily get along, so that's one of the things where really, really, really worried about if we kept her. And we weren't looking for a dog. Um, we've always had rabbits since we've been married. So we actually ended up, like, outside the shelter, and we couldn't go through with it. We just couldn't drop her off because we obviously didn't want her to stay there on the oil pad trying to get scraps from trucks and sleeping by Slo pipe and like we wanted to get her a good home. Um, and yeah, we couldn't go through with the shelter, and so like, well, we'll give it a shot. And we just slowly introduced them. And now it's to the place where we don't completely 100% trust her alone with the rabbit, like we put barriers in place, doors pens just just to make sure. But that's not based on her, that's just based on better part of wisdom, knowing that instinct is a thing. She's never done anything like Cody literally will jump off the couch onto her sleeping, yeah, and she'll jump up, you know, like what happened, but there's not like anger or growl or anything. So, and so it's nice that they are able to to live together and it also makes travel days a lot easier too because like Trinity can lay on the back seat of the truck and Cody's kind of in the in the back of the truck on the bottom on the floor um, and he can hop around and they're totally fine. So, it worked out really well and we love her and she's a great addition of the family. Host: That's funny, unlikely companions. Guest: Yes. Host: I feel like if if if we brought our dog into a camper with a rabbit that place would get flipped upside down faster than we could even imagine. Guest: I think that would happen if a cat strolled into the camper she's not a cat fan. Host: What has been your coolest travel experience so far? Guest: H, we have two, can we have two? Host: Yep. Guest: I would, you want to do yours? Sure. So, we did, uh, was this two years ago, yeah, we did did close to your neck of the woods actually we did the presidential chain Trail in New Hampshire in the White Mountains. It's about a 21 22 mile hike and we set off at 5 6 in the morning and we had high hopes that we were going to be done by Sundown uh, we finished at about 4:30 the following morning um, Kalyn injured her knee about halfway through uh, we got up to the summit of Mount Washington and there actually is a tourist area there in roads and and we considered like do we jump off and it was at that we try to hit your ride back ride and Kalyn was at that point she's like no we I'm gonna do this I'm never gonna try this again we're gonna do it so she hoofed another 11 miles um through the dark for most of that and then we we got back and when we got down to the bottom her mom actually texted her and she's like oh I'm so glad you're back it looks like it's about to rain and we had the motorcycle and so we're like well we got to book it to our Campground so we booked it there and just the feeling of accomplishment I actually got back to the RV and just kind of like crashed and it was like at first it was like we will never do anything like that ever again and then after you kind of got over the exhaustion you're just like the feeling of doing something really hard um because we like Seven Summits yeah and we weren't expecting it to take that long we weren't expecting you know so we had a lot of roadblocks along the way but to come off the other side and just be like wow we accomplished something really hard was was huge. Yeah, and I would say mine is um at Channel Islands National Park which is off the coast of California I didn't even know existed it existed until like a couple years ago and you have to take a boat out to it and there is absolutely no cell service at all no like real buildings nothing um and so we tent came camped out there overnight and there's also a really cute little island fox that like run they run around there they're only native to that Island um and we'll get into your tent if you leave the door open so you have to be careful about that but you have on one side of the island these massive Cliffs with the Pacific Ocean beneath on the other side there's you know Rocky beaches you can see seals swimming it was just a really really neat experience in a national park that like I said we had not heard of and then for it to you know become like one of our favorites and a day and a half was not enough time. Host: It leaves you with more more to do I was going to add that's the worst possible time to get hurt on a hike is when you're halfway done you're halfway it's not like three quarters or a quarter the way you're halfway so you're going the entire length back you guys you guys are Troopers and you finish it up that's awesome good job yeah after spending just about five years traveling has there been something you've learned besides Internet that you can't live without? Guest: We can live without the portable waste but we can't really... I feel like we can't live without the solar panels. Yes, that would probably be my answer, just because of the sheer amount of boondocking that we do. That would... We don't want to listen to generator noise, so the solar panels allow us to be able to have a peaceful time in the middle of where... Host: Yeah, very cool. So, you mentioned the portable black tank, so you're still using the same RV you started out with, I take? Guest: Yes, oh yeah, yeah, it's a 2005 JCO Designer. We remodeled the inside; we're in the process of updating some of the outside decals and whatnot, but yeah, it's... it's a beast, it's sturdy. We don't... I'm not going to say we're never gonna buy a new RV, but a lot of times when I see people with new RVs and their suspensions breaking and stuff like that are break, I'm just like, you know, this 2005 RV is looking better every day, very solid. Host: Yeah, they don't build them like they used to. Um, contrary to... Guest: I hate it that you can say that about 2005, like when somebody says that it's supposed to be like 1950 something. Host: I know, it's crazy. Like my truck's 2013 and it's like, it's... it's over 10 years old. Guest: Yeah, yeah, yeah, you look at it, it's like you look, it's, you think it's like 5 years old. But yeah, 2005, it's what, 19 years old? Yeah, yeah, in 20 years I think is called vintage. Yeah, our RV is one year from vintage. Host: Yeah, we had a 2002, we were going to, like, redo it and just make it vintage, where 20... it was, it was rough looking, so we just said it's vintage, yeah, exactly. Has there been something you've learned that you don't need while traveling? Guest: There's... I would say we brought more clothes than we thought we had needed, especially like fancier clothes, and we just didn't end up wearing them. I like... we're not fancy people, no. So I, like, those, I think we ended up just giving all to Goodwill. I think maybe I kept one dress in case of something. But yeah, I don't know why you packed those. And if you have like sports equipment that it's like, "Oh, this is something I will do once a year." Like, I'm not a golfer, but I had some golf clubs, and I was like, "There's no point in having these if I'm going to use them once. I can rent clubs somewhere, you know?" Um, now we have paddleboards, but we use those more than once a year. Like, we just are very intentional about the sports equipment we have with us. Host: It's a good rule of thumb: if you're not going to use it more than once a year, you can just rent it when you get to that destination. What tools should every RV owner have? Guest: Oh, that's a... I hate this question because I'm not a tool person and I need to be. Um, but the one I'm using the most all the time is... is my drill. And like, I have a drill and a cordless drill. Like, those come in handy so often. I've got... I've got some drawers I need to fix and the idea of trying to do those with a like a hand screwdriver... I know it's like the most basic tool you can say, but if you don't have that in your toolbox, I think you should start with that. Host: Sure. I was going to say WD40. I feel like you're using that in like every other... Guest: I do use that a lot, on everything. Maybe that's the thing you can't live without. Host: A few more questions before we wrap this thing up and I can't believe we're already at at 50 minutes. I do want to get into this YouTube thing a little bit because for someone who's looking to get into traveling full-time and getting into documenting and vlogging and creating content, um, you had posted on your YouTube channel that this was your third attempt. You had tried twice, didn't pan out, and this time you've been met with some pretty good success. Um, what's been different this time? Guest: There's a lot of things. We are now like almost five years in, so our first year when we were trying to document and learn RV life, like, it was too much, too much new at one time and traveling so fast that we burned out quickly. Now we've slowed that down. The other thing was style. We wanted to make content around the locations we were going to and taking people along because we thought they'd just be interested in the hike because it was a hike. And we've learned that we are going to be primarily in the entertainment space and so we need to be more of a vlog style. And so that's what's completely different this third time around is it's much more doing projects around the RV, running errands, taking people with us to go grocery shopping and doing laundry and seeing what real life on the road looks like in addition to the locations. But we're very intentional about keeping those segments short and snappy. I feel like, yeah, we definitely have a lot more in terms of editing of like cutting and and making things shorter so that we can storytelling the shortest amount of time possible. I think a good example of that is if you look at our video about Cloud's rest uh, in yosity, yeah, I got that park right you look at that it's it's one video about one hike and it's about eight minutes long or so and then compare that to our video about uh, what's the thumbnail say it's New Normal I don't remember decision big decision and we explored some jips some capes and that and the whole video is about 20 our dog is snoring I'm sorry it's about 20 minutes it's about 20 minutes long and we have a cave exploring segment that is about two to three minutes long of that whole video and we still want to we still want to take people along for the journey through those things but we have realized that the attention span for those types of things it is much less so just keep things moving. Host: Yeah, no, those are great points. Thank you for sharing that. And, as you touched on earlier, it sounds like with the editing taking longer, but you're also allocating time where you're not filming, so that kind of keeps you from being burnt out, right? So before it was go, go, go, but now you're actually taking the time to relax. It's not as hectic as it was. Guest: Yeah, and I think being very selective about what we're filming. Like, a vlog is going to have, I don't know, three to five different segments of different locations and us maybe doing things, whereas we don't have to film the whole beginning to end of a hike anymore. So, you know, we're going on a hike tomorrow and we're just going to take a few B-roll clips, mention it in our next video, you know, show maybe talk about it for like 15, 20 seconds, and that's it. So, it does allow us to enjoy the locations more, because we know now that's not necessarily what people, at least for our audience, want to watch a whole video on. They would rather watch us do dishes. Do dishes and travel in the truck, get propane, and all that RV life real-life stuff. Host: Nice. And I would ask, how much you're making with YouTube, but instead, I will say, check the video out in the description, we'll link that video you posted on how much you're making so people can go check it out. If someone's listening to this podcast and they want to get started traveling but just aren't quite there yet, what is one thing they could start doing today to get them there? Guest: It sounds stupid, but planning, and specifically, if finances are a thing, if it's, you're going to retire and you're going to travel, then just start planning what type of RV and things like that you want to get. But otherwise, it's start making your financial plan for it. Is your financial plan YouTube? Well, if it's YouTube, then you need to build up savings so that you have a runway until YouTube starts earning you money, or you need to have a work camping job plan. And if that's the case, you need to find work camping jobs that leave you enough time to also create content. And so just start getting those things down on paper so that it's not just an idea of "Oh, I want to travel sometime," it becomes more concrete of "Okay, this is the plan that I'm going to tackle." Yeah, and I would say something that we had heard from other people that we actually followed was to not go super big. Like, when you're moving from a house into an RV, you think, "I've got to get like the 40-footer because I'm not going to have a lot of space," and we went with a 33-foot, and it felt... It's the perfect length for us. And I think that's another reason why we've stuck with the RV, the same RV for five years. See, it's not uncommon for someone to switch out an RV every couple of years, and they generally go smaller. They're getting a big fifth wheel, and then they're going to maybe a Class C, and then they're maybe doing a truck camper for weekend trips. So really trying to match your style of travel with an RV and making sure that you don't necessarily need all that space. Host: You mentioned a few channels that influenced you. What were those channels? Any other like books or other influences that helped you? Guest: Less Junk More Journey was the first one, and it was when I came to Joseph and I was like, "Hey, watch these people. They are a normal family like doing this." And we kept watching their videos, every single new episode that would come out, and it just kept inspiring us and convincing you to jump into full-time RV life. So we're really inspired when we see channels who are doing really creative things just to kind of see how that would inspire us in our own channel. So we really like Kara and Nate with their style that they do, and then also Flying The Nest. I think it's Flying The Nest. They are a family that travels the world, and their editing is really good. I was just going to say, to put a finger on what we mean by inspiring, we are ruined for YouTube now because when we watch YouTube, we're like, "Oh, that's how they're editing," or "Oh, that's how they're doing that." And Flying The Nest is one specifically that we were watching, and I looked at Kalyn and I'm like, "We're three minutes in, and they're on their like sixth background song. Like, they're not playing a background song for more than 30 seconds." And I said to her, "There's no way I'm doing that in our channel. That's just ridiculous." And we kept watching, and now we do that. But this wasn't before we were RV life, but I think Melissa Padet from Heath and Alyssa, she wrote a book. Now I can't remember the title of it, but working in all 50 states on, like, their journey through all 50 states, which was just so inspiring. And also with us work camping, kind of I don't know, felt like in a similar vein, like we're trying all these different jobs in different states. So I recommend them as well. Host: Nice, perfect. And we'll link all those resources below in the show notes. And one last question for part two, travel tips. You guys are coming back. Where are we talking about for that? Guest: We are going up to Northern Michigan and back in time to Mackinac Island. Awesome, everyone stay tuned. Joe and Kin, thanks again. Host: Thank you so much for having us.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
One Month Camping in San Diego - @HappilyEverHanks 26:12

51 weeks ago26:12

26:12

www.atravelpath.com Hello Pathfinders, in today’s show we welcomed back Kyle and Renee from Happily Ever Hanks! They shared their insight after spending ONE MONTH at a campground in San Diego, California and exploring everything it had to offer. In this episode learn about: Time We covered everything from the best time of year to how long you should spend in San Diego. Although they spent a month, Kyle and Renee shared that you could spend 1-2 weeks and feel fulfilled. As far as the time of year, Kyle and Renee were there for the month of February. They shared that the weather was nice, but not “swimmable” and traffic was manageable. It was definitely the off-season during this time. Price It’s no surprise that San Diego is expensive. They shared how much they spent at their campground for the month and offered some tips so that you can prepare yourself for the prices. To Do We discussed the San Diego Zoo, beaches, some historical activities, places to eat, and several other activities you can do in the area. They also offered some insight on things they would have done, such as roller blading or bringing bikes if they had thought about it beforehand. Transportation Ride-sharing is expensive, but they shared that there is a transit system that is very affordable that they used a few times. We also discussed traffic, parking, and the complications of driving a larger vehicle through downtown. 3, 2, 1 Countdown 3 Things to Pack · Sunscreen (even if you visit in February) · Jacket · Bike 2 Complaints · Cost · Traffic/Parking 1 Thing · USS Midway Museum Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:00 How long should someone plan on spending in San Diego? 02:45 Where did you stay? 04:00 How was driving a large rig through San Diego? 07:15 How close was your campground to San Diego attractions? 08:30 How expensive was San Diego? 10:45 What was nightlife like in San Diego? 12:15 Daytime activities in San Diego? 16:30 What did you use for internet? 18:00 What are three things you should bring to San Diego? 20:15 What are two complaints someone might have about San Diego? 24:15 What is one thing you can’t leave San Diego without doing? Happily Ever Hanks on Social · Website: https://www.happilyeverhanks.com/ · YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappilyEverHanks · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happilyeverhanks/ · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happilyeverhanks · TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happilyeverhanks Happily Ever Hanks YouTube Videos Referenced · San Diego Cost Summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhWvcWyW87A Camping Sun Outdoor Chula Vista: https://www.sunoutdoors.com/california/sun-outdoors-san-diego-bay Driving Apps RV Life: https://www.rvlife.com/app/ Truck Map: https://truckmap.com/ All Stays: https://www.allstays.com/apps/ Google Maps To Do USS Midway Museum: https://www.midway.org/ San Diego Zoo: https://sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/ Coronado: https://coronadovisitorcenter.com/ 19 Mile Biking/Walking Path: https://missionbaygateway.org/biking-walking-paths Kids/Pets Sesame Place: https://sesameplace.com/san-diego/ Dog Beach: https://oceanbeachsandiego.com/attractions/beaches/dog-beach Beaches Ocean Beach: https://oceanbeachsandiego.com/ La Jolla: https://www.sandiego.org/explore/things-to-do/beaches-bays/la-jolla.aspx Mission Beach: https://www.sandiego.org/explore/things-to-do/beaches-bays/mission-beach.asp Imperial Beach: https://www.sandiego.org/explore/things-to-do/beaches-bays/imperial-beach.aspx Restaurants La Puerta: https://lapuertasd.com/ Queens Town Public House: https://queenstownpublichouse.com/ *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision. Transcript Host: Kyle and Renne, welcome back to the Travel Path podcast. Guest: Tyler, Hope, Thanks for having us. Host: So if anybody missed part one, they're happily with the hangs we talked about. They're happily ever hangs. We talked about everything from RV tips, budgeting, their travel nurse career. And today in part two, we're talking about travel tips and one particular destination. So guys, what are we talking about today? Guest: Well, we just visited this destination. So it's fresh in our brain. Host: First time? Guest: First time. San Diego, California. Host: Just to clarify, you're in California. So how much time did you guys actually spend there? Cause you said this was your first time visiting, right? Guest: Yeah, we've always wanted to visit. So we gave ourselves like an entire month there, which we were nervous about because it's expensive. You know, a lot of people say you got to really make sure you have some money in the bank if you're going there, but we were ready after spending a whole summer in Alaska where there was maybe a few days of sunshine. I just said to him, like, Hey, we're doing San Diego this winter and we're going to book like a really nice resort down there and do the whole shebang. Host: That's awesome. Good for you guys. So to get that full San Diego experience, obviously you guys spent a month there, but how long do you think someone should actually plan if they want to just go and enjoy the area? Guest: I'd say anywhere from about one to two weeks, I would imagine would be a great amount of time to kind of get some city life in, see the surrounding areas. You know, we were ready to go about after a month. I don't know if that speaks to the RV life itself and that's always like in the pickup and go see something new or that was just applicable to the area. I'd say one to two weeks. Host: Now you guys obviously went in February. Guest: Uh, yeah, it was like a month of February. Whole month of February. Host: And is that good weather for you or did you talk to anyone and find out, you know, there's other times of the year that maybe are better to go? Guest: It's pretty funny because we thought it was like the busy time of year. We're used to when you go to Florida for say in, you know, February's boom and so many people, so we assumed it was like that in San Diego, we were in Northern California and Reading and it was cold and raining a lot. So we were really excited, but then we get there and it's not busy at all. And then we talked to some locals and they're like, Oh yeah, this is not considered the busy season the summer is. So we kind of felt like we scored because we're like, it's for us. It's nice weather. I mean, it wasn't swimmable beach weather, but if you're looking to go somewhere South where it's still decent weather, if you're used to snow, it's pretty much nice all year there is what I'm trying to say. You can go anytime of year and it's nice. And your pipes don't freeze in the RV. So that's always a plus. Host: Yeah, there you go. That's definitely a plus for you guys. Now you said that you stayed in a resort. Is that an RV resort? Guest: Yeah, we stayed at the Sun Outdoors in technically is in Chula Vista, just a little bit South of San Diego, but just a really quick drive to downtown. Host: Awesome. Now, did you stay there for the entire time or did you move any spots? Guest: No, we stayed there. Yeah, we ended up staying there, which was nice. And, um, it was a little bit more pricey, like Renee had said, but it was well worth it. So they had like a nice pool there. Like they go all out. It's Sun Outdoors. So it's a huge company that buys a bunch of, well, they pretty much build their own RV resorts across the nation, but they kind of have like that margarita feel to them, you know, they always have music playing events going on. So even though it was a slower time of the year, it's still made for a great time to get out and meet people out in the park. Still plenty. It was pretty about halfway full, I would say. So yeah. Host: Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. We can attest to Sun Outdoors being a good RV park. We have spent the last three summers or seasons, I guess, living in an RV in a Sun Outdoors. So nice. Guest: Yeah. You know, you're getting a pretty nice place when you book with them. Host: Yeah, exactly. You know what to expect, which is nice, especially if you're going to be there for so long. So as far as you guys have a larger rig, so as far as transportation and getting your rig through San Diego to the campground, how is that process for you? Guest: Not bad at all. We'd like to rely on a lot of apps on our phone. Basically, they are go-to for checking high clearances and making sure that the route we're taking is going to accommodate our fifth wheel because it does the height of our fifth wheel is about 6 feet, 6 inches. So we do run about the same height as most tractor trailers that you see out on the road. So you've got to be really careful to not just take any road and hope that it can accommodate your RV. We've gotten in some scary situations where you had a back out. I don't know if you guys ever seen the random YouTube videos where people are knocking their ACs off their RV roof. I mean, it happens a lot. Host: But not to you guys. Guest: Not to us. Knock on wood. Host: So, you said you used some apps to check clearances. What apps are you using? Guest: Our main GPS is Google Maps just to kind of see, you know, Google Maps is great. It shows like everything. But then like he was saying, we kind of have to dig into some other apps. So one of those is RV Life. It's like trip planning for RVs. And I'm sure maybe you guys use it with family too. You could do like it gives you like a radius of your travel day, like tells you kind of how far you want to go, where you pull over. It has all the resources. But then on top of that, it has a GPS and you can use that as your main GPS. It'll make sure based on your height, your width, all that stuff that you're not going near any low clearances. Host: Oh, perfect. Yeah, that's pretty cool. And then what was that other one? Guest: Truck Map. Yeah, there's a free one called Truck Map. Yeah. And like truckers use it. So you could if you're looking for something for free. And if Google Maps is we still like to use that and stuff. Most of the time we'll just verify with these other apps. Okay, the route we're taking on Google is the same that it's given us on these other apps. So then we could just stick to Google Maps. Guest: Yeah, but since you know, you just got to be careful all stays pro is another one or I think it's sometimes called all stays. It'll have an icon to show you where all the low clearances depending on how you filter it. So I'm just in the passenger seat there like constantly being like, let me look for low bridges. Host: Good. So once you see that low clearance sign, that's too late. Guest: Yeah, no doubt. It's something you notice too when I'll just be driving with I'll be back home just driving around with a friend. And I'll be like, Oh, we want to fit there. Like you just subconsciously see it and you're like, I want to fit in an average. But before RVing, we would have never really noticed that we wouldn't pay attention to those signs. Host: True. Yeah. Well, those are really good tips and definitely something you need to pay attention to when you are that tall. So as far as the campground you stayed at, the sun RV, how close is that in proximity to, you know, all the attractions you wanted to go to or, you know, if you want to go take a walk somewhere, what was that like? Guest: Yeah, it was pretty nice. They did have some walking paths. I'd say it was about a mile walk out to the beach or to the bay, I should say. To the bay. Yeah, to the bay from that resort. Now, if you wanted to get into the city, probably about an 8 to 10-minute drive. Guest: Yeah, maybe 15. Most if it's traffic. Right. And there was a like their transportation system like their, what's that called? Their railway. Guest: Trolley. Guest: Yeah. Trolley. There was the station right in walking distance from the campground and we did use that to go downtown the last night and it worked great. I mean, we just had 10 minutes. We were downtown and because we were going to do an Uber from the campground and during the really busy times, they were wanting $50 one way just into the city. And then we did the train like Renee was saying, and that was $2.50 one way. And just give you, yeah, terms of mileage. I think it was only like five miles away. Yeah. So not very long, but wow, they really took back those prices. Host: Well, that's perfect. That's a good money-saving tip right there. Now, speaking of the finances, San Diego, California in general, typically a little bit more expensive. So what was it like for you guys staying there for a month and what should someone prepare, you know, their budget for when doing something like this? Guest: Sure. Be completely transparent. I would say we spent what for one month stay at the RV resort. What would we spend? It was like close to three grand. Close to three thousand dollars. So that I don't know, comparing to other resorts around the area, it could be cheaper. I'm not exactly sure, but we had anticipated this was kind of like a vacation. So that's how we treated it. We kind of treated ourselves to that. But yeah, overall, you're going to see some hikes in grocery prices and then the fuel itself is going to be more expensive as well. I think we were paying like $5 a gallon or something for diesel when we're used to paying anywhere from like $4, maybe $4 or $5 somewhere. Guest: Yeah. And we're actually our next video, not sorry, our maybe two videos from now, we're going to be closing out our series talking about RV expenses in California and we're going to be talking about what we spent in San Diego. We'll have we're still working on all the totals. So we'll have all of that in a future video or maybe it'll come out the same time this comes out. So be perfect. Host: So go check that out for a real clean breakout on all your costs. So as far as but speaking back to the gas, I guess because you guys were staying in one spot for a month, you were leaving your rig there. Do you feel like you maybe were just driving less because you were so close to being able to use public transportation and just not having to move your camper back and forth to different spots? Guest: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. We weren't driving nearly as much as we normally would like the current location we're at. We have about I would say like minute drive to the nearest town to the grocery store. But now that's the same distance, you know, time distance in San Diego as you know, to get from the RV park to San Diego. But it was a lot less mileage. So we didn't take the truck into the city all that much. We relied on that public transportation a lot. But just driving around San Diego to La Vista area, it's so condensed. Everything is just like right in your backyard at all times. Host: So what'd you guys like to do at night? In general or in San Diego? Guest: In San Diego. We would like to find a nice restaurant. And honestly, we did a lot of stuff during the day. Like we would go we went this one day to Miss Ocean Beach. Yeah, I think it's called Ocean Beach. And they had a dog park, which was fun to see all the dogs run around the beach. And then we watched the sunset from there. And then pretty much when the sun goes down, it's kind of like grab dinner and, you know, head on back. Yeah, we're kind of like early to bed people. But there's a lot of really cool bars, a lot of cool nightlife in San Diego. So if you're into that and breweries. So if you're looking, I mean, that would just be so much fun to be able to like, you know, if you're looking to Bar Hop, go downtown and do all that stuff. Host: Absolutely. Yeah, of course. And I think that's nice that you mentioned you had a good sunset at that beach. But any other sunsets or sunrises that you maybe want to catch? Guest: Hmm. We kind of had a nice sunset view from our RV because it would, you know, just set below the bay. Yeah. But any beach you go to because it's west facing is a good sunset. You're kind of right there. Yeah, you can't you can't have a bad one in that area. Yeah, of course. Host: Now, any other activities you guys did during the day that were fun? Guest: We're telling what we did. But we do. We were just. Let's see. We did the USS Midway tour, which was really cool. So that's an old. The naval ship. Yeah. I'm trying to say ship. Yeah, the Battle of Midway, the story behind the Battle of Midway, like the naval. That's really cool. So it's like decommissioned and it just sits there in the bay. You just pay an entrance fee and then you can walk it at your own pace with a guided tour, like an audio tour. And wow, that took us like four or five hours to get through that entire thing because they have an upper deck with all the old airplanes up there. You have a metal deck and then they have a lower deck for like kitchen and the infirmary were so it was pretty cool. But we're also the people that have to like listen and read everything. So we took the all day. We took it on. Also the zoo. I mean, the San Diego Zoo, you have to check that out. It's like one of the best zoos in the country. So we went there and that was that was a great day. Beautiful weather and just it's I don't know. We're not big zoo people, but it was just fun being out and seeing, you know, how they take care of the little bit of behind the scenes and how they take care of the animals, things like that. Host: So the zoo and the ship, those are your two recommendations. Guest: Yeah, do the zoo and the ship. Those are our two biggies and then check out some good restaurants. There was what was the name of that one restaurant? La Puerta downtown, which was really good. Host: Yeah. What kind of food did they have? Guest: They had Mexican, but it was kind of like in a rustic like the bar had a cool rustic vibe to it. We also went to a place called Queenstown Public House downtown and it had it was New Zealand inspired. That's what caught my eye. I was like, oh, this is interesting. Really cool vibe. And the food was delicious. Wellington Meatloaf. You will not be disappointed. That was really good. Host: Awesome. We love to try new restaurants when we go out and like you we've talked about in episode one that can, of course, rack up a pretty big bill if you don't pay attention to it. But being able to try something either a local cuisine or, you know, just something like that New Zealand restaurant. Right. When do you ever see that anywhere? And enjoy something in each spot, I think is always so good. Guest: Absolutely. Yeah. Host: Perfect. Any other good food spots or coffee shops? Guest: Oh, we did do that one coffee shop, but it was a really random one over in what was the name of the island. That's what we got to talk about. Coronado. Coronado Island. So that was across the bay a little bit from the RV park itself and the Naval Station is over there. And just like a really cool place to drive over. You could take a bridge. It's no toll. You don't have to pay any fees to get over there. You could park. There was a lot of parking and then you could walk along the beach and so many coffee shops and restaurants over there. Yeah, their beaches are so clean. Like we went to several of them and so clean. And the other thing I want to say, if you have kids, there's I think there was like a sesame place, sesame street world or something. Yeah. And, you know, their sea world, if people are into that, there's just like there's a lot to do for every of every age. And there was something we noticed we thought about doing, but we didn't. It was like a sunset cruise you could do on the bay. So going back to the nighttime activity is like taking a little boat ride and watch the sunset that way. Can't beat that. Yeah, that would be cool, too. Host: So if you haven't mentioned it, are there any other nearby attractions that we need to know? It sounds like we covered all of them, though. Guest: Yeah, those are kind of the ones off the top of our heads that we can think of. Yeah, there was a lot of the stuff we wanted to do was just too cold. Like I wanted to go surfing or paddle boarding or snorkeling. And I think what I read is if it's warm enough to do that. La Jolla or something. I can't remember what that place is called, but there's a beach way far north. Yeah, is this Bell with a J? Yeah, JOLLA. Something like that. I just can't remember how they pronounce it, but that's kind of like the go to if you want to hit up the beach. Go swimming like in a very nice beach. Yeah. Host: Perfect. So it sounds like the consensus is February is a great time to visit, but it might be a little chilly for water activities. Guest: Exactly. Oh yeah, for sure. But good for eating, you know, you got to like hibernate, put some good food in your belly during that time. Host: Perfect. And then how was your internet? Guest: Oh my gosh, it was. Well, the internet was ripping. Yeah, it was good. Starlink held up really well. Being around other people at Starlink and still did fine. Did really good. We had like a hundred down, didn't we? We can't complain about the internet there. Yeah. Our cell phone service was great the whole time. Host: Perfect. Those are the things people need to know where to eat and if they can get internet. Host: I know it was too cold. They do the water activities, snorkeling, swimming, surfing. Could you lay out on the beach? Were the people doing that? Guest: There were people doing it. I mean, I had my puffy coat on several times when we were on the beach because it was so breezy. Um, but if you were brave enough and if it was like somewhat warmer weather, you could. Now we did lay by the pool at the resort, I think twice, but I had goosebumps. So I was really trying. Host: Well, San Diego sounds like you go. It's the scenery. First of all, it's everyone talks about San Diego and then the nightlife, the food scene, but in those winter months, still, I mean, it's probably why it wasn't the biggest or the busiest time of the year is because those water activities. It was just too cold. Guest: Oh yeah. Yeah. It seems like it's everyone. Like if you're obviously Arizona or anywhere away from the coast, seems like that's where we're flocks to in the summer to get there. What, uh, summer activities, winter, sorry, not winter water activities, water. Host: Yeah. Great. Perfect. We'll transition to the three, two, one countdown. The final three questions of the podcast, starting with three, what are three things you're bringing to San Diego? Guest: Okay. Well, the first two are not going to make any sense, but we'll explain. It's my sunscreen for sure. I add that like the only reason I say is because even though it's not like super hot, oh my gosh, I'll get eaten alive by the sun. That California sun. We're not all blessed with your skin tone here. My wife, very nice skin tone, but me, unfortunately, I had to rely on sunscreen a lot. So sunscreen, a jacket, if you're coming in February, that breeze sneaks up on you. So make sure you have like a little cover up. The sunscreen during the day and then immediately have your jacket put on because, you know, that sun goes away. It just gets chilly. And then on top of it, I think the last one that is really important is like a bike. If you have a bike, we don't have bikes, but we realize how nice it would have been to have a bike to get around. Guest: Yeah. There was this, I can't remember how many miles. See how we're so good at presenting this information. Aren't we? Guest: Yeah. Um, there's some really long bike slash walking path and it ran past our RV park. Like, so we walk that a lot to the bay, but I think it goes like something miles. Guest: Um, all the way out to Coronado Island and then you can come back. So bring your bikes if you have them. Host: Yeah. Does that almost like a boardwalk? Is it hugging the water views along that bike path? Do you know? Guest: I think when it gets to the Imperial Beach side, cause I looked at a map to see how far it goes. I think it does, but there was another area, um, Where we were walking a lot of mission beach and there was a boardwalk where people were just on. Roller skates. I mean, after being there, I really want to get roller skates for some reason and everyone's roller skating, skateboarding, biking, just very active. Fun community. Everyone's out doing something. Host: I'm sure you passed rental shops for all, um, roller blades bikes. Guest: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So then we had to make a decision like, do we really like, or after the price of the groceries and the dining, I had to scratch something off the budget, right? Guest: The truth. I'm like, we'll just get our steps in. It's fine. It's free. Host: Yep. There you go. Host: That's it. What are two complaints or two things people should be prepared for before visiting San Diego? Guest: Well, the one we talked about already being expensive, just the price, you know, I think most people are prepared if they are visiting San Diego, but to stay in a hotel, to stay at an RV park or wherever you're lodging, it's going to be pricey. We already told you about the to stay one month at an RV park. And that's crazy. We've never paid that to stay somewhere, but we knew going into this, that their nightly rate was going to be outrageous. And that's a discount. If you actually like took their nightly rate and multiplied it by days, it would have been like five or $,. So for them to give us three grand a month, that's like a monthly discount, quote unquote. And the other one, August, I guess, you know, just like with any city around traffic. So it's such a silly complaint. It's you can't complain about traffic in a city, but you can't. I mean, we are going to throw it out there. We don't visit a lot of cities like frequently, but we really, really enjoyed this one. But, you know, we're never prepared for the traffic, but it was there. And then I will say I just thought of this one is the truck parking with our big truck. Guest: Yeah, we have a lifted truck. Guest: And sometimes it's hard to find parking, especially, you know, when you're towing with a dually truck or anything. Guest: Yeah, it'd be tight. If you have a dually and you want to go downtown, just take the public transportation because it's going to be such a headache to try and park that thing. Host: Yeah, that's good to bring up. And it's especially good to bring up, especially it's in the off season and there was still traffic. Host: So if someone's going there, when it is busier, tour season, they're going to be. Would you would that be a nightmare in your opinion? Guest: Yes. Yes. I would not. I would not be able to relax and enjoy parking the truck and that that would be stressful. Guest: Yeah, we love visiting areas that are like chill and it's not the busy season. So yeah, perfect for us to be there in February. So that would be stressful. Most RVers aren't used to traffic. Host: San Francisco was the first city we went to after we were in the middle of nowhere for like a month and a half. And it was we were not ready for it. But that public, the transit you talked about, is that on its separate like road or does that actually follow? The streets that cars follow too. Guest: Yeah, it was sometimes next to the main road. It was like a railway. Host: Okay. So that so you'd avoid the traffic by taking that then that's its own cool. Guest: Yeah. And I mean, it has to stop at every stop, but it's still it was really two dollars, two fifty one way. Yeah. Per person. Guest: So really affordable and clean and just it was really, really nice. Host: Yeah. Yeah. By the time it takes you to find parking and worth it. Host: Was the area itself once you got to downtown, was everything pretty much walkable or would you recommend somebody do have a car or some form of transportation when they're down there? Guest: I think the major areas that you wanted to hit were walkable. So once you found the parking spot or you're in that location, it was easy to just Google search what was in that immediate surrounding area and have some places to visit. So yeah, like I don't feel like you would have to have a rental car if you were flying in and going to a hotel, especially if you're already downtown. Because like you can get to the zoo and not just that railway system. They there that was a whole transportation system that had rapid bus transport. And they were just really good about the transportation. So you can get everywhere you need to go. Host: Yeah. Yeah. Some of those big destinations you hear about, you think they're going to be huge. But we went to Nashville and I was shocked at how small Nashville was. It was like three blocks worth of bars. And that was the main strip. And so I was curious to see if San Diego was the same way. Once you get to downtown, you can pretty much walk around and walk to everything. So it sounds like it's a little bit bigger, but still doable. Yeah, fine. It was still like you would need to to hop if you want to go to the zoo and do the midway for some crazy reason. One last question. Host: What is one thing you cannot leave San Diego without doing? Guest: Oh, I would go back to that midway. I would have to say what I said before is going to do that midway tour was really cool. Guest: Yeah, especially if you're into history or just enjoying like it's not every day you get to go walk on a ship like that and kind of be immersed into that lifestyle. So you learn a lot. You see a lot and it's worth the admission price. Guest: Yeah, I would say the same thing that that U.S. I mean, I would have did it again. I thought it was so cool. Host: And then when you're there, get the get the guide. Guest: Oh, yeah, they'll have them right as you walk in the door. They'll just be like, do you want an audio guide? It's free. So yeah, pick it up. And the learning is your fingertips. Host: Yeah, even better. Can't be free. Host: Well, thanks again for coming on the show. This was a great episode, not only talking about things to do in San Diego in the February time of year. I think it helped people prepare for what that might look like, but also we named a few things you can do during that busy season and what to be prepared for when it does get busy. Host: But Kyle and Renee, one more time, where can our audience find out more about you guys? Guest: So our main platform is on YouTube, and you can find us by searching "Happily Ever Hanks." If you want to find our website, you can go to Google and just type in "Happily Ever Hanks .com," and we should pop up right there. So those are two main places to find us. Also, Instagram and Facebook, same thing, "Happily Ever Hanks." Guest: That's true. Yeah, we have all the goodies. Just type in "Happily Ever Hanks," and it'll pop up somewhere. Host: All right, sweet. Everyone check them out. Kyle and Renee, thanks again. Guest: Thank you guys. We appreciate it.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
20. Getting As Much Fulfillment Out of Life As They Can @HappilyEverHanks 45:23

52 weeks ago45:23

45:23

www.atravelpath.com We were so glad to be able to chat with Kyle and Renee Hanks from HappilyEverHanks! They shared their inspiring story of how they uprooted their lives to pursue full time travel in order to get the most fulfillment out of life. In this episode you’ll learn all about: Getting Out Of Debt Kyle and Renee attribute much of their Freedom to the habits they developed to getting out of debt and not having to constantly pay large bills and debts every month. We learn some actionable steps they took to get themselves out of $230k in debt! How to Seek Fulfillment Tired of the mundane 9-5 work life with only two weeks off out of they year, they wanted to pursue something different. They discussed how the loneliness of the road can be nerve-wracking at times, but it’s also proved to be a great source of fulfillment, knowing they are out on their own and getting through everything. They discuss chasing the addiction of finally getting one whole month off from work, and how they turned it into a game so that they could find ways to take even more time off. When Things Go Wrong Kyle and Renee shared a few things that cause them frustrations while they are on the road, and how they have learned to just laugh at times. They make a really good point about how when things go wrong, they have two choices: They can either get upset about it, or stay positive, share a laugh, and get through it. Learn all this and much, much more during this inspiration-filled chat with Happily Ever Hanks! Chapters · 00:00 Introduction · 04:30 What was some of the skepticism you faced when you started out in your RV? · 06:15 How did you balance work and travel when you were travel nursing? · 07:45 How long have you been out of travel nursing for? · 09:30 How were you able to get out of $230k of debt? · 11:45 When did travel become a priority for you? · 12:45 What are the biggest frustrations you face currently while traveling? · 15:45 Saying goodbye to family for the first time. · 16:45 Any mistakes or embarrassing stories you’d like to share? · 21:00 How do you handle it when things go wrong? · 21:30 What do you love most about your RV lifestyle? · 22:45 RV Techs · 23:30 Do you have any advice for someone looking to buy an RV for the first time? · 25:45 How do you get internet while traveling? · 29:15 What does your budget look like while traveling? · 32:30 What is it like traveling with a cat in your RV? · 34:00 What has been your coolest travel experience? · 36:15 What is one thing you need & don’t need while traveling? · 38:30 What tools should every RVer have? · 41:00 Using the trucker lanes. · 43:00 Who influenced you to travel? HappilyEverHanks on Social · Website: https://www.happilyeverhanks.com/ · YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappilyEverHanks · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happilyeverhanks/ · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happilyeverhanks · TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happilyeverhanks Videos from HappilyEverHanks · Financial Independence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlIOjC7eyl0&t=182s · Avoid These Mistakes When Buying an RV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VolVHbO1_L0 Past Episodes · Travel Nursing with Dakota and Courtney: https://atravelpath.com/travel-nursing/ · Part 1 with Laura and Jason: https://atravelpath.com/road-trip-with-kids/ · Part 2 with Laura and Jason: https://atravelpath.com/florid-keys/ Resources · Dave Ramsey Books: https://store.ramseysolutions.com/books/all-books/ · RV Dealer Mentioned: https://www.tomschaeffers.com/ Camping · Bahia Honda Campground: https://www.floridastateparks.org/BahiaHonda Budgeting Tools · Tiller: https://www.tillerhq.com/ · Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets RV Tools · VIAIR Air Compressor: https://amzn.to/3TBoIrn · Pole Buddy: https://amzn.to/3xjiRQ4 · (Commissions may be earned from purchases made on this page) YouTube Channels Reference · Long Long Honeymoon: https://www.youtube.com/@LongLongHoneymoon · Keep Your Daydream: https://www.youtube.com/@KeepYourDaydream · Kara and Nate: https://www.youtube.com/@KaraandNate Most Popular Blogs: • Most Popular Travel Hacks: https://atravelpath.com/money-saving-travel-tips/ • Travel Gear: https://atravelpath.com/travel-gear/ • How to Budget For Gas on a Road Trip: https://atravelpath.com/how-to-budget-for-gas-for-a-road-trip/ • Our Favorite RV Upgrades: https://atravelpath.com/rv-upgrades/ • How Much We Made Renting Our RV: https://atravelpath.com/renting-camper-van/ • Never Run Out of Gas on a Road Trip: https://atravelpath.com/road-trip-tip/ Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/rocky-mountains *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision. Transcript Host: Kyle and Renee, welcome to the Travel Path podcast. Guest: Thank you for having us. Host: So we know you on YouTube as Happily Ever Hanks. You built a very large community with your mission of both educating people in the RV life and inspiring your audience to break free from their comfort zone. Before we start, I do want to give a shout out to Laura, Jason, and Alexis. One episode of our podcast mentioned that they had watched so much of your content that their younger daughter, Alexis, has been inspired to become a travel nurse herself when she grows up. So here we are talking now full circle. But why don't we start by having you guys share a little about yourselves and then letting our audience know what your current travel lifestyle looks like? Guest: Sure. Well, first of all, that's really inspiring to hear. Yeah, that's really cool. That's neat that we're bringing up the younger generation and inspiring them. That's like kind of why we started all this. We first started as your nurses back in Pennsylvania in around 2015. We just got tired of the mundane lifestyle and wanted to explore life on the road a little bit. So we started looking at travel nursing and in 2016, we started applying for our licenses. Actually, in late 2016, we started applying for a California license for our nursing. And from there, we just kind of hit the road. And then we had no really idea where we were going. We went to San Francisco for our first travel assignment and then thereafter is kind of up in the air. But basically, over the time being, I'm sure we'll get more into this later on in the podcast, but around 2019, something there, you'd say we were kind of hit a hiccup with nursing itself and we laid off for a little bit. And then that's what inspired us to start documenting our adventures and the RV lifestyle, sharing all the things. When we worked in the ER, man, how many times we were asked by our coworkers and other patients, they were so fascinated with us living in an RV or like, how does that work? It doesn't make sense. You're not living in a house. You're living in an RV. And yeah, we were just educating. We had people gathered around and we were talking about how they can get into like RVing with travel nursing. Host: So I feel like that's probably maybe we've got the ball rolling for you guys starting your YouTube. Was it everyone asking you questions in your career as travel nurses that kind of got your head scratching? Well, maybe there's a void here we can make start a channel and actually inform a larger audience. Guest: Yeah, pretty much. We just we learned that there's people who are RV and there's travel nursing. And, you know, when you think of an RV or you tend to focus more on people who are retired, so to have these travel nurses who were younger, just so interested, they're like, I've never even heard of this. I never even thought to get an RV. It's just it's like we were teaching others. But, you know, we didn't know it was a thing either until we found it on the Internet. We were just going to do housing, like apartment housing that the travel nurse company gives you until we stumbled upon some article that talked about, hey, you can live in an RV and do this. And we were like, no. And then here we are. Host: Now, the purpose of the podcast is to help people, you know, get started traveling and ultimately reach their travel goals. So I do want to dial it back a little bit on your website. You had mentioned that when you made this transition, you fought some skepticism and then also you were, quote unquote, bucking the trend when you sold your house and went to travel full time. What was some of that skepticism and how are you able to overcome that? Guest: Well, I guess the skepticism was jumping into a different way of life. See, when we were working as nurses back in Pennsylvania before we even started living in an RV, we were kind of just doing the mundane nine to five. And it just like one week flowed into another. And we were having to wait for those two week vacations. You know, you work all year to get those two weeks off. And it's like once you get those two weeks, it's just like, where do we go? What do we do? It seems so condensed into one time frame where we just didn't know we were kind of fumbling around. We're like, why don't we just kind of make a lifestyle out of this? And then through working in the ER, you know, we met a lot of other travelers there and it just blew my mind immediately that nurses could bounce around the country and live this different lifestyle filling in the gaps within schedules across the country, you know, other hospitals. So, you know, I think that's a really good question. So that's kind of like what inspired us, you know, to kind of get there. Is there anything I'm missing? Guest: No, I pretty much we just also the trend of like you buy a house, you get married, you have kids, it's like life teaches you to follow these certain rules. We were like, what if we sell the house now and just kind of do whatever, travel around the country. So yeah, yeah, get out of debt, lose the mortgage and travel the country. Host: You mentioned that mundane, like the two week vacation, right? That's kind of the ritual, the path that most people follow. And on our last episode with Wanda with Katie, she had mentioned that she had many nurses or many friends in the travel nurse field where what they kind of do is they'll get to a destination, an assignment. They'll be working like crazy hours for however many weeks. And then they'll take like an extended break, whether it's a couple of weeks or a month in that destination where they are and just explore it. Is that how you pretty much lived it when you were travel nursing? Guest: That's exactly how we lived it. Yes. So we got a little taste of that. A typical travel nurse contract lasts about 13 weeks. And from that point, when you complete it, you can either ask to resign at the hospital if they still need you or you can move along to a different state, different hospital. It's also flexible. So we got a little taste of that when we finished our contract. We're like, well, now what? We have this money. We saved up a little money on the side and, you know, we could go work another job immediately and start making more money. Take a little time off, go explore some surrounding areas. And that's kind of what led us into becoming debt free. But yeah, just so much like just work your boat off for 13 weeks and then take like a month or two off and actually travel. Guest: It was such a liberating feeling to be debt-free and have the flexibility to choose how we wanted to spend our time and money. Host: Do you find it easier or harder, the fact that both of you are travel nurses? Guest: Oh, easier, much easier. Yeah. Yeah. When we went to San Francisco, oh, my goodness. We were just... I'm not a city person. So I was kind of thrown in the middle of everything. It was very busy, very hectic, and just fast-paced. So having each other to rely on in the new location was kind of nice to kind of get through some of those hiccups. Host: How long have you been out of the travel nurse space for? Guest: Oh, man, it's... we took an assignment in 2019, and then that's when they were saying they couldn't resign us. So it's been... it's been a minute for sure. And then, you know, when we got laid off, you know, at that temporary time, we had tried to resign with the hospital, like, you know, we can't afford to rehire you guys. This is right during all the pandemic just to be completely transparent. You know, the hospital took such a hit with the money, you know, depleted and they kind of afford travel nurses. So they really had to hunker down with the budgeting and everything. So luckily we had set up enough of a almost like a safety net for ourselves to take some time off. And, you know, we were always wondering, well, this may be the opportunity to share and document all of our experiences with others. Yeah. And we didn't expect that it was going to replace travel nursing. Host: I'm sure the travel nurse space has changed a little bit since you guys exited that area. And I'm just realizing now this is like the purpose. This is like a perfect follow up from our previous episode with Courtney and Dakota, who are actually just getting into the travel nurse space. So the episode that came out actually hasn't been released yet, but it's going to get released before this one. So if you listen to this now and you're looking to get into it, they provide details on actually like modern-day, currently what it's like transitioning into that. So that's perfect. Transitioning a little bit, I want to talk a little bit about how you went out of debt, because that's a... I forget the statistic I read, but I know there's a lot of consumer debt in this country. And you had a video a while back on how you went from two hundred and thirty thousand dollars in debt to financial independence. I want to know what your definition of F.I. is because I know that's been thrown around a lot with financial freedom. But how are you able to get or to get out of debt, essentially? Guest: Well, getting out of debt was just mostly, I would say... I don't know what would what would the term be that I'm looking for? It's kind of just mostly discipline and just having a goal and following through with it. So we broke it down in as simple pieces as we could. We usually referred to Dave Ramsey at the time. We had utilized a lot of his teachings. I don't know how familiar most people are with Dave Ramsey out there. But it's a really simple way of just setting aside like baby steps of like setting some money over here for an emergency fund and then tackling all your lowest debt and then going forward from there to your bigger, bigger debts. So financial independence was a huge thing because, as I said before, once we got that taste of finishing a contract and then having that time off, well, we kind of became addicted to having more of that time off. Freedom. That freedom was like, oh, my gosh, I want more of that. A month was like only a month now that we get to travel. We want two months, three months. And so it became a game to us, to be honest. It turned into a game. We just went all in over time. All of our pennies and dollars went to paying off every single piece of debt that we had. So that to actually qualify, what would the financial independence? It was like the freedom side of it. That's what it meant to us is like not being tied to a loan or like having to work because you have to pay all these bills. It was like, what if we didn't have to pay all these bills and we can kind of just... you can live frugally if you want to not have to work as much or you can work your butt off and save. It's just like you had freedom to do whatever you want with your money. Host: Yes, it's like once you learn it's that delayed gratification. Yeah, it's a sacrifice. You're giving up certain things now. But once you realize what you're able to do with that extra money and that extra time in the future, that's when it becomes, like you said, like a game and it gets addicting. And then you just try and find every nook and cranny you can start saving and and growing from there. Guest: Absolutely. Yeah. Host: Twenty seventeen is when we started travel nursing, right? And twenty nineteen is when we decided to start going full time. At what point did travel become the driving factor in that? Guest: So, not the answer for Renee, but for most of my growing up, we traveled around as a family, maybe a couple of hours away here and there. We had done some flights across the country to go see some places, but nothing crazy. So jumping into the lifestyle was very new for us because we knew we would have to drive all the way from Pennsylvania to California for our first travel nursing assignment. And there is a lot of land in between to sightsee and just explore and take it all in. So as we proceeded from there, I think it just became a little bit of an addiction over time of like, wow, you know, we only do have one life to live. We live it responsibly. You know, we're not out here discriminating YOLO and blowing money like crazy and doing whatever. We're actually trying to be really responsible people, but get the most fulfillment out of this life as we can. So to kind of answer your question, I just say it gradually increased over time to where we are now of, you know, eventually one day, hopefully we can do some international travel. Yeah, it's a lot to see out there. Lots to see. Host: Fast forward to where you are on the road now currently. What are some of the biggest frustrations you currently face traveling? Guest: Probably the lack of consistency. You know, you might be in one area and the cell service is great and the resources are close by. But the campground is iffy or I don't know the weather is not good. So it's like and then you go to another place and the Internet's bad and then you go to this place. And the grocery store is like 20 miles away. So it's like you can never have consistency, but that's OK, because the best part is that you could just pick up and move and go somewhere new all the time. Guest: Yeah, and it may seem just to piggyback on that, it may sound kind of like... I don't know where we're coming from. You know, if you're living at home, you're like, that doesn't really make sense. But try to uproot your life and all the routines that you have, the typical grocery store, you know, where everything's laid out all the time. You know, your favorite gas station that has all the best prices, friends, your family, everything you can rely on for. You know, you're kind of out here by yourself and it's a little nerve-racking. But in that, you kind of find some fulfillment within your life that you're pushing yourself, you're exploring new places, and it's just fun to be immersed in that kind of lifestyle. Guest: Going to a grocery store and everything's backwards. Yeah. Walmart. Hey, got to learn it. We'll tackle it together. It's like every time stop and shop, they rearrange everything, except for you guys. It's every time you go to a grocery store. Yeah, it's like there's no learning the grocery store. Like you're just you're always walking around like you're clueless everywhere you go. And that's just the way it is. Roll with it. Host: Do you guys ask for help in the grocery store? It's the first thing I do. Hope will never. Guest: Yeah, I don't know. I thought she would be more, but I'm just like you, Tyler. I ask for a couple of times. She's like, where is this? And I immediately just find somebody. I'm like, listen, we don't want to. What's... I don't want to be defeated. It's like if I can't find the eggs, like what she likes, you know, can I even get by in life? It's like a personal scavenger hunt every time. Host: Yeah, yeah, exactly. I wonder if that's like a man and a woman like personality thing, because it's the first thing I do when I go to a store, even if I know where it is, I'm still asking. But I know with you, like I just ask somebody, no. OK, fine. OK. Guest: That's because we want to still look at everything. We want to meander around the store. We don't just want to get that one item. I do want to say that the thing I always forget about. I don't want to knock our friends and family like that. That's a big part of travel. That's hard is, you know, he has family in California. I have family in Pennsylvania. So they're spread out and they're all up north. So it doesn't make it like a snowbird situation where we could be in the south and visiting one of them. So that's another inconsistency or an issue with traveling that we don't like. Yeah. Yeah. Host: So yeah, family. So that's one thing you probably expected, right? Obviously, if you're traveling full time, you're going to be saying goodbye to your family. Was that harder or easier than you expected it to be? Guest: The first time, the very first time we said bye. Guest: Yeah. Yeah. That was hard. That was hard. It was difficult. I mean, like Renee said, you know, with us having family on the other side of the country, it was like saying bye to them and then being like, oh, I'm excited to see the other side of the family. But it's still kind of it hurts like that, that first time, because it's like, you know, your your mind is telling you, oh, my gosh, this is forever. But in reality, it's it's not it's just it's just a new step in life. That's what it is. Still hurts because we'll go back and visit for a month or two and then you say goodbye again. So it's like you're constantly reliving the like, well, you know, I'll see you next time. And it's always you're always trying to delay it because you don't want to say goodbye. But you think we'll be back. Host: Like I said, you're mobile, so you can always pick up and go whenever you want to. Do you have any — and I know you guys do because I've watched your videos — but do you have any embarrassing stories or mistakes you want to share that could potentially save a future listener some trouble? Guest: To keep it as short as possible, we were in Mississippi driving and we need to pull over for some fuel at a Flying J at the time. Now, Flying J is a truck stop out on the road that we had used quite frequently. And why we liked it so much is they also had these RV fuel lanes there. So if you can imagine where normal cars would fuel up, then there's RV fuel lanes. And then on top of that, they have the other section for all the truck drivers and 18-wheelers, so we pulled into the RV fuel lane. But we have been so used to filling up in the trucker lanes where everything was diesel over there. If you don't know where I'm going with this, eventually I got out of the truck, started pumping fuel, but quickly realized I pumped about a gallon, maybe two, two gallons of diesel and two or, excuse me, of gas into my diesel truck. So I stopped, panicked, received his panic. We likely didn't do anything. Didn't start the truck, but I I had no idea what to do. I didn't know what happened if I would fill it up with diesel and start running it. I just said, let's not do anything. We'll call for a tow truck and see what happens. So we end up calling for a tow truck, having to get the truck towed all the way to like a body shop or somewhere that can deal with dropping the tank, cleaning out the fuel injectors, everything. Meanwhile, our RV, our travel trailer sat there blocking the entire fuel lanes for three hours straight. Guest: Yeah, I think Flying J didn't care. Yeah, they're like, I just let it sit there. Guest: So we forgot we lock it up or anything. Guest: I forgot. Guest: So at the time we traveled with two vehicles. Guest: Yeah. So I stayed back and just parked the car. Guest: Oh, that's right. In front of it and just blocked it. Guest: We need to see the trailer. Host: Yeah, on guard. Guest: So just be careful. The reason, just one last thing I want to add to that story, the black handles is what got me. So when you're over on the 18-wheeler side, it could be green handles for diesel or it could be black handles for diesel. But unfortunately, in the RV fuel lanes, it was only green for diesel. And I had picked up a black handle. Host: Well, fortunately, you caught it and then you didn't end up starting it. Do you know what would have happened if I know it's only a gallon or so you said, but I can't imagine that being good. Guest: My buddy said something with the combustion of like gasoline. They are nerding out on this stuff, but they said somehow the combustion rate of gasoline basically could really like do some internal damage on a diesel truck engine so that he made the best. A lot of people out there had commented on the video to like, hey, I've done that before, filled it up the rest of the way with diesel. I was fine, but I like to look at it with it being a truck that was at the time paid off. It was under warranty. I'm not sure. We just didn't want a chance that, you know, no dad. I called dad. I called my buddy. They're like, I'm not sure what what to do. So we just called again. Host: Yeah, when in doubt, you're better off just calling someone. At least you're you're safe that way. Plus, when you're on the road, I mean, you couldn't go on to you. There's a good chance you're going to be in the middle of nowhere at some point. You know, that thing breaking down. There's no service. There's no one, nobody to help you. Guest: Yeah, yeah. On that same trip, we did almost break down a mile in nowhere, Texas, with my car. Then it needed a new alternator. I don't know where. So we were just like, OK, this lifestyle is great. Yeah, you know, everything's breaking. Host: You mentioned your previous video every time like you guys just you laugh when there's problems, you said something about that. We just can't get any worse. And is that is that a coping mechanism? Guest: I think so by now. I got to laugh or cry. So we just figured, let's just laugh about it. We make it a duty to like pick up the camera to show it. So the camera is in your face. You know, you kind of pep up a little bit. You're not. Yeah. There are so many kinds of words around. So yeah, like when things go wrong at first, it's like you used to get so angry. Like, why me? You know, why is this happening to me? Everyone's out at home and joined in or we're all stuck on the side of the road dealing with this, but we quickly realize that's just the way life goes. You know, either live at home. You deal with life or you live in an RV and you deal with life still. So yeah, you can laugh or you cry, but you can't change it. Host: Yeah, exactly. You got to get it done. On a more positive note, what's the thing you love most about this lifestyle? Guest: Probably just being able to go somewhere new all the time. You know, we'll be we'll be in one area and we'll love that area. But after a month, we're like, all right, it's time to go see something new. So the flexibility, you just go anywhere. You know, if you want to spend a summer up north, sure. Or if you want to be in the south, we're chasing all the warm weather. It's like, yeah, we're meeting some new people. Yeah, like our faith in humanity was restored. You know, once again, it was like turn off the TV and just get out there and have some conversations with people. And you'll realize that like people are awesome out there. There's a lot of great people to meet. We've met some amazing, amazing people during our travels. And still to this day. Host: No, that's 100 percent sure. I do want to comment to you on your latest video when you had your leaf spring repaired, you talked about how you had called the RV techs and you weren't sure how they were going to be. But in our experience and at the end of your video, too, you mentioned it. They've been phenomenal. I have not met. We've worked with plenty of them so far. We've only been, you know, about four months. But everyone we've worked with has been great. And we've only heard good things like secondhand about them. I don't know what it is about our RV techs, but they're important to be aware of. Guest: Absolutely. Yeah, we kind of agree more with that because a lot of people are sitting out there looking on the dealers to fix their problems and they're just not getting any answers. They're waiting. They're saying, hey, you got to wait six months before we can squeeze you into the schedule. And, you know, the RV technicians have been come such a great intermediate between the dealership and the consumer who had bought the RV and is looking for some help. So they're kind of just like that guiding light that could get some of those quick fixes done. Some of them are just beyond what we could ever ask for and repairs and done so much. It'll be to not have to pack up your whole home to take it to a dealership and sit and wait. It's just like they'll come to you and you just hang out. It's so it's so nice. Very convenient. Host: Yeah. Do you have any advice for someone looking to buy an RV for the first time? Guest: Oh, we did a video on this recently. Kind of where we talked about making sure you're doing your price checking and comparing. And I would say in today's world, like have an RV inspection, have like a certified RV tech that can do inspections. Come and look at your RV, whether it's used or buying it new off the lot. And if the salespeople or the dealership won't allow external inspectors to come in like a third-party inspector, I would probably not. I would. That's a big red flag. Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes it's not going to be well received, but you always got to be your own advocate with these things and have as many, I don't know, people on your side looking out for your best interests because the dealership certainly isn't going to be that person for you. Unfortunately. Yeah. Yeah, we, the reason we bought at the dealer and the reason we bought new is because it was our first time ever buying an RV and we had no clue what to look for. And I didn't want to buy something new or something from a private person or a private dealer just because I had no idea what to look for. Yeah. Had I known I could have had the RV tech inspector available, I think we would have jumped on that and done that instead of buying new and going through all the loops and hurdles and the pain points of going through a dealer and warranties that aren't really warranties and all that fun stuff. For sure. For sure. We were through that too when we bought our first one. We didn't even know anything about tow ratings. I mean, we just showed up with our half-ton truck. And luckily, they were really good about not looking at any RVs. He said, well, before we look at any RVs, I need to know what your truck can tow. We were like, what do you mean? Like, so, yeah, we rolled the dice on a good one. Yeah. A lot of people out there said, well, we never got that. They just, they'll show us that, you know, yeah. I'll show you the rakes and that's that. So that was good. Host: So there are good ones out there, but just are good. Guest: Absolutely. Yes. Yes. Tom Shafers in Pennsylvania. That's where that was. Yeah. So, OK, we'll link down the show notes. Host: Obviously, you guys need Internet when you're traveling, you're full-time content creators. How are you getting Internet? Guest: Our main form of Internet is Starlink right now. Yeah. Do you guys have Starlink at all? Host: We're getting it. Host: Yeah, we've asked this question almost every episode. And so far, the consensus has been T-Mobile, the T-Mobile home Internet plan with this. So the Starlink has been the most popular, but more often than not. What they're saying is they're using it as backup. And then they're using T-Mobile for the most part for their Internet. And then if they're in an area where there's no service there, it's Starlink. That's really nice. Starlink, that's your go-to. Guest: That's our go-to. Yeah, we always have that up and running. And it's been working out good. You know, it was a little touch and go when we first purchased it. It was very somewhat newish and not as many satellites up in the sky. But yeah, well, we are also in the eastern US. So like so much more heavily populated, more like we were in Florida during snowboard season, so everyone had Starlink. We were all fighting for the satellites. But last year, it is perfect. I mean, it's beautiful. And then when we go east, we're going to be complaining about it. But it's good to hear about the T-Mobile because we do have we have a basic cell phone plan with AT&T and we use the hotspot if we need Internet, if the Starlink is not doing well. So it's good to know about that T-Mobile because we'll have to look into this if we need to. Absolutely. Yes, Ben. So far, so good. Host: And we have our phone plans with T-Mobile and then we have like a third when we transfer over, we got a third like bonus phone. So we have 150 gigs of hotspot before we ever have to do anything. And then we're using the T-Mobile for Internet. So we're kind of rolling the dice with T-Mobile, kind of putting all of our eggs in one basket. But we'll get Starlink too just to have that as a backup. Is that set up process? The reason people have mentioned they don't use it primarily is because of the set-up process. How long does it take to set that up? Guest: We're less than five minutes. Yeah. Guest: Less than. Yeah. It's just we've integrated it with our typical setting up routine. It's mostly just sneaking a wire through the side, through one of the slide-outs, and then connecting it to the modem, and then getting the actual Starlink mounted onto a pole. Guest: A pole. We call it a pole, buddy. You can buy it off Amazon and it just gets it up above your roof of your RV to have better signal, better access to the sky. Host: Does the boot-up time take a long time? Is that what it is or? Guest: That is probably what it is, that they're mostly, you know, it's not as soon as you plug it in, it's up and going. It does take about three to five minutes, I would say. Yeah. But like you could like get that set up. And then while you're doing the outside, I'll plug in the router and then just finish setting up the inside. And by the time I even have a second to like go on the internet it’s already running. Guest: So yeah, I guess if you need it in a quick pinch, if you pull over on the side of the road, take a break, it probably would be a little inconvenient because you'd have to set it up and wait a few minutes. So something like that. Guest: But I will say, like, I think boondocking is becoming a lot more popular because of Starlink. Before, when you were off-grid, you were truly off-grid. There was like no cell service in a lot of these cool places you see on Instagram, you know, like Utah, Arizona boondocking. Yeah. Now, everyone's out there streaming and gaming. It's like a whole new, no longer off-grid. So it's really nice to have that. Host: So you guys have been traveling for part-time, full-time. And I know you're pretty tight with your budget. You post videos on your YouTube channel. Have you ever been able to break down what a monthly or weekly budget looks like? I know it probably fluctuates quite a bit. Guest: It varies. It just depends. Like we just had a very expensive month in San Diego, and our budget looked way different when we were trying to get out of debt. We still budget and track every penny, but we're a little bit more lenient. And then Alaska was kind of like a moment where we were strict. Yeah, I guess the best way to think about it was when we were getting out of debt. What was our budget? Did we go out to eat at all? Like, do you remember? Did we go out to restaurants and treat ourselves to something? Guest: Yeah, we would give ourselves like two hundred dollars a month. Wasn't it like to go out to try new restaurants or go out to eat? And that included if you wanted to get drinks somewhere. So that ended up really quickly. So that wasn't even nowadays, like nowadays, I would get you a couple of drinks, two hundred bucks. Yeah, like a drink. Here's a cup of water. Yeah, like, wow, great. Yeah. And then groceries were kind of like, I mean, that's hard to control. Groceries are our biggest downfall just as a married couple. I don't know. You know, you get old, you get happy and you just like, oh, let's, you know, have some good dinner tonight and have some snacks. So that's one we got to like always keep coming back to. Yeah. The grocery bill. But to give you the other numbers, I can't really remember what it's been strict in the past. When we were really strict with our budget, we would just look at what we were already spending and then we would just try to cut that like a quarter of that and just try to chop that out and be better about spending. Host: Do you have any budget apps or tools that make keeping track of that easier? Gues: Now we use a program called Tiller, but we used to just do pen and paper and Microsoft Excel. And that was to kind of keep track of everything. Watch a quick YouTube video on how to line up with your expenses, highlight it all, and make a running total. And then it was really cool because as you paid off your credit cards or whatever debt you had, you subtracted that and then it would take away from the bottom big number. That was nice to see that. It's kind of like a little encouragement to keep going. So that was fun. Yeah. Host: The visual is important. I'm glad you mentioned you had that starting out small, but bucks a month. You have to celebrate the small victories. Otherwise, you're going to burnt out. So being able to set money aside to celebrate, you pay something off. You're paying things down slowly. You know, those mini victories. Guest: No, no. Yeah, it's crazy how when you don't track how much it slips away, because when we first started travel nursing, we weren't budgeting and we weren't being strict about our budget. It wasn't until we decided to see what our three to six months of expenses were. So we kind of got into it by accident because I was like, well, let's see what we are currently spending on every month. And then I saw how much we spent in restaurants because we were travel nursing. We wanted to go eat all the good food. We want to enjoy ourselves. And there was one month that it was close to a thousand dollars and just going out to eat. And I was like, oh, my gosh, like there's that there's a problem. I never guessed. So we saw that and we were like, OK, no more. And that's how like the whole budgeting happens. Host: You guys are traveling with your cat, Dexter. And I don't believe we've had a guest who's traveled with a cat so far on the show. I would assume most people would assume that there's not much involved in taking care of a cat. But anyone to add to that? Guest: Oh, yeah. There's, I say, oh, go ahead. I was just going to say that he we had no idea when we got in this lifestyle if he would take well to actually living in an RV. That was kind of what pushes into RV life, to be honest, is having a consistent home for him. So we always joke that we buy these RVs for him, you know. And because the other option was when we were travel nursing is to bounce between apartments and, you know, there's all sorts of smells and you don't know what the rules are with pets and especially cats. So I don't like not having a consistent home. Yeah. So we did it. Exactly. So, you know, I would just say if you do own a cat and you're a little nervous about taking him or her out on the road, you know, just take some car rides, maybe just put them in a kennel and start off small. There's no need to bite off a huge chunk and travel across, you know, halfway across the United States to get an idea of how will they travel? Yeah. He did pretty well right away. We knew he didn't get nauseated or have anxiety or anything like that. He mostly just slept. So it was a good fit for him. I mean, if it's getting close to his dinner time, he'll speak up and he will not be quiet. So like it's yeah, he knows to tell us like, OK, I've been good this whole time, but it's time to pull over. Host: Don't we all? Guest: Yeah, don't we? Exactly. Well said. Host: All right, guys, what has been the coolest experience you've had while traveling? Guest: Oh, yeah. This question is great because there's, there's just been so many. Like sometimes we would be like, remember that time we just got first, the first time we ran the AC in Iowa, but we were so happy that the thing worked. Yeah, small things. I think there was one of our coolest times was when we were in the Florida Keys, we were at a state park Bahia Honda, and we managed to get a site that was right on the water. So we could literally snorkel like right off where our view was part every day. And that was just like such a cool thing to do. That was nice. Host: Yeah, we have not been there, but we've seen videos and pictures of actually Alexis and Lauren Jason, the podcast I mentioned you guys, their part to travel tips was all about the Florida Keys, so very detailed on that. And they were sending us pictures. And yeah, that campsite, no joke, it's right on the water. Guest: And you can snorkel, sit and pull up a long chair. And yeah, so cool. It's like being in the Caribbean, but you're in the States. So that's like what's so cool about it. Host: And same thing for you, Kyle, Bahia Honda?. Guest: Yeah, I really enjoyed that. And I guess this to kind of cover your story that you brought up at the AC. It was funny when I said we hit the road at the first time when we left for travel nursing, we left at two o'clock in the morning, left her parents' house, and just drove to WalMart, stayed the night in a random WalMart. And then we kept driving and it was about to where did you say it was Iowa? I remember we made it to Iowa. We made it to Iowa. It was just it was so hot and humid for whatever reason. It was right around four o'clock. We finally pulled in an RV park. But then we turn on the AC for the first time in the RV. I know crazy, right? We tried this out when we got the dealership before we drove off. Now we waited till we got to Iowa before we ran the AC. But I kid you not, it was just like when that cold air was blowing on you and then you could turn around and look out and it's just something completely new. It is just like, wow, we are doing it and we're actually we're going to live like this. And yeah, that was really cool. That was a neat moment. Host: After spending just about seven years traveling now, has there been anything you've learned that you cannot live without outside of the internet? Guest: I would have to say, I mean, this is going to sound like something a young person would say, but my smartphone. Think about when you're out to get anything or figure out anything directions. Where's the nearest grocery store? Like, what's the Google reviews on this restaurant? It's like you gotta have your cell phone, like that little mini computer, to tell you so much. Host: On the contrary, has there been anything that you've learned that you don't need while traveling? Guest: Yeah, I think living in the RV when we started watching YouTube videos way back when we were first getting into it, there was a lot of unrealistic expectations of like, do I need all that before I hit the road and, you know, something like a ten thousand dollar solar set up or the same thing like crazy like that. You don't really need it to get it out, include knocking and blowing time off grid. You know, you can survive a night or two. Yeah, kind of what what what comes with your RV, just a battery, a water tank, water heater, you have everything you need. So I guess I just would say don't keep up with the Joneses all that much. You know, try to keep it realistic for the lifestyle you're looking for. Yeah, there's a lot of pressure online, social media with all these products. You gotta have this before you own this. And it's like just take your RV. Like, don't buy anything and just go like buy your basic stuff, your hoses and all the stuff to get by. But you don't need all the fancy digits and gadgets. Like, we still don't have a backup camera. And that was on our list when we first hit the road. We were like, look at one eventually. And now it's seven years and we're like, we don't really need it. You don't have to have it like you'll get by. Host: If you wait and wait and wait until you have everything you need, you'll never hit the road. Exactly. A good point is kind of air on the side, especially with those expensive things. Air on the side of don't buy it. And then once you hit the road and you're traveling, you'll either learn that you need it and then you can buy it then or you're going to learn you don't need it and save ten thousand bucks on a solar panel set. Guest: Well said. Well said. Guest: Yeah, that's exactly how we feel, too. You can always get one battery and then add batteries from there. Any tools that RVers should have on them? Why don't you tell them about your favorite one? Guest: Oh, yeah. We have a thing called a VIAIR and we just love it. It's amazing. Basically, it's an on demand air compressor that you can hook up to your truck battery and then it just creates on demand compressed air. They can fill up your tires if they're running a little bit low. Man, that was a huge concern for us because we were thinking when we get out there, how are we going to be able to fit into gas stations to fill up the tires if they're running low? This just eliminates all those stressors and you just have that whenever you need it most. And we had this huge normal air compressor like I think it's still in a storage unit. Guest: Oh, yeah, that thing is huge. Really? Do we bring that? How do we fill up our tires? But I think we use that almost every time. This thing is lightweight. It's small. It doesn't take up a lot of space and it can pump up tires to like 120 PSI. So our trailer tires are 100 PSI maximum at cold pressures. So it does more than enough to handle those loads. So if you're thinking, oh, I drive a big class, say that's not going to help me. Actually, probably will. Yeah. And we just told people you don't need to buy stuff, but you do need to buy that. Host: That's a good point. That's actually something we have not heard in the podcast yet. That's not one of those. I know you said it's smaller, but it's not one of those 20 volt compress bigger than that for your rig, right? Or is that something you can actually use? I guess you can charge it. I guess. Guest: Well, I'm thinking of one. I've seen like people have like handheld ones. I don't know if those that's what you're thinking of. But this one is probably. Yeah, it's all it runs off the volt battery. So, you know, and you don't really charge it. It just literally plugs into the positive and negative terminal on a truck battery. Host: And I think it's something else. And because it's the point I want to make was you really can't rely on gas stations. Like you said, you can't you might not be able to fit your RV, but also the air doesn't always work. We've had tire issues where we've pulled in. I've gone back and forth. I went to one gas station. The air didn't work. The next gas station. The air worked, but it didn't have the pressure gauge. So I go back to the first one and it was just the crapshoot going back and forth. But yeah, one person in the gas station had one of those. I think it was VIAIR, but it was smaller. It was like a DeWalt size volt compressor. And we just pumped it up right there. So, yeah, that's a good thing to have for sure. Guest: Absolutely. Host: If you could listen to this podcast when you were first starting out, is there a question I did not ask tonight that you wished I would have? And how would you answer that now? Guest: Oh, you know what? There's, going back to the trucker lanes. I remember when we first hit the road, we had the diesel truck, but we were towing a smaller RV, and we kept squeezing into small, normal-sized gas stations because we didn't know that we could use the trucker lanes. We were like, "We're not allowed in there for the truckers." But if you're starting out, and I mean, basically, you're allowed to use the truck lanes. You're allowed to park in rest areas where trucks park. Like, basically, there were a lot of moments where we felt very timid. And then, just as you go along, you start to be more like, "Yeah, we own this road," you know? Like, you start to be a little bit more like, "Come on in and move over." So, and the reason we say that is because, you know, these RVs, especially the one we're living in, it's the same kind of tractor-trailer. So we measure 13 foot six inches at our first AC over our bedroom. So you've got to be really considerate of where is able to accommodate you. You can't just pull into any random gas station because you can get into a pickle pretty quickly. So, after some time of traveling and sweating it out, those trucker lanes look real nice at the end of the day. And you're like, "No, partaking that. Yeah, go in there, stretch out." Host: That's a good point. I could definitely see myself being more hesitant like you guys. And once you start seeing, "Oh, there's an RV over there. Okay, we can go over there." And then once you start seeing that, "Okay, we can do that too." But I would be a little more reluctant to get over there. Guest: Exactly, yeah. Host: I know, you guys. It seems like you were kind of trailblazers in the digital creation space with travel nursing and traveling full time. But were there other influences or YouTube channels that influenced you or books maybe to do this travel full-time life? Guest: What got us into travel nursing was just meeting other travel nurses at work. You met actually a couple that would travel together. That's how you found out they do it together. Yeah. But then when we started looking into RV travel, you know, we got on YouTube like a lot of people do. And I remember watching a lot of Long Long Honeymoon and Keep Your Daydream as a lot of them just to help get us, you know, give you, like, not you're not just learning, but you're gaining that confidence to, like, travel on the road. Yeah. And Kara and Nate is another one that's really fun. If people like fast-paced adventures that are like across the world, they're some of our favorite, or my favorites. Yeah, because they do. Yeah, they're really good with their storytelling, things like that. And so they inspire us to be better storytellers too. Host: Yeah, I feel like if we were starting out, we didn't discover your channel. We were starting out because we were in the van life space. We were watching a lot of Adventures of A and K and Kara and Nate. But if we were looking for fifth wheels or camp trailers, we would have been all over your channel. I feel like we were like relate a lot to you guys and you're very entertaining. But also you provide a lot of useful information. So, yeah, I'll link your channel as well as the other channels you mentioned in the show notes. One last question for audiences in a ton of suspense before the next episode. Where are we talking about for travel tips? Guest: So our destination we want to talk about is San Diego. San Diego. Yeah, we got a lot to say about that. Host: All right. San Diego. Tune in in two days, everybody. Kyle and Renee, thanks again. Guest: Thank you so much.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
Juniper Springs, Florida: Camping & Nearby Activities @kodaandcourt 19:16

1 year ago19:16

19:16

https://atravelpath.com/ Hey Pathfinders, join us as we welcome back Dakota and Courtney to the show. After hearing about their inspirational story of travel nursing and doing two van conversions, they sat down with us to share on of their favorite destinations. We chatted about Juniper Springs Campground in Florida and some of the nearby attractions. Learn all about: · What makes Juniper Springs such a great destination · Paddleboarding and kayaking in the area · Nearby airports and transportation · Destinations within an hour including Kings Landing, Devils Den, and Daytona · Swimming with manatees And more! Chapters · 00:00 Introduction · 01:15 What makes Juniper Springs such a great destination? · 04:00 How far away are nearby attractions? · 04:45 How long should someone stay there for? · 06:30 How was it bringing your dog? · 08:30 Juniper Springs campground amenities? · 09:45 Nighttime activities? · 11:45 How was the overall cost in Juniper Springs? · 12:30 How was the food scene? · 14:00 What are three things you need to pack when visiting Juniper Springs? · 15:30 What are two complaints someone might have about Juniper Springs? · 17:00 What is one thing you can’t leave Juniper Springs without doing? Links · Ocala National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/florida/recarea/?recid=83528 · Juniper Springs Recreation Area: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/florida/recarea/?recid=83676 · Ian and Ana’s video (featuring Devils Den, 3 Sisters Springs, and Kings Landing): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L2ZK09Jd5g&t=1057s · Lectric eBikes: https://lectricebikes.com/ · iOverlander: https://www.ioverlander.com/ Nearby Attractions · Kings Landing (1 Hour): https://www.kingslandingfl.com/ · 3 Sisters Springs (1.5 Hours): https://www.threesistersspringsvisitor.org/sisters · Devil’s Den (1.5 Hours) https://www.facebook.com/DevilsDenSpring/ · Daytona (1 Hour: https://www.daytonabeach.com/ · Disney World (1.5 Hours): https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/ Podcasts Mentioned · Disney World: https://atravelpath.com/disney-world/ · Florida Keys: https://atravelpath.com/florid-keys/ Nearby Airports · Orlando International Airport (about 1.5 hours): https://orlandoairports.net/ · Gainesville Regional Airport (about 1.5 hours): https://www.flygainesville.com/ *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision. Transcript Host: Hi Guest and Guest, welcome back to the travel tips segment of the Travel Path Podcast. So for those of you who missed part one, Guest and Guest came on. They're on Instagram as Kota and Court. They've done two van conversions now. Um, Guest works as a travel nurse. We got into very specific details about getting into travel nursing and also their van build. Um, so if you haven't listened to that one, definitely check it out. But for part two, travel tips, where are we talking about today? Guest: We're talking about Florida, specifically Juniper Springs area in the Ocala National Forest, and um, some of the stuff is kind of a broad range of surrounding areas, yes. So surrounding areas, there's a lot to do in Florida, there's a lot to do in that area. Host: Awesome. Now, what made you guys want to share about Florida and the Juniper Springs area today? Guest: So, we watched it. It was always like a bucket list trip for me. Um, I watched a video on it from Ian and Anna, and at the time theirs was called the other side, and uh, it looked really, really cool. It just looked almost like it was out of this world. So it was always a bucket list trip for me, and um, you know, we finally got to do it and so it was, it was really fun. Host: What makes Juniper Springs such a great destination? Like, what type of activity should go there? Guest: Just being outside. So, it's really cool. It's in the middle of the Ocala National Forest, it's a campground. Juniper Springs is a campground. And so, they've got like a neat little area that you can pull in and um, they got like a fire pit and tables, but it's really neat because they have the spring area and it's just really beautiful. It's blue water, it's clear, and it's close to Three Sisters, was the other part of that trip that I wanted to take, uh, so you can go and swim with the manatees. It's certain times of year they have them, uh, over there where you can swim with them, uh, swimming, kayaking, yeah, kayaking, hiking is a big one. There are lots of trails, um, actually when we checked in, there was somebody who was lost in the forest and emergency vehicles were pulling up and someone's like, yeah, somebody's like lost or hurt or something, we were like, oh my, so you know, hiking is a big one. I think probably backpacking, there's a lot of land over there to cover but we didn't go backpacking really or hiking, I don't think. We rode our bikes around a lot, um, just explored the area, but definitely like outdoorsy things. And I mean, there's, I think there's off-road trip around there too if you want to take like a dirt B, horses, ATVs, all different, it's really broad, you know, spectrum of things to do. Host: So a lot of outdoor stuff though, that's perfect, and pretty much anyone going with their camper or their van, that's what they're going for is that outdoor experience. So that sounds awesome. Now did you guys bring your own bikes or did you rent them when you were there? Guest: Um, we brought our own. We have, um, the electric e-bikes, so we brought those. We brought, um, I don't know if we brought our paddleboard, but we brought our kayak, um, which we used at King's Landing, a little like river flow type thing, um, so yeah, we brought, we did bring our own bikes, and the bikes we bought, they were like, she said the electric e-bikes, so they folded up and they fit in the back underneath the bed, so they're pretty compact and we could get them out and unfold them and ride around nice. Host: Do you know if you saw anywhere around that you could rent like paddleboards or kayaks or bikes from? Guest: So like when we went to King's Landing, I know that they had rentals there, you could take your own and that one was a really, really cool place to see as well. It's spring-fed and all the water's super clear, you can walk through lots of it, um, there are gators and stuff so there's like two different parts of that where you can go up one, um, just to see, you know, the scenery and then there's like a wildlife part of it where you're going to see more, um, like gators and stuff like that. Host: Now, the campground Juniper Springs is in the National FL, and then in these other little areas, how far away are they? How far are you driving? Guest: Oh, I mean, I think, like, I think like an hour or I think, yeah, yeah, 30 minutes to an hour, um, not super, not super long, all in our opinion, maybe an hour, yeah, which we're used to driving a lot. I mean, right now we're driving 1,500 miles a week and so I mean, our not very far to us can be a lot further to other people. Host: But I think it's nice especially for the RV community to have somewhere that you can go that does only take, you know, an hour and a half to get to because then you can either just bounce the next day or stay over there. Um, or you can go and enjoy stuff and then head back to that campground if that's really where you just want to be staying now to get the full experience. How long did you guys stay there for? Guest: We stayed, I think it was a week and, um, I mean it was more than enough to kind of see what was in the area but we moved pretty fast so, um, I mean there's plenty to do for longer than that. Uh, we kind of went in the off-season. Even when you're heading down, there's stuff to do along the way, like Devil's Den is, um, you know, along the way but there's a lot, there's a ton of springs, ton of places to kayak and stuff like that. There's a lot to do around the area. Host: You said you went in the off-season, when was that? Like early March? Guest: Yeah, so it was before, you know, all of the, before the summer crowd really. They were just kind of getting things started, even like the spring break crowd. Like I don't even think that we saw a lot of like, but Al weren't by the beach either so, um, we didn't, you know, it was, it was really pretty chill. We went to the beach but it was closed down, like not closed down but there wasn't like a whole lot of stuff going on. Host: And in March, did you guys have good weather in this area? Guest: Yeah, I mean for the most part. There were some days where it was kind of cloudy and I mean the, the April-May showers type of thing but it cleared up pretty fast. I mean I think it's not uncommon for it to rain and then be sunny in Florida so, it was, it was good. It was decent. Host: And how was the temperature of the water in March? Guest: It was cold. We put our feet in, let the little fish bite our toes but, um, I think it stays around the same temperature most of the year or if not all the year so it, I mean it's pretty chilly but it's not like you can't enjoy it, yeah, absolutely. Host: Now, you guys do have a dog, did you have your dog when you went? Guest: Yes, yeah, he was a puppy, trying to think. I was like, yes, we were afraid that the bears, we had to walk out in the dark a few times and we were afraid that the bears were going to come in, which I mean we're not from an area that there are bears, yeah, so like every sound we heard or even like in the van sleeping, we're like, do you hear that? Which now, you know, we're a little bit, since we've traveled more, yeah, it's not like as intimidating and they don't, we didn't see a single bear while we were there, nobody had any issues with a bear. I mean we had bear spray just in case, needed it but, I mean people were out at night, you know, cooking stuff on a campfire and all sorts of stuff. I mean nobody had any issues with a bear, I think it was just because we were new travelers, better to be cautious. They have like warning signs, like lock up all your belongings and so the, they do have, uh, warning signs when you come in, trash cans and stuff are all, you know, and in lock down bin. Yeah, yeah, Hank loved it, he, he was just a puppy we had just, we got him in January of that year and we went in March so he was only like two months old so he had a blast. We were still actually trying to potty train him at the time too so he was still doing really good. Host: So, obviously, you drove there but how does transportation work like where is this National Forest in relation to some of those major airports if someone doesn't have a van and wants to fly and enjoy the campground in the National Forest? Guest: Yeah, I mean there's, there's airports you can fly in, you can rent cars and get to all those places. Um, say we, the closest we were Orlando, yeah, it wasn't far from Orlando, it wasn't very far from there, maybe some closer options but I know that there, you know, it's not very far from a lot of those airports that are, you know, down there in that area. I think there's quite a few of them, um, I'm not sure right off the top of my head which ones exactly they are. Host: Why don't you, um, tell us just a little bit about the campground and kind of some of the amenities that they had there? Guest: Yeah, um, I mean they had biking trails, uh, they had walking trails, you could go backpacking in, uh, that specifically that area, they had like, um, they, a shower room, they had like a little room, um, beside the showers so you could go like with a sink and I think and you could go and wash your dishes, um, the Ocala National Forest is huge so, um, I think there's a lot of stuff just right there by it, there's different lodging and and stuff like that. Host: Awesome, we love National Forests because a lot of times you can do dispersed camping there so it makes it nice where you can just kind of explore, pull off, find an area that doesn't have a no camping sign and you're usually good to stay there for the night and that's some of the best spots that we've found so it's nice that you have the option for the campground but you're also in the National Forest, you could probably drive out and stay somewhere for a night and you know, feel like you're really in the middle of the national forest. Guest: Yes and things, I think things are a lot harder, you know, when you get, I think somebody said east of the Mississippi is a lot harder to find, you know, dispersed camping but it's definitely doable. I mean you, we use apps like iOverlander and stuff like that that help out too so, yeah. Host: We've used eye Overlander a lot, and that has almost always pointed us in a good direction. So in this area, what is there to do at night? Guest: We did a lot of just, you know, camping stuff. I mean, we just, you know, make s'mores or roast, you know, hot dogs, have a campfire. I think it's just mostly like outdoor stuff. A lot of the stuff seems to kind of close down at night. I mean, you can travel into some of the other places like Daytona Beach. There's a lot of stuff to do around there, so it just kind of depends on what you're looking for and what you like. Host: Yeah, definitely. In Florida, there's something for everybody. Guest: It's not too far from other things to do at night, but where we were at mostly, it was just, you know, kind of campfire activities, hanging out with each other, relaxing. Host: Yeah, so that's perfect. That's what, you know, being in nature is all about. How was the stargazing? Were there open areas for that? Guest: There were, for sure. I mean, you could get out of the campground and drive kind of through the forest, and there's places to pull off on the sides of the road and stuff, and you can get out. I mean, it's really dark, easy to see stars and stuff like that, but where we were at, there was a lot of coverage. Host: Yeah, very good. Sunset or sunrise locations, did you get to see any good ones? Guest: Yeah, more towards like the beaches. So, good pictures at Daytona Beach of our van with the palm trees and stuff in the back. So, in the Ocala National Forest is, you know, mainland, I guess you would call it, or inland, I think that's the word I was looking for. So if you travel more towards the beaches, I mean, that's not to say that there could be other places that we didn't see, but a lot of the sunset pictures at the beach and stuff like that were really, really cool. I mean, it's, there's not really anything like seeing a sunset at a beach. Host: So, as far as overall cost for this trip for you guys, was it more expensive or less expensive than you expected? Guest: I think it was less expensive than we expected, just because we had budgeted more just for activities and stuff, but a lot of the stuff wasn't very expensive. Like, we brought our own inflatable kayak to go on King's Landing. It was less expensive than renting a kayak there. And a lot of the amenities were just free, you know? I mean, we had to pay for our campsite, but it was fairly cheap. The biggest expense was gas to get there, actually.vSo under budget that we decided after we left that we were going to go up to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and see that too. Host: That's always nice when you have extra money in your budget and you can just add something else in. Guest: For sure. We did that. Yeah, it was fun. Host: Awesome. Now, did you guys have any good food spots in the area that you were in, or did you have to really pack everything in and cook at your campfire? Guest: That's, we kind of packed everything in and cooked everything, you know? We made sandwiches. At the time, she was T of money. She was a staff nurse and I worked at the school, so it wasn't like we had a ton of money. We were kind of on a budget then, so we just ate, you know, sandwiches and cooked cheap stuff and really just traveled to see the place, you know, and experience it, not necessarily spend a bunch of money. We've never been, you know, huge on like going and doing all these attractions and stuff. Ours was just really to see the environment, get to say we've been there, and just enjoy it for what it was, you know, what it had to offer. And I think we were excited to cook and do everything for the first time in our van, too. Host: Absolutely, just really be in the van and experience that, of course. Plus, with the new puppy, you probably didn't want to venture out too far from him. Very cool. So if you haven't mentioned it already, are there any other nearby attractions? Guest: Yeah, there's lots. I mean, there's, um, Orlando's not like crazy, crazy far, so you can go to, you know, Disney. We went to Three Sisters, we went to King's Landing. I mean, there's a lot to do. Host: Perfect. And on your way, I guess you can stop and listen to our podcast with Eric Adventures. She did on Disney. Stop there and do that, and then head to the national forest and listen to your guys's podcast. That's perfect. Host: All right, guys, well, it's time for the final three questions, the 3-2-1 countdown section of the podcast. So, what are three things you have to pack when you go to this Juniper Springs area? Guest: Bug spray, yeah, bug spray for sure. Host: I was gonna ask. Guest: I think another one would be, if you can, like a bike or a kayak or something to kind of entertain yourself outside. So, I mean, you don't even have to have those, just like some sort of outdoor activity, whether it be like frisbee or ball, or you know, I guess you don't have to do that kind of stuff, but, you know, that was something that was important to us. And then with staying at the campground, it's not like it's super, super close to town. I think it's like 15 or 20 minutes to the town. So, you know, pack your food in there and then, you know, take your trash and dispose of it on the way out. Host: Perfect. So bug spray, food, and something to do outside, some sort of activity, yeah, whether it's a bike or a kayak or a football. That's a good point. I feel like I've gone to the beach so many times and there you go to the beach, you lay down or you go for a walk or you go for a swim, but I remember thinking repeatedly, I wish I had like a football or just something to throw around, a frisbee, football, you know, whatever. Guest: I'm the same way. I'm not much of a lounger. I like to do stuff that's, you know, fun, whether it be ride a bike or a one-wheel or, you know, whatever. Yeah. Host: Yeah, I like to lounge, but it's good to, like, work up a sweat, throw a ball around, and jump in the water and just repeat, right? Guest: Right, for sure. Host: What are two complaints that somebody might have about this area? And not necessarily complaints, but things people should be prepared for. And I feel like I know the answer to one already. Guest: Yeah, so like driving would be one. The other would be maybe like cell phone signal and service. I don't... which one were you thinking that I was thinking? Host: The bugs, but. Guest: Oh yeah, yeah, bugs for sure. That's the first one that came to my mind. Host: So, in terms of driving, it's just the drive to get there or are you driving kind of for long periods to get back and forth to the town or like a grocery store is a little ways away? Guest: So, like, like I said, it's like 20 minutes. So, it's not like you're just driving right on into town to get something. You know, it's a little bit of a... get something. So that may be a complaint some people. The other one is like signal, you know? There's not... now there's Starlink. When we went, there wasn't Starlink. So you may be able to have something like that, but for us, we didn't have any cell phone signal. We didn't have any way to contact anybody if we needed to, which I, you know, that's a blessing and a curse, I guess. Host: Well, whether it's a blessing or a curse, it's still something you should be prepared for, so that's a good tip to bring up. Host: And last question, guys. We talked about a lot of things in this episode, but what is one thing if you had to pick that you cannot leave Juniper Springs without doing? Guest: I'd say going to do King's Landing. It's just a lot of cool, like, photo-like opportunities, like it's just really that, like, photo-like that picture-perfect moment that not even, like, really even your camera can capture. Like, it's just so beautiful. And we have tons of pictures of it posted, I think on our Instagram or maybe our separate Instagrams, but a very beautiful place. I think that's one place that I would... Yeah, like if you look up like videos of it or whatever or see pictures, you know, when you show up to that place, it's going to be exactly if not better than what you've seen online. So, it was just really beautiful, clear water, it just felt like you were in, you know, an oasis, yeah, but the trees over top of you and yeah, it was just a unique experience that I don't think you would get anywhere else. Host: Yeah, yeah, there's a lot of those places where, like, you know, photos, they're always going to look better in person, but oftentimes, like, a thing that looks really cool in person, it doesn't look that cool in a photo. But the King's Landing is one of those things that it's both. In person, it's amazing, I would imagine. I haven't been there yet, but the photos of it look amazing too. Guest: You've been to places where it looks really cool, you know, and you get there and it's not quite as NE, yeah, but this one, yeah, it's everything that you would imagine. So, we even tried to paddle, like, when we were... I think when we were heading up, we were going like with the current. So, we were like trying to slow down just so that way we could like just take it all in a little bit slower. Maybe it was on the way back, I'm not sure. When you go up, you go against the current, on the way back, you go with the current. Host: Sweet, guys. This was another super informative travel tips segment. One more time, listeners, if you haven't tuned into the first episode, they talked about their travel nursing and their van builds, so definitely check that one out. And yeah, Hope and I, we're excited. We're going to go to Florida over the next couple of months here and we definitely want to add this to our list too. So maybe Disney and then we've got Florida Keys and we'll have to stop in Juniper Springs too. Awesome, guys. All right. And one last question, where can our audience find out more about you? Guest: We're on Instagram @Kodaandcourt is our name. And we have a YouTube channel. Maybe we'll start uploading to it. We'll just, you know, see what kind of happens. Host: Sweet. All right, Dakota and Courtney, thanks again. Guest: Thank you.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
19. Travel Nursing & TWO Van Conversions @kodaandcourt 53:15

1 year ago53:15

53:15

https://atravelpath.com/ Hey Pathfinders! Today’s episode felt like a 2-for-1since we got a dose of both Travel Nursing AND Van Conversions. Dakota and Courtney are a young couple who “chase big dreams trying to make it happen.” In this inspiring episode you’ll hear all about: Travel Nursing How to get started, how long the process takes, how long you can work an assignment for, and so on. Courtney shares how travel nursing can be quite nerve-wracking at first, but as you become familiar with the process, things get easier. Where to Stay With travel nursing, there are several options available for places to stay. Dakota and Courtney share their experiences at many of them and tell us what they prefer. We also get into detail about why you need to have a paper trail and pay some sort of rent wherever you end up. Van Conversions Along with travel nursing, Dakota and Courtney have (nearly) completed two van builds. The beauty of this episode is that we got to ask them why they sold their first one, and what they are doing differently with this next built. Plus, hear about how it took them over 9 MONTHS to receive the first van they ordered. Costs Dakota and Courtney give us very detailed numbers on how much BOTH of their van builds cost as well as sharing tips on how you can start saving money. They also share their thoughts on how much someone might want to have saved up before traveling. Chapters · 00:00 Intro · 02:30 What is the process of getting into Travel Nursing? · 07:15 Travel Nure pay and stipends · 12:30 How are you finding places to stay? · 15:30 Working with Aya Healthcare · 16:15 Can you negotiate your terms? · 20:30 What was the process of acquiring your van? · 28:30 How did you know what material to buy for your van? · 29:30 Why did you sell your first van? · 32:00 What are you doing differently with your current van build? · 34:45 What mistakes did you make with your van build? · 38:15 How long did each van build take? · 40:15 What has been your coolest travel experience? · 43:00 How much money should you have saved up before traveling? · 45:15 How much did your van builds cost? · 46:45 How can someone get started? · 49:45 What YouTube channels helped with your van build? Dakota and Courtney on Social · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kodaandcourt/ · YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kodaandcourt Nursing: · Aya Healthcare: https://www.ayahealthcare.com/ · GSA.gov: https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates · Regarding if your RV loan counts as a payment, I couldn’t find much information besides this forum, so take it for what it is worth and do your own research: https://www.reddit.com/r/TravelNursing/comments/13rjt3n/rv_travel_nursing/ Stays · The hospital Courtney started at: https://www.evanhospital.com/ · Furnished Finders: https://www.furnishedfinder.com/ · Where they Stayed: https://www.facebook.com/TheDeLongVillage/ Van Build Resources · Explorist.life: https://explorist.life/ · Far Out Ride: https://faroutride.com/ Their Two Vans: · Ram ProMaster 136 · Ram ProMaster 159 Channels · Jimmy and Natalie: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyandNatalie · Wild by the Mile: https://www.youtube.com/@WildbytheMile Past Episodes Mentioned: Episode 1 with Dylan: https://atravelpath.com/how-to-be-a-digital-nomad/ Episode 13 with Jason and Laura: https://atravelpath.com/road-trip-with-kids/ Most Popular Blogs: · Most Popular Travel Hacks: https://atravelpath.com/money-saving-travel-tips/ · Travel Gear: https://atravelpath.com/travel-gear/ · How to Budget For Gas on a Road Trip: https://atravelpath.com/how-to-budget-for-gas-for-a-road-trip/ · Our Favorite RV Upgrades: https://atravelpath.com/rv-upgrades/ · How Much We Made Renting Our RV: https://atravelpath.com/renting-camper-van/ · Never Run Out of Gas on a Road Trip: https://atravelpath.com/road-trip-tip/ Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/rocky-mountains *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision. Transcript Host: Dakota and Courtney, welcome to the Travel Path Podcast! Guest: Hey. Host: So you're on Instagram as @KotaandCourt, documenting your travels across 25 states so far, and we're really excited to finally have a travel nurse on the show. You've completed one and are on your second van build, so I can already tell there's going to be a lot of information to uncover with this podcast. But why don't we first start by having you share a little about yourselves? Guest: Well, we're just two kids from small towns in Missouri. I'm from a little town called Nevada, Missouri, and she's from Shell City, Missouri. She graduated with, like, 13 kids, so very small. Yeah, so not too much. I mean, had 35 cars and I'm 25 years old, so do a lot of that kind of stuff and just, you know, chase big dreams and try to make them happen. Yeah, that's it. Host: And travel while you can. So I'm sure those 25 you've had are going to help or have helped out with your van conversion. Um, so we'll definitely get into the van conversion later on in the show. I do want to get into travel nursing. If you've been paying attention to the podcast recently, we've had a few people mention travel nursing. So we're finally able to talk about it and bring it up here. So tell us about that. So obviously with travel nursing, you get your degree in nursing, you find a job with nursing somewhere, and then at some point, the idea of travel nursing comes to your mind. So what's that process of actually getting into nursing? Guest: Oh gosh, um, it's honestly kind of difficult. It's not difficult, but it's a big process. You have to find, um, sometimes it's, for me especially, it was hard trying to find, like, the right company. Um, you hear good things and bad things, um, obviously with everybody. So I kind of just picked a popular one. I'm with a healthcare. You basically, like, sign yourself up, so it's kind of like a job, um, application. You sign yourself up, you get a recruiter, and then they kind of just, like, help guide you through the process. Um, you have to fill out a bunch of tax forms, go get, like, physicals and labs drawn, um, basically do a bunch of requirements, like a huge checklist they have. And then, you know, obviously, there's a shortage of nurses everywhere, so you can really pick wherever you want to go, which is really cool. You can go to, um, you know, Alaska, Florida. Um, there are even some nursing companies that will allow you to go to, like, Mexico and Canada, like over, like, international travel nursing. So the process is difficult, but once you actually, um, you know, talk to a recruiter and talk to your people, um, it's a fairly simple process. So, um, you know, definitely, if you're trying to be a travel nurse, you know, I'd suggest to anybody. It's really nerve-wracking though, but they need travel nurses pretty, I mean, they want to do anything they can to get you in there, so they work with you pretty well. Host: Yeah, yeah, so difficult but simple is what it sounded like. In terms of the time frame, how long are we talking between actually getting approved for travel nursing? Guest: Oh gosh, you have to have your experience first, yeah. You have to, so, technically, for travel nursing, they really recommend you to have one to two years of experience just because when you get assigned to a job, you really only have like one day of training. So, like, you're just expected to know, like, all of these things, and, you know, if you don't, if you just go kind of blind, you know, it can be a disaster. Um, sometimes still is, you know, just 'cause every hospital is different. But I would say probably, I don't know, I started looking, I'd say around April or May, so I'd say maybe two to three months. It kind of just depends on how, you know, it's kind of like a you-driven thing too, you know, and how bad you want it. We kind of were just like, I don't really know if we want to do this, but I'll just go ahead and, you know, sign up and get all my ducks in a row, and then if we become more interested, we can go from there. So I'd say probably two to three months. I had to put in my two weeks, um, my two weeks at my previous job, and then, you know, find a job there. Um, in Pennsylvania was my first assignment, but it's pretty easy afterwards, though, yeah. Super easy, you have connections, you have about four different people who help you get like an experience specialist, you get your recruiter who really just helps you with, um, finding a job. You just have all different kinds of help with, but afterwards, after you get like your first job, then it's a lot easier. So it's like you can pretty much line up a job right after the next one if you want, as long as you have time to get there. So like she quit her last job, we had a week off, and I think it was like two weeks until she started her next contract, so she already signed one while she was working. Yeah, so you can sign with, you know, whatever company or whoever after you kind of get in it, just basically getting, getting your foot in the door, getting a reputation, and then you're able to kind of move wherever you want to go. Host: You mentioned one day of training. That sounds crazy to me because I've been in hospitals where it seems like it would take a week just to figure out where to go, and you can get lost in some of these places. So that means you're showing up at this job for the first time, you're like maybe like a mini orientation training, getting to know everybody, and then you're kind of fed to the wolves and you're travel nursing and you're doing nursing. Guest: Yeah, yeah, it's, yeah, it's crazy. The knowledge has to be, um, you know, you just, you kind of just have to go in headfirst. Um, even now, I will say that I still, you know, sometimes don't know where everything's at or even like hospital policies, everything's different. So, you know, just don't be afraid to ask questions, definitely. Um, is my thing, but yeah, just one day of training and you are on your own. Host: Wow. I would imagine that one day of training, obviously, it's a little bit more difficult to maneuver, and that comes with what we've heard is with travel nursing, there's higher pay rates, and there's the travel sties. Is that still the case today? Guest: Yes, right, or they're not as high as they used to be. No, definitely not. During COVID, nurses were making a lot of money. Stipends are... I would say that, I mean, even for me, just going from just a low-paying nursing job in drop-in Missouri to now, I say that stipends are really good for me, but if you talk to the next person, they're like, "Oh, this sucks." You know, it's a pretty controversial space because some people will say it's good money, and other people say, "Oh, well, you shouldn't accept a job for lower than this rate," and people get kind of agitated. But the stipends are really what make it worth doing the travel nursing. Yeah, so I mean, the hourly rate has an effect, but the stipends really make it worth it. Yeah, so basically, like, travel nurses get paid, like, a really low hourly rate. Like, if you would know, you would just have to be mind blown. But they get paid a super low hourly rate so that way they can max out your stipends, which are tax-free. So in the end, like, you end up making more money. Sometimes you have to negotiate for those. You have to kind of watch out. And I mean, if you get a good recruiter, they'd be pretty good with you. But you can get on a website like gsa.gov, I think, and it'll tell you kind of what the stipends are in the area that you're at and stuff. We kind of dove into it head first, kind of like buying a car. It's kind of confusing when you first get into it. We didn't really know what we were doing. We dove head first and we didn't realize, you know, you have to do certain things to get, you know, the tax-free stipends. So it's for housing and what stipends are for. And you're supposed to duplicate expenses to get those stipends. So essentially, you're supposed to pay rent back where you are from, like your permanent tax home, right? So you have to have, like, a tax home. And you can look up the requirements for a tax home. And then you also are supposed to be paying rent somewhere else. So like where you're traveling to as a nurse. And those can be, like, shared housing. But you have to be paying, like, both at the same time. So like for us, now that we're getting ready to be in a van, whenever we're traveling somewhere, we have to stay at a campground because that'll be our rent. Host: Okay, so there's no way around just boondocking the whole entire time. They want to see some sort of rent payment at the campsite. Guest: Yeah, you have to have a paper trail to show. I mean, now there are people that don't do it, you know, and they say, "Oh, I've never been caught." But I mean, if you get audited by the IRS, you're gonna owe some big money back. Host: Well, that's a really good tip you bring up, and I'm glad you bring that up about how you have to actually hunker down in a campsite and have proof of spending money on rent somewhere. 'Cause I have two sisters, one of them actually travel nurses. Both of them are nurses. We talked about before the podcast, one of them did travel nurse and the other one was, has been thinking about it. But I kind of told her, "Yeah, just get a van, get a dog, and just, you know, drive and boondock." But so they do want to see some source of income. So if you're listening to this, Jess or Chloe, make sure you're doing that. Guest: Yeah, and we didn't have any idea. They just asked her where she worked at and where she was from, where we lived at, and they said, "Oh, well, you qualify for the stipends." And they kind of had a sign the paperwork and we had no idea. I think I found like a video, like on Facebook Reels or TikTok or something. I was like, "Hey, do you know about this?" And he's like, "What?" Yeah, so we had, so I had to do a lot of research on it and try to figure it out and, you know, it all worked and had to talk to an accountant, really confused. And this was the first time really we had even done anything like that. So we were like, "We don't even know what to do." Host: Yeah, no, it's smart to do that. And I'm sure that might vary a little bit depending on your contracts. Do you know if, so I know you built out your van, so I don't think you owe anything on your van? Guest: Yeah, we do. We financed the van. So we, for the, we, we financed the van. Host: So I guess my next question was going to be if, if, like, you had a payment on your van or a camper, if that would count as rent. I'm not sure. Do you know if they would consider that? Guest: I don't think so because, um, one of the people that we were, I mean, it is a good question. I'm not, I'm not for sure, so don't quote me. But, um, the person that we were kind of following off of, um, I believe they had theirs, uh, they had an RV, like a fifth wheel, and I believe, leased or not leased, but they had a lien on it or a loan, whatever you want to call it. I believe they still had to stay at a campground. Now, I mean, that is a good question. I'd have to look into that because I wonder about that. Host: For sure. And if we can dig that up, I'll put a link in the show notes. So you talked about, I know your long-term play, you have your second van almost built and that's where you're going to be living in while you're travel nursing in the future moving forward. But right now you're signing these three to four-month kind of midterm leases, so they can be tricky to find, at least that's fully furnished. So how are you finding places to stay? Guest: We go off, there's a lot of different places. But for my first one, we went off of Furnish Finders. So it's just like an Airbnb or like a Verbo for nurses or just any traveling professional. So it doesn't have to be a nurse, but they're marketed towards, you know, people that have, you know, like, I guess, could be like a welder or a nurse or, you know, anybody that works odd hours. Guest: Yeah, we actually were on the other side of that coin. We have a couple rental properties, and we've rented two with Furnish Finders, travel nurses. We, we had like poets and authors who just come for like those shorter periods, yeah. But it is marketed towards travel nurses. Host: Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what that's what we use. Um, we looked at all avenues. We found Furnish Finders was cheaper than like Verbo, Airbnb, or even like we looked at hotels too, and it was just like thrown out of the picture because that's ridiculous. Um, from the time she decided she was going to do travel nursing, I think it was like two weeks before she signed her first contract, then we were like moving, yeah. And so we packed all our stuff in the back of a Jeep, and we hours away headed out to Pennsylvania. So it was a, was quite a ways. It seems like a lot of the travel nurses that she works with are just from around the area. So like right now, she's in, seems like a lot of people from Kansas. When she was in Pennsylvania, seemed like a lot, yeah. And they were like, "Oh my gosh, you're all the way from Missouri." And, you know, like I have an accent, and they're like, "Where are you from? We know you're from somewhere not around here." Host: How far in advance have you found, so I would imagine you secure the contract many months in advance. But in terms of actually booking a place to stay, how far in advance are you planning that? Guest: I mean, from your first one, it was like two weeks. We started looking, and it was like within two weeks, we were up there at a place. Host: I would imagine does your travel agent help out with that at all in terms of finding places to go? Guest: Yes, they offer, but I was already like halfway to finding a house before they were like, "Hey, you know, we'll help you if you need it." And I'm like, "That's great," but yeah, a lot of people do use, you know, their people assigned to help to do that. But I, I was so excited about my first assignment. I was just like, I had a house found, like, all these things before somebody even messaged me, and they were like, "Hey, do you need help finding a home?" I was like, "I already have one. I've already, you know, put a deposit down." They're like, "Oh, okay, well, never mind then." That first one we went, what was the population of that town? Like 80 people, something like that, in a very tiny Amish town. Host: Get to see all sorts of places. And if you end up at a place you don't like that much, you're only there for like three, four months, so you can find another place. You mentioned you're working with Aya, and does that in terms of finding other places to go, are you limited to like hospitals that they own, or how does that work? Guest: Nope, so every travel company is different. I just, A, is, I don't know, they're really popular, I guess you could say, like among travel nurses. So like, certain hospitals will have contracts with these travel companies, so A has a lot. But for say like, if you go to a different travel company, you know, they may be hiring at like these certain hospitals that don't have contracts with A. So it's different, but A holds a lot of contracts with a lot of hospitals. So I just went with them. Host: And then how flexible in terms of how long do you want to stay somewhere for? If you want to stay there for like two months, four months, six months, are you able to kind of negotiate that? And then also like your actual hours, if you're working nights, days, how many hours a week, is that all negotiable? Guest: Yep, so whenever you go to sign up for a job, it will tell you like whether it's a day shift or a night shift job. So I'm a day shift, so I work 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., usually 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. So I really am like a 13, 14-hour shifter. And then as far as like staying at that job for however long, you can actually stay up to a travel assignment for 364 days. You just can't work a full year because if you do, say like, I'm working in Topeka right now, I can stay there for 364 days. But if I stay there that 365th day, it's considered my tax home now, so it just kind of messes up a whole bunch of things. So you can extend at a job, you just let your recruiter know. Usually, they'll message you first and be like, "Hey, are you liking your assignment? Do you want to extend?" And I actually have accepted an extension in Topeka. So I'm there until April 27th. And then from there, if you decide to work the whole 364, all you have to do by law is take 30 days off, and then you can go right back to that same job for another year or 36. I think they cap it. Like, I think you can only do that for two years. There's, there's, I don't know exactly what it is. It's complicated, but there are a lot of like, logistical or maybe it's not logistical, but it's requirements. So you can only do things, I think, in certain states for so long, and every state is different, every state has different, yeah. I think that there's like, make it confusing. Yeah, yeah. But it seems to be that the most common are like 13-week contracts, and then there are some that are what, what's the other one, like eight? Yeah, they do, you can do four weeks if they're like a crisis job, which means that they just need you right away. You can go and sign for a four-week contract. And where you can go, usually the average is 13 to 26 weeks, so that's what I did on my first assignment. And now I'm at six weeks now on my second assignment. Host: Yeah, I can definitely agree with that. A lot of options to extend. On the landlord side, we made it a point to ask our when we're hosting travel nurses if they're going to extend because we've had several times now where, like, we've gotten a booking after that lease is up but then they'll tell us, "Hey, can I extend?" And, like, oh, sorry, we just booked somebody else. So now we're actually actively asking like, hey, are you looking to extend? And then we'll do that because that does happen more often than not, when travel nurses in particular, they'll extend their stay. Guest: Yeah, that, that's what our um, our landlord in Pennsylvania did. She like, about halfway through, she said, "Hey, you know, just going to post this up, you know, on Furnish Finders. So just wondering, you know, can I, can I show it to people and post it? Or are you guys planning to extend?" So yeah, that's, it is good that she asked. Host: Yeah, for sure. Guest: And your first assignment was a really good one for like, anybody that would want to try to get into it. I mean, if they were looking into like trying to just get their foot in the door and try it out and see if they liked it, I mean, she worked in a hospital in, um, what was it, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania? It's called Evangelical Community Hospital, a small little Community Hospital like 220 beds, pretty easy, tiny. And we stayed at a place called The Dong Village, and the landlords there were wonderful. I mean, and so like if you are looking into it and you're trying to just kind of find something that, you know, is good, know that, it's going to, not it's not going to be hard right off the bat, you're not going to be thrown to the wolves, like some of the other stuff. That's a good, you know, um, that's how we started or how she started, not me. Host: Well, awesome guys. I think this was a really informative segment on getting into travel nursing. And I think it would be really cool to have you guys back on once you have your van up and mobile and you're actually travel nursing with your van to talk about how you guys are finding places to stay, how you've been acclimating to that lifestyle. But speaking of that, like I mentioned before, you guys have done not one but you're working on your second van conversion. So we can dig into that a little bit now. Before we talk about the actual build, I know you ran into a little bit of trouble actually acquiring the van. So what was that process like just getting your hands on the van? Guest: Yeah, so I mean, we started the idea I think like four or five years ago that we wanted to do van life. And we were just, I mean, we're really, really young. I remember telling all my family at Christmas time that we wanted to live in a van. They all thought we were crazy. And so, so it took us a while after that to kind of, she had to graduate nursing school to be able to do that. We actually moved out, got an apartment because we lived with my parents until she was done with nursing school. We got an apartment, and we lived in an apartment for six months, and we decided we just were looking at the cost of what it was, you know, adding up to be. We didn't own the place, we kind of wanted to do something else. And I made a joke one night that we could move back in with my parents, and that we could save a ton of money and potentially do van life. And so, you know, it led into more serious conversation. We talked to my parents again, and of course, my parents, they're, you know, really chill, and they agreed, and they said, "Yeah, come on back." And so we moved back in with them, and we started working towards saving up to buy a van, which was kind of tough because she was a, she was a new nurse. I mean, anybody that works at a school tell you that the pay there is pretty low. So we moved back in with them, we started saving up, and we decided we were going to put a deposit down on one. It was, it was hard finding, oh my gosh, try to find, we, we decided we were going to try to get one, and we called, I don't know, probably 50 dealerships across the nation. We didn't really care where it was, we thought, well, we were going to drive anywhere, yeah, we would fly in or drive or do whatever it took. We called like 50 dealerships, you couldn't find them. Host: Did you have like a specific van you wanted, or were you open to any type of? Guest: So we wanted a ProMaster because of the cost. I mean, it's cheap. I think that there are better options if you have the budget for them, you know, that's just my personal opinion. A lot of people like, you know, there's Mercedes, there's Ford Transit, but we decided on ProMaster. And so anything that we found during that time, it was, you know, in the height of the pandemic, they had a called a market adjustment where they marked them up about 15 to 20,000. So it was crazy because you could order one, and we found a dealership in Arizona and they were going to order us one for MSRP. And we were initially told that it would take three or four months and we would have the van. And so we thought, well, that work. Ecstatic, we're like, oh yeah, that's great. And so I had just paid off my car the day before, and we didn't have any money. And the lady at the dealership said, "Orders will be closing any time now because they're going to start retooling for the next year." Luckily, I went to my mom for the second time in my life to borrow some money, and she loaned us a little bit of money to put a down payment on it. And that was stressful, and luckily, I got her paid back within two weeks. And so we put the down payment on, and we started buying stuff, trying to, yeah, accumulate all we would need for the van build. I sold the car that I had, that I paid off, and that kind of gave us the money to put towards the van. So we were going to finance the van and just use the money that I had from the car to buy all the stuff for it. We bought a lot of stuff. I think we bought like $10,000 worth of stuff before we even had the, yeah, and so we were waiting and waiting and waiting, and they were like, oh well, it's gonna come next month, oh, it's gonna come next month, it's gonna come next month. And it just started to get to the point where we were nine months in, and they kept saying it, and we didn't know, you know, we didn't know how long it was going to be um so we got really discouraged and I mean I'm really bad about it I I buy and sell vehicles all the time when I get bored and I think it's hard for me to kind of like stay on one thing so my mind was kind of racing on what else we could do and we just decided that we would sell all the stuff and any of the money that we made back from that we put towards you know another vehicle and we were just going to make it really fast so we bought another Mustang we canceled our order and um we had that Mustang for two months and we rolled across the dealership in town and they had a we had ordered a 159 ProMaster and um there was a 136 sitting on the lot of a local dealership and you couldn't hardly find them at the time so um we went and looked in the windows and I said we could really do this uh you know we can we can figure it out we could make this happen and so we looked in it the next day I went and test drove it and the next day after that I had a check in hand from the bank we purchased it the day after that I had contacted a dealership in Oklahoma that bought one of my friends cars and they said yeah we'll buy it so I took it down there and they bought it off of me and we started building our um our first van we had to buy it all over again so we bought all the stuff. Host: That's incredible. So sold your car, ordered a van, ordered all the parts and material for the van, waited 9 months, didn't come in, sold the material, bought another car, and then you found that exact van you wanted for sale two months later and picked and then swapped them out. That's crazy. And I'm glad you bring that up because that's something a lot of people probably won't even consider when they're going to do a van build is actually it might take upwards of a year to actually get the van itself. And you, I know you mentioned you're constantly doing different things but also another thing you guys were excited, you had all this stuff, these parts lying around, you probably had coming up with designs and things you wanted to do and that probably made it more painful having to continue to wait and get the update, another month, another month. So, wow, I can say it's definitely dedication, the fact that you guys stuck it out and ended up finally getting your van. But that's crazy. Is that something you've seen? I know that was during COVID, right? So that's when materials and supplies were crazy. Has that tamed and kind of slowed down? Can it be easier to get one of those vans now, I would imagine? Guest: Yeah, we just drove by one on the way here, like, to this podcast. We were at a sister's house and just right down the road there's just, we're like, "Hey, look, there's one just sitting out front." And they actually had one in the back, too. So much easier. Yeah, I think the biggest struggle, though, with the whole thing was also watching, like, you know, I think that it's, you know, a lot of the people that do van life don't do it forever. I think that's like an important thing to know when you're getting into it, is that like most people don't do it forever and a lot of people get burnt out with it. There are some people that don't. Kind of got to know what you're wanting out of it. But like when we had all our stuff, I mean, we started buying stuff and looking into doing things, it was a little over a year before that. And so some of the people that we had met and made friends with and we were excited to do it, we watched them build their vans, they had already sold their stuff, too. But as far as like getting ahold of vans, uh, yeah, it's a lot easier now. I think that, I think that the wait times can still be somewhat long depending on where you order it from. On the second van, we just rolled into town, there was one on the lot. And it's kind of crazy because the car market has dropped tremendously. I mean, it fell on spas really. So we looked at our van, it was, uh, 30, 39,000. And when we came back just a few weeks later after she finished her assignment, it dropped all the way down to like 33. So I, it was, it was within a matter of like four to six weeks, the market's definitely changing. Host: Those inflated prices are finally coming down. I was curious, you bought, so you bought parts and material for the van, how did you know what to buy? Are there like websites or kits you can buy that are custom for like specific van frames? Or how'd you go about doing that? Guest: Yeah, so a lot of the stuff we bought, um, at the beginning was like electrical stuff, we knew we were going to need that. Um, there are websites. We follow a lot of um, schematics from uh, Far Out Ride is one of the websites. There's another one that does sell more of like kits, um, Explorist.life. I think is what it's called, his Nate Yarbrough. Um, and I mean, he's got a ton of information. You can buy schematics on there. Um, and I've referenced those. I haven't bought any from it. Um, but yeah, we just kind of started sizing up our electrical system, and we went with some of the more expensive components. On our first one, we bought a bunch of Victron stuff, and you know, the wiring, the wire itself can be expensive as well. And then just little stuff that we wanted in it. So we didn't buy any like wood, most of it was just, you know, things you would need to get started. Um, and I don't, I don't even know what all we spent. I mean, we spent a bunch of money on a lot of stuff. I think mostly it was electrical though. Host: So obviously, so you ended up selling that first van that you converted. Why did you end up selling it? Guest: Well, it was just really, we found out really fast that when we started it, it was just the two of us and we didn't really, I didn't want a dog, but we ended up with one. And so, and I love him to death. I was never an animal person. We went into a place, my sister was looking at a dog, and my parents wanted to go look at the dogs, and we went in there, and there was this little dog in there, and we just fell in love with him. And now I'm an animal person. So, but found out it was just, it got really tight, really fast with two people and a dog. And then the other thing was, is that we didn't put an air conditioner in it. And so, really hot, a lot of people say, you know, I've heard a lot of people say that they can get by with just two fans, you know, you don't need to spend the money on the air conditioner, and that's great if you can chase the weather and stuff. But we live in the Midwest, and it gets really hot, really hot. And so, by the time we had finished that van, I think we kind of knew we were in trouble because it was just really hot. I mean, we couldn't even barely finish it because we were so hot. It was, you know, it'd be like 80 degrees, 85 degrees outside, and it'd be over 100 degrees in the van. And, you know, you could have the fans on and it'd still be like 96. We just got to thinking, she wanted to do travel nursing and if she needed to take a job in like Arizona or something in the heat of the summer, we needed to be able to, you know, go there and live comfortably. We also needed something that would keep our dog safe as well. And so, we ultimately decided to sell it because we would have needed to upgrade our electrical system, we would have needed, you know, tear out a lot of the ceiling, and at that point, we were just kind of over it. We were just done with building, it took a long time and all of our friends that we had met were like done, so we were just like, we don't, you know, we just, we're done with it too, we were discouraged. So, we just decided to sell it, um we posted up because she wanted to do travel nursing um she had already signed a contract by the time that we posted it for sale and a couple uh flew in from South Carolina and bought it for what we had in it so we didn't make any money off of it it was almost I mean it was like 95% finished and um so they got a good deal on it but uh we just knew we needed something different than that. Host: Well, at least despite the prices coming down, you didn't take a bath on it, so with the next van, you put the air conditioning in. Were there any other modifications you're doing with this one that you didn't do the first time? Guest: Yeah, I mean, we're not going to put a shower in this one. Sounds gross, yeah, but we're counting on is we'll try to stay at RV parks that have showers while she's on her contract. We tried to put one like a hidden shower, like a shower and a bench in our last van, and by the time you got the shower pan and then you set the toilet on top of the shower pan, it was like an awkward height, so the bench in there was really uncomfortable to sit on. Really wasn't needed. I mean, you've got Planet Fitness, you've got truck stops, and my buddy is a trucker and he just, we pretty much have unlimited showers at truck stops when we need them, so that's nice. But we weighed out a lot of different options too on like whether we should go with a van. Crazy enough before we even bought this second van we thought we were gonna buy, we were gonna buy an Airstream. I bought a truck actually and I sold it within two days, it's crazy, but I bought a truck and sold it two days later because we decided we were gonna go do a van. So we weighed out the options and really for us a van was the most economical option. By the time you factor in like fuel mileage, so like, you know, there's the three big ones for us was like a class a camper, or RV I guess you call it, or like a pool behind. We looked into even doing like an ambulance, but we even looked at an ambulance New York or Pennsylvania somewhere, yeah, yeah. But by the time you spend fuel on those, it gets to be really expensive. I mean, a half-ton truck, it's like, you know, the older trucks like the one I had was gonna get like nine miles per gallon. A lot of the diesel stuff, it's just high maintenance costs, higher fuel costs, and I didn't know how to work on a diesel. That was a big one for us and so we didn't wanna terrify because if we break down on the road, you know, I'm at the mercy of a mechanic and diesel mechanics are very expensive. So the van just made sense for us, you know, you don't have to have insurance on two vehicles, you just have insurance on the van itself, you can drive wherever you need, now that, that can be a downfall, but we plan to get, like, it's like a dirt bike, a street legal dirt bike later on that we'll use, put a carrier on the back of the van as our secondary Transportation so we don't always have to take it. Host: Were there any mistakes you made with the first or the second build that you want to share that could potentially save a future listener some trouble? Guest: Oh gosh, don't overcomplicate it. Yeah, I mean, I was going to say, he knows more about that stuff, I'm kind of just, if you had anything to add, go ahead, but I mean, I think in our first one, we just tried to really pack everything in. We wanted a shower, we wanted, you know, a toilet, we wanted, you know, a kitchen area and stuff. I think that you really find out a lot of stuff when you take your first trip in it. I mean, if you have the money, I know that some people don't have a huge budget to do a van, somebody I'd mentioned this before and somebody said, well, I'd rather take the money that I would use to rent a van, van, and just put it towards my build. But if you have the money to rent a van, I would definitely recommend renting one out and kind of seeing what you use and what you don't, how you like the layout and how you don't, because I think from the first trip that we took, and ours was put together, we realized a lot of things, like our cabinets were really close to our bench and so it made it difficult underneath the sink because we had two cabinets that opened out where you have to be in between them because there wasn't enough room to get past so you were leaning over the cabinet or you had to, you know, wed yourself in there open them up. So there's just a lot of things that you don't think about. Another one was like the shower situation. We thought we were going to put a shower in this one too, our second conversion and we just ultimately decided that we wanted to open feel, we didn't want to feel like we were closed in like our first one, our first van was pretty small was a 136, we've got a 159 now and we just wanted to keep the open feel. Like I said, a lot of the campgrounds have showers, there's a lot of other options, I mean, it just depends on what's important to you. So you know, really think it out, look at other people, ask questions if you can, the best thing you can do is, you know, rent an in or even if you buy one, uh, just try to take a trip in it, you need a lot less than you really think you do. Host: I think you're totally right about the fact that it's, it's your lifestyle, it's going to revolve around what you're doing, like for example, if you're working at your van, you're boondocking all over the place, you're going to want probably a shower and have those facilities, but if you're travel nursing and you're kind of forced to stay at campgrounds, you're going to be using those facilities anyways so you don't necessarily need those in your van so there's a lot to consider before actually getting started there. Guest: Yeah, there's a lot of new tech too that is appealing to a lot of people. They're like, "Oh, I want to put this and this and this." So, like, I know, like, a hydronic floor is, like, I think it's hydronic heated floor is what they call it. A lot of people like to put those and they're... they're, to me, they're really complex and stuff. So, like, I don't... I don't need it, you know? It may be something for somebody else. But, you know, the simpler, in my opinion, the better, the less to go wrong, kind of figure it all out too. So, I feel like the heated floor is just one shake in the van away from that wire to come loose and then for it to just not work right. Host: Well, great, guys. This was a really deep dive into, I guess, not just one but two van builds. I think this is definitely helpful for a lot of people, not just with the build process but also expectations in terms of ordering and the timeline, the overall timeline. So, once you had it, I just want to ask one last question before we wrap up and transition. But how long did that first and second van build take once you actually had the van? Guest: So, our first one took us eight months. Um, we thought it would take us a lot less. We had originally planned on, like, three to four. Took us eight months. We did it in the middle of the winter too, so there were times we both had full-time jobs. Um, so, a lot of... I mean, we didn't work on it but a couple days on the weekends when I had off. It was kind of hard to get our schedules in line because there were sometimes where she would work on weekends and there's a lot of tasks that just require two people, you know, some of those long boards, trying to put them up on the ceiling or cut them. You know, I didn't have an outfeed table for a saw so I needed somebody to help me hold the boards up while I cut them. So, it was really kind of tough and we didn't work on it for like a month or two on our first one in the middle of winter just because it was so cold and the motivation was very low. Yeah, and you start... the end of it, I mean, towards the end of your first build can kind of be... I don't know, hard. I mean, you can kind of struggle just knowing how long it's taking you. Host: I definitely don't think people can underestimate the... I guess determination. I can't think of the word but resilience, I guess, in terms of, you know, the mindset of building it, kind of getting demotivated, realizing it's not necessarily the van for you but then, you know, continuing and being resilient and getting another one and doing it the way you want it. Guest: Yeah, it's... it was tough. Our second one's gone faster. We bought it in October. I don't... I didn't do the math off the top of my head but we're planning to have it done within the next, uh, nine weeks is the plan. Um, we're almost done. I mean, we're... we're on track to finish it. We got, you know, just a little bit stuff we got to make cabinets and, um, just, you know, little stuff add trim and and that kind of stuff. Host: But like I said you've already taken a few trips in it so it's drivable it's livable just kind of the finishing touches. We'll jump ahead a little bit. Um, what has been the coolest travel experience you guys have had so far? It could be with your van or not with your van. Guest: So, one of the coolest places we've taken our van, I think the one we enjoyed most was going to South Dakota, which... or, I... we took a couple, so that... I think that was like the first trip that we took when our van was almost completely finished and we met up actually with some friends through Instagram, which kind of sounds a little creepy but they ended up being really good friends. And we actually got to stay, like, on our first, I guess, like, BLM land I guess you say. Actually, we were in a forest. We stayed on BLM land though, so we got to, you know, like, actually, yeah, we did. We got to actually experience that versus, you know, just staying, you know, in a campground or like on the side of a street or something. It was like the full like van life experience. We stayed right on the edge of the badlands, so they have Wall Wall, South Dakota, I think is what it's called where Wall Drug is. A lot of people know what that is. It's like a big General Store. It's really popular, really cool. I mean, there's not, to me, there's not a bunch in South Dakota but the Badlands is kind of the biggest, you know, and that and Mount Rushmore. So, we went up there and that was... that was about the coolest that we got the experience in that and we stayed right on the edge. They had some BLM land. We woke up to cows scratching our head on the back of the van, go... I was breaking in our van, it was rocking back and forth, we weren't sure what was going on but it was awesome. Yeah, it was... it was a neat experience. I mean, we just got to hang out and it just makes you feel like you're living life really freely, like. Host: That's something I wanted to wake up to, like, just seeing bison or cows or something like brushing up against the van. I would open up and look out and like they're not there yet but that's really cool. So, your van was like shaking cuz there was a cow brushing up against it? Guest: Yeah, the door hinges on the back, they kind of stick out on and it, they were doing it to like all like we were with, I don't know how many people were there but they were just going down the line like everybody there, I guess it was like a natural alarm, guess? Yeah, which it was wild. We were there for a couple nights and then we didn't see cows, we didn't even know there were cows there and all of a sudden, hundreds, and they were all around, we were surrounded by them. So, that's funny. Host: That's cool, that's a good experience, yeah. Alright guys, if you could have listened to this podcast when you were first starting out on your van life, your travel nurse journey, and there was a question that you wish I would have asked tonight that I didn't, what would that question be and how would you answer that now? Guest: Oh, that's a good one, the question. I don't know the answer to that one. Um, I think it... I think I would just be more interested in like, um, like budget, really. I mean, it's so... it's so hard because how much money do you need to have saved up for this? And, yeah, so like, really what people spend on gas, um, you know, that's a big one for me because it's so hard to know kind of what that is. Um, you know, how much you spend. And I know that's different for everyone but um, it's really tough to get like an understanding of what the budget will be like. Even now, we're not really sure what we're going to spend. We're planning to take four months off but we have really no idea what it's going to cost. We try to do some calculations on like how much we're going to drive and the gas prices in those areas and what it's going to be but really like, I think the budget is just the hardest part to know what it's like for somebody that's going to actually travel, not just sit in one place but like, really travels. Host: In terms of the budget, that's something that completely like blew our socks off was going cross country. We spent way more on fuel than we expected to. And one tip we learned, talking with Dylan in episode one, we actually have a blog post about this I'll link in the show notes, but you take your mileage and you add like a 50% buffer. So, you do your entire trip and add 50% to that because you'll be shocked at how much time and miles you spend driving back and forth, whether National Park Loops or, you know, back and forth of destinations. It was almost like for both of us 50% more than what that Google Maps itinerary told us. That was one good way and then of course, the price of gas varies. I think either way it's going to be more than you expect but if you can, you know, put as much of a buffer on that as you can. We actually had, uh, on episode 13 with, um, Lur and Jason, they were the only guest so far that paid that had money left over after the trip because they... they just anticipated out west to be super expensive, California and just really, really saved up for it and it ended up not being as much as they expected. But there are a few ways you can prepare but it is tough to nail down a price point in terms of budgeting for the van build. Did you have like a number, rough number on how much that cost to build out that you wanted to share? Guest: Yeah, so our first one, we bought our first van, um, it was a 136 ProMaster. It had about 60,000 miles on it and we bought that for $38,000 and we spent around $17,000 on the conversion. And I think that was more on the high side. We didn't really skimp on anything. I wanted, you know, nice materials. I wanted the cabinets to be made out of like, um, birch. Um, and so we probably spent more than I guess the average person. And then I think on the second one, we bought our van for $34,500. There was some kind of weird markups on there. I know that I said that it was marked down to like $33,000 but it was, it's kind of confusing, I guess you have to have like a trade-in and finance through them. It's, to me, it's like a dealership scam but we end up paying $34,500 for our van and I think we're going to have right around 20 grand in it and that's with an air conditioner, inverter, and two extra batteries. Yeah, we beefed up our electrical system a lot on this one so, you know, you may give or take a little bit. I would probably say anywhere from like 20 to 22. We haven't added it up yet but I think we're right in that range. Host: Nice, well thank you for sharing that. And then for someone who's listening to this podcast who wants to get into this kind of travel nursing, van life lifestyle but aren't quite there yet, what is one thing they can do today to get started? Guest: I mean really just cut out all the unnecessary stuff. Like that's the biggest way that we started saving for it was, you know, you can look at your expenses and cut out a lot. I mean, you... you list it all out, um, get rid of unnecessary subscriptions. I mean, heck, even like, um, your vehicle insurance, I mean a lot of people overpay for vehicle insurance and so, you know, you can go through many agencies and get free quotes. I mean, it doesn't do anything, you know, it's just literally a free quote, um, to see if you can save money on that and just really kind of skimping on everything. So, we cut down like our phone bills, we went to straight talk. I mean, it was far less. We just paid for our phones out of pocket. Um, we have less expenses there and just cut out everything we didn't need. What were you saying about the travel nursing part, just how to get into it? Host: I guess just a lifestyle and obviously with that you would need to, um, have the degree and everything else but I guess the first step probably be just pursuing it. Guest: Getting in touch with the travel agency or going through the application process. Otherwise, I would say, you know, just do it. I just don't even really think about it, don't overthink about it, just put in your application and get connected with somebody. Just do it. Yeah, it's... it's not a bad... I mean, Courtney was really nervous about getting into it, she wasn't really sure what to think, of course you like we mentioned earlier there's only one day of orientation, you know, she... whether she didn't know enough but and I'm really, I get really nervous, um, like with change so I was, "Oh my gosh, I don't know how I'm going to function like talking to people, like, questions," like, "I'm just going to have to get over that fear," you know, and just... and just do it. So, it's got much better. I still get a little nervous um, before my assignments start but um, it's even compared to the first one, it's gotten much better but it seems like with nursing a lot of it is like that, everybody's still learning all the time. I mean, like, yeah, there's... there's always going to be something that you can learn better with so it, for the most part, iht's from her experience and maybe I'm wrong here, you'll have to correct me, but it seems like they're all willing to help out and you know, help you with things that you might not know if it's something that you've never done before. There's usually somebody there that has, and just don't be scared, you know? Try it. If it's not for you, you know it's not permanent. Host: Yeah, at least you tried, and you got out of your comfort zone, which a lot of people don't do, so yeah, and you're enjoying it so far. And then yeah, like cutting expenses is never a bad place to start like you said there Dakota. Well, great. Have there been any YouTube channels, books, or other influences that inspired you guys to get on the road and travel? Guest: Yeah, um, you want me to talk about it or you want to? Okay, you can. Okay, so the second van build we were really inspired by Jimmy and Natalie. Um, I don't know if you know who they are. They have a YouTube channel, I think they have like 45,000 subscribers. Actually, copying their layout exactly because it just seems like it's simple enough, it's not overcomplicated. Yeah, yeah. So, we just thought the functionality worked for us. It had everything we needed. But as far as like first getting started with Van life, there was a lady named Liz Bryant. She has a YouTube, I don't think she really uploads to it anymore, called "Wild by the Mile". She was a solo, like the OG solo female vanlifer, and um, that was the first time I'd ever really seen anybody do van life and that was what really inspired me because it just seemed so awesome, you know? It's wake up by the beach every day and just kind of live life on your own terms and have your own freedom. So seeing that, seeing what she did, it was really inspiring to us. I mean, I think there's good and bad that come with it, but I think the good far outweighs any of the complications that, you know, you have in Van life. Host: Otherwise, you wouldn't be doing a second van build, right? Thank you guys. I'll put a link in the show notes for those two channels you mentioned there and while our audience is checking out those channels, one more time, where can they find out more about you? Guest: We have an Instagram, it's @kodaandcourt. And that's really all we have right at the moment. I mean, we have a YouTube channel, but we're a little camera shy, so just getting over the fear of hearing your own voice and you know, that. So, we might, you know, eventually do something with that, but right now we're just kind of not. We're not, we're not like keeping up with Instagram. We post stories and stuff, but I think we're going to post more when, you know, she's not working. So we're trying to work on being better about it. But yeah, any questions, you know, anybody can reach out. I'd love to help people whether it's, you know, car-related stuff, if somebody's having trouble with their vehicle or, you know, travel nursing, or build, you know, van build questions, you know, we're just, we love to answer questions and help people out. Host: Great, yeah, we'll put a link in the description for your channel as well and camera shy but we could definitely not tell and you guys rock this interview. There's a ton of valuable information here. We're excited to get out and share. Um, last question so our audience doesn't stay in suspense. What are we talking about for part two in travel tips? Guest: We're going to talk about Juniper Springs, I guess it's in the Okala National Forest, so in Florida. Host: Alright everybody, keep an eye out for that episode airing in 2 days. Dakota and Courtney, thanks again. Guest: Thank you.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
Ultimate Guide to an Alaskan Road Trip! @themilesvanlife 33:35

1 year ago33:35

33:35

It was so great to have Chad and Eileen back on the podcast to give us a very detailed overview of their six week trip to Alaska. Even better, they are planning on returning for an entire season so they let us know what they are doing differently to prepare for their next journey. Price It’s no secret that Alaska is expensive. They share how even though they anticipated to spend a little more here, they still underestimated it. Internet If you want to have some sort of internet connection while you make the drive to Alaksa, Starlink is your best bet. They mentioned how they had very poor service, and even if they didn’t need to use it, knowing they could fire up Starlink if they needed to gave them peace of mind. Things to Do From boat rides, plane rides, and hiking, they stayed very busy. They admit they didn’t do a ton of excursions, but since Alaksa is such beautiful place to be, they really didn’t need to. We discussed a few things they are looking forward to doing next time as well. 3, 2, 1 Countdown 3 Things to Bring to Alaska · Bug spray, fly swatter, bug net · Blackout curtains, eye mask · Binoculars 2 Things to Be Prepared For · Bugs and mosquitoes · Bears 1 Thing You Can’t Leave Alaska Without Doing · The plane ride or jumping in a lake Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:00 How much time did you spend in Alaska and what did you cover? 02:00 How much time should someone spend in Alaska and when should they go? 04:00 How was it bringing your dog with you to Alaska? 07:15 Sightseeing plane ride in Alaska 09:30 How did you get to Alaska with your van? 13:00 Favorite camping spots? 14:45 How expensive is it in Alaska? 15:15 What activities did you do in Alaska? 18:30 What is there to do at night in Alaska? 20:15 How long did it take to adjust to it not getting dark? 23:30 How was the food scene in Alaska? 24:30 How are you preparing differently for your next trip to Alaska? 26:00 What are three things people should bring to Alaska? 27:45 What are two things people should prepare for before they visit Alaska? 30:15 How are the roads in Alaska? 32:00 What can’t you leave Alaska with out doing? Chad and Eileen on Social: · Miles Van Life: https://www.instagram.com/themilesvanlife/ · Eileen’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eileenrosemiles/ · Eileen’s Website: https://www.eileenrose.me/ · Eileen’s Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-inward-journey/id1666397129 · Chad’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/chadmmiles/ · Chad’s Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2228949/share Locations · Fairbanks: https://www.explorefairbanks.com/ · Denali National Park: https://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm · Hatche Pass: https://www.alaska.org/detail/hatcher-pass · Anchorage: https://www.anchorage.net/ · Kenai Peninsula: https://www.travelalaska.com/Destinations/Regions/Southcentral/Kenai-Peninsula · Whittier: https://www.alaska.org/destination/whittier · Hope: https://www.alaska.org/destination/hope To Do: · Boat Trip to Juneau: https://alaskafjordlines.com/ · Plane Ride: https://www.katair.com/ · Katmai Bear Viewing Tours: https://katmaiair.com/ Restaurants · Karstens Public House: https://www.westmarkhotels.com/denali-food/ · Anchorage Breweries: https://www.anchorage.net/restaurants/breweries/ Camping · Dyea Flats: https://www.alaska.org/detail/dyea-campground Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-toes/gently-comes-tomorrow License code: JNNG98EA42W634JP *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision. Transcript Host: All right, Chad and Eileen, welcome back to the Travel Path Podcast. Guest: Hi, we're happy to be back. So, in case you missed the first episode, we talked about all their van life adventures, and we took a pretty deep dive into some of the finances and a lot of the things that people don't think about with van life, including routines or lack of routines, getting kind of out of the routines you're used to living at home, and transitioning to van life. So, if you haven't listened, give it a listen. For part two, travel tips, we're talking about one destination. So, Chad and Eileen, what destination are we talking about today? Guest: We're going to talk about Alaska. Host: All right. Guest: Our favorite place in the world for sure. Host: So, I guess that's what made you decide to share about Alaska today, is just how much you love it? Guest: Yeah, and I think last summer, we made our first trip up to Alaska, and we spent about six weeks there. And it was such an overwhelming experience trying to figure out and plan for all the things that we might need to go there, and so maybe we can make it a little bit simpler for people by sharing today. Host: Awesome. How much time did you guys spend in Alaska, and what did you actually cover when you were there? Guest: So, we spent a total of about six weeks in Alaska. That doesn't include the drive up or the drive back, but our six weeks in Alaska, we covered quite a bit. So, we went up the more northern route. We started in Fairbanks, and then we made our way south from there. So, we hit Denali National Park, we went to Hatcher Pass, we went to Anchorage, down to the Kenai Peninsula, and then on our way out of Alaska, we went down to Skagway and took a boat trip to Juneau as well. So, we covered quite a bit of it. Host: Yeah, you certainly did. So, would you say for someone who is living this van life journey or taking a cross-country trip, how much do you think six weeks is a really good time for them to experience Alaska? Or would you say plan more or you could plan less? Guest: We are going back for the entire summer, but I know that's not realistic for everyone, but you probably will fall in love with it as well and want to go back for longer. But we do feel anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks is enough time to get the most out of it and see, you know, the Denali National Park, which is our favorite place, and then the Kenai Peninsula for sure. So, four to six weeks would be good. Host: Yeah, good. So obviously, you know, if you're going to really enjoy the national parks and probably have a great time, you want to go in the summertime when it's not the dead of winter. What are some of those seasonal highlights for you guys, at least when you were there? Guest: Well, yes, you 100% need to see Alaska in the summer because in the winter, it is, I think, it's four or six hours of daylight, and the rest is all dark. And so in the summer, you get 20 hours of daylight. So, you have longer days in the summer. It's actually wild how long they are. We tried to see the Northern Lights, and it never got dark enough. So, that's what's great, though, about the summertime is the days are long, and you can start a hike at 4 p.m., for example. It's beautiful. There's a lot of fish out in the rivers that you can catch and enjoy fresh. There's beautiful flowers, and everything is just beautiful in the summer. So, there's lots of wildlife that are out in the summer. So, you're looking, if you're planning on going up to Alaska, your window to be there is about mid-June through September 1st. Outside of that, you're going to run into some colder temperatures. But when we were there, we were there mid-July through about September 1st, and I mean, it was beautiful, 60, 70-degree days. We had a lot of sunshine while we were there, so the weather is definitely a highlight if you're there in the summertime. Host: Yeah, sure. And then you're traveling with Sadie, your dog. So, do you feel like she was able to go on all these hikes with you? Were there any restrictions that you kind of got snagged on? Guest: She couldn't enjoy the Denali National Park hikes with us. But Hatcher Pass, for example, is a hidden gem south of Denali, is that right? Okay. And it's beautiful, and it honestly reminded me of Switzerland, even though I've never been to Switzerland. I've only seen photos, but it's just beautiful, stunning mountain ranges, super green, and she could hike with us there. So, we figured out a lot of places where she could adventure. And I mean, Alaska in itself is beautiful no matter where you go outside of the park. So, she could be everywhere with us. And they do say traveling with a dog or traveling in a pack does spook the bears away and animals away too. I don't know, we never had that encounter, thank goodness, with a bear. But it's good. They actually, it's good to travel with your pets and hike with them. Host: So perfect, now diving just a little bit deeper into some of the things and places that you guys actually went to in Alaska. Do you have any highlights or spots that you think maybe you should spend a little more time or a little less time in that you went to? Guest: I think the area that we'd like to spend more time in would be the Kenai Peninsula. It's an incredible place because you've got some beautiful mountains and you're right on the ocean, so you've got the mix of both. The climate's really interesting, and some of the little towns are fascinating. The little town of Whittier and the little town of Hope were these unbelievable places that it's hard to imagine exist. So, that area has got so much natural beauty, there's national parks down there, so the Kenai Peninsula is definitely an area that we spent a fair amount of time. We were there for maybe a week or so, but we definitely would like to go back and spend some more time. And Denali National Park is just an incredible place. You get to go see Mount Denali, which is an unbelievable sight, as long as you can see it, which you need to have a clear day in order to be able to see it. But that was an area—I actually have family in that area—so we hung around there for probably about two weeks and just really enjoyed it. And if you want a really unique experience while you're there, we would definitely recommend flying. So, we went for a flight in a small six-person plane, and it just gave you this incredible view of all the natural beauty that's out there and a really unique perspective. Host: I remember seeing that Reel, it looked awesome. Guest: It was, I still dream of it to this day. And when we go back, we're running to that small plane and going for another flight. I do want to say, though, I think, nothing against Fairbanks, but it's just another typical town. That's something that we wouldn't really recommend you don't need to go. We think that, yeah, spend more time down in Denali area, Hatcher Pass, Kenai Peninsula, and you'll be golden. Host: Awesome. Now, speaking of that plane ride, because if anybody goes and looks at your Instagram and sees what that looks like, it's going to absolutely be on their bucket list. What do you remember, cost-wise, to do something like that? Like, what should someone prepare for? Guest: So this is where it's not going to be very helpful because my cousin is a pilot, and so, shout out to Greg, he lives out there, and so he operates an air taxi service and operates a lodge within Denali National Park, so we got to fly for free. However, if you are looking to fly, you're looking to pay probably about $250 per person for like an hour sightseeing flight. So, it's not necessarily cheap, and it is absolutely worth it because the things that you will see are unbelievable. So, would still recommend, but I know that's not a super helpful answer. I will say, too, the Denali National Park, there's a road closure right now, and it will be closed for a couple more years. And so it's just the best way to see more of the park because, sadly, you can only drive in. It's still gorgeous, of course, but you can only drive in to a certain point, and then they make you turn around because it's not safe. The, I don't know how to explain it, but the road kind of just collapsed on itself, I guess. So, yeah, you definitely want to take that plane ride. And I'm someone who was really fearful of flying, and it was so peaceful once you just get distracted by how beautiful it is. And it's really, really beautiful, and you just can't think about how scared you are. So, it's worth it. Host: Perfect. And you said Greg operates a company that'll actually take people out to do this, right? Guest: Yeah, so his company is Kantishna Air Taxi, and so they offer private sightseeing flights, and he's a great pilot. Host: Awesome. We'll put his information in the show notes, and then tell him Chad sent them. Guest: That'd be great. Host: So, as far as transportation to actually get there, obviously, you can fly in. There's tons of ways. But you guys are taking yourself converted van. So, what was that process like for you to actually drive into Alaska, and what did you need to prepare before? Guest: So, there's two primary routes that you can take if you're going to drive to Alaska. One of them is the Alaskan Highway that starts in Dawson Creek, Alberta, and takes you through Northern Alberta into the Yukon Territory and then over into Alaska. That route is a little bit more commercialized. It's the most popular route to take. And so, there's just some more options for food or more options for lodging and more stops for gas along that route. We came that way back from Alaska down through Canada. The other route that you can take is the Cassiar Highway, which runs along the western part of Canada and takes you up through British Columbia. That route, in our opinion, is more naturally beautiful. It is also very remote. There was a period of three or four days as we were driving. This was during the work week, so we were driving maybe three to four hours per day, but there was a three to four day period where we did not have cell phone service one time. So, it is very remote. There's not a ton of options for lodging or for gas. So, you definitely would need to be in a van or an RV if you want to go that route so that you can find random spots to stay. And you need to have some pretty off-grid capable. But if that is the case, that was the route that we enjoyed the most. Going through the mountains of British Columbia was unbelievable. It was really, really nice, and that's probably the route that we will end up going back when we head back there this summer. Host: Very good. I guess that's why in episode one that you guys did, you talked about getting the Starlink, and you're glad you had it going into Alaska, right? Guest: 100%. Yeah, we talked to a couple of people that had gone to Alaska before, so that's a great tip too, you know? If you're thinking about going to Alaska, reach out to us for sure, and we can tell you all our tips and tricks. But someone said, "No, you for sure need a Starlink because there's just complete dead zones." And, yeah, anytime you pass a gas station, fill up no matter where you're at. And yeah, it's quite the adventure. As far as what else we'd recommend planning, I mean, if you have something like Starlink, then of course you can get access to the internet everywhere, and that gave us a little bit of peace of mind so that if something were to go wrong as we were traveling and we were in more remote places, you know that you could hop on the internet and you could get in contact with whoever you needed to. Otherwise, I would say just plan for the fact that gas is really expensive, especially in that part of Canada and in Canada in general. So, the cost of gas is going to be very high. That's something to plan for. And then as far as like your food and what you're bringing with you and some of your rations with water, you'll just want to be a little bit more intentional about some of those things because it is more sparse and it's more remote. And so, have a plan for food, pack a lot more dry food that you can have access to as you're traveling just in case you go longer spells without having access to a grocery store. But those are some of the things that I think would be a good idea to think about. Host: Yeah, very good. Good tips. I like that. And then as far as once you got into Alaska, I assume you probably stayed the majority of the time in your van. Maybe you stayed with your family a little bit. But did you guys have any spots that were like these amazing spots you need to go find them to park your van at for the night? Or were there any campgrounds that you stayed at? Guest: Oh, my goodness. There's so many spots that we loved. On our way up there, there's a spot in the Yukon that was really sketchy to drive down to, but we loved it. And the other thing, if you're going to caravan with people, definitely have walkie-talkies because that just makes it so much more fun when you see a black bear or see a moose. That's also something, definitely have walkie-talkies. And we used that when we were driving down this sketchy road to this beautiful spot in the Yukon. And then in Alaska itself, I mean, there's just... we... you can stay at Hatcher Pass, you can stay in... there's a place in Seward where we loved, and it's super flat, so there's a ton of different vans and Airstreams and all sorts of campers there too. We didn't stay in any campgrounds, though. I don't think we did. There's a spot called the Dyea Flats, which is if you go to Skagway, a really, really beautiful place, one of our maybe favorite camp spots that we had. So, we did a lot of... I mean, the nice thing about driving to Alaska is that there's tons of options of places to stay because you can stay pretty much anywhere. So, when you think of BLM or Forestry Service land out west as you're going through British Columbia and the Yukon and when you're in Alaska, that's a majority of what's out there. There's not many people, so you can just go to little pull-offs or if you find a place where you can fit your rig, for the most part, you can probably stay there. So, you can kind of get off the beaten path and find some really unique places to sleep and stay for a night or stay for a few days. Host: Yeah, very cool. So it sounds like as far as finding a spot to sleep, you don't have to worry about shelling out a ton of money for that. Gas is a little bit expensive, but as far as other costs in Alaska, what do you guys feel like? Were you spending way more on food or do you feel like it was pretty comparable to other places you've been? Guest: We were spending a lot more on food for sure. We went to this one small grocery store, I remember, and I felt like they had things shipped in from Costco but then jacked up the prices. So definitely, food is expensive because the grocery stores are really far away from each other. And those will definitely be the two biggest things to plan for: food and gas. Your typical food and gas budget for a month, I would multiply them by probably one and a half and expect that that's probably about what you'll pay for as you're traveling to Alaska and back. And then, of course, it's just kind of discretionary from there. But if you want to eat out, if you want to do activities, things are definitely a bit more expensive as you're going through those different areas. So those would be good things to plan for from a budgeting standpoint. Host: Yeah, sure. Besides the plane, were there any other activities that you guys did indulge in while you were there? Guest: No, yes, there wasn't. Frankly, we were on a budget on our trip last summer, and you know, some of that was because we didn't know or realize how expensive gas would be, how expensive food would be. So we didn't really necessarily plan for that, which meant we had less money to spend doing things. But there's tons of activities that you could do if you wanted to. Go whitewater rafting, or if you wanted to go on a boat ride, or if you wanted to go fishing, there are a lot of things that you could do up there. I was going to say, our boat ride, that's why I said no, yes. We did do a boat ride from Skagway to Juno through the Inside Passage. Oh my gosh, it was beautiful. And thanks to my mother-in-law, Chad's mom, that was our birthday gift, I believe, or Christmas... yeah, birthday gift. So yeah, we had some... we were definitely budgeting, and there was... we had a couple of friends that did the plane ride to Katmai, I think it's called, and we would love to do that this summer because that's a place where you can go fly another small plane, beautiful experience. And then there's tons of grizzly bears that are enjoying salmon right in the river, and it's all... there's electric fences, I believe, to just kind of keep you safe. I mean, the grizzlies are super focused on the fish, so everyone's pretty much safe, but it's a beautiful, really cool experience. And honestly, the only way I think I'd want to see a grizzly, but so yeah, there's that trip that people can look forward to. And then I would love to do the whitewater rafting, but so maybe this summer we'll be able to do that. But yeah, all we did last time was the plane ride and the boat trip. I highly recommend that. Host: For sure, that's awesome. And I mean, you're in Alaska, so especially in the summer, like, put your hiking boots on and start walking. Guest: Like, that's an adventure in itself. And I think that's the thing, is that you don't necessarily... all of those things are options. I'm sure we didn't get to do many of them, but they would be incredible experiences. And every day, you can just walk out of your van door or whatever your rig is, and there's just natural beauty all around you. And there's tons of free activities and places to explore, so we never found ourselves running out of things to do. Host: Very cool. Now, obviously, you were there in the summer, so you have a little bit more sunlight than we might be used to, but what was there to do at night? Guest: Stay outside, because it's light out. One of my favorite memories is we were in Alaska with DJ and Garen, and we were all sitting around a campfire, and Chad was basically falling asleep in his chair. He's like, "I'm ready to go to bed." And I said, "Why?" And it was because it was almost midnight, but it was super light out. So, I mean, at night, you just... you stay outside and hang out, or try to catch the Northern Lights. I mean, those are a huge thing up there, but it honestly didn't get dark enough where we were, so to the point where you could start a four-hour hike at 6 p.m. and you would still finish it with daylight, and you would be fine. So, the answer to what you can do at night is pretty much everything that you could do during the day, which is a very unique experience. Host: I love that. Normally, we ask, where is a good sunrise or sunset spot? But I mean, those happen so quickly and all together. Probably that... did you even see a real sunrise or sunset when you were there? Guest: That's a good point. I'm trying to think... I mean, we may... well, we may have seen a couple, but the thing about the daylight, so it is like 20 hours of daylight. So, technically, that means that for four hours, the sun has gone below the horizon. However, it doesn't ever get fully dark. So, I think, like Eileen might have mentioned at one point or maybe in the past episode, there was one night where we tried to see the Northern Lights. We stayed up till about 2:30 a.m. and went to bed realizing that it was never going to get dark enough that wasn't going to be possible. So, um, yeah, starting to get brighter. Host: That's got to be a weird thing to get used to. How long did it take you to just get used to it being bright all the time? And at what point did it start getting dark? Guest: It's a very weird thing to get used to. Your internal clock just gets very thrown off. So, I would say for the first probably two or three weeks, it took us a long time to acclimate to it. And your body doesn't feel tired. It'll be 10:00 and it's still very bright out. And so, your body's like, "Well, I don't think it's time to go to bed." So, back to trying to force yourself into some semblance of a routine, we found that that helped, trying to go to bed at 10:30 or 11 o'clock every night. We would definitely recommend having blackout curtains or magnetic shades that you can put on your van or your rig or using something like an eye mask or an eye pillow so that you need to create darkness because it won't be there like you're used to. It's weird. Host: That's good tips, though, because I mean, everyone knows that in the summer, Alaska's bright, but actually hearing from someone who stayed there for an extended time, like, yeah, no, it really is bright, and you need to bring that eye mask or something. I think that's a really good tip and just something to be prepared for. Guest: Yeah. And I remember even driving at 8:00 p.m. or 9:00 p.m., right, and the sun was still in your eye. So, 100% bring sunglasses, um, because it's just wild. It's always out, which is beautiful, but it's really... it's weird, for sure. And so then what's kind of odd is, since there's such a huge swing going from 20 hours of daylight in the summer and then 20 hours of darkness in the winter, around late August and September, you start experiencing the difference, and it starts changing. And if you're from the lower 48, you're used to maybe the sunset changes two, three minutes per day, and up in Alaska, it was changing as much as like 8 to 9 minutes per day. So, all of a sudden, a week goes by and it's getting dark an hour earlier. So, when we left in September, I think it was getting dark by like 8:30 or 9:00 p.m. So, it is amazing how it starts to swing. But if you're going there in June, July, early August, it's still going to be pretty bright up. Host: Wow, that's fascinating. Yeah, and I can't even imagine going there in the wintertime when it's the exact opposite. It would drive you crazy. Guest: We did meet a couple of those people that can handle it. Actually, his cousin Greg who lives there, he leaves in the winter because yeah, it's just... it's too dark. And we talked to a couple of folks that do stay the whole year, and they say that they never go anywhere without their headlamp. And some of them try to convince us that it's beautiful, which I'm sure it is in its own way, but that would be so hard, I think. Host: Yeah, yeah. I don't know how it could be beautiful if it's pitch black the whole time. Guest: The moonlight's... well, the Northern Lights. Host: Yeah, you can probably see the Northern Lights all day, right? Guest: Basically. That's funny. Host: So transitioning now into food, did you guys stop at grocery stores, cook in your van a lot? Just cost-wise, were there any spots that you stopped or found along the way that were great? Guest: We definitely cooked in our van a lot. For periods of that trip, our meals in the van became very simple things like ramen or things like cereal or whatever it may be that didn't involve a lot of cooking or things that could stay fresh for a long period of time. So, we relied on a lot more boxed things or canned goods just because sometimes we didn't know when we were going to have availability to a grocery store. So, we did a lot of camping or a lot of cooking in our van. There was one restaurant in particular that was outside of Denali National Park called Carston's Public House that we really liked, and we recommend that people go check that out. And there's another brewery that we went to in Anchorage, but I'm drawing a blank on the name of it. Host: So, Anchorage is actually home to quite a few breweries and distilleries, so if craft brews are your thing, you might want to check it out. I'll put a link in the show notes for more. Host: I know we talked about quite a bit of things. Are there any things you're doing differently to prepare yourself for this next trip now that you've already been there for six weeks? Guest: That's a good question. Relaxing, yes, relaxing. I was freaked out about the bear situation, truly. And it's not as bad as you would think. People say you have to be more afraid of moose. But I pictured in my mind that there would be bears everywhere you look, and there wasn't. So, relaxing, that's a good answer. Yeah, I mean, just relaxing from the standpoint of knowing that it's not going to be as intense or as extreme as we thought it was going to be. Relaxing and knowing that when you get there, a city like Anchorage is a very big city. It's going to have all of the big box stores that you're used to. It has all the things that you're used to in the lower 48. So, you're not traveling to like a third world country or something like that. You can find the things that you are used to. If you need to get packages or we navigated all of those things while we were in Alaska. And so, relaxing, I think we'll just approach the whole thing with a little more ease, and that'll feel really good. Awesome, that's a good point. Yeah, just kind of relaxing, taking it easy, and then also budgeting. You've been there once. You're preparing more to spend one and a half times what somebody might expect to have to pay if they hadn't gone before. Host: So great, we can transition to the 3-2-1 Countdown, the final three questions of the podcast. We might have brought up a few things here, but what are three things people are bringing when they're going to Alaska? Guest: Bug spray or bug protectant as a whole is what we want to recommend. So, bug spray, fly swatter, and bug nets. We're actually getting some of those soon because there are a lot of mosquitoes, and they're huge. Yeah, we'll say it again, the blackout curtains and eye mask. You've got to have some kind of plan for making your rig dark. So, whatever that's going to look like for you, you'll want to think about that, or else you're going to have a really difficult time sleeping, and that will be a challenge. And then, our last thing is binoculars, which the cool people in Alaska call them "binos." And that's so you can see hopefully some wildlife from afar and at a safe distance, right? So, binoculars for sure. Host: Cool. Did you get to see it all your last time out? I mean, the big... the grizzly bears, the moose, the wolves? Guest: Yeah, we did not see a grizzly bear in Alaska, which was disappointing. We did see one on our trip back, actually once we got back into the US, in Montana. But otherwise, we saw tons of black bears, we saw quite a bit of moose, we did see wolves. So, we saw a good mix of things but not a grizzly when we were in Alaska. So, hopefully this summer will be different. Really? I don't know, we don't have to hope, a grizzly, maybe from afar through the electric fence, right? Through the binos. Host: What are two complaints or things people wish they had prepared more for when venturing to Alaska? Guest: We probably talked about a few of them. Yeah, so we're going to go back to the bugs. That is something that you want to be aware of. They are everywhere. There's nowhere that you can go that you're going to be able to get away from them. The mosquitoes are huge, they are nasty, they are persistent. And so, having tons and tons of bug spray on you, having solutions to try to keep them out of the van is very helpful. But that's just, I think, one of the most common complaints. And if you go on any social media and just look up videos of the mosquitoes in Alaska, you'll see some pretty crazy stuff. But that is something that you are going to want to be aware of. It's worth it, though. I mean, and I think there were days or locations where they were worse or if it was windy, I feel like they weren't out as much. But I remember, I was cutting his hair in the middle of nowhere, and I was getting eaten alive, and thankfully, the haircut wasn't too bad, but the mosquitoes are really distracting and annoying. But bug spray does work, so definitely just bring a lot of that bug spray. And then the second thing is bears, again, for sure. Definitely just think about safety and peace of mind. So, having something like bear spray was something that we had with us at all times. Anytime, you know, if you're parked off the road somewhere and if you've got animals around or dogs, since you do have food in your van that you can't always keep airtight, you just want to always be bear-conscious and animal-conscious in general. So, that's something that I guess could be a sort of complaint or something that at least you'll want to think a lot about and be very conscious of. Hiking in groups is really great, and just talking a lot is good too. Those were some of the tips. So, we would always just say "hi bear" or talk or sing, and that was in the beginning when we were really anxious, I'm talking about myself, I just always talking. But just doing those things helps. And then having the bear spray just helps you feel a little more safe. Host: How are the roads? I had heard people, they've said if you go to Alaska, have a spare tire, and if you have room, bring a second spare tire. But there's... you said there were two main roads to kind of get through. Were they rough or how did you maneuver that? Guest: They're not great. So, a spare tire would definitely be a good idea. Also, plan for your windshield taking some pretty serious dents from rocks. We probably picked up ten different dents in our windshield of all different sizes, and one of them led to a pretty big crack in our windshield. So, yes, having a spare tire is a great idea. And not that there's a whole lot that you can do about your windshield, but that's something to just think about and probably going to be a reality as well. So, the roads are not great, especially... there are sections of them that are very, I'm going to call them bouncy. I mean, there's like really big hills. It's a roller coaster, to the point where there's moments where our van was like two wheels would go off the ground, and then you'd slam back down. So, yeah, the roads are not great, so that's something to just be aware of. You will need to at points drive slow, even though you're in the middle of nowhere and there's nothing around. But spare tires are definitely a good idea. Host: Do you have 4x4? Guest: No, we don't, and we were fine. I mean, you have to know some of your limitations with that, but there weren't any roads... the main roads getting to and from Alaska, you don't need four-wheel drive. After everything we just mentioned, it's like... you have to know that it's stunning, right? There are bears, there are mosquitoes, there's all this stuff, the roads are terrible. But it goes to show you how epic it is. So, it's worth it. Host: Yeah, no, there's bears, mosquitoes, the roads, but yet not only did you guys do that, you're going back for another three, four months. Clearly, it's worth it. All right, guys, one last question: what is one thing you cannot leave Alaska without doing? Guest: The plane ride, for sure. You have to get up in the air and see Denali National Park from a plane. It's stunning. You will not believe your eyes, and highly, highly recommend it. The other thing I'm going to say is go jump in a lake or a river. I think you've got to go out and just experience the nature, and I mean, those are some of the lakes and rivers are about as fresh as it gets up there. So, go jump in one. It's a great experience. Host: Nice, awesome. And we'll have to have you guys back on after you guys do your six-month or your summer adventure up there, and we'll talk about what you guys did that time. So, yeah, well, great. Guys, thanks again for coming on. One last question, where can our audience find out more about you? Guest: We are @TheMilesVanLife on Instagram, and I'm @EileenRoseMiles. That's my personal Instagram. And then I am ChadMMiles on Instagram, and I have a podcast that is called "A Level Deeper." Host: All right, sweet. Everybody go check them out. Chad and Eileen, thanks again. Guest: Thanks, guys. Host: Thank you. Guest: Appreciate you both.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
18. The True Cost & Lack-Of-Routines of VAN LIFE @themilesvanlife 48:59

1 year ago48:59

48:59

What a great conversation we had with Chad and Eileen Miles from “The Miles Van Life.” The couple have been traveling in their self-converted van for 18 months, along with their Australian Shepard, Sadie. They run several businesses and share the both the struggles and joys that van life brings them. Cost Did you know living in a van could actually be more expensive than a typically home? We take a deep dive into some of the expenses Chad and Eileen face while on the road. Routine Often, what’s not thought about before someone makes this type of a commitment is how their routine will be affected. If you are currently working from home, you have probably set up a morning routine that allows you to get an early start and stay productive. We discussed that although you don’t necessarily have to say “goodbye” to your routine, you have to be prepared for some changes. Setting up and taking down your office everyday takes time, and you may find yourself having to pump out your tanks midway through the day. Places to Stay We discussed how at first, finding places to stay was difficult and how they were frequently paying for campsites. Tune in to see how they have learned to not stress out so much over where they are staying, and how nowadays they mostly stay for free. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:00 What do you do for work? 06:00 What is a typical day or week look like? 08:00 How is your work routine affected by working out of a van? 11:30 How has Starlink worked for you? 14:15 How long did it take you to travel once you got the idea? 17:00 Was van life always the plan? 18:30 What was the van build process like? 23:30 What are your biggest travel frustrations? 27:15 What do you love most about your travel lifestyle? 29:15 What does a weekly or monthly budget look like? 32:00 How much does Starlink cost? 33:15 What is it like traveling with a dog? 34:45 Is van life sustainable and how long do you plan on continuing? 36:00 What has been your coolest travel experience? 37:30 What have you learned you need and don’t need while traveling? 41:00 How do you find places to sleep? 43:30 What is an actionable step someone could start doing now? Chad and Eileen on Social: · Miles Van Life: https://www.instagram.com/themilesvanlife/ · Eileen’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eileenrosemiles/ · Eileen’s Website: https://www.eileenrose.me/ · Eileen’s Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-inward-journey/id1666397129 · Chad’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/chadmmiles/ · Chad’s Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2228949/share Links · Insight Timer Meditation: https://insighttimer.com/ · Kindle: https://amzn.to/49RxkAV · National Park Pet Policies: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/pets/visit.htm We may earn commission from products purchases on this page Sleeping · iOverlander: https://www.ioverlander.com/ · Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps Past Episode · Linneas Episode #9: https://atravelpath.com/solo-female-van-life/ YouTube Channels Referenced: · Living Big in a Tiny House: https://www.youtube.com/@livingbig · Chris and Sarah: https://www.youtube.com/@chrisandsara · Sarah and Alex James: https://www.youtube.com/@SaraandAlexJames · Mathers on the Map: https://www.youtube.com/@MathersOnTheMap · Linnea and Akela: https://www.youtube.com/@Linneaandakela Most Popular Blogs: · Most Popular Travel Hacks: https://atravelpath.com/money-saving-travel-tips/ · Travel Gear: https://atravelpath.com/travel-gear/ · How to Budget For Gas on a Road Trip: https://atravelpath.com/how-to-budget-for-gas-for-a-road-trip/ · Our Favorite RV Upgrades: https://atravelpath.com/rv-upgrades/ · How Much We Made Renting Our RV: https://atravelpath.com/renting-camper-van/ · Never Run Out of Gas on a Road Trip: https://atravelpath.com/road-trip-tip/ *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-toes/gently-comes-tomorrow License code: JNNG98EA42W634JP Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/rocky-mountains Transcript Host: Chad and Eileen, welcome to the Travel Path Podcast. Guest: Hey, thanks for having us. Hi, so happy to be here. Host: Yeah, so we know you on Instagram as the MilesVanLife. You travel with your dog Sadie. You've been to 47 states, which is a heck of a lot more than Hope and I have been to. Got a few businesses between teaching meditation, marketing consulting, and hosting a podcast, which I know is no small feat. So, a lot to uncover here. Why don't we first just start by having you share a little about yourselves? Guest: Yeah, so we're Eileen and Chad. We have been living in our van on the road for about 18 months full-time. We completed our van about two years ago, and so we've spent about 18 months traveling, and now we've spent five months back here in Michigan. As you said, we have a 50-pound Australian Shepherd, her name is Sadie, and she lives in the van with us as we travel. And yeah, we're just very passionate about this lifestyle, so we're excited to dig into it more with both of you. Host: Currently, you're working as you have your own businesses, right? Marketing consulting and then teaching meditation. How did you get started in that? Guest: I started leading meditations when the pandemic hit, and before we hit the road, I got into teaching meditation on Insight Timer. And then from there, I did actually, before we hit the road, I did take on a part-time job because we needed some consistent income. And then it wasn't until about, actually, I was just looking at this, it wasn't until about September last year, I decided to, well, the year before that, I forget that it's a new year. It wasn't until about September 2022 when I decided to dive in fully and lead meditation from the road and lead meditation teacher trainings from the road too. And yeah, it's been super fulfilling and really hard at some points, but it's been really, really exciting and something that Chad and I work on together too. And for me, I do marketing consulting work. I had a full-time job leading a small marketing team at a financial firm in the Metro Detroit area before we were living in the van. And so part of the process of transitioning into van life was me leaving that job, going and starting my own business, and that's what I run today. Host: Very cool. So between the travel and the remote work, which came first? Did you have this dream and this desire to hit the road and then work towards finding remote jobs? Or were you stuck with remote jobs and realized you could travel? Guest: It was more so we had full-time jobs that required us to be in a certain location, and it was during the pandemic that it really opened up our eyes to the idea of remote work. When the pandemic hit, we went and we did some traveling, and we spent some time up in Northern Michigan, and we were working remotely for three or four months. And I think that's really when it got our gears turning, and we started thinking, could we make this more of a permanent lifestyle? So then that started our gears in the whole process of starting to make decisions and think about all right, well, both of our jobs required us to be in the office and were likely going to require us to go back into the office. And so we had to start thinking about how we were going to create work that was going to allow us to live this remote lifestyle. So we had to adapt and make some changes in order to make this a reality. Host: Nice. And Eileen, you had mentioned when you first started out, you had picked up a side job remotely to help fund your travels. How were you able to get that job? Guest: That was just something I looked for. I spent quite a few months kind of looking online and figuring out what felt in alignment. And they were open to me working remotely. And then it just didn't work out, unfortunately. And I also see it as a sign of, okay, you need to dive in fully and lead meditations and do what you really, really love. So it's all worked out. Host: Was that like a meditation-related job, or did you find it through Upwork doing like blogging, that type of stuff? Guest: No, it was a totally different job, just working for a mental health company, which I did love because I was able to work remote, of course. And then I was a part of a community and a team, which felt really good because I loved going to work. It was almost social for me too. And so then when the pandemic hit, it was hard. And even now, entrepreneurship is lonely, but I find ways to feel a part of a team. But yeah, it ended up working out. Host: That's great. So between the three businesses you have going on right now, right? So between those three hats you're wearing, what does your typical day-to-day or week look like? Guest: Yeah, I mean, I think a week like ours, although it can vary, a lot of times we have evening meetings that we have, or we will be leading a meditation in the evening. We also do a meditation teacher training. A lot of times, those are in the evening. So aside from those things, I would say we still work a relatively normal 9-to-5 type schedule with the clients that we work with and some of the different projects that we're on or meetings that we have are typically scheduled during the workday. So a lot of times, Monday to Friday, we are a little bit less mobile. We're camped out somewhere, whether that's by a city or if we're positioned somewhere and we've got our Starlink. We're not really moving as much during the week. We are, for the most part, working in a fairly typical schedule. And then the weekends are a time where we really go unplug and explore and take advantage of the fact that we don't have people maybe calling or emailing us. So it looks different in the van, of course. There's always unique elements to the work. There's always things that you don't necessarily plan for. And as we like to say, things tend to just kind of go slower or take longer than you think. But for the most part, our weeks resemble a typical workweek. Host: I feel like that's the big distinction between people who are van-lifing like vacationing for extended road trips versus people who are working full-time. Like when we did our trip a couple of years ago, it was a two-month vacation. We went, we saw, we were driving like 500 miles a day, going to different destinations. But now this next trip we're going to be taking is going to be much similar to what you guys were explaining, where we're going to be working probably in the same location for like six, seven days and just working all day and then making those smaller movements. You know, perfectly down south, it's freezing right now in Connecticut. But one question I wanted to ask was, and this is probably getting a little bit selfish because this is what we're going to be doing, but how much time would you say, if you're working remotely at home, a physical Sticks and Bricks house, versus working remotely in your van, but the van's stationary? How much time does it add to your day between setup and take down and all that? Guest: Yeah, I mean, it's hard to say, but the one thing I would say for sure is that if you picture being in your home office and if you work remotely and for the most part, let's say between the hours of 8 to 5, you could be sitting at your office getting work done for a majority of that time pretty consistently, you might have small breaks, you might stop for lunch. I have found, we have found that it's when you're traveling full-time in the van, it's hard to get that same, I guess, productivity of work done on a consistent basis because there's constantly things that are going on throughout the day that might need your attention, or you've got to drive somewhere, you've got to move, or you've got to go dump your toilet or fill up on water. There's all these different things that you have to think about and plan for. So I would just say, in general, it is a little bit more challenging to have those long, sort of productive days when you're working in the van because there's just a lot more variables. Host: Yeah, so it sounds like that routine is something you're giving up. Guest: Yeah, for sure. Every day is different. And I mean, it is distracting when you're working and it's a beautiful view, and okay, I'm going to go do a workout and then cold plunge and then, oops, it's been a couple of hours, you know? But what's great too is that we can choose when we want to work as well unless we have meetings or calls or trainings to lead. But we can choose that, and then the evening can look like a hike or something. Or we can start our day earlier, and there's just that flexibility that's so, so great. Host: Yeah, I think it's important to just talk about that too because a lot of people might not realize that. But like right now, we've been working remotely in this house for a couple of months now, and we've developed this routine. And it's, you know, get up, get some work done, go to the gym. And then I'm in here, and I know you have the same routine. So that is something that people might not expect or anticipate if they're working from home now and they want to plan, you know, full-time travel and working in their van, something to definitely consider. Guest: Yeah, I mean, if you want to live a lifestyle like this where you are traveling full-time, if you live in a van, I don't think it's fair to say you have to completely say goodbye to routine. But you definitely have to become a lot more comfortable living without it because there are so many things that happen, there are so many changes that you're constantly having to navigate that you can bring a little bit of structure into your day, but it's difficult to maintain consistent routine. Host: Are you taking down and setting up your office every evening? Guest: Yeah, well, our layout, which we're sitting at right now, has our table and seating area, which we love, and then we convert it into our bed. And so we do that every day in order to enjoy our food here, unless we want to eat outside and everything. And then work at this table. Chad's really excited because he got a table up front with our swivel seat up there. But yeah, and then if we're in the middle of nowhere, we have to set up our Starlink. And so it's definitely a process. Host: Have you had luck with the Starlink? Guest: So far, the Starlink has been amazing. We went over a year without it, and, um, I mean, we did just fine. We had one of the little Verizon hotspots, so that was dependent on our cell phone service. When we knew we were going to go to Alaska, it was actually funny. I mean, we were up in the Seattle area and we were about to start the trip to Alaska, and we were panicking because we didn't have one. So, I ended up finding someone in Seattle and buying a used one online. Anyway, we could not have done the trip to Alaska and back without it, so we've really enjoyed having the Starlink. It just gives you the opportunity to go to much more remote areas, and so that's made us, uh, it's allowed us to go off-grid a lot more and stay away from some of the bigger cities like we used to have to hang around. So, it's been really nice. Host: Have you had luck with it, with Starlink in, like, National Forest areas? Guest: Well, you might answer this better, but I will. That brings me back to a really frustrating moment when we tried to use it for one of my virtual events and it just wasn't working because, yeah, we were in, yeah, it was a heavily wooded area and I think there was a couple I don't even remember exactly where we were. All I remember is it was very frustrating. Yeah, it wasn't working, but that was probably the one to two times where it didn't work. Otherwise, what would you say? It's definitely not perfect. Yeah, you've got to be set up in a good position. If you're in a heavily wooded area, you're going to have a lot of problems. Typically, you can get really fast internet, but you're probably going to have a lot of outages. And even as we've traveled with it, we have noticed, like, for video calls like this, um, it's pretty common that it's going to drop for a couple of seconds every, like, 5 to 10 minutes. So, it's not perfect for video calls, so you've got to kind of feel out how it works and in what situations it doesn't work as well. So, it's not perfect, but it does unlock a lot of unique opportunities that you couldn't have without it. Host: Yeah, yeah, we're kind of rolling the dice on this next trip. We're not going to get it quite yet. We're going to see because we've heard the consensus on the podcast so far has been the T-Mobile HotSpot, but we are planning on going a little bit more remotely and, I've been asking, I haven't gotten an answer. I think yours is the best answer so far about how it works in the National Forest because the national forests are where they're remote, they're usually free camping, but there's forest and that's when the Starling tends to not work when it's shaded although there are areas where it's a little bit more thin you can get away with it, but yeah, we're thinking of just starting with T-Mobile and then seeing if we need to invest in Starlink. I think it's more East Coast from what we've heard is better service where we're going to be and then out west is where you can really start losing your data in your service. Guest: For sure. Host: So, from, I guess backtracking a little bit from when you guys thought about taking this trip when it first became, when it first came to your minds and you wanted to take whether an 18-month or just start full-time travel until the day you were actually able to do it, how long was that time frame? Guest: I was kind of the first one who was interested in this whole van life thing, and that probably, that interest started like 5 years before we ever decided to actually hit the road. And it was one of those things where I followed some people on Instagram, I just thought it was really cool, I liked traveling, I had been on some road trips with my family and with some of my friends, and you know just kind of got the gears turning and made me think like I feel like this would be really fun. And then life happens, you know, we're young, we're graduating college, we're starting our careers, and so it just never really felt like there was a good time to pursue a lifestyle like this. And so then as we said when the pandemic happened we started working remotely, I think that really got us interested again in this lifestyle, and throughout the whole entire process it was probably, I would say 18 months to two years before we actually hit the road that we started to get really serious about it and eventually had to just essentially plant the flag in the calendar and say our goal was by January of 2022 we were going to hit the road and we missed that by a few months, we hit the road in April but it's one of those things where there's never a convenient time to uproot your entire life and go live in a van and travel full-time so I think eventually just came down to the point where we had to just pick a date and figure it out. Host: I think it's smart and it's there's power in setting a date to April 2022 we had the same thing we wanted to take this trip before my 30th birthday and there's definitely power in whether you're writing it down or just you make a deal and make this goal together it just makes you want to work towards it that much more. How about you Eileen, did you have that same vision for that long or did you take a little bit of convincing? Guest: I'm easily convinced, I mean, you know, as cheesy as it sounds I'm in love with Chad so wherever he goes I go. But I mean we started doing some traveling to tiny houses and we're like oh yeah we could do this we can live in a small space and it was super fun and my family growing up we didn't travel a ton and his did and so yeah I think he sparked within me something that was within me, the travel bug and I was easily convinced honestly. Host: Very cool. So over those 18 months, did you have any other means like were you thinking of doing a travel trailer, buying a different vehicle or was it always van life? Guest: Well, it actually started as, like, originally we were just kind of interested in the idea of living small and so at first we thought we were going to do a tiny house of some sort and maybe it was going to be more stationary and then we're like well but I think we actually want to have the mobility and we want to be able to travel and so then we started thinking about a tiny house maybe that was on a trailer. And as we went through the whole process there was a period in time where we were looking at buying an RV something that was a little bit bigger we just kind of kept going through the process and going to the process and factoring in all the costs that were involved with all those routes and all those options and eventually I think the both the cost and some of the flexibility in ability of the van is what ended up appealing to us most but yeah it went through a lot of iterations of what we thought this lifestyle might look like. Host: Yeah, yeah, sounds like a way a similar path we considered a few different things we looked at like those little small tab trailers, which I was not going to be able to fit in, and then yeah the van, the mobility that's kind of what sold us. We had a 20-year-old 30-foot Wildwood which we thought about briefly taking cross country which I'm glad we did not. I think I'm convinced van life for couples is just the best way to travel, it's mobile, it's really all the space you need and yeah we had a blast doing it. Guest: That's awesome. I agree, I think I'm glad we chose this van and chose to build it too we were looking at already built out ones and looking at RVs and it just didn't feel right I think we also were up for the challenge of building it out too. Host: Very cool. So, speaking of that, so over those 18 months, you obviously had a few challenges getting into and transitioning to Van life. What was the build process like? Guest: That was fun. I actually really liked it. I think he did a lot of it. I chose, you know, a lot of the paint colors and things like that and I learned how to use a drill and all of that. But I mean if there's one thing that any anyone listening needs to hear I feel like it's this, you don't have to be in construction or know what you're doing because I sure didn't when I started building the van. But I think it was a really difficult process but really rewarding. And now, kind of like I said a moment ago, you know, we're up for the challenge of building it and now looking around and feeling proud that we built it and we made it our own it's really rewarding, but I'm sure you have more to say on that. So, we bought our van as an empty cargo van in December of 2021 and it just kind of sat until January and it wasn't until January where we really got serious about our build. So, all in all, the build took us about four, four and a half months which I feel like compared to some other builds was pretty quick and it was because we were working on it almost full-time. I mean I would spend almost the entire day while it was bright out working on the van doing as much as I could and then I would go do some of my work for my clients in the evening or in the morning. And then, I mean Eileen was with me often so we put a lot of time into our build which I think allowed us to get it done a little bit maybe sooner than most but it was a very intensive roller coaster of an experience. Yeah, it was hard. Host: Yeah, I think that is the record, that's a record on the podcast. I know we've had between like 9 and 13 months I think it's been. We've had three van builds so far. Was so four and a half months was that what you expected how long it would take? Guest: That's a good question. I guess I think it was about what we had planned for or expected, you know, it's one of those things where you when you start a project like this you just have no idea what it's going to entail if you've never done something similar it's just so hard to imagine all of the pieces and components that go into building a van and all of the unique challenges. So, I think in our minds we were thinking we could probably complete it in less than six months and that was the timeline that we had set and so it also towards the end especially became one of those things where we just started putting more time toward it to try to hit the timeline that we had established it was a lot of work. Host: So, about four and a half months working basically full-time on it, were there any mistakes you made along the way that could potentially save a listener from some future troubles? Guest: That's a good question. You know what I would actually say, which is probably not even what you're looking for, is it's okay if your van's not done, you can still go. Like, I think that's actually, in a roundabout way, like a mistake a lot of people do make is they really want it to be perfect and done before they leave, but I'm looking, we still have a little bit of reflection on our door and it's fine and it hasn't ruined our experience, you know? And your van is still... you're able to sleep in it and go see the world. So, um, but I don't know, can you actually think of one? I wish I had something more specific or tactical of, you know, make sure you don't do this. I think Eileen would often give me a hard time because there'd be many days where she would come and I'd be out in the van and I would just be sitting staring at something, and then she'd come back out about two hours later and I would still just be sitting and staring at the same thing. It's true. So, I do think there's taking the time to plan and to think about your layout in general and to think about the systems and the subcomponents, and I spent a lot of time designing things on paper before I actually started building. I think all of that planning and a lot of the strategy work of how the whole thing was going to work, I think that probably lent a hand in allowing us to build more efficiently. All that time spent just kind of sitting and staring at things made it so that there really weren't any major mistakes that we made that really slowed us down. And so I think that was probably a big factor into the timeline that we achieved. Host: Yeah, no, it sounds like just taking the time to prepare, you've avoided some of those mistakes you might have fallen into. And to your point, Eileen, you guys... it wasn't quite finished, but you guys have been able to, you know, here you are 47 States later versus somebody who was waiting until it was complete and ready to go, they're probably still working on it, right? Guest: Yeah, there you go. Host: Um, I guess fast forwarding a little bit to your current travel lifestyle, what are some of the big frustrations you currently face? Guest: It's hard, especially being two entrepreneurs, it's hard to coordinate our schedules, that's the number one thing for us because sometimes we're in trainings or on calls that need to be really quiet. Um, and coordinating that can be difficult. So, um, I would say that's the number one frustration. I think the other sort of consistent frustration, and it's the thing that took us time to adjust to, and I don't know if you ever fully adjust to it, but when you live in a van like this, you have to get used to the fact that everything that used to be infinite becomes finite. So you have finite amounts of power, you have finite amounts of water, you have finite amounts of internet, all these different things that you never used to have to think about, now you have to think about every single day, multiple times a day. So wait, can I share my favorite stat? My favorite stat is that the average American uses, I think it's 133 gallons of water a day, I think 33 a day, and we only... how many gallons? I already forgot, we have a 30-gallon water intake to use for four days at least, you know? So, yeah, to your point, that's one... my favorite stats to tell my friends, and they're like, "What?" Host: So precious water. One tip we learned, we actually put... I'm not sure, do you have a shower in yours? Guest: We do. Host: We had the shower kitchen, but one thing we did is we put in a 5-gallon water jug with a pump on it so that we just, that's what we consumed. So, we never consumed any water from like our sink, so we basically had an extra 5 gallons, which again, you're using 133 gallons a day, but yeah, how long were you guys going between when you had to refill and pump out? Guest: Typically, we would need to refill our water every four to five days. There's a lot of factors involved in that, but I would say with our sort of normal usage, a lot of eating in the van, a lot of doing dishes, we do drink water out of it, we have a water filter for drinking water, and then showering, we're typically not showering every day, we're certainly not taking long showers when we do, but usually we can get through probably about four to five days at a time. Host: Yeah, they are lightning-fast showers. Yeah, you guys... we would typically... we have a 27-gallon freshwater, I think 14-gallon black and gray, and we would go between like 2 and 4 days before we had to refill, so depending on how conservative we're being with our resources. So just to note, you're not in a camper that has, you know, 50 or 100-gallon tanks, you're... it's really limited. Guest: And sometimes you have to plan for the situation, you know? If you know you're going to be going sort of off-grid for a week, then you've got to plan accordingly. And then you've got to plan and think about all of your meals or maybe you're not showering as much, and so these are just all the things that are part of the lifestyle that you have to be aware of on a consistent basis. Maybe have to shower in the lakes, which we do a lot. Yeah, which is actually nice. Host: It is freeing. Guest: And I want people to know that we do shower, just maybe not as often, or we do use, you know, wipes or something to help freshen us up, and we do wash our face. Host: You are clean people. Yeah, and this time of year, those, uh, baths in the lake, those are now cold plunges like you talked about earlier. Guest: They are, but yeah, it's refreshing, it's good for you. Host: Yeah. Now we talked about some of the frustrations. Now we'll transition a little bit. What is the one thing you love most about this travel lifestyle? Guest: The thing that comes to mind first for me is... is the freedom of it. So, uh, one of my favorite stories is we were traveling on the west coast, and we were in Malibu, California, and, um, we were planning on continuing to go up the west coast, and we looked at the weather. It was... it was a Friday, it was about 10 a.m., and it was pouring rain. We looked at the weather, it was going to be in, like, the 40s and 50s for the next 10 days, it was rainy, and then we texted some of our friends who also live in a van, and they were in Phoenix, and they were by the pool, and it was 75 degrees. And so they were like, "Hey, why don't you come to Phoenix?" And so 10 a.m., we were in Malibu, and by like 6:00 or 7:00 p.m. that night, we were in Phoenix with our friends, sitting by the pool. So, that freedom, where you could really go anywhere that you want to go... there's always certain restrictions or limitations that might apply to what you can do and where you can go, but for the most part, you have the freedom to choose where you want to go and when you want to go there, and that's a really freeing feeling. I just love seeing the world, or the country, rather. Um, it's just the coolest thing, you know? What I miss the most when, you know, we're in Michigan right now, but what I miss the most about being out on the road is we wake up and you open the door and you go right outside, for the most part. So, I just love that, being immersed in nature and getting outside every day and having those beautiful views to look at while you do work or relax. Now, it's not always a beautiful view, I want that to be made clear as well, as sometimes it's a parking lot view, but, um, I just... that's my favorite part, is seeing the country with my favorite person and meeting people along the way. That has been really special too. Host: Yeah, the freedom, the beautiful places, and meeting all sorts of people, yeah. Um, we'll transition a little bit to some of the finances with life on the road. Can you break down what a monthly or weekly budget would look like? Guest: So, I think one of the misconceptions about living in the van is that sometimes we'll tell people like, "Oh yeah, we live in a van and we travel," and they'll say, "Oh my gosh, you must save so much money, that must be such a cheap lifestyle," and it's really not. I mean, we've been home for the last five months in Michigan, and our expenses as we've been home, we're still mostly living in the van, but we spend a lot less money than we do when we are traveling full-time. So, to give an idea of some of the big things, you know, we do have loans and insurance for our van and so on. On a monthly basis, that costs us like $750 a month. Our two biggest expenses when we're on the road are our gas and our food, and between the two of those, we can easily be spending $2,000 a month, especially on gas. We drive a lot, so um, $800 to $1,000 a month is pretty typical for us as we're on the road. And then we're both self-employed, so we have to pay for our own health insurance as well, um, which is expensive. That costs us between five and $600 a month. So, when you start to add some of those, you know, foundational things together, and that's before we get into some of the more discretionary spending, that's a typical month for us. And so, yeah, it just, people tend to think it's a very, very cheap lifestyle, and some people do, that could be the case, I guess, for us, that hasn't been our experience. Host: Yeah, no, yeah, you're right. And thank you for breaking it down so accurately, and it's a good point. I mean, when you're driving a lot like you guys are, you're spending a ton of money on fuel. But the alternative is if you're not driving a whole lot, you're probably staying in places longer. It doesn't necessarily balance out. I found it's more affordable to be a little more stationary. Um, but it all depends on how much you're driving, what state you're in, and yeah, there's a lot that goes into it. And groceries too, you're buying groceries more often because you have a smaller fridge, you're not buying in bulk. Um, and yeah, there's a lot to consider for sure. Are you guys typically looking for free spots to sleep for the night, or do you like the campgrounds? How are you finding spots? Guest: We started with using campgrounds in the beginning, just because we weren't as comfortable with stealth camping, and we also had, like, an electrical power situation that wasn't working out, so we wanted to plug in more often. But now, I don't know, I think that was like the first six months of our travel. Now, we 100% try to stay in BLM spots out west for sure, or, you know, we'll find different areas near apartment complexes or parking rides even, you know, we, yeah. So, I don't even remember the last time we stayed at a campground. Host: Nice, that's good. And as far as, so you're using the Starlink all day, and that's something you pay for per usage. So, how much is that costing you, being your sole internet source? Guest: The way that the Starlink works is that, first, you have to buy the actual piece of equipment itself. That is $600, it's a one-time fee. And then, if you want to have their Roam service, which allows you to get internet from anywhere, you're not tied to one location, it's $150 a month. So, it does come with unlimited speeds and unlimited data, that part of it is very nice. But that's what it costs, $150 a month for the ongoing service. The other nice thing about it is that you can stop and start your service as you'd like. So, since we've been home back in Michigan and our Starlink has been stowed away the whole time, we've been using our hotspot. We just paused our Starlink service, so we haven't had that fee on a monthly basis. And then, when we hit the road again in a couple of weeks, we'll start it back up. Host: Nice, cool. You travel with your dog Sadie. What would you say to somebody who says they cannot live this type of lifestyle because they have a dog? Guest: I would say that bringing your dog in a van with you is the most joyful thing in the world because I can tell she loves to see all the views as well. And I mean, yes, the beginning is a little bit difficult to get your dog, or I've seen people have cats too, um, to get them kind of adapted to the lifestyle. But it's doable and it's just, it... I don't know what our van life experience would be without Sadie. So, I think I would say, yeah, don't let that hold you back. Um, I believe that we're giving our pets the best life ever, um, and ourselves. And it's just so much sweeter with them. Host: Yeah, on your Instagram videos, it looks like she's having a blast everywhere you guys go. Guest: So, yeah, the only thing I will say is, number one, is that, um, National Parks do not allow pets for the most part. Host: That is mostly true. There are a few national parks that are more dog-friendly than others. I'll put a link in the show notes so you can check that out. Guest: So, that can be the part that's tricky. But if you want to stay outside of the national parks or go into the national parks and we've, you know, left Sadie at a Rover, which is someone who personally watches the dog, and she has a field day. She loves it there too. So then we can go into longer hikes in the national parks. You know, you can make it all work out. Host: Yeah, sure. Is this sort of thing sustainable? I know you said it costs you, if not the same, a little more living on the road. Is it sustainable, and how long do you plan on continuing van life for? Guest: Yeah, I mean, I definitely think you can make it sustainable. And I think you can look online and see many examples of people who also make it sustainable. We've made it work for 18 months. And our intention as of right now is to, when we hit the road, travel for another year full-time. We're planning on going back to Alaska again this summer. So, does that mean it's easy all the time? Absolutely not, especially when you run your own business. Does that mean that our income doesn't fluctuate sometimes, and sometimes we can relax about money, and sometimes it's a little bit tighter? We experience all of those things. So, you know, if you apply all of that into your definition of sustainable, you can definitely do it for a long period of time. And there's plenty of people who have lived in their van or something similar and traveled for a lot longer than we have. So, I definitely think it can be... You've got to get creative, takes a lot of problem-solving, but you can definitely do it. Host: Cool. A couple more questions before we wrap this thing up. What has been the coolest experience you have had while traveling? Guest: There was this moment where, um, or weekend rather, we met up with a couple van life friends that were from Michigan too, shout out to Dave and Ally, we love you. Um, that's what's so cool is you meet these van life people and you're like, "I already love you, you're awesome." Um, but we went out to dinner with them, and then the next day, we went rock climbing with them. They let us borrow their gear and guided us through one of my scariest things I've ever done. But that was just such a cool experience and memory, um, because, yeah, just shows you how quickly we can make these friendships and trust these people and have a really, really good time. Well, the other one that I think is just a cool moment that we treasure is a similar group of people. We were... We had met people at a couple of different events on the road, and we all got together out in some State Trust land out in Arizona, outside of the Phoenix area, and we spent a week together, camped out there, and just being with people. There were like five vans that were all circled around for the week, and during the day, everyone would get their work done, but you get to hang out with your friends at certain points, and then at night, we'd all cook meals together and sharing different things, then we'd have bonfires, and one time we had a someone had a projector, and we watched some sports and some TV on the side of the van and sat outside. So, you just... You have these really unique moments that I don't know, normal life just doesn't quite afford you in the same way. Host: Yeah, it is. Yeah, it's a community. And here we are talking to you guys. Has there been anything outside of internet that you've learned you can't live without, Starlink? Guest: Yeah, I say that just because, as I mentioned earlier, if you want to be able to travel to some of the more remote locations, if you want to stay off-grid longer, if you want to stay in BLM or National Forest Service, if you want to go up to places like Alaska, if you want to be in the more remote places away from the city, I do think it has made that a lot easier and it just made it possible for us to do that. That wasn't really a part of our lifestyle before we got it. So, that is something that I've definitely enjoyed. I would say my Kindle, if you like to read, definitely have a Kindle because there's only so many places you can stuff your books in a van. So, that's been a lifesaver for me. Host: Yeah, the Kindle, that is a new answer. Starlink, we've heard a few times, but the Kindle, that's a good point. Yeah, because if you're an avid reader and you're in a van, there's not a lot of room. If you're in the middle of nowhere and you finish a book and you want a new one, you have to wait till you get to a city or you have to figure out how to get it to you. So, that's what's great is that you can pick up and read another one right away. Has there been anything you've learned that you don't need while traveling? Guest: I would say a full wardrobe. I'll shout out to another one of our great van life friends, Dedra and Garen. We went to Alaska with them, and Dee and I wore the same crew neck, Denali yellow hoodie or crew neck together, like, probably five or six days straight. You know, it's just... You don't need all these different options. And less is really more. And when you're out traveling, seeing the country and seeing beautiful things, it doesn't really matter what you look like. And re-wearing stuff as long as it's not filthy is totally fine. So, I would say you don't need a full wardrobe and tons of different shoes and all those things. Definitely get rid of stuff that you don't need and only take what you love. For me, I would say... I know it's not a super specific answer, but there's a lot of things that you don't need. I was... I was one of the people who, before we left, I wanted to have a plan for everything, for every random little thing that could happen or occur while we were on the road. I wanted to make sure that I had the right thing and I had a plan for it. And we traveled for like two or three months, and then we stopped back at home in Michigan, and we... We ended up just dumping so many things that we brought with us. And so, it's just a reminder that you can figure things out on the road, and if you need to go pick something up at the store, you can do that. If you need to make a plan for something or you need to solve some kind of problem, if you need to borrow tools from someone, you can find ways to solve any problem that you run into while you're on the road. And so, you don't have to plan for everything beforehand because you can never predict what's going to happen once you hit the road. Host: Yeah, no, good points. If you could have listened to this podcast when you were first starting out, what is one question I didn't ask tonight that you wished I would have, and how would you answer that now? Guest: I think for me, the biggest question that I had when we were thinking about living in the van was so unsure about what sleeping would look like, where we would sleep, and how we would find sleeping spots. So, I guess maybe the question would be, how do you go about finding places to sleep? So, to give a couple of thoughts on that, you know, the first thing that I would say is whenever you're going to a new area, I would suggest doing a little bit of research and having a general idea of what options might look like for you to stay. For example, if you're heading into an area like... I'm gonna use Sedona, Arizona, because we're going to be heading there once we hit the road, learning a little bit about, okay, it's difficult to stay in Sedona, Arizona, so when you get there, you're probably going to have to plan for the fact that you're going to have to stay 30 to 40 minutes outside of there. That's an example of just being familiar with some of the restrictions that might exist. And so, then you need to plan for that. Whatever you're doing that day, you need to allow time to go drive away and find somewhere else to sleep. So, that's kind of step one. And then using apps like iOverlander have been huge for us. They give you some good ideas of places that you could stay, very specific locations that might work. And so, I would recommend going and checking out apps like iOverlander. And then the last thing is, some of this is you kind of learn it through experience, but we've started doing a lot of stealth camping. Essentially, camping within cities and just trying to blend in with other cars at night. And, you know, you can develop a little bit of comfort with when you get to an area, feeling out what the situation might be like, do you feel comfortable there? I tend to go on Google Maps a lot, and I'll look at the satellite view overhead and I'll look for apartment complexes or streets that seem to have a lot of overnight parking. And then, we'll just go try to blend in. And if you're going to go that route, arrive late, leave early, and stay very low profile. But I think that was one of the biggest mysteries for me before getting in the van, was where the heck are we going to sleep? And maybe that's helpful. Yeah, I was definitely anxious about that too, and I felt like I would start the day already worrying about where are we going to sleep at night, right? But you really figure out where we're going to go every night, which is helpful. Host: Yeah, those are both great answers, and I think we share your frustration or the troubles we had in Sedona with trying to find a place. We looked a long time for a place to sleep there. It's a good tip you bring up about pulling up Google Maps in the satellite and just looking where there is overnight parking, big parking lots, just finding out where that is and hunkering down there. In most cases, the worst thing that will happen is you'll get a knock and you have to leave. But when you don't have any other options, it's something. Yeah, for someone listening to this podcast right now who wants to set up a lifestyle similar to yours but isn't quite there yet, what would be one thing they could start doing today? Guest: I think get clear on what is important to you and what would excite you the most. Do you want to live in a van or an RV, or do you want to travel in Airbnbs? Or, if you had a van, what would be important to you as well? So, I think just getting clear on that. And I mean, we did a lot of journaling before, too, and just kind of writing down, "Okay, what would be the top three most important things in the van for you?" And really discussing that. So, that's what I would say. And then, go try to experience things in some way. You don't have to buy a van or build a van in order to go try. Maybe traveling in a van, like Eileen said, we started going and traveling and staying in tiny houses just to get a feel for what that experience would be like. Are we okay existing in this smaller space? So, I think you can do some of that planning. If this is something that you're thinking about, and then ultimately, I think you just have to make a commitment and say, "We are going to commit to this lifestyle and pick a date, plan for it, and say, 'You know what? This is when we commit to living this lifestyle by.'" And you'll be amazed that if you do that, you'll be amazed at how you can solve problems and how you can figure out how to get to that point because you can figure out a lot of things. I was just going to say, too, we also set a date to have a little van life going-away party. So, when you have over a hundred people that are showing up to this event to give you hugs and see you later, that's also a really great motivator too because one of my favorite things Chad has said and really helped us start this whole journey is that going for your dreams or going after your dreams and creating the reality of your dreams is inconvenient. There really is never going to be a perfect time. So, just committing to a date, going for it, yeah, it's the best route. Host: Yeah, that's a great point. Yeah, there is no better time than right now. And when you have that party and a hundred people showing up, that's a lot of pressure to make sure you get going. Otherwise, it's anticlimactic if they all celebrate and you aren't leaving. Guest: Yeah, totally. Host: Have there been any other... I know you mentioned one previously, any other YouTube channels or books or other influences that helped motivate you and inspire you to travel? Guest: Yeah, you know, I also, during this conversation, I totally forgot about our guy. We have a couple that we're going to share, but who's that Australian guy that we used to watch all the time? Oh, Bryce on Living Big in a Tiny House. He's great. We watched those a ton. He just would interview people, and there'd be tours of their tiny houses. So, that was really inspiring and exciting. And then Chris and Sarah, they are on Instagram and YouTube, and they really showcased what living in a van would be like. We loved watching their YouTube channel. And then Sarah and Alex James, they are the ones that we purchased the van life build guide off of, and so they were really, really helpful as well. Yeah, and then once we started our build, Mathers on the Map was a channel that we watched a lot of, and so they helped us a lot of the build process. And then, I know you had her on the podcast, but Linea and Akela, that was a channel that I spent a lot of time... I remember specifically on some of the wiring and some of the electrical components, I watched a few of her videos and found her to be really helpful during the build process. Host: Nice, yeah. She has a great channel, and she talked a lot about, like you said, not only all the benefits and all, like, kind of the sunshine and rainbow, she went deep into kind of the downsides and everything that's involved with building in van life. So, yeah, she has a great channel. Check out. We'll link all those channels you mentioned in the show notes below. And one more time, guys, while my audience is checking those out, where can they find out more about you? Host: We are @TheMilesVanLife on Instagram. And then my personal Instagram is @EileenRoseMiles. That's where you can find my meditation podcast called The Inward Journey. And then I'm on Instagram as well. I am @ChadMMiles. And my podcast is called A Level Deeper. Host: All right, perfect. We'll link everything below. Chad and Eileen, thanks again. Guest: Thanks for having us. Host: Thanks, friends.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
Newfoundland Travel Guide After Visiting for 3 Weeks! @TodayIsSomeday 25:40

1 year ago25:40

25:40

www.atravelpath.com 00:00 Introduction 02:30 How Long Should Someone Stay in Newfoundland? 03:15 When is the Best Time of Year to Visit Newfoundland? 04:30 What is Transportation Like in Newfoundland? 08:00 Lodging 09:15 How Are the Roads? 010:30 Activities 11:30 Nightlife 12:15 Sunrise, Sunset, and Stargazing 14:00 Nova Scotia 16:00 Cost 17:15 Cell Phone Service 19:30 Food Scene 20:15 What Are Three Things to Pack to Newfoundland? 21:15 Two Complaints About Newfoundland? 22:30 Crowds 23:00 One Thing You Can’t Leave Without Doing It was great to have Phil and Stacy back on the podcast. Today they shared their extensive 3 week trip to Newfoundland and shared everything they learned. They also discussed a few things they would do differently to enhance their trip. Learn all about: · How to handle internet when you travel to another country · Saving time by taking different ferries · Sunrise and sunset locations And More! 3, 2, 1 Countdown Segment: 3 Things You Need to Bring to Newfoundland? · Dietary restriction supplies (green powder, etc.) · Medication · Dress for all seasons no matter when you visit 2 Complaints or Things to Be Prepared For: · Cost of fuel · How big the island is, planning can be tricky 1 Thing You CAN’T Leave Newfoundland Without Doing: · Whale-Watching, and the history at Cape Spear and Gander Find Phil and Stacy At: · https://todayissomeday.net/ · https://www.youtube.com/c/YouMetheRV · https://www.instagram.com/todayissomeday_travel/ · https://www.facebook.com/todayissomeday Charity: · https://todayissomeday.net/military-charities · https://give.ourhfotusa.org/fundraiser/3882334 Phil and Stacy’s Newfoundland Video Playlist: · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaXzEjyw7uU&list=PLmOdcNUX3OG3GITb433ZEM96MTMIclQ8z To Do · Gros Morne National Park: https://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/destinations/gros-morne · Twillingate Icebergs: https://twillingate.com/to-see-do/iceberg-whales/ · Whale Watching: https://www.gatheralls.com/ · Cape Spear Lighthouse: https://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/destinations/cape-spear · Article on Gander: https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/newfoundland-labrador-9-11-anniversary · Saint John’s: https://www.stjohns.ca/en/recreation-culture/visit-st-johns.aspx · Checklist for Crossing Into Canada: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/checklist-aidememoire-eng.html · Internet: https://www.starlink.com/ Nova Scotia: · River Rafting: https://shubieriverwranglers.ca/ · Bay of Fundy: https://www.bayoffundy.com/ Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-toes/gently-comes-tomorrow License code: JNNG98EA42W634JP #newfoundland #newfoundlandcanada *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision. Transcript: Tyler: Phil and Stacy, welcome back to the travel tips segment of the Travel Path Podcast. Thanks for having us. Phil: Yep, pleasure to be here. Stacy: Thank you. Tyler: So, for those of you who missed it, we had Phil and Stacy on. They're from "Today is Someday" on YouTube. They talked about everything from checklist preparation, maintenance procedures, and more checklists, and just everything RV life. They're full-time RVers. Today, in our travel tips, we're talking about one particular destination. So, Phil and Stacy, where are we talking about today? Stacy: We're talking about Newfoundland. Hope: Awesome. Now, how much time have you guys spent in Newfoundland? Phil: Not long enough. We were there for about three weeks in Newfoundland. Hope: Okay. And why is this place so special? Why are we talking about Newfoundland today? Stacy: We absolutely fell in love with it when we were there. It's beautiful, it's historic, it is so unique, and just the feeling you get when you're there because it's kind of untouched in many areas of the island. So, we actually loved it there. Stacy: Yeah, we soon found that "The Rock," as the locals call it, had so much to offer. We soon realized that there was no way we were going to be able to see it in the amount of time we had allotted. And as big as Newfoundland is, there wasn't a lot of people in and around the national park and just in general. It wasn't until you got to some of the bigger cities that you started to come into contact with a lot more folks, so it was wide open, at least it felt that way at first. Hope: Very good. Now, to get that full Newfoundland experience, how long do you think someone should plan their trip for? Phil: I think at a minimum four to six weeks. What we quickly discovered and what most people don't realize is Newfoundland is about the size of Texas, so there is a lot of land and a lot of driving to get from one side to the other of the island. So, if you want to take your time and experience everything it has to offer, I definitely would recommend at least four to six weeks. I think if we'd had another couple of weeks, we would have been able to check a lot more things off our list. Hope: And what time of the year did you go to Newfoundland, or what time would you suggest is one of the best to go? Stacy: We were there in the summer. But the optimal, if you're RVing, the best time to go is June through August. It's the mild climates, it's when it's nice and warm. But I gotta tell you, a lot of people go to Newfoundland in the wintertime because they have snowmobiling and a big ski season there too. So, if you want to fly in and not take the RV, that's another option for you. They get about 16 feet of snow a year. Phil: 16 feet. Stacy: I'm sorry, 16 feet, a lot of winter activities there as well. Hope: Well, that's good. It's always nice when you find a destination that you can kind of go all year round because it gives you a lot of different possibilities, especially with your schedule. And also, you can go back at a different time of the year and experience something totally different. Phil: Absolutely. Hope: Now, you mentioned, you know, you could, of course, fly in. So, how does transportation work? You obviously took your RV in, but if someone was going to plan a trip to Newfoundland, maybe they're not RVing, how would you suggest they get there? Stacy: So, if they're flying in, St. John's has an airport, so they can definitely fly into St. John's. And it's a great place to rent a car to see the rest of the island. And they have a ton of Airbnbs, hotels, and cabins throughout the island, so it's a great way to travel around and see all the different regions. Now, if you're taking the RV, you will need to, of course, cross the border into Canada, so you'll need a passport for that, and then take the ferry. So, definitely make sure you plan ahead for that because the ferry does fill up. And one thing to know, this is what we did wrong, so definitely learn from my mistake. There are two ferries, and they're on opposite sides of the island. So, I recommend taking one ferry into Newfoundland and taking the other ferry out of Newfoundland. One of the ferries is a little bit longer, but what that will do is that will enable you to see more and drive way less because it's going to take you two to three days to get back to your original ferry port where you can spend that time exploring and just hop on the ferry on the basically other side of the island instead. Phil: Yeah, the highway that runs through Newfoundland, the main highway, it's not a loop. So, it's kind of out and back if you're coming in and out of the same terminal that we did. So, we went from Nova Scotia to Port aux Basques on an eight-hour ferry and then we took three weeks to drive through Newfoundland. But if we had done the research a little bit better, we would have seen that the road doesn't come all the way back around. We would have planned to take the ferry out of St. John's, and that's a 16-hour ferry, is it? Stacy: It's at least 12. I know it's much longer. It's much longer. So, but you can get cabins on the ferry. There's cabins for pets, there's kennels, and there's cabins that are pet-friendly. So, there are a lot of options on the ferries. Tyler: Sounds like a cruise ship. Phil: It's pretty good size. Stacy: It's a pretty good size. So, definitely a lot of space for and they pack them in. But you have to remember, too, those ferries are where they get a lot of their goods and services. So, all the big rigs get on there for all their shipping to come onto the island. So, the ferries are pretty large. Phil: Yeah, so big rigs and you have a Class A motorhome, so there really was no size requirement. Stacy: No, not at all. You pay per the size. So, however long you are is the amount that you pay for the ferry. Hope: And once you're on that ferry, are you able to access your rig, or do you have to, like, park it and then go up? Stacy: Yeah, once you're on and away from the parking area, you cannot go back. Phil: Yeah, that's the only downfall. Stacy: Yeah, you have to stay above, either in your cabin. There's a restaurant, store, there's plenty of places to hang out up there. But for safety, they don't let you back down with the vehicles. Hope: That's good to know, though. And I think that's a really good tip about planning to take one ferry out and the other one back, just so you don't waste that time and that gas too, just driving around the island on especially roads you've already seen. Stacy: And the big thing is most people only make this trip once in their life. Most people don't go back and repeat this trip. So, I think making the most of your time is really important. Hope: Yeah, absolutely. So, once you get to Newfoundland, you've taken the ferry, we've talked about the transportation. How about lodging? So, you obviously had your camper. Where'd you stay? Phil: We stayed all over. It is very RV friendly, and as a matter of fact, if you have a smaller RV like a van or small Class B, you can pretty much pull over and park anywhere there's a spot. We read a lot about that. There's free parking lots or pull-offs or wherever you find, you can stay. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything quite big enough for our size. We're 35 feet, and all the spaces we found were for smaller sizes. But there were plenty of campgrounds for us, and we winged it most of the time because we didn't really have too many reservations. You know, we weren't really sure how long we would spend in each area. So, we were able to get last-minute spots all over the island. And we were not the biggest motorhome over there. We did see a bunch of 45-footers over there as well. So, I mean, we saw a ton of vans, a ton of truck campers because they could get a little further out into the mountains, pull off on the side of the road in those spots. So, yeah, any size rig will do perfectly. Hope: Now, I imagine you probably parked your camper, and then throughout your day, you took your car and you went and explored. For someone that's driving, maybe like a Class C or a Class B van that doesn't have that pull-behind car, are the roads good for everyone being able to get where they need to be? Stacy: Well, everyone can get where they need to be, but as far as the roads being good, the roads over there are a little, well, they could, let's just say, they need a little work. The island does not have a lot of money to work on the roads, frankly. And it gets really cold, and with the snow, it tears them up every year. So, we were joking that the roads were worse than the trip up to Alaska. But that being said, there's plenty of parking just about everywhere we went. We saw Class Bs, we saw people driving their RVs that didn't have a tow car. So, there definitely is space for you to make that your tow car and to explore the island. Phil: Yeah, in fact, we saw more Class Cs and Bs up there than we did anything else, actually. Hope: Very cool. And then as far as activities, obviously, you can drive around. There's tons of scenery, I'm sure there's beautiful hiking. You know, we know you can do some skiing in the winter. But for the time that you went, what type of activities did you do, or did you see other people doing during the day? Stacy: There's so much, and it's so varied. So, everything from their national park, they have a unique national park, their Gros Morne National Park. You can go to Twillingate, which they're known for iceberg seeing, seeing the icebergs float by. They have, of course, a ton of historic lighthouses. And then one of Phil's favorite things was the whale watching. Phil: Yeah, taking a boat tour out and saying, I mean, we're literally 10, 15 yards away from whales on our trip. So, for me, that was a highlight of the trip. Stacy: Yeah, and then we also explored Gander, which is a really unique town. Gander is the town that accepted all the planes for 9/11 when they were all grounded. It was like 32, was it 32 aircraft or 36 aircraft? Phil: Yeah, it was really cool to go through Gander and learn more about that and how they really everything they did on 9/11 to help all the passengers on those planes. Hope: And then what about at night? What did you guys like to do once the sun went down? Stacy: Well, honestly, most places we were at when the sun went down, the town rolled up its welcome mat, and they were all in bed. So, the only place I would say that that's not the case was Gander. That's a larger town. And then St. John's, so St. John's has a huge active bar scene and music scene. So, there's a ton of restaurants and a ton of nightlife. I say a ton, it's not a huge town, but for the island, it's one of their largest towns. So, yeah, and in fact, we didn't mind going to bed early while we were there because we got up early the next morning and we went to the coast and we caught the sunrise. Phil: Yeah, and then, you know, early bird catches the worm. If you were there at the right time, you would also see whales passing through off the coast. So, that was pretty neat to do. Hope: Any specific spots you saw sunrise, or just anywhere on the coast you went? Stacy: It was at the Cape Spear Lighthouse. It's actually one of the most easterly points. So, we pretty much saw the sunrise before everyone else in not only Canada but in the US. Tyler: Yeah, I think I've read that Cape Spear and Cadillac Mountain, like different times of the year, those two alternate from being the easternmost or where the sunlight hits first in the morning. Stacy: Yeah, and that's pretty cool. Hope: Yeah, so I know you said you went to Signal Hill because you woke up so early, but did you see any awesome sunsets or any really cool stargazing? Stacy: Yes, as a matter of fact, especially over by the national park because it is a dark sky, so there's plenty of stargazing. And of course, it's a very unpopulated island. There are many segments of the island where you'll drive for a while before you see people or towns. So the fact that there's no smog and all that regular city stuff, it really made for a beautiful night sky. Hope: Wow, that's awesome. Definitely somewhere we'll have to get one day, sooner rather than later. You're definitely selling it. Phil: Definitely, we're on it. Definitely recommend it, yeah, highly recommend it. I mean, Signal Hill is where we went in St. John to catch a sunset, and we caught a sunrise from there. So, it's so crazy, the amount of history on that island, from World War I to the Vikings. They have the original Viking settlement there. So, if you're going to Newfoundland, you have to stop in Nova Scotia. We did a river rafting on the Bay of Fundy. Phil: Yeah, it was on the Shubie River. We went out and we rode the tide in. So, literally, we're out there following the water in these rib boats, and the water was only in part of the river deep enough for the boats to get to, and everywhere was sandbars all along there. And at high noon that day, yeah, the Bay of Fundy, the tide came back in, and it was so much water coming back through that river that we caught the waves, and we were up and down. I mean, it was an amazing day. It's one of the highest tides in the world. So, it was so much fun. We actually went into Canada via Maine, into Cape Breton, then into Nova Scotia, and then over to Newfoundland. And then when we came back from Newfoundland, we went all the way through Nova Scotia, jumped on the ferry from there, and came back into Maine. Hope: So, you can take a quick little ferry. It's much faster. It's like a three-hour ferry ride from Maine to Nova Scotia, and it wasn't that expensive. So, check it out. It might be something you're interested in doing because that also saved us like three days of driving all the way back. Just cut across. Hope: Perfect. Very good. So, a lot of fun, lots of helpful tips. So just switching over to cost a little bit, how expensive or affordable is it to go to Newfoundland, do you think? Stacy: I think the most expensive part really is the ferry. And that's based on the length of your RV and your tow car. And we rented a cabin and paid for the ferry. It was around $800 round trip. So, it's not too bad considering. Hope: Oh, that was on the eight-hour trip. Stacy: Yeah. So, it obviously, that's a big expense for some people. And the other big expense RV-wise would be the fuel costs. Fuel is a lot more expensive there because, again, they have to ship it in. You're paying in the Canadian dollar. So, I think cost-wise, those are your two biggest ones. But camping fees are pretty inexpensive. You can find some... they don't call them state parks, they call them, I forget what they call them, but their state parks and their national parks are really inexpensive, as well as some of the private campgrounds we stayed at. So, those will be your biggest two expenses. But I think overall, it was amazing. It was really worth every penny. Hope: Perfect. Definitely sounds like it. And then how was your cell service or your internet service there? Phil: Well, great question. So once we got across the Canadian border and we entered through Maine, our T-Mobile stopped. It's like somebody flipped a switch. So, what we relied on while we were there was our Starlink. And we used our Starlink heavily. Now, we did have to change our plan from a residential plan to... I don't even know what they call it now, it's a mobile global plan, like internal. They forced us to change our plan while we were there, but it was an easy switch online. And that's what saved us while we were there, as far as internet goes. Stacy: Yeah. And with our cell phones, we also had to switch over to international for our cell phones. And almost everybody has it now, it's Canada and Mexico. Hope: Absolutely. And then, how about food? Anything you enjoyed there that you want to mention? Phil: I don't think we have anything specific. I did try a mooseburger and wasn't a fan, not a fan. Tyler: Not a fan? Phil: I had two because we were there, and we tried moose soup. Phil: Yeah, Phil doesn't venture out much when it comes to foods. Stacy: There’s a ton of seafood, like fresh-caught that morning. You're going to find it all over the island, and it is amazing. They do have some of their own specialties, and I forget the names of some of them. They had like a cod al'grian or something. Phil: Oh, yeah. Stacy: They do cook sometimes pretty heavy, as far as cheese and fat. So, I was... After three weeks, it was good to get more vegetables. Unfortunately, they don't have a lot of veggies over there because they have to ship everything in. So, we were definitely deficient in our veggies while we were there. But we love eating local and trying out their signature dishes. So, it was interesting while we were there. Hope: Awesome. Well, it sounds great. Just bring your green powder with you. Stacy: Yes, because you can't cross the border with all your fresh veggies. They don't allow you to. So, just kind of keep that in the back of your mind. Phil: Yeah. They have an extensive checklist online when you're crossing into Canada. So, make sure you don't get caught with those because you won't have them very long, that's for sure. Phil: Yeah. You won't. Hope: That's good. And we'll have to link that checklist down below in the show notes. So, just anyone crossing the border in general has that information. Stacy: That's perfect. Tyler: Great. Well, we'll transition to the 3-2-1 countdown, the final three questions of the podcast. So, when you're going to Newfoundland or Newfoundland, however the locals pronounce it, what are three things you're packing? Stacy: All right. So, definitely, if you have any special dietary needs, you need to bring those. And hopefully, your dietary needs can cross the border because items they have to choose from at most of the grocery stores are going to be mom and pop. So, it's going to be hard to get what you normally eat. And then, of course, your medications, depending on how long you're going to be there, because if you run out, you won't be able to just have them called in and pick up. So, those are the two biggest things. And then, I think the last thing would be definitely dress for all climates, all seasons while you're there. Even though we were there for the summer, there were days where the weather would change and it was wet and it was freezing. So, make sure you're not just prepared for summer. You have all the layers and everything you need while you're there. Tyler: Good points. As far as two complaints or things people wish they prepared more for, what would those be? Phil: I think fuel. Stacy: Fuel, yeah. I would say... Phil: And it's surprisingly how much that is because, again, they have to ship it over there, and you have to do fuzzy math while you're at the pump. We deal in gallons; they deal in liters. So, if you're trying to stay within a budget and do the math and the comparison, it could be there for days trying to figure that out. And another thing with the fuel is make sure if you're passing a station, you fill up because gas stations, especially for diesel, were few and far between. So, you definitely don't want to get stuck in a situation where you need gas and there's nothing close by. Stacy: Yeah. And then, the last thing, I think, is just people. We kind of mentioned it earlier that people don't realize how big it is. So, when you're planning to make sure you realize how big the island is. I mean, it would be like trying to visit all of Texas, going from Dallas to Galveston to Big Bend, Austin, and trying to plan all that in just a couple of weeks. It's near impossible to do all that. So, just kind of keep that in mind. Tyler: Great. How are the crowds? I know you went in the summertime; that's probably peak season. But you were able to get campgrounds last minute? Stacy: We never really felt like it was crowded anywhere. Obviously, St. John is their biggest city. But even that, we got right into one of their really nice, big campgrounds without a problem. So, I never felt like it was crowded. And there were... I mean, there were crowds doing the sightseeing stuff, the tours, the whale watching. There were quite a few boats out. But that was again centered around the big city. And we got into all of those. There was never a time where we wanted to do something and we couldn't because it was all booked up. Tyler: Great. Yeah, perfect. Okay, our last question, guys. You talked about a lot of things to do today. But what is one thing you cannot leave Newfoundland without doing? Phil: For me, it was whale watching by far. Getting on that whale watching tour, seeing the different birds and the puffins. They're low-flying to the water, and they were everywhere out there. But not only seeing one type of whale, but we saw two or three different species of whales while we were out there. And the one came up really close to the boat with her calf. For me, that was the highlight. Stacy: Yeah, it was really great. I think more for me, it would be more the historic stuff. The lighthouses... I know Phil hates history, so Signal Hill, learning about Gander. So, all the history stuff that we were able to hit up, I really loved all of that. Tyler: Perfect. Well, sounds like there's a little bit for everything in Newfoundland. So, thank you for sharing. I think this definitely provided a lot of people their itinerary, some tips and tricks for visiting. A lot of helpful tips with cost and traveling. So, yeah, thank you guys again for coming on. And if you haven't listened to part one, again, we talked about how they got started in their full-time adventures. They talked about everything from their checklist, everything they do to travel safely and securely. And one more time, Phil and Stacy, where can our audience find out more about you guys? Stacy: On our YouTube channel today issome todayisSunday and also our website and blog todayissunday.net. Tyler: Perfect all right Phil and Stacy thanks again. Phil: Thank you so much this was fun.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
17. The Maintenance, Checklists, and Freedom Of Full Time RVing @TodayIsSomeday 55:49

1 year ago55:49

55:49

www.atravelpath.com 00:00 Introduction 03:45 How Were You Originally Funding Your Full Time Travels? 05:45 How Long Have You Been Traveling Full Time? 06:45 How Long Was Full Time Travel a Goal for You? 08:15 What Was the Biggest Obstacle Before Going Full Time? 09:45 What Are Your Purging and Downsizing Tactics? 13:15 What Are the Biggest Travel Frustrations You Currently Face? 15:45 RV Maintenance and Repairs 19:45 What Tools Should Every RV Owner Have? 21:45 What Do You Love Most About Your Travel Lifestyle? 23:15 Checklists 29:15 How Do You Get Internet While Traveling? 29:45 Past Mistakes 35:45 Charity 38:45 Coolest Travel Experience 40:15 What is One Thing You’ve Learned You Can’t Live Without? 49:45 Knowing Each Other’s Roles It was so great having Phil and Stacy from Today is Someday on our show! Phil and Stacy have been going full time in their Class A motorhome for about 6 years. We asked them how they were able to do it and what life is like for them on the road. They shared all about the importance of checklists and maintenance, and weren’t afraid to share the fact that they are spending more time maintaining their RV than they did on their home. When I asked them if they were using the funds of their home sale to pay for their travels, they mentioned they hadn’t touched that. They have the foresight to know that one day they will want to hunker down in a stationary home again, so they are keeping money saved up for that. Tune in to learn about even more! Find Phil and Stacy At: · https://todayissomeday.net/ · https://www.youtube.com/c/YouMetheRV · https://www.instagram.com/todayissomeday_travel/ · https://www.facebook.com/todayissomeday Charity: · https://todayissomeday.net/military-charities · https://give.ourhfotusa.org/fundraiser/3882334 Phil and Stacy’s Videos Referenced: · Slap Wrist Checklists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bArIvXHtDCc · Setup and Break Down Checklist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUaxI5X4qHg · 15 Purging Tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCVixKTokr8&t=356s Other YouTube Channels Referenced: · https://www.youtube.com/@KeepYourDaydream · https://www.youtube.com/@LessJunkMoreJourney · https://www.youtube.com/@gonewiththewynns · https://www.youtube.com/@Rvlove/videos Show #6 With Jim and Michelle from Airstreamer: · https://atravelpath.com/retired-full-time-rv-living/ Applicable Episodes: · All About the Banks: https://atravelpath.com/retire-in-an-rv/ Most Popular Blogs: · Most Popular Travel Hacks: https://atravelpath.com/money-saving-travel-tips/ · Travel Gear: https://atravelpath.com/travel-gear/ · How to Budget For Gas on a Road Trip: https://atravelpath.com/how-to-budget-for-gas-for-a-road-trip/ · Our Favorite RV Upgrades: https://atravelpath.com/rv-upgrades/ · How Much We Made Renting Our RV: https://atravelpath.com/renting-camper-van/ · Never Run Out of Gas on a Road Trip: https://atravelpath.com/road-trip-tip/ Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/rocky-mountains #fulltimerv #rvlife *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision. Transcript: Tyler: Phil and Stacy, welcome to the Travel Path Podcast. Phil and Stacy: Thanks so much for being here. Thank you for having us. Tyler: So, we know you from YouTube as Today is Someday, where you post videos on everything from RV adventures, tutorials gears, gadget reviews. You post a lot of destination reviews, which you're not afraid to share your opinion on certain destinations. On your website, you have raised over $170,000 towards your charity, which is amazing. We're excited to dive into that later on. I do want to give a quick shout out to Jim and Michelle from Airstreamer on episode 6; they mentioned they binged your content while they were learning and leading up to their full-time travel life. But why don't we start by having you share a little about yourselves? Phil and Stacy: Sure, you want to start? Go ahead. Okay. Honestly, our story is very similar to a lot of full-time RVers. We love to travel, and at some point, we decided to sell everything we own: our house, all of our stuff, and buy an RV to travel the country. Phil's retired Navy, and we quickly discovered when he retired that I actually saw him more when he was deployed via FaceTime than when he got home. I was working full-time as a nurse practitioner, and I was working a lot of hours. So, RVing was our way to make a change and try to get some of that time back. Yeah, and for me, that was the biggest thing. I had toured other countries, I had been on many deployments, I missed a lot of the kids growing up. So for me, jumping into this lifestyle, and we had never camped, never done any of that. So for us, it was getting that time back and taking a leap of faith at the same time. Tyler: Okay, very cool. That answers one of my questions later on about how much experience did you have before you went full-time. So when you had sold your home to take on this full-time travel lifestyle, I imagine you had the proceeds from the sale of your home, I imagine a military pension, any other forms of income that helped support that when you started out? Phil and Stacy: It was really just my retirement. Well, you were also a Navy contractor when we first hit the road, so he was working remotely. Now, we did not use the sale of our house to fund any of this because, one, if we hated it, we wanted an out. So, all of that we invested to buy another house in the future, and two, we knew someday that we wouldn't be living this lifestyle. So eventually, you know if it going to break enough to where we're going to have to hit a sticks and bricks. So we wanted that money there just in case. So, we used the income we had saved. We are big on not having any debt, so we didn't have any debt except for our house when we came up with this idea. So we didn't have to work really hard like some people do to get out of debt; we were already a step ahead of that. So, really, we just lived off his pension once his job or his Navy retirement once his job ended. Yeah, and we started saving and planning and prepping, you know, probably a good few years before. We didn't know what we were planning or prepping for, but we knew we wanted to do something. So, we had already been on that track to have enough money saved to do whatever we wanted to do. And then it just kind of came to a front, and we sold it and jumped. But I definitely recommend if somebody's thinking about doing something like this, people don't realize how expensive it can be, and being out of debt and not having that pulling you down really enables you to do all the things that you want to do when you travel to new locations. Tyler: Yeah, well, I think it's really smart of you guys to sell that and not use the proceeds, having the foresight to know that eventually, you know, this is sustainable but at some point if you want to transition back into sticks and bricks, you have that lump sum there you can put a down payment down. And you started about five years ago, right, full-time? Phil and Stacy: Almost six. This May will be six years since we've been on the road. Tyler: Yeah, so you're doing the remote work before co, before it was cool. Phil and Stacy: Yeah, before it was, yeah, yeah. Tyler: Great. So, what did your kind of day-to-day look like while you were working, and are you still working remotely full-time or part-time? Phil and Stacy: Well, I do consider "Today is Sunday" to be full-time now. I actually spend more time on that than I did as a nurse practitioner. But the difference is I get to do it on my own time, you know, when and how much I want. So, we definitely, that's definitely a full-time job for us now. But when we first started, really, it was his Navy retirement, and we, I mean, we really had to live on a budget to make sure that we could survive out on the road. And thankfully, there are so many ways to RV; you really can RV on a tight budget, which is what we did. Yeah, and we were used to having a budget, which is key, I think. And if you can live within your existing budget when you first start, that also helps kind of jump you. Tyler: Yeah, that's great. You had mentioned you were kind of saving up and planning preparing for something but you weren't sure exactly what it was for a number of years. How long was the time frame between when you learned that you wanted to hit the road and travel full-time and till the point that you actually started doing it? Phil and Stacy: Initially, it was going to be four years. So, our son was graduating from high school, he was starting college, so we gave ourselves four years to really figure out what we wanted to do, what RV we wanted. Phil had just started researching RVs, and then our son decided that college was not for him. So, he quit school and he joined the Navy. And when he joined the Navy, that just boosted up our timeline. We went from four years to just over a year and a half, not quite two years, for us to really research, find an RV, and which really became Phil's full-time job for a while, and sell everything, and move in, including our house, and move into the RV. Tyler: Great. Well, I think it helped that you were able to propel that because you were planning, preparing in advance, you already saving up and doing like I said, you were saving for something just weren't sure what it was. So during that process, the year and a half it took you to make the decision we want to go full-time, what was the biggest obstacle you had to face to get there? Phil and Stacy: I'll let you take this, Phil. For me, I was my own obstacle because we had built, there was actually, we had built our retirement home, and you know, we were able to put in the features and design it the way we wanted to. So I was happy, I had my three-car garage, I had my man cave. But Stacy kept telling me, "It's just stuff, we can get more stuff later." So, for me, purging and getting rid of all of the things that wouldn't fit in a 300-foot box was really hard for me. The flip side of that though is we did travel and move quite a bit in the military. So, we were used to having to purge and you know, get rid of things, pack up, move to the next place. So that was, I guess, my biggest obstacle. Stacy didn't have one other than me. I was just ready to go, let's just go. She started this whole room by room purge, and it made it a lot easier for her. And I'm sure I'm speaking out of line, but it made it easier for her to purge and get to where she needed to be because she started doing it one room, you know, a closet at a time, and just built on it. Tyler: Yeah, I think it definitely helps when you're, when you have moved around quite a bit. We're not in the military, but we move around with our rental properties pretty frequently. So when people tell us they're moving, like, it's, we've moved so many times in the past like five years, it's just, it's just easy to us for some reason. We accumulate less things. So, that's good. So, having that experience of doing that. I know you've posted videos in the past on some of your purging and downsizing tactics. Do you want to share any of those? Phil and Stacy: I should probably take this one. Yes. So, I think some of the hardest things for people to get rid of, and Phil was this way too, are the things that you connect to people, and we connect those items to people and think that's the memory or that's a part of them. So, whether it's Grandma's antique furniture or photos that have been in a box for the last 20 years, I think some of the easiest ways to go through those and get rid of them is to actually take a picture of the item. You can create your own memory book with these items and actually talk about the memory that you have attached to that item and keep the photo and get rid of the stuff. So, you know, Grandma is not a part of that dresser, but she might be a part of the memory that you attach to the dresser, sure. Tyler: That was a great tip. And we were watching some videos to prepare for this; you had another tip, I think, didn't you, like take your clothes and put them reverse on a coat hanger, and then like after a couple of weeks? Phil and Stacy: Yeah, so I did that with Phil because he had like 400 t-shirts, and he kept saying, "I wear every t-shirt." And I'm like, "No, you don't." So, we take all the hangers, hang them backwards on the rod, and then as you wear them, you hang them up correctly. And then in three months or six months, you'll see exactly what shirt you're wearing, and it makes it really easy to purge. And you can do this really anytime; you'll be surprised how few items in your closet you actually wear on a daily, weekly basis. Yeah, and come to find out, I only wore like 14 to 20 of them at any one given time. I was like, "Wow, that I mean it was kind of eye-opening for me." And then what she did, she didn't just say, "Okay, the rest have to go," she said, "Pick the ones that mean the most to you." And I had a lot of work T-shirts from being in the military; we had T-shirts that were designed by students at my last command, so I had quite a few of those. So, I took the ones that I really liked, and that meant something to me, and Stacy turned them into a quilt that we now carry with us on the RV. Yeah, so we still have it. Hope: Oh, that's really cool. And it's a great tip. Not even if you're not traveling, it's something you can do seasonally, every, you know, spring, fall. Tyler: Yeah, even start a season with them facing the same way, and then at the end of the season, you'll know which ones you didn't wear. Phil and Stacy: Yeah, we try and do that, but we're not very good at it. I mean, I just, I don't know, I get attached to things. I mean, I like my stuff. I spent good money on my stuff. And then she's over here, like, just get rid of it, we can get something else later. Like, so, but it has gotten a lot easier. We're, we're the opposite, we'll throw, I'll try and throw everything I can out as possible, and then she'll like, save some of it, and then I'll, I'll find it, and then I'll be wondering where something I threw out is, and she's like, you threw it out. I do over purge. Yeah, that's what we call, I'm an over purger. I'm like, oh, that one thing, man, I think I got rid of it. She also was a little sneaky, and she would get rid of my stuff that she didn't like, and she would do it, you know, a little bit here, a little bit there, and I, you know, I had so many shirts and so many different things that I never even missed it. And it wasn't until she told me, you know, we were arguing about keeping something, and she, you know, would bring up, I've thrown away three things that you haven't even missed, like, I would never do that. Hope: That's funny, good teammates then, exactly, good balance over there. Tyler: Yeah, yeah, as we can fast forward a little bit to your current life on the road now, what are some of the biggest frustrations you currently face while traveling? Phil and Stacy: Well, what's your biggest frustration? I think maybe everybody's frustration as RVers, I think the only thing really is just the repetitiveness of RV repair and maintenance. So when we sold our house, we really thought, okay, well, no more lawn, no more maintenance, no more repairs. And little did we know, we actually do. I say we, but I really mean Phil, does more RV repair and maintenance than he ever did on the house. So, I think really that's everybody's frustration and everyone's surprised when they move into their RV. Yeah, it's, I mean, you have to have some kind of knowledge in being a handyman to kind of stay on top of it. I mean, these things are rolling, you know, hurricanes going down the interstate, so they're constantly shimmying, shaking, and, you know, you're hitting things on the road that jar things loose. And I'm not talking just nuts and bolts, I'm talking wiring, you know, electrical connections, things like that. So, I mean, it's a little different for every type of RV, but for us, you know, we will stay on top of it, and as long as we do that, she'll continue to take care of us. Along with that, I think our other biggest issue would be just agreeing on where to stay sometimes. Well, the easiest way is just not to let him look, because, yeah, Phil is the spender, I'm the saver. So, I like to balance the budget, so sometimes we'll stay at expensive places, but then we have to cut back and balance it all out. So, we'll stay at somewhere inexpensive. Phil would be okay staying at the expensive places all the time. Well, not the, like, super expensive, but just nicer. Tyler: Yeah, yeah, that's funny. I've learned to kind of just take the back seat with planning and just drive the car, drive the van, that's it. Phil and Stacy: Well, I do, I agree with you, I'm just the driver. And it's not until we get there that I'm like, really? She's like, yeah. And I'm like, okay. Tyler: So, you bring up a good point about the maintenance with RVs, and it doesn't really, it doesn't matter if it's brand new or used. We bought a brand new RV, and like you said, it's bumping down the road. We have a wire that came loose that's tripping an outlet, and we've tried, we've hired RV techs trying to find where that short is, and you can't find it. So, there's all sorts of, just be prepared for the maintenance and, you know, all that that comes along with the one RV. Have you found, like, a certain number of days or even, like, a price point that you're spending per month or so on repairs and maintenance? Phil and Stacy: Oh, um, I don't know if we've looked at it that way because it definitely goes, it ebs and flows. I think our other, other than regular diesel maintenance, which is according to the miles, we had one huge cost recently. Um, as we left, um, Newland, you want to tell them about that? Most of our, our maintenance is or repair work is, is usually done annually. So, little things I stay on top of, and they're not, you know, it's not a huge out-of-pocket card because I already have some of the equipment or I have parts on hand if I need to replace something. So, that, to put a dollar amount to it, I really can't say. Um, it's just like, you know, at your house, you have things in the garage, and, you know, you have extra filters and extra whatever, so you just swap them out. But our annual maintenance, I would say, for our diesel pusher that we have, um, anywhere from 2,000 to 2,500 for the year. And that's the engine, the chassis, the generator, all the big-ticket items that are required, um, to be done annually. And then, our big, um, oh, and then the issue that we had coming out of Maine. So, um, I don't know if it was the roads we were on or what, but we had a, a super expensive manifold exhaust leak on our engine, and we were, we were losing boost pressure, you know, we were almost rolling backwards going up the mountainside in Newland. Pretty scary when you don't really know what it is, and I'm not an engine guy. So, we, we limped into the Freightliner of Maine once we got back to the US, and they discovered what it was, they got us in and out in like five days, which was pretty good, they did amazing. Um, and that one was dang near a $7,000 repair. Um, however, we were prepared for any kind of major event, so we had a specific, uh, repair fund set aside, and that we just, you know, ever since we, even before we started, we just, we started putting money into this, this fund. So, we called it either the repair, the emergency fund, yeah, it's the repair fund, um, so that we have it in case something like this came up, and it did. And a retire fund, yeah, because tires cost so much for these things, so we just, that's what we use, we, we, we started with different, you know, funds that we started doing, putting a little bit of money into all these different places because we knew eventually we would need to, you know, something is going to jump up and bite us, and that was our big one, and that's, and that's pretty much it in six years. I mean, other, other than that, it's been just normal and normal things that that Stacy can tackle up on the roof herself, sometimes. Tyler: That's interesting. So, you guys not only have like a repair fund set aside, which is smart in the first place, but you also, you go one step further and have like a tire fund or an emergency fund on top of that. So, you even, you kind of further layer that. That's brilliant. Phil and Stacy: Yeah, well, and it's because, you know, we could have just one emergency repair fund or one emergency fund, right? But then you take for granted, oh, I've got enough in that one, right? So, then now we started another one, so we make sure that we have enough in that one. Tyler: Yeah, no, it's great. Everything with you guys is calculated, and there's a reason for everything. I like that. Phil and Stacy: It was by accident. Tyler: So, we talked about some of the, you know, the frustrations, the downsides of full-time RV travel. Let's transition a little bit to some of the positive. So, what do you love most about this lifestyle? Phil and Stacy: The freedom. There's so much, yeah, it's the freedom to, to go and do what you want to do when you want to do it, on our time. Um, for me, that's, that's the most rewarding because for almost 30 years, I was told what to where, I was told where to go, I was told when I could go home. So, you know, flipping that, that switch to now being free to move about the country whenever we want, or I should say the world, it's amazing. And I think for me, what we've discovered, and we used to hear people say this, and we didn't get it until we went full-time, and that's the community. I think once you start meeting the people, and you really make connections with RVers, other RVers on the road, you'll realize that the RV community is pretty darn amazing. Yeah, so I think for, for us, finding that and, you know, meeting our people out on the road, it's so different than any community we've ever been a part of. So, I, I think for, for me, that's pretty high on the list. And you get to meet them and run into them all over the country, you know, so you may meet them at one specific place, and then everybody goes their own way, but you're all crossing paths, even those that are not full-timers like us, they still get out, they still, you know, we're in their neck of the woods, and they're like, hey, you got to come over, we've got this great ice cream spot we want to take you to. Tyler: Yeah, no, it has been great. And like, even like, every person we talked to on the podcast, like now we have people, every episode, there's some other place when we're traveling, they're like, oh, next time you're out, you know, give us a shout, we'll grab lunch or something. Yeah, it's been great. Um, yeah, you, you talk about on your channel quite a bit about preparation and checklists. Not just your channel, you talked about it a lot in this podcast as well. What are some things every RVer should do before they hit the road? Phil and Stacy: Definitely have a checklist, yeah, um, and your checklist is going to be everything you do when you go to break down and pack up to hit the road. Um, most accidents and injury can happen at set up and breakdown if people aren't paying attention if they miss something. So, having that list and not getting distracted when you're going down the list, um, talking to your neighbor is really important, and I think it keeps you on track, and you know, it keeps you from busting your satellite or, um, the awning being out, which we just saw, we just saw nobody leaving the campground with their awning open. Or even a big mistake that we made early on is, well, we've made a few, but Phil forgot to put the pen in our dolly, so we're driving down the road, and the dolly's like dragging. Yeah, so I mean, you can make so many mistakes, and you just, one little blip where you lose track of what you're doing, you can, you can make a major mistake. And you know what, I tell people all the time is, with having a checklist, the minute you get interrupted, whether it's on, you know, your spouse or your significant other calls you in for something, or somebody outside comes over and wants to say, hey, and, and talk to you, soon as you're done with whatever that interaction is, go back to step one, because inevitably, you know, we're all human, we figured, oh, I've already done that, or I think I'm here, and then you'll miss a step or two, and then that's when catastrophe strikes. So, for us, is have that, go back to it, um, and if you're in doubt, just start all over, you know. But having that checklist before you hit the road is, for us, is it's been huge, and we've been doing almost six years, and we still pull out that checklist, and we use it every time before we drive away. Tyler: Yeah, and we, and it sounds like you guys are, you're physically getting out, you're walking around your RV. We know people that do that as well, um, but what are some of the big ones, people, like, are you checking your tires, you're making sure everything's retracted? Phil and Stacy: The big thing is, is our tires are, um, TPMS, TPMS, and make sure we're aired up properly, um, and that's not only for safety, but it's for, for fuel consumption. Um, we always do a final, one of us will always do a final walk around, and we always check our lights. I don't know how many people, if they check their lights to make sure, because we have a toad, we want to make sure the lights are hooked up properly, we have brakes, we have blinkers, so the people behind us, um, can, you know, see where we're going and what we're doing. So, we've, we've gone and stepped completely behind the Jeep as it's attached to the RV, and we've gone further back from it to physically, physically see that, or make sure that we can see our brake lights right from cars behind us coming up on us, um, and I use the checklist for unhooking and hooking up the Jeep, we both do. We pull it out of the console, and we go by it step by step. We've been doing this for five years, and there's only, you know, a handful of steps to do on that Jeep. But if you miss one of them on your Jeep, you're going to drag your tires, you're going to have, you're going to have the parking brake on, whatever it is. So, we go through that checklist, and the last thing we do is we make sure that all four of the Jeep tires are rolling freely. So, we don't just check one side of the Jeep to see that the tires are rolling, we check both sides, um, to make sure. And that's just kind of our final check before we get in, put the seat belts on, and, and hit the road. Tyler: Can you explain the slap wrist bracelets? Phil and Stacy: So, we didn't actually invent this, we, there's another couple we saw using them, and it's really great for all dribbles. Um, instead of having a physical paper or a physical list, we just take those '80s old-school slap wrist bracelets, we got a Sharpie, and we put all of our checklist on the bracelets, and then we just smack them onto our steering wheels so we know all the things that we need to do before we hit the road. And you can just pull them off your steering wheel one by one as you complete it, and that way you know if you go to drive away and something's still in that steering wheel that you forgot to do something on your checklist. Tyler: Yeah, that's brilliant. It's something so simple. Phil and Stacy: And so many people have said, "That's brilliant." We can't take, you know, credit for it, but we love it because it's, you know, you could take them while you're walking around outside, doing your, if you're by yourself. So you have a handful of them and as you're doing whatever outside, just smack it on your arm and you're good to go. You know you've done it. Tyler: Yeah, yeah. No, it's simple, it's effective, and unlike an iPad, if you have a list on an iPad, the battery's not going to die. You're always going to have that there. Phil and Stacy And we've marked through them, we've added new stuff as our situations changed, as we've gotten, you know, upgrades and done different things to the RV. So, you know, your checklist is not going to be set in stone once you start. You will evolve and change and add stuff on like, you know, you forget something a couple of times in a row, and you're like, "Oh, I better add this to the checklist," or you, you know, like we changed our satellite or whatever. So just remember you can change it as you go along and definitely keep it up to date as your RV Life Changes. Tyler: Yeah, no, it's important. And like you said, you guys are still doing it now, but I think it's even more important starting out because when everything is new to you, you can get nervous. Once you get nervous, it's hard to think, and that's when you can easily forget something. Phil and Stacy: And another great benefit of having that is Stacy's had to do everything by herself. So, like, normally I will do everything outside, she'll do everything inside. So the one time that I couldn't do anything, she had to do it, the entire checklist was right there. All those slappers' bracelets were there for her to use and to go through, and she knocked it out of the park with that. Tyler: Yeah, that's great. How are you getting internet when you're traveling? Phil and Stacy: We have a Peplink modem router, and we use a T-Mobile SIM card for that. And that's our main internet means of getting internet into the RV. And of course, like many RVers, we have Starlink as our backup. Tyler: Great. Do you want to share any mistakes that you or anybody you know have made in the past that could potentially help a listener? Phil and Stacy: Plenty of mistakes in the very beginning. Our biggest one that still, to this day, I don't know how we didn't damage something. We actually moved the RV while we were still plugged into the pedestal. Oh, wow. So, yes, we got really lucky. We were, and of course, it seemed like every time we got underway in the beginning or loaded the car on the dolly, it was raining. So I was in a hurry to get the dolly connected to the RV, and it was pouring down rain. So I'm out there soaking wet, and I finally got the dolly to where I could hook it up, and I told Stacy to move the rig forward, not realizing that now I'd already tripped the breaker, and why, I don't know. Normally, when I trip the breaker, I pull the power cord. It's two steps, trip, pull it. That day, I tripped it, and I didn't pull it. So, in my mind, we're good, and I told Stacy to go ahead and move forward. I came around from the passenger side to the driver's side, and there's my entire power cord laying out with our surge protector still connected to it, laying... I mean, just straight as it could be on the ground. And I quickly looked over at the pedestal to make sure it was still upright, and it was fine, the cord was fine, the pedestal was fine, both of our hearts were in our throats. I mean, it really scared us. Yeah, I mean, we could have ripped out the pedestal. That would have been major money to repair. We've seen instances where people have actually ripped the plug off their power cord, so then they have to get that repaired. So we really dodged a bullet on that one. But then again, that's how mistakes happen when you're in a hurry, you're not following your normal routine. And that's why those checklists are so important. If he had the checklist out there that day, he would have known that he didn't follow through on what he normally does. And the slap wrist is waterproof, so there's no excuse. I should have had it with me. Tyler: That is true, very true. I was going to say, was that the day that your checklist was born when that happened, or was that just not on there? Phil and Stacy: Yeah, we already had it, but I think we added to it that. Yeah, really. And this was like really early. We weren't even full-time yet. We still had a house we were just visiting. We were doing some shakedown trips. So it really honed in and made us realize how important those checklists were. Tyler: Yeah, it is, yeah. Oh, it is, yeah. Um, well, thank you for sharing that. Appreciate that. Phil and Stacy: And yeah, you can find all kinds of mistakes on our Channel. We're not scared. Well, we did the dolly. Um, let's see, what else did we do? What other big mistakes did we make? We're happy to have other people learn from us because, honestly, that's the whole point in sharing some of our content is because when we discover new things that either we've been doing wrong or new ways to do things, that's what we like to share, because, you know, that's the stuff that's of most benefit to our community here. Here's something that we do because we got burned by it one time, not literally burned, but it was a bad deal, and nobody had ever mentioned this when we were doing our research, and that's getting into a site and before you do anything in your site, check the pedestal, make sure you have good power. So normally, we had been doing it that way, and we had been boondocking for a while, so we hadn't been plugging into anything. So we get into this nice State Park, we get level, we open everything up, I go to plug in to the pedestal, and the pedestal is bad, no power. And we had already, we're all open, we had everything open, and normally, I would plug in my surge protector and let it do a diagnostic check on the pedestal. And that day, we didn't do it, you know, so that was another one of our mistakes. It was like, okay, from now on, doesn't matter. This is what we're doing first. And it didn't cost us anything, it didn't hurt anything other than time. So we just had to close back up, we had to readjust the rig, we actually stole power from a pedestal next door empty pedestal until the state park could come out and repair. But you know, it's just one of those steps that it just reinforces, is following through. Tyler: And of course, of course, it was the one time where you didn't do it first. That's how it always works. Phil and Stacy: Always. That's when it's not gonna work. It's, it's like it's like pulling when you hook up your sewer hose. You don't just open up your black tank and let it flow, you open up the gray tank to make sure you have a good connection. Ask us how we know. You know, I mean, it's those kind of mistakes that people don't think about, um, that jump out and they, they bite you right in the tail. I forgot, I fell out of the RV. A lot of people fall out of the RV. I fell out of the RV because when the rig is running, you open when the rig is running, the steps are retracted. So when you open the door, the steps come out. Well, you have to wait a few seconds for the steps to come out. Well, I got impatient. I, well, I didn't get impatient, I just opened the door and did not stick The Landing, I can tell you that learning experience, right? Hope: Yeah, Tyler did something similar. Tyler: I did? Hope: yeah, when you fell, when we were winterizing. Tyler: Oh, yeah. Hope: Ours were old school, so they didn't Auto, oh my gosh, because we were winterizing, and he forgot the step was half retracted and it slid out and I went down. Tyler: And it was one of those and knocked the wind out of me. I was trying to say I was okay, but I was like, I couldn't even talk, Phil and Stacy: Oh my gosh, yeah, you just never know for sure. No. And we've, in fact, somebody in our community, our crew, he just broke his leg. He's a solo guy, and he fell out of his rig, and we've heard that from a lot of people and broke his leg. So now he's sitting for six months. Well, the one, our one crew, she had to have surgery after she fell. It's crazy. You just never know. Tyler: That's true. That's true. That's why you need to just take your time and not be in a hurry. Yep, easier said than done. It is, yes, it is very true. Do you want to share a little bit about your charity? Phil and Stacy: Oh, sure. So we actually don't have our own personal charity, but there are several veterans charities that we've rallied around. The biggest one is homes for our troops, and they actually build custom homes for service members with severe injuries. These homes are amazing. So it is totally free for the veteran, and it's one of the biggest charities that we've rallied around and where we've raised the most money. But we're up to over $170,000 now. We're working on 200,000. But we've done all kinds of crazy things to raise money, from dunk Booth to we did a pie in the face, we did auctions and raffles and all kinds of stuff. So it's been really amazing to see the RV community rally around us and really dig deep to donate to these veteran charities. So it means the world to us, and it's not us that's doing it. It's the RV community that's doing it. That's the important thing. We're just two people with a voice using our platform to help, you know, help veterans. And being that we were in the military for so long and connected to it, it hits home with us. So we, you know, if the channel dissolved tomorrow, we would still do whatever we could to help, that's how, that's how much it means to us. Tyler: Yeah, no, it's great you guys are doing that. And I know people can help by purchasing t-shirts, right? And I guess this is, if you're watching on YouTube, we'll do our big reveal. We're wearing our, uh, today is someday t-shirts right here. How does that work? Phil and Stacy: So if somebody orders a shirt, there's proceeds that go towards your charity, right, or the charities, right? Anything from our veteran line, we have veteran cups and t-shirts and hats. Anything from the veteran line, all the proceeds will go toward homes for our troops. So about every quarter, we get a statement from our, um, the company who runs our store, and we just go straight off the list, and we donate it over to homes for our troops. So it's been, it's been really great, a nice easy way for us to raise money. The other really simple way is our crew. We have a membership and a big portion of our membership funds that we raise also go over to homes for our troops. So it's, it's really rewarding. Tyler: That's great. And it's amazing you're were able to raise that much money in just this, you know, five to six-year period. That's incredible. Phil and Stacy: Yeah, it is. It's very incredible. We are loving it, and Tyler: We'll put a link in the show notes for the links to the charities, your website, everything people need to know to, um, to donate there. Hope: Um, what has been your coolest travel experience so far? Phil and Stacy: Oh, the coolest. It's always hard when people ask those questions because, you know, you go to so many different locations, and you like different locations for different reasons. So I do have to say, Yosemite is one of our favorite places. We were at a National Forest campground just outside Yosemite, and that's where our jeep was broken into by a bear. So it was the most very first night momentous, and the one of the most beautiful places we've stayed, yeah, that one was really cool. It's the bear break game, but my one, my other one would be Creed, Colorado. We Boondock on top of a mountain U there in Creed for a week, uh, with a couple of our friends, and it was absolutely breathtaking up there and so peaceful, yeah, unhooked all of us on our own power, everything. I mean, it was just to wake up and see the sun peeking over the mountains every morning. I mean, if you haven't experienced that, you got to get out, go find the mountains and check it out. It's amazing. It's, yeah, the, and the towns around there are just, you know, very nice, quaint, quiet little, just, yeah. And I grew up in Colorado, my, in my teen years, and I didn't, um, I didn't appreciate what Colorado had to offer as a teenager. And now that I've gone back home, it's like, man, this is, I mean, it truly is a gorgeous place to visit. Tyler: Yeah, wow. So after spending just about 5 years traveling, what's one thing you learned you can't live without? Phil and Stacy: Oh, wow, that'd be for you, because I could probably live without everything. No internet, I would say internet. I think this day and age, it's got to be internet. Um, because, um, you know, you hear the stories where you pull into a campground and they have camp Wi-Fi or park Wi-Fi, we would, we would, we would be kicked out because of the amount of bandwidth that we use. Um, but we have having our own internet, um, system with us. So we could pull in anywhere, for the most part, and our internet works perfectly fine for us. And it's not just for our channel, it's also for our family staying connected to our kids and our grandkids. That's how, I mean, that's how we communicate with them. And even though we're far apart, we always feel connected because, I mean, I talk to my daughter several times a day, even when, even when I don't want to, she's always FaceTiming me, um, and then my son too. So I think staying connected, um, that's the number one way. Yeah, everything else, I mean, the, you know, we have a lot of safety features that um, that we've added to the rig that, you know, we absolutely stand behind and it would not drive down the road without them. Our TPMS being one of them, um, but yeah, other than that, I think, you know, most rvers have the same type of stuff, um, you know, they got into this lifestyle because they wanted less stuff and more freedom, yeah. So for us, we don't have a lot of stuff, but we have everything we need. Like if we were in our house, just on a smaller scale, sure. Tyler: So the internet, and then maybe the TPM, TPMS that reads the tire pressure when you're driving, right? Phil and Stacy: Yep, okay, pressure and temperature, yeah. Tyler: We might end up changing that question to besides internet, what can't you live without. I think like the past four episodes, it's been internet, which we agree with. Phil and Stacy: Yeah, especially if you're doing this full-time vlogging, doing a blog and a website, you, you inter, we started out with all the things we thought we needed, you know, an outdoor carpet, you know, big comfortable chairs to sit outside, but we found those things just took up space and we weren't utilizing them, yeah, everywhere we went to. Um, so we, you know, we purged again. And so we went to smaller chairs, a little more compact, um, we have a barbecue, or we have a Blackstone, wait, we don't, we, it's not seen the sunlight in almost two years, I think. It's, it's funny how you think you need stuff and then you shortly find out that not there's very few things that you truly need, yeah, we we did a video a couple years ago. We were camping with my mom in Upstate New York. And we were in the site right next to hers. And they have a, you know, bumper pool, uh, travel trailer, and it took them two days to set up their camp. They're not full-time, they're part-time, they're just weekenders. Took them two days to set up camp, and we were right next to them and we showed, you know, a shot of our campsite had two chairs outside and that we drug them over to her campsite. We go over to her campsite, and she's got everything out, you name it, she had it out, um, so I mean, you could walk through a campground and you can really spot full-timers and weekenders, you know, because they're coming out play, you know, they're coming out to play for the weekend and pack it all in with the kids or whatnot, and full-timers are just kind of there, you know, they're, they're out in town, they're hiking, they're seeing thing, um, so it's just, it's for us, that's, you know, we thought we needed that stuff, and come to find out we didn't need it after all, yeah. Tyler: It is interesting we had one neighbor, they took like a week to set up, it was the most insane, and then they were gone, they took like seven days to set up, and they left, it was like the craziest thing, they get it just right and then it's Sunday, yep, and then time to go. They didn't even enjoy it. Phil and Stacy: I never saw them sit down outside on the chairs they put out. They were setting up all day and next thing you know, we've seen that where people have come in and, you know, they've got the kids are running around riding bikes and doing kid things, which is cool, and mom and dad never got to relax because it was setting up the whole time, yep, yeah, you can make it very simple as long as you try to don't over complicate it, I think is the biggest thing. Tyler: I know I mentioned before like the most popular answer has been internet and I think the connection I just made was it's been internet for people who are traveling in larger class A's or fifth wheels where they have more things but when we talk to like van lifers or people who aren't traveling in a larger motor home they tend to have more because they're they're getting rid of more things to make room for their smaller living space so maybe that's the connection um and like I said too yeah we definitely could not get away with doing this on campground Wi-Fi there's no chance. Phil and Stacy: No, and you know for us, most things that come in the RV have to have a dual purpose whenever possible. Yeah, you have to have so we can see van lifers have to have, you know, if they have a slotted spoon, that thing is for 18 different things, not just, you know, you know what I mean. So, for us, when we were thinking of things to bring into the rig, a lot of them had to have multiple uses because you didn't need for the same thing to do the same thing, yeah. Tyler: If you could have listened to this podcast when you first started out, what is one question we didn't ask tonight that you wished we had, and how would you answer that now? Phil and Stacy: It's really hard because we're looking back over six years and this is honestly, we've been doing it so long, it's just a way of life now. It's all we know and it's hard to remember the beginning. Um, I think a couple of those things that I mentioned earlier, checking the pedestal, checking the sewer hose connection because, you know, those could be maybe just the safety, more safy... Well, I knew even before we had our RV, I knew I needed a TPMS system, I knew I needed a surge protector, so I had those two things before I even had my RV, before I even knew what RV I was going to get, I knew I had to have those because, you know, being in the military for so long, safety on a ship was in the front of your face every single day, so we were prepared, safety-wise, yeah. I don't know. I don't, that's a really hard question because there's so much to learn when you first hit the road, like you're being fed to a fire hose, yeah. And the biggest thing though is, is, you know, we were just talking about it how people, you know, they get to a campground and they're setting everything up and they, you know, they're packing everything in in three hours. For us, we were trying to do a little bit of that in the beginning, we were move, move, move, trying to go, go, go and we didn't need to, you know, because we're full-time, we were doing this on our own terms. In fact, every single time we were to leave one spot and go to another spot, whether it was three hours down the road or six hours, which we don't do anymore, I told Stacy we got to go to the grocery store, you know, we, we got to pack up, we're going camping, we have to go to the store and she was like, we don't have to, we can go get it when we're there. So, it was a mindset change that we had to go through, um, and the first six months, we, we called it the RV and then shortly around the six month mark, we, we stopped calling it the RV and started calling it home. Hope: But I think those are some really good points that you brought up, especially the if you're going to go full-time, it's no longer your RV, it's your home. Phil and Stacy: Yeah, yeah, for sure. I think just the mindset shift is something you have to work towards as you start and you don't have to, you don't have to go, go, go, you know, you can go to a spot, our sweet spots around seven to ten days, um, in one spot and that's enough time to get out, see it, see, you know, make sure we've, you know, punched the right boxes, um, but it's enough that we say, you know what, we liked it so much we can come back, we don't need to cram everything in because we're free to move about the country, sure. Tyler: And for somebody listening to this podcast right now who wants to set up a lifestyle similar to yours but isn't there yet, what is one thing they can start doing today? Phil and Stacy: Um, I think there are a couple things they can start doing today, um, it to work toward the goal of full-time RV life and first is, you know, do your homework, do your research, you know, what's your goals, what kind of RV are you going to need based on your needs, are you going to work from home, do you have kids, you know, kind of start your research for that and then the next thing I would suggest is, um, get out of debt. If you're in debt, that is the best way to enable you to have the experiences you want to have on the road, so, um, obviously the less money you're spending on bills, the more money you have to go play for tickets or whatever activities, so experiences, yeah. Um, I know not everybody has the same opinion of me as far as being debt-free but that is definitely my number one and then probably the last thing and we actually have a video on this and that is before you sell everything you own and your house, make sure you have an Exit Plan so if something happened to you tomorrow and your health failed, what are you going to do if you can no longer RV, do you have an Escape Route, you need to be able to know what you're going to do, are you going to move into an apartment, are you going to get a house, are you moving in with family because emergencies happen on the road all the time, we've seen it, we've seen the death of a partner, we've seen where people physically have an injury or a stroke or so many things and they cannot RV so make sure you are prepared for that next step and you don't trap yourself to where you don't know what you're going to do, yeah, yeah, very good point. Hope: Now speaking of what you just said, like the death of your partner, right, so does that mean both of you should equally know how to hook up that camper and drive away? Phil and Stacy: Yes, 100% because, you know, I something could happen to me, I'm, I drive this thing 24/7, um, Stacy knows how to, I have driven it, yeah, in the event that she had to for whatever reason, um, but it is good to know each other's roles, she can do, Stacy can do everything on this RV by herself and she's done it, had to do it, um, she's done it on video so there's proof, it was actually in the hospital, um, a couple years ago, um, he had surgery and we had to move SES, um, so he, it was during covid, I couldn't even be at the hospital so I literally packed up the RV, got in it, moved to the next site, um, it's got us all set up, um, I mean I didn't have to drive it that far but I was able to close everything up, shut it down, move it, and then open everything back up again to include hooking up the Jeep, I mean she knows how to do all of that, it's our setup for the Jeep is super easy, it's five minutes each way, yeah, um, but that, you know, and we've been in places and we've known people or met people on the road that, you know, the husband did all the work, did everything and when he wasn't there, they were stranded, yeah, she did not know what to do, no means to get anywhere, um, but the good thing about the community is they rallied around her and they got her the help she needed but um, it is imperative that you know each other's roles and we've practiced like we switch jobs where I'll do all the outside, we do it as a refresher, um, I, I actually put on video where I was hooking up the Jeep and those stupid toe arms were kicking my tail because they were so tight but um, but we do know how to do it, we do switch off, um, every quarter every six months or so. Tyler: Yeah, really good advice, yeah, you guys could teach a course like it's been, there's been so much new material and new ideas, New Concepts in this podcast our audience is going to find it really valuable thank you for sharing everything and um, were there any when you were starting out and even to the state were there any YouTube channels that helped inspire you or either even books or other influences that helped inspire you to travel? Phil and Stacy: Well there were quite a few out when we started there were like four main ones cuz um um we we've been around for a minute but our main ones that we watched was um kyd less jum more Journey the wind gone with the winds and they were when they were still rving not in their boat and then the biggest influence on us is RV love and the reason is because I was trying to convince Phil that we could do it and he was working remotely for the Navy and he was like no I have this job how am I going to work on the road and at the time Mark was working in his office was this closet he turned into his office in his RV took the bunks out and turned it into like look Mark is doing it they're traveling and they're going all over the country and he works a nin to5 he has to clock in and literally clock out and if he can do it you can do it remotely where you know he Phil's job enabled him as long as he put in his eight hours he could do it how and whenever he wanted to do it so um they really proved to him thanks to Mark um they proved that we could could actually do it and that was really what launched us. Tyler: Yeah that's great yeah YouTube University can be quite convincing. Phil and Stacy: Yeah it I made it my my part-time part-time job um because I was working from home I had the time to you know scour the interwebs looking for different RVs because we didn't know what we didn't know about rving um so we would start you know we started doing our homework then and and then it got to a point where we weren't allowed to watch those YouTube channels unless we are both there to watch them together because we got that you know ingrained into what you know their videos what they were saying how they were doing things um so they they are the ones that really you know indoctrinated. Tyler: We'll put a link in the show notes for all the channels and links we talked about in today's show uh one last question for travel tips part two you guys are coming back on just so we don't leave our audience in too much suspense where are we talking about next time? Phil and Stacy: We are talking about Newfoundland. Tyler: All right perfect and one last question Phil and Stacy where can our audience find out more about you guys? Phil and Stacy: You can find us at uh todayissomeday.net with our website and our blogs and then of course our YouTube channel Todayissomeday. Tyler: Awesome thanks again guys Phil and Stacy: Thank you, thanks.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
The ULTIMATE 7-Day Colorado National Parks Guide @WanderwithKT 35:01

1 year ago35:01

35:01

www.atravelpath.com 00:00 Intro 02:15 How Much Time Have You Spent in Colorado? 04:15 How Long Should Someone Spend in Colorado? 05:00 When is the Best Time of Year to Visit Colorado? 05:45 What are the Four Colorado National Parks? 07:30 What Does Transportation Look Like Around the National Parks? 10:15 Any Good Camping Recommendations Near the National Parks? 15:30 Rocky Mountain National Park Itinerary 18:15 Black Canyon of Gunison Itinerary 19:30 Mesa Verde Itinerary 21:00 Great Sand Dunes Itinerary 22:15 Leadville Colorado 24:30 Sunrise, Sunset, and Nighttime Activities 27:15 Food Planning 28:45 Other Attractions 29:15 3 Things to Bring to Colorado National Parks 30:00 2 Complaints about Colorado National Parks 32:30 Cell Phone Coverage 33:30 What is One Thing You Can’t Leave the Colorado Parks without Doing? Kati was the perfect guest on this show because she has a business creating travel guides and planning trips for others. As you’ll hear, Kati has knack for this and provided a VERY thorough itinerary for things to do and what to expect on a Colorado National Parks road trip. Learn All About: 🥾Can’t-miss long and short hiking trails 🏔️Things to do OUTSIDE of the parks while you are enroute to the next ☔What you should be prepared for when visiting each park! And more! Links Find Kati At: https://expeditioneducationblog.com/ https://www.instagram.com/wanderwithkt/ Kati’s Colorado Blogs: 7 Day National Park Road Trip: https://expeditioneducationblog.com/2023/05/08/epic-colorado-national-parks-road-trip-itinerary/ Colorado Itinerary Post (each park has a specific post): https://expeditioneducationblog.com/2023/05/08/epic-colorado-national-parks-road-trip-itinerary/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=epic-colorado-national-parks-road-trip-itinerary&=1 Renting a Camper Van in Denver: https://expeditioneducationblog.com/2023/05/01/kuku-camper-van-reviews/ Added Colorado Visits: https://expeditioneducationblog.com/2023/01/30/glenwood-caverns-adventure-park/ https://expeditioneducationblog.com/2022/09/08/sustainable-leadville-experiences/ Podcast Episodes Mentioned: Renting and Scaling and RV Rental Business: https://atravelpath.com/renting-your-rv-out/ 🏕️Camping: Timber Creek Campground at Rocky Mountain NP: https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/tccg.htm https://freecampsites.net/ Mesa Verde free and dispersed Black Canyon of Gunnison free and dispersed Great Sand Dunes free and dispersed Zapata Falls Campground at Great Sand Dunes: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/riogrande/recarea/?recid=74116 Kuku Campers: https://www.kukucampers.com/ Rocky Mountain: Sky Pond Hike and Lake Haihaya: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/colorado/sky-pond-via-glacier-gorge-trail?mobileMap=false&ref=sidebar-static-map Ute Trail: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/colorado/ute-trail-from-poudre-lake-to-alpine-ridge?mobileMap=false&ref=sidebar-static-map Black Canyon of Gunnison: Gunnison Route: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/gunnison-route--2 Mesa Verde: Cliff Dwelling Tours: https://www.nps.gov/meve/planyourvisit/cliff_dwelling_tours.htm Long House Tour: https://www.nps.gov/meve/learn/historyculture/cd_long_house_tour.htm Petroglyph Hike: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/petroglyph-point-trail Spruce House: https://www.nps.gov/meve/learn/historyculture/cd_spruce_tree_house.htm Great Sand Dunes: Zapata Falls: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/zapata-falls-trail Dune Buggies: https://www.nps.gov/grsa/faqs.htm Pet Policy: https://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/pets.htm Leadville: Mount Albert Hike: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/colorado/north-mount-elbert-trail--3 Tacos La Mina: https://www.facebook.com/p/Tacos-la-mina-100089715580810/ Garden of the Gods: https://gardenofgods.com/ Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park: https://www.glenwoodcaverns.com/ Colorado National Monument: https://www.nps.gov/colm/index.htm #coloradoroadtrip #coloradonationalparks *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
16. Teaching, Coaching, and Traveling as Much as She Can @wanderwithkt 43:19

1 year ago43:19

43:19

www.atravelpath.com 00:00 Introduction 03:30 How to you Balance Teaching with Travel? 04:30 What Sort of Commitments Outside of School do You Have with Teaching? 06:00 What Has Been the Longest Trip You Have Taken While Teaching? 07:00 Where Are You Staying When You Travel? 08:30 What Have Been Your Biggest Struggles to Get on the Road? 10:00 What Are Your Biggest Frustrations While You Travel? 14:00 What do You Love Most About Your Travel Lifestyle? 16:00 What Tips Have You Found Help 9-5ers Travel More? 18:15 Why do You Think People Are So Reluctant to Plan? 21:30 What Are Itinerary Creation Guides? 25:15 Are There Other Careers Where People Have a Long Gap From Work? 26:45 How Can People Save or Make Money for Travel? 29:45 What Has Been Your Coolest Travel Experience? 31:15 What Is One Thing You Can’t Live Without While Traveling? 34:00 What Have You Learned You Don’t Need While Traveling? 36:00 How Do I Start Planning my Trip? 37:30 How Would Someone Transition to a Career in Teaching? 40:00 Where There Any Influencers that Inspired You to Travel? Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/rocky-mountains We had the pleasure of hosting Kati on our show who provided some valuable insight on how to balance a busy teaching and coaching career with travel. In this episode you’ll learn all about: ✅A few simple steps to get you started planning your next trip 🍎Taking advantage of time off teaching and coaching to take a 20+ day road trip 🏔️How to get more travel out of your 9-5 work life And more! Links Find Kati At: https://expeditioneducationblog.com/ https://www.instagram.com/wanderwithkt/ Episodes Mentioned in the Show: From CPA to Trucker: https://atravelpath.com/trucking/ Kati’s Blog on 10 Ways to Save Money for Travel: https://expeditioneducationblog.com/2020/04/01/making-extra-money-for-travel/ Save Money: https://home.ibotta.com/ https://poshmark.com/ Gregory Backpack & Gear: https://www.gregory.com/ YouTube Channels & Books: Steve Yalo: https://www.youtube.com/@SteveYalo “Through Hiking Will Break Your Heart” https://amzn.to/48BGArt “Wild” https://amzn.to/3TfM8Ue “Thirst” https://amzn.to/49TVYAv “Nowhere for Very Long” https://amzn.to/3Vi2Nbl (Commissions may be earned through purchases on this page) Restaurants Martins BBQ in Nashville: https://www.martinsbbqjoint.com/ Noble Smokehouse in Mystic: https://noblesmokehouse.com/ Relatable Blogs: Goal Setting for Couples: https://atravelpath.com/2024-goal-setting/ Most Popular Blogs: Most Popular Travel Hacks: https://atravelpath.com/money-saving-travel-tips/ Travel Gear: https://atravelpath.com/travel-gear/ How to Budget For Gas on a Road Trip: https://atravelpath.com/how-to-budget-for-gas-for-a-road-trip/ Our Favorite RV Upgrades: https://atravelpath.com/rv-upgrades/ How Much We Made Renting Our RV: https://atravelpath.com/renting-camper-van/ Never Run Out of Gas on a Road Trip: https://atravelpath.com/road-trip-tip/ travel #travelpodcast *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision. Transcript: Tyler: Welcome to the show. Kati: Hello, hello. Thanks for having me. Tyler: Yeah, so we know you on Instagram as "Wander with KT." You post content on your Outdoor Adventures, and you also have your website, ExpeditionEducationBlog.com, where your goal is to make Adventure travel as accessible as possible on any budget. You've got all sorts of posts on travel tips, Gear reviews, and itinerary creation guides, which we'll talk about later on. Why don't we first start by having you share a little about yourself and then letting our audience know what your current travel lifestyle looks like? Kati: Yeah, so I'm Kati. I am 31 years old, and I live in central New York. I'm a teacher by day and a coach by night, and then I try to travel as often as I can on my school breaks, on my weekends. I might take a personal day here or there to extend a weekend for some travels, but pretty much traveling on the school breaks and on the teacher budgets, so that is what the travel plans are. Tyler: Sure. And your husband, Spencer, he's a teacher as well, right? Kati: He is also a teacher, so we are both busy teachers. I teach secondary, so I teach grades 7 through 12, and he teaches elementary school, so he teaches pre-K through six. And we teach in the same district but different buildings since it's different age levels. Tyler: Now, during the school year, particularly the school year outside of, like, summer vacations and winter vacations, how are you balancing your work and your travel life? Kati: It can definitely be really hard, especially when you're coaching because when you coach, you don't normally get the full weekend anyway. You wind up having to leave after an early practice on a Saturday or not doing Saturday practice and coming back Sunday night for practice. And even school breaks, I mean, over like the holiday vacation Thanksgiving break, we have practice. So we definitely take shorter trips during the school year, which is not our style. We're definitely more like long road trip kind of people. But it can be hard to balance, but we just do what we can to get out there when we can get out there, especially during coaching. Tyler: The high school level gets pretty competitive, and I remember doing high school basketball, you're going, basically, I think the only days we had off was Christmas Day and New Year's Day, that was it. Kati: Yeah. Luckily, we both coach the junior varsity team, so we travel with varsity, and we're their assistant coach, so we have to be there to help them. But it's not as big of a deal if you give JV an extra day off over break. But at the varsity level, definitely, you know, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, then you're back. Tyler: Do you have a lot of commitments outside of coaching, like more school-related on the weekends that take up a lot of your time, or is it just mostly coaching? Kati: Generally, not mostly coaching. During the school year, I might have the occasional chaperone dance or I'm the Outdoor Adventure Club advisor, so we have weekend events and fundraisers that we do as well. So here and there, I have a weekend commitment that isn't related to coaching, but it's usually coaching-related in the school year. Tyler: So for the most part, it sounds like if you want to get into teaching and you want to be able to travel, as long as you're not doing any of those extracurricular activities, just the teaching lifestyle allows for that flexibility on the weekends, the extended weekends, and then, obviously, the holidays. Kati: Yeah, absolutely. You get extended weekends here and there, you get obviously your holiday breaks. The summer vacation is big there. There are definitely commitments from teaching over summer though, so you have to kind of plan around those things until you get to the point where you can just say, like, you're not paying me, so I'm not coming. Tyler: What are some of those commitments over the summer? Kati: Summer curriculum hours, different trainings, meetings, sometimes you'll have, like, seventh-grade orientation. And some of those commitments are also coaching-related too, such as, like, open gyms or going to a training or a coach's meeting. Tyler: So it sounds like it's kind of a random amount of commitment. It's not like it's not enough where it's like a full-time job type thing, but it's not really enough where you can take a super extended travel vacation. What's been the longest trip you guys have been able to take? Kati: We've been pretty lucky. We've gone on a couple really long trips. I think most recently we spent 23 days road-tripping from New York out to Colorado and Moab and then back. But we've also spent 17 in Utah and 20 days doing, like, the DTAs in Wyoming. A lot of our summer requirements too wind up popping up in August because you're getting closer to the school year. So it's like, oh, we have to get this in, oh, we got to do that training. So we pretty much have the month of July to do whatever we want. Hope: Now, when you take those little bit longer trips during your summer break, how are you guys traveling? Are you traveling in your car, right? And then where are you staying? Kati: So when we went to Utah, we flew there. It was one of our first times really doing that. And we flew, rented a car, and just did the loop from there and flew back. So we threw all of our camping gear in a big duffel, like, massive rolling duffel because we like to camp, because that's the only way we can afford to go on those trips. But since then, all of our trips have been road trips. So we drive, my husband has a Jeep, and we drive the Jeep out with all the camping gear, our bikes, everything we could need. We pretty much live out of the car for however long we're there. We'll snag hotel rooms here and there, whether it's like, oh, bad weather or just we need a shower and a bed or something of that nature. Yeah, we mostly camp, and we'll pay some, like, we'll pay for camping if we're going to National Parks. We like to camp inside the park, so it's worth it to us to pay whatever it costs to stay in there. But a lot of places will also camp for free because it saves you a lot of money and usually the views are better at those places as well. Tyler: And those places are just like the public land, the National Forest lands, Bureau of Land Management lands. Kati: Yeah, public lands like National Forest lands, Bureau of Land Management lands. So depending on what state you're in or like what section of the country you're in, they kind of have different names like National Grasslands. All over the DTAs have gorgeous places to camp and they're just free. You just pull up and go, free and dispersed camping. Tyler: In terms of when you're teaching and you're looking to plan your trips both short-term and long-term, what have been some of the biggest struggles to get on the road? Kati: My husband and I live in central New York, but his family is from Western New York and my family is from Long Island, and they still live there. So we're kind of like in our own little bubble living where we live, and we've lived here for the last nine or ten years. So I think the hardest thing for us is we see a break and we see an opportunity to travel, but then we also know that that's an opportunity that we could use to go see our family. So I feel like that sometimes is the hardest thing to get us out on the road, is like, what is right? What should we go do? My little brother's 14; he was born when I was a senior in high school. So, like, it's hard to not see him as often. And, you know, obviously our parents are getting older, so we have nieces and nephews at my husband's hometown area. So that's definitely the hardest thing that will get us on the road, is should we do that or should we go see our people. Tyler: The guilty conscience, yeah. I was going to say, too, I would imagine just having your schedules line up, both being full-time teachers, both coaching all those extracurriculars. So that, on top of having all that family close by, I'm surprised you travel as much as you do. Kati: Yes, it's a big, like, I don't know, it keeps us sane, our adventures, our travels. And for him, biking is his big thing, and I love to bike too, but Spencer is big into mountain biking, I'm big into the hiking. And both of those things kind of keep us level-headed. Tyler: Outside of what we just talked about, kind of the frustrations of planning, once you're actually out there and you're camping and you're traveling, what are some of the biggest frustrations you face then, especially now with all the permit systems sometimes to enter Parks? Kati: I'm really a big pre-planner. Like, our road trip for this summer is already pretty much entirely planned, all the camping has already been booked. I have, like, a spreadsheet where I put everything in. But if we are going somewhere that you need a permit for, I try to get camping there ahead of time. For example, we are going to Glacier National Park this summer, and they have a permit system to enter the park between certain hours, but if you are camping there, then you can just get it. So I try to plan all of that ahead of time. But there are places where you can't, or maybe I just can't get camping or I don't want to camp in the park, so that is a frustration. But one that I understand. I understand the permit system and have full respect for it. It just stinks sometimes. And then some people are just so, like, out to lunch, they're so rude, they just have no regard for nature. We're constantly cleaning up people's garbage, especially in free and dispersed camping spaces. And that is a huge frustration as well. Tyler: That's interesting you say that because that's one thing we found, like, it just seems so clean everywhere we went. A lot of the national parks, I know they take care of the parks there, but even we were doing dispersed camping. I always was under the impression that that's just, like, that lifestyle, that mindset, people who travel, they take care of where they go. But apparently that's not always the case. Kati: Yeah, some places are great and other places are not so. That's definitely a frustration that we face, just cleaning up people's stuff or seeing things that we can't clean up, like, you know, food waste and things that just shouldn't be left on the ground. Tyler: And those are the people that make the new rules, where now, whatever, wherever that location was where that trash was found, that's now off-limits. Like, I remember we were in Redwood National Park, the biggest tree in the world, Hyperion, you can't visit because too many people are visiting it and, like, leaving trash and kind of destroying the area around it. Yeah, biggest tree in the world but you can't see it because people were being people. Kati: Yeah, and I'll never understand that mindset. Like, I just, I don't get it. But that's definitely a big frustration. And then, this is a fun frustration, but when people are just, I don't know what they think, but people are like, "Oh, I have no idea how you travel for so long." And we're like, "Well, we literally sleep on the floor." And, you know, people be like, "Oh, like, you're so lucky." And yes, we're lucky. We're definitely, you know, lucky that we have that time off. But it takes a lot of planning. I'm like, "Would you sleep on the floor for 20 days?" "Oh, no." Okay, so it's a little more than luck. Like, that's a frustration too that's not really directly related to the travel, but having those conversations with people usually after we come back is always like, "Oh, like, oh, you're so lucky, that view is amazing." I'm like, "We hiked 21 miles to get to this view." Tyler: I totally relate to that because we've been told that like countless times, you're so lucky you can do this. And we were traveling in our van but like anybody can do it, it's just a matter if you want to put the work in. Kati: Yeah, everybody sees the nice picture, they hear the stories, but they don't see the work that was put in, whether it was hiking to that location, putting the time in to put signs in place where you can take a long vacation. There's a lot of work that goes into it that anybody can do it's just a matter of do you want to do it. Tyler: I look at it like, yeah, we're lucky, we're blessed in a sense where we're alive, we're healthy, we took this trip and everything was okay. But outside of that, anybody can do it, you know? Kati: Exactly, yeah. I will always be thankful for my ability to be here and doing what I can do, but you could do it too if you try. Tyler: One hundred percent. So transitioning outside of kind of the bad news, what do you love most about your travel lifestyle? Kati: I love, we're so busy during the school year that we hardly see each other. Like, all volleyball season, I usually have the early practice slot, and then my husband, he practices tonight until 9:00 PM. So we eat dinner very, very late. We'll eat dinner at like 9:45 when he gets home, and then I go to sleep because I wake up earlier because my school day starts earlier. And he'll just stay up and watch whatever anime show he's currently watching. And then we just don't really get to spend a lot of time together all school year. So it's nice to be like, stuck together for however long we're on vacation for however long we're traveling for. So that is definitely nice and, like, truly being stuck, stuck together, like, you got to talk, you got to hang out, you got to talk about what you're doing next, if you're mad at each other for some silly little reason, you got to talk about it. So that's something that I really like about it. And then I like how physically demanding, like, camping and hiking and biking and, like, the itineraries we plan for ourselves because we're trying to squeeze as much as we can in, it's go, go, go, go, go. And I'm a mover, so I love that part of it. I like the challenge of it. Tyler: You bring up a good point. It's fascinating how many times people have told us they could never be alone with their spouse for a month or two, but for a long period of time. It's like, well, you probably should be able to be with them for that's kind of why you married them, right? Kati: That's kind of what my father-in-law's like. I don't know how you do these trips together. I don't even know how, like, I don't know how you drive straight back together. I don't know how you spend 25 days together. And I just laugh. I'm like, those are my favorite days of the whole year, the 25 days we're stuck together. Tyler: You mentioned on your website, ExpeditionEducationBlog.com, that one of your goals is to help individuals seek adventure whenever possible. What tips have you been able to find that help people do that? Kati: I think if you can look at your... well, first, I like to tell people, when they reach out to me or whatever it may be, my friends at school say, find like five or six places within three hours of where you live that you have some type of interest in for whatever reason. Like, I'm outdoorsy, so I'm looking for outdoorsy places, but that might not be what your interest is in. So whatever type of adventure you want to take, think of that and come up with five to ten places. You'd be shocked at how many places are within three, three and a half hours of where you live. And the reason why I use that number is that it's easy for a weekend trip. Like, you can leave work on a Friday and be somewhere within three and a half hours with still enough time to eat dinner, check into your hotel, or whatever you're doing. And then you have the whole weekend to kind of just enjoy it. So that's my biggest suggestion is like find those places and then look at your calendar, look at your schedule, and plan when you're going to go and hold yourself to it. Like, if you're gonna book a hotel, book it, because then you're forced to go. And once you go once, you're gonna be like, "Ah, I need to do it more." I'm lucky I have worked work-in days off. Teachers don't really get time off that they can choose. I get three personal days. So like, I can pick and choose to use those where I need to. But people who have, like, an office job and such, I always tell them, like, just plan it around a time where maybe you have a day off for a holiday or, you know, if you add two days to this weekend, it now becomes a five-day weekend and plan your longer trips ahead of time. Like, get a whole calendar out, just plan it out. If you plan it, you're more likely to do it, as opposed to just saying on a Thursday, "Oh, I think tomorrow I'm going to fly wherever." Like, probably not going to happen. So figure out what you want to do and then look ahead of time and plan, because even if you work a job where you have to be there most of the year, like, you can figure out where to go and when. Tyler: Do you find people are reluctant to just start looking and why do you think that is? I think some people, and I feel like it's like the age range of like 25 to 40, where they're willing to, like, get on Google and look things up. I feel like we were just, like, outside of the cusp of you could Google anything when you were in school and now my students are like, "I could just Google it," and they're, like, so annoyed by it. I'm like, "You just pick up your phone and you could figure out anything." And I feel like there's a group of people that are in that range of willingness to do it because they didn't grow up with it. They've learned it, though, and it's so easy to do. And then you have, like, people who grew up with it and think it's annoying and they don't want to do it. And you have older folks who maybe they do it from their iPad, but they don't know how to organize all of their online thoughts. Like, my mom plans everything from her iPad and she just starts sending me links here, there, and everywhere, which is great, but I'm like, "I put it in a spreadsheet, Ma. How are you organizing your trip? You're sending it to me." Tyler: Yep, we're spreadsheet people. Kati: I think people are just reluctant to do the work because the research portion does take time. And if you don't know how to organize all of your thoughts online, then it can be really overwhelming. Tyler: It's funny. I'm not sure why it is because, like, even right now, like, we planned our first trip a while back and right now we're planning our second trip, but every time we go to do it, like, I don't know about you, but I'm just, like, dreading it. I don't want to sit down and do it. But the second you start planning something, it just becomes addicting, and you find one place and you find the next place, and it just gets that ball rolling where you want to go. But I don't know what it is about not wanting to sit down and just start. I love it. A couple weekends ago, I sat down with... I said to Spencer, like, "Hey, let's do some trip planning," because I pretty much plan every single trip. He just comes along for the ride. So he sat here with the maps for maybe 20 minutes, and he then retired himself to the living room, and I finished booking campgrounds and all that stuff. And I always send him the spreadsheet as soon as I started, like, "Hey, here's the summer spreadsheet. Here's the Norway spreadsheet," like, whatever it may be. And he never opens it. We were driving through Norway this August, and he's like, "All right, where do we go next?" I'm like, "What do you mean?" He's like, "Where do we go after we're here?" Like, how do you not know that you flew across the ocean to come here, and you have no idea what you're in store for? Like, what if I told you we were cliff jumping?" He's like, "Okay." Hope: I plan about 99% of our trips, mostly the weekend ones and the small ones, things like that. Tyler really only gets pulled in once we're doing those longer, extended trips. We do struggle to get started, but like he said, it is addicting. Once you get going, the spreadsheet definitely helps us. Tyler: We'll be leaving for an airport to fly out somewhere, and I won't know which airport we're going to. That's how bad it is. On your website ExpeditionEducationBlog.com, you have a bunch of services on there: you post blogs, travel tips, gear reviews, and one of your sections is the itinerary creation guide. What exactly is that? Kati: So, with the itinerary creation, you would fill out pretty much a Google form, and it asks a handful of questions. You have to have an idea of where you want to go first, but then it'll ask you like what your interests are, what type of lodging you're looking for, and it'll kick it out to me. Once it's kicked out to me, I will kind of write an email back to whoever it is with like a summary of what I think they're looking for, so they can either say, 'Yes, you're on point from these questions,' or 'No, you're really far off,' and then kind of an estimate of, 'Hey, this is what you can expect to pay for an itinerary of this length.' I organize it into a really nice PDF that if you have it online and you click links, it'll pull up like your Google Maps, your link to your Airbnb, your hotel, whatever it may be, or you can print it and just look at it like that. It's a service that a handful of people have used. Some, I planned somebody's trip. They were spending five days in Paris and then five days in Ireland, so I got to plan like their whole trip for them. And then these people were coming from England to the Adirondacks to do like a leaf peeping loop, and I got to plan their whole leaf peeping loop. So, I pretty much do all the planning for you, but you have to do all the booking for yourself, because I'm not a travel agent. But, you know, for the Paris trip, I way ahead of time I was able to get it out to her. And for each thing, it was like, 'All right, you're looking for this type of Airbnb. Here are two options for you to choose from.' The people who were leaf peeping, they rented a van in New York City, and then they were camping. So, it was easy for me. I gave them a free and dispersed site and then a campground option in each stop for them. So, yeah, it's really fun when I get to do it based off of places I've already been. So, like the Adirondacks are my playground. So, that was super fun because I was able to give a lot of different suggestions for like where they should eat depending on what they're looking for and things like that. But then the other, like I've never been to Paris and I've never been to Ireland, but pretty much she just didn't want to do the research herself. And I find joy in the research. So, I was like, 'Cool, I will research up your honeymoon sister, and you're gonna have a great time.' Tyler: Perfect. Yeah. So, they do the booking; you do the planning. It sounds like a great alternative for someone who just doesn't want to do the planning. And we can definitely vouch for it. It was funny; we brought this up last night. But Hope saw your template on your website, which is the Nashville itinerary. And we went to Nashville back in, I think November. And one of the places you recommended was Martin's Barbecue. Oh, so good. I remember it was probably the best barbecue we've ever had. Like, the ribs, the dry rub, they were juicy, they were amazing. I'm hesitant to say they're the best because we have a place right down the street, Noble Smokehouse Mystic, which is great. I have to have them, like, back to back. But they were amazing. Hope: I think you posted that reel, like, as I was at the airport waiting to go to Nashville, and I was like, 'Oh, perfect, okay. Saved what you said,' and we hit a few other things that were in that itinerary that you did. So, we definitely took advantage of it. Kati: Yeah, Nashville was fun. That was a Mother's Day trip with my mom; we went together and we had a blast. But yeah, for any of my itinerary-style posts, I'm sometimes a little behind, but I make a PDF of whatever the itinerary is, and it just goes into a folder. So, if you follow me on my blog, join my newsletter, which maybe comes out four times a year because of teacher life, you get access to that folder that has all of the itineraries. So, it has things like Nashville, and then it also has national parks and things of that nature, too. And it's the version where you can click, and it'll give you the link to whatever the Google map of the place or whatever it may be. So, that's a fun little side project that I like because I love Canva. If you're a teacher that doesn't use Canva, like, email me; I will help you. It is amazing. Tyler: Have you discovered any other careers that are similar to teaching where people can have these big gaps in between work and take time off? Kati: I would say if you work, like, I guess not necessarily as a teacher, but if you work in a school building, like our school nurse, our school counselors, our social worker, our psychologists, like, they are not teachers; they have different degrees and different backgrounds, but they do still get those breaks. I do follow a lot of travel nurses who will do, like, they'll do their gig for however long, and then they'll give themselves a gap before their next one, and they go and they do whatever they couldn't do wherever they were. So, I wish I could crack the code, but I could never be a nurse, bless them. Angels. But if I was, travel nursing would be it. I mean, my friend who wound up moving down to Nashville, she was like, 'You make so much more money travel nursing, too.' She was like, 'You don't have the benefits of working for a steady corporation, company, whatever hospital.' She was like, 'But you make way more money plus whatever your stipend is for your living expenses.' Tyler: So, do you have any travel tips on how people can save or make money for traveling? Kati: Well, like I also freelance write. And there's a company that I've been working with since 2020, same company this whole time. And it's very nice because I can write as much or as little pretty much as I want. If I have a lot of time, I can get a bunch of posts done. If not, it can take me a whole month to write a post for them, and they're fine with it. So, that's a nice little, just, that money goes straight into our savings account, and I put it towards whatever we do to road trip for the summer. So, I mean, there's definitely little things. But teacher life, I have all those little things at school that I do to make a couple extra dollars. But then, if you like to write, you're a good writer, whatever it may be, freelance writing is definitely a great option." Tyler: Is that through Upwork where you were found or was it through a different platform? Kati: They found me through my blog. I've just been working with them pretty much ever since, but I was on Upwork for a little while. Tyler: You had a blog post I read, the "10 ways to make extra money for traveling." I wasn't sure if you wanted to reference that at all. Kati: That's an old one, but it's a good one. Yeah, that's from before I even owned my house. It's funny. And all those ways are still solid. I still use Ibotta, which is like an app that you use when you go grocery shopping or anything of that nature. You can look ahead of time, and if I was already going to buy something, I'll put it in and then you scan your receipt at the end and you get money back. It also works for things other than groceries, like Booking.com. I just booked my husband and me a hotel room in Orlando for next week, and since I booked it through Ibotta, I'll get 8% back. So, it'll come out to like, I don't know, 20 something dollars in that account. It's seemingly pennies, but it does add up. I have probably made like well over $3,000 on Ibotta over the years, just grocery shopping, things here and there. Like Dick's Sporting Goods, 2% back on your order. You just have to look ahead of time and kind of buy it through there. So, little things like that, like coupon apps, I guess you could call them. Just selling your old stuff. I sell my old stuff on Poshmark all the time. Or like, I don't know if you guys have Plato's Closets where you are, consignment shops, those kinds of things. And it's one like, "Oh, I need new gear" or "I'm getting new whatever." So, I'll bring it here and then sell it. And it's not like you're going to make a killing off of it, but it's better than it just sitting around. And then you can put that money towards something else. I'll link that blog at the end of the show notes for people to check out. Tyler: How do you get internet when you're traveling? Kati: If I don't have internet on my phone, I don't have internet while I'm traveling. And when I'm traveling, I'm just traveling. Tyler: I like that if you don't have it, you don't have it. Kati: I always bring my Chromebook. I don't think I ever take it out of it. Never comes out of the bag. Hope: That's okay. You're just there to travel and experience it. So, it's perfect. What has been the coolest experience you've had while traveling? Kati: I feel like it's going to be a general statement because I've really done so many cool things. But I think the meeting of new people when I'm traveling, especially when we travel to national parks and other outdoorsy places, I feel like it's not somewhere that people think, "Oh, you're going to meet people and make friends." I feel like you think you'll do that in a city at a bar, at a restaurant, like whatever it may be. But we've met some really cool people just out at the national parks. We made friends with this older gentleman and showed us his rig with his gorgeous dog. And then a couple of days later, we ran into him in Grand Teton National Park. We had first seen him in Yellowstone, and he was like, "What are you guys doing tomorrow?" And we're like, "Ah, like, we're hiking to Lake Solitude. It's 24 miles. It's a long day." He's like, "Meet me for dinner in town. Like, I'll buy you guys dinner." He was just an older man, but we had such a good conversation. We had dinner and drinks, and it's just fun to meet people and laugh. Most of the people we wind up chatting with are significantly older than us, but they have so much knowledge, and it's so fun to talk to them. And my husband is a talker. It's probably a good thing that he's at practice and not sitting in front of you guys right now so he can make friends with a rock, pretty much. Yeah, he's good like that. Tyler: Through all your travels, what has been one thing you've learned that you cannot live without? Kati: This was a question that stumped me. This is going to sound silly, but I couldn't survive without my phone because my whole spreadsheet gets downloaded onto my phone, and that is how we do our travels. So, in a silly sense, like, I couldn't live without my phone for that purpose. But in a more literal sense, I also couldn't live without a backpack that is functional for day-to-day things, and that changes, I guess, based on what the travels are like. Obviously, my hiking bag is my hiking bag, my day pack, and that's coming with me no matter what. But if I'm doing more like city travel, I have a different backpack that I use for that because just function-wise, it works better. And that seems like such a silly thing, but I hate nothing more than not being able to find something that I need. Tyler: Yeah, I've been there before. Do you have any backpack recommendations? Kati: My day pack for hiking is a Gregory, and it has been for the last 10 years, and I am dreading the day it breaks or something is wrong with it because I love it to death. Although I did recently get called out in a very nice, friendly way on Instagram because one of my Instagram friends was showing her washing her same exact Gregory pack as me, and she's like, "How often do you wash your pack?" And I responded, "Never." And she was like, "Well, how long have you had it for?" I was like, "10 years." She was like, "That is disgusting. I can't believe you've never washed it." I'm like, "It never even occurred to me to wash my backpack." And I'm such a clean freak that it's wild to me. So, I'm going to wash it, and we'll see how it goes. But that's definitely my day pack recommendation. So comfortable, so functional, and I've had it for 10 years. It's probably traveled like 2,000 miles, gone across the ocean, across the country. So, that is definitely it. Tyler: Comfortable, functional, and after 10 years, I'd say pretty durable. Kati: Yeah, definitely. Tyler: It may not be the same color it was when you bought it, but it's still working. Kati: I know. I said to Spencer, I'm like, "Uh, we have to wash our backpacks." Like, that's a good idea. I'm like, "Right?" He goes, "Why haven't we ever done that?" Like, I'm not really sure. But, and we're both super clean freaks, so we both like it. Tyler: Yeah, I don't think we ever, Hope: I was gonna say, now I feel like I need to go wash my backpack. We definitely haven't. I've never, never occurred to me. So, thank you for that. It's a good tip. Kati: Yeah, so a very good call out, actually. I was called in. I have to clean my backpack. Tyler: Contrary to that, what has been one thing you've learned that you don't need while traveling? Kati: I don't need even half of the clothes that I pack for myself. And that is also silly, but I am a chronic overpacker. You should see my luggage for next week to go to Florida for the week. My husband today, he's like, "Oh, I see that you're packed for a full road trip." I just, I always want options, and then I don't wear half of them. So, I've learned that, but I've never actually done what I said I'm going to do and take less. Something's wrong with me here. Tyler: But, yeah, she makes fun of me for how little I pack. You're only bringing like one pair of shorts and three shirts, like, yeah. Kati: I, well, and I'll say this to my husband too, like, if we, like, go out. So, like, we were in Leadville a couple of years ago, and he was just able to throw on like a cleaner pair of hiking pants and a flannel and a hat, and he looks like a normal person. I'm like, if I throw on like my hiking pants, I look like a nerd. I don't want to go out like that. I want to look decent. So, I feel like I have to pack additional clothes so that I'm not looking like I just came out of the woods like a creature, I don't know. Hope: Very true. Men have a different ability to transition their outfits from day to night, rather than we have. And I was laughing because he doesn't pack himself. Tyler: But, but in my defense, our clothes are bigger, so I should take out more space, but I don't. Kati: Yeah, my husband and I are the same size, so our clothes are the same. We, we're both like five ten, weigh the same. We are the same, exactly. Tyler: I’m like 6'4 and she's 5'6 so like my shirts are like five of her shirts. Um, if you could have listened to this podcast when you were first starting out traveling, what is one question I didn't ask tonight that you wish I would have, and how would you answer that now? Kati: We, we, I feel like we kind of talked about it, but just the planning process, like where do I start? How do I start to plan? Maybe like a planning, um, what's the word I'm looking for, planning template. It can be, once you know kind of where you're going, I guess planning gets easier. But maybe like a drawing board template, like how do I start planning my trip? I think that can be the hardest part. Like Spencer and I are really into the national parks. We pretty much plan every trip around them. And then once we have MapQuest, Google Maps, ever, like do our route, then from there we'll be like, "Oh, this is close to here, so we'll branch off and do that. Oh, that's close to here, so we'll do this too." But we always know like national parks are like the pillars of our road trip. I feel like some people don't know, especially if national parks are not their thing, like where do I start? How do I put my thoughts together and then plan? Tyler: Yeah, that's true. It sounds like the solution is finding those big places you want to go, the big national parks, the big destinations, and then just, yeah, like filling in the gaps. Kati: Yeah, even like big cities, right? Like what cities do you want to visit? Are you going to like plan around that? But I do think that when I first started, it felt daunting to plan any type of trip, whether it was a, like when I first started backpacking, I'm like, "Oh my god, get me a map, like help me." Just in general, the starting of planning. And now I've become a planner because I'm like a neurotic type A perfectionist. Some people are not, I don't know how type B people go on vacation. Hope: They usually have a type A person planed, I think. Tyler: Yeah, there a couple more questions before I wrap up here. If somebody wanted to pursue a travel lifestyle similar to yours but is in a completely different career, um, what is one thing they could start doing today to get them there? And the reason I asked that, because it, it does, it sounds kind of silly, someone to completely change their career to pursue travel. But we had an episode four, um, Jeff, he was a CPA for eight years, decided he wanted to travel and got his class a trucker license and loves it and just did this complete, yeah, did a complete 180 with his career, but loves what he's doing. He's having a blast. He's been to all 48 states in the continental United States. And, yes, you never know what people want to, if they're going to take a drastic change in their career. Kati: Yeah, no, that's awesome. Yeah, I guess so if you want to teach, it's different for every state. Um, in New York, it's one of the harder states to be a teacher in. You have to have a bachelor's degree and a master's degree. Um, you can start teaching with just your Bachelor's as long as your Bachelor's is in education and you're a certified teacher. So, like, I had to do my entire Bachelor's and then take three tests and do a project. And then I was initially certified in New York state, and then I had to start my master's before I could be professionally certified in New York state. So, that's how New York works. So, there's a lot of schooling involved in teaching, which is funny because for a master's degree, you don't make enough money to be master's degree required. Um, but then you go to other places, and that's not a requirement. My, my, um, my stepbrother lives in Florida, and he did his undergrad in like sports management, and he is teaching right now. He just had to take a test, bachelor's degree, and a test, and then he can teach. And he has all the same perks, the health insurance, the time off, all that stuff. It's just different based on where you live. Interesting. Yeah. So, okay. So, if someone has their bachelor's degree, depending on their state, they could just take study up and take a test, and they could be on their way teaching. Tyler: Yeah? I Didn't know that. Kati: Yeah. I know like some states are, are a little more stickler about it than others like New York, California, Ohio, of all places are very like bachelor's Masters must be certified, uh, but then other states, not so much. Florida, you just have to have a bachelor's degree. You take your test. Um, then you're, you're in that school system. That's what my stepbrother had to do. And he's doing it. Tyler: Have there been any YouTube influences or books that have inspired you to travel? Kati: I, I feel like I got into the travel scene like before I want to say like before the influencer age, but like before the influencer age, it was when people were still using weird filters on their Instagram square photos, you know what I mean? Like so in that sense I, I, I just feel lucky that my parents value travel a different kind of travel than I do. We were like all-inclusive resort people and like go to Florida. But um, since then, I guess there are definitely accounts and books and things that kind of have made me feel more passionate about travel. A kid that I graduated from high school with went to college, was doing whatever, and then he just became a like a YouTuber for travel. He was doing like Southeast Asia, South America. I don't even know what I, his, his name is Steve Yalo, Yalowitz, and that's his like YouTube channel. But his stuff is, he's a fun guy. Like you watch his stuff and you're like, like, wow, he's so happy. Um, he definitely inspires me when I, when I see his stuff posted, different kind of travel than I really do, but it always makes me feel like, all right, I could do a little more. I could be a little crazier, I let loose a little bit. I read a lot of through-hike, so and I think my husband would divorce me if I was like, Hey, we're doing a through-hike. That's our next trip. I just find it so inspiring and it seems like such an incredible way like, you know, the big thing now is slow travel, right? And like can you get any slower travel than a through-hike? I'm not sure unless you lived somewhere, right, for a long period of time. So reading books on on through hikes and through hikers really, really give me a new appreciation for traveling and nature in general. Tyler: Good stuff. Any titles in particular we can link below? Kati: Uh, "Through Hiking Will Break Your Heart" by Carrot Quinn is so good. It's like one of the first ones that I read after, you know, the typical "Wild", which is also very good. I'm not saying it's bad. Um, I currently have "Thirst" lined up to read. I have not read it yet. I'm currently reading "Nowhere for Very Long", which is not a through-hiker book, but it is um, an like an outdoorsy influencers book that I'm really enjoying. Tyler: While our audience is checking out those channels and those books one more time Kati where can they find out more about you? Kati: You can find me on Instagram at wanderwithKT, um, or you can find me at uh, Expeditioneducationblog.com or Expeditionedu.com both will bring you to the same place. Tyler: Perfect. And last question part two, you're coming back to talk about the travel tips segment and what are we talking about for that? Kati: We are talking about a Colorado road trip that you could do in a week's time and you will get all of the national parks in plus I'll give you a couple bonus locations where if you find that you want to be in a place more or less you can add one of these in and enhance your trip. Tyler: Great. Perfect. All right everybody keep an eye out for that and Kati thanks again. Kati: Thank you.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
Shenandoah NP and Skyline Drive @All About The Banks 20:57

1 year ago20:57

20:57

www.atravelpath.com 00:00 Introduction 01:42 Overview of Skyline Drive 07:40 How Long Should Someone Spend in Shenandoah National Park? 09:00 When is the Best Time of Year to Visit Shenandoah National Park? 10:54 Is Shenandoah National Park Dog and Kid Friendly? 11:00 Can You Bring a Large RV to Shenandoah National Park? 12:45 Where is a Good Sunset Spot along Skyline Drive? 15:00 What Are Your Favorite Places to Eat in Shenandoah National Park? 16:00 Other Attraction in and Near Shenandoah National Park 17:30 What Are 3 Things Someone Should Pack to Shenandoah National Park? 18:00 What Should People be Aware of Before Visting Shenandoah National Park? 19:00 What is One Thing You Can’t Leave Shenandoah National Park without Doing? We were so glad to have the Banks back on to talk about this great destination. Lear some of the best sunset places, places to dine, and fun things to do nearby Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive! Links The Banks’ Video on Shenandoah National Park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2qpXxuJW7k Big Meadows: https://www.nps.gov/places/big-meadows.htm Spottswood Dining Room: https://www.goshenandoah.com/dining/big-meadows-lodge?utm_source=google&utm_medium=yext Luray Caverns: https://luraycaverns.com/ Heritage Village: https://luraycaverns.com/explore/shenandoah-heritage-village/ Massanutten Water Park: https://www.massresort.com/play/waterpark/ Harrisonburg KOA: https://koa.com/campgrounds/harrisonburg/ Endless Caverns Camping: https://endlesscaverns.com/ Shenandoah National Park Pet Policy America the Beautiful Pass: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm Relatable Blog: 9 Scenic Places in the US: https://atravelpath.com/america-the-beautiful-9-of-the-most-photo-worthy-places-we-have-been/ Thinking of retiring in an RV? https://atravelpath.com/retire-in-an-rv/ Most Popular Blogs: Most Popular Travel Hacks: https://atravelpath.com/money-saving-travel-tips/ Travel Gear: https://atravelpath.com/travel-gear/ How to Budget For Gas on a Road Trip: https://atravelpath.com/how-to-budget-for-gas-for-a-road-trip/ Our Favorite RV Upgrades: https://atravelpath.com/rv-upgrades/ How Much We Made Renting Our RV: https://atravelpath.com/renting-camper-van/ Never Run Out of Gas on a Road Trip: https://atravelpath.com/road-trip-tip/ *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
15. Going Against The Norm with Full Time Travel @All About The Banks 49:05

1 year ago49:05

49:05

www.atravelpath.com 04:45 How Long Was Full Time Travel a Goal For? 10:20 What Were Your Biggest Challenges to Get to Full Time Travel? 17:50 Is Full Time Travel Sustainable? 19:20 What Does Your Budget Look Like? 22:10 Why Did You Buy Brand New Before You Hit the Road? 21:57 What do You Like to Cook in Your RV? 26:15 How Has Your Experience Been Owning Brand New? 27:30 What is Your Advice on Backing in an RV? 33:00 What is Mooch Docking? 35:05 How Much is Internet Costing You? 36:20 What Has Been Your Coolest Travel Experience? 37:50 Has There Been Anything You Learned You DON’T Need While Traveling? 39:30 How Did You Downsize? What a great show we had with Duane and Belinda Banks! The show was filled with a lot of laughs and valuable insight as they shared their story of going full time in their fifth wheel RV. Learn all about: 🛣️Facing the fear of “going against the norm” when you sell your home to travel full time 😊How to CALMLY back your RV in without getting into a shouting match ✅The importance of selecting the right RV for you so it will fit your needs And Much, MUCH more! Links: All About The Banks on Social: https://www.youtube.com/@AllAboutTheBanks https://www.facebook.com/groups/400022101306484/ https://www.facebook.com/duanebelinda.banks https://www.instagram.com/allaboutthebanks_/ 🥹Their Emotional Video on the Last Day in Their Home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx9X0HHjlhw&t=1136s Episode 7 With Adrian and Ruth discussing a Home Base https://atravelpath.com/full-time-rv-home-base/ YouTube Channels Referenced: https://www.youtube.com/@KeepYourDaydream https://www.youtube.com/@LongLongHoneymoon Relatable Blogs: RV Technician: https://atravelpath.com/mobile-rv-technician/ Our Favorite RV Upgrades: https://atravelpath.com/rv-upgrades/ From Empty Nesters to Full Time Rvers: https://atravelpath.com/retired-full-time-rv-living/ How to get internet while traveling: https://atravelpath.com/internet-while-traveling/ Thinking of retiring in an RV? https://atravelpath.com/retire-in-an-rv/ Most Popular Blogs: Most Popular Travel Hacks: https://atravelpath.com/money-saving-travel-tips/ Travel Gear: https://atravelpath.com/travel-gear/ How to Budget For Gas on a Road Trip: https://atravelpath.com/how-to-budget-for-gas-for-a-road-trip/ Our Favorite RV Upgrades: https://atravelpath.com/rv-upgrades/ How Much We Made Renting Our RV: https://atravelpath.com/renting-camper-van/ Never Run Out of Gas on a Road Trip: https://atravelpath.com/road-trip-tip/ How to get internet while traveling: https://atravelpath.com/internet-while-traveling/ Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/rocky-mountains *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision.…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
San Francisco Travel Guide @ Julie Falconer 19:42

1 year ago19:42

19:42

www.atravelpath.com 00:00 Introduction 01:00 Who Should Visit San Francisco? 02:30 How Long Should Someone Visit San Francisco? 03:30 When is the Best Time of Year to Visit San Francisco? 04:50 What is the Best Mode of Transportation in San Francisco? 10:15 What is the Nightlife Like in San Francisco? 11:03 Favorite Food Spots in San Francisco 13:40 What are 3 Things You Should Pack to San Francsico? 15:10 What are 2 Complaints Someone May Have About San Francisco? 17:30 What is 1 Thing You Can’t Leave San Francisco Without Doing? Julie’s Social (California Wayfaring) https://californiawayfaring.com/ YouTube Instagram Facebook X Julie’s San Francisco Blogs: 13 Movies Set in San Francisco 2-Day San Francisco Itinerary 5-Day San Francisco Itinerary Ways to Stay: Hotel Triton Airbnb TrustedHouseSitters Presido’s Rob Hill Campground Angel Island Camping Transportation Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Crissy Beach Parking To Do Golden Gate Park Adventure Cat Boat Charter Japanese Tea Garden Places to Eat Zushi Puzzle Ferry Plaza Famers Market Chowders Related Blogs: Julies recap from Part 1:https://atravelpath.com/travel-blog-tips/ *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision. Transcript from YouTube: all right Julie welcome back to the travel tips segment of the podcast thank you so in case anybody did not tune in to part one um Julie has been blogging for only 21 years she's been a professional blogger it was a lightning round on anybody looking to get into the blog space I encourage you to listen to that she shared her story um today travel tips we're talking about one particular destination so Julie where are we talking about today we are talking about San Francisco California fantastic now what made you decide to want to share this location today well I was born and raised just south of San Francisco and after college I lived in San Francisco for three years and in the last two years I've been splitting my time between London and San Francisco so the city is close to my heart and I absolutely love it wonderful so obviously San Francisco is a city there's so much to do but for someone who likes what type of experience who should go to San Francisco and where should they go that's a great question San Francisco can be for anyone and that's one of the things I love about it because if you just love you know Urban spaces and cities you've got everything you could possibly want here we've got great restaurants we've got great sightseeing uh we got the water we've got you know everything from the Golden Gate Bridge to alcatra a cool you know street art anything you want you can find it here but if you're one of those people who's like H like I like to be in a city but you know I need my nature fixed and I I like to be outdoors more we have that too so we have one of the if not the largest uh Park of any city in the US um in Golden Gate Park we've got just across the Golden Gate Bridge we've got the Marin Headlands um you don't even need a car you can even take the bus out there or a bike out there and you can go for miles and miles along the coast um so what I love about San Francisco is we have this amazing balance between the city and nature and it's really easy to do both so I think it's kind of has something for everybody and every different type of traveler if you're a foodie kind of you have wine we've got wine country right you know just north of the city um if you like to get out on the water you can go whale watching you can go sailing uh there's just a lot to do here absolutely we can vouch for that we only spent about probably 24 hours in San Francisco that's the only time we've been there however we packed in um the Japanese tea garden we went to um Pier 39 uh we got on the water we went to the bridge so like you said it does have something for everybody and we got to experience a lot of that in just 24 hours but really to get that full experience how long do you think someone should plan their trip for you know the good thing is you don't need a huge amount of time San Francisco as a city is actually not very big because it's on a peninsula and it's only 7 Miles by seven miles so there's a lot that you can do in a short amount of time obviously like I said I I think it's amazing to go beyond the city and see things like the Marine Headlands or Mir Woods or wine country or whatever else you want to see so I would say you know at least three days it gives you enough time to see the city and do a little bit outside of the city and you can go at a relaxed pace and you don't have to feel like you you know morning noon and night you're kind of at this grueling sightseeing non-stop schedule uh but it gives you enough time to see everything you you maybe need to see and then a few things that you can take your time on um you know ideally if you have more time great but three days is probably a good amount of time if you're on a on a schedule and you have other places to go and things to see perfect so you can really take you know that extended weekend getaway and enjoy the city absolutely awesome and then what about the best time of year what would you say definitely October um San Francisco is one of those places where people think oh it's California so it's just sunny and warm all year uh what they don't realize is in the summer we get a lot of fog and so it can be very very cold in the Summers and very foggy to the point where you can't even see the Golden Gate Bridge at all I always recommend October because it tends to be the best weather of the year it's usually warm it's usually clear it's usually Sunny Winters can be rainy or sunny but October is fairly consistent and so I always tell people if you come to San Francisco come in October yeah I actually think we were there in October and it was perfect weather so the first day yeah we we've heard the nickname fogust yes yes fogust is real it's very real and a lot of people come to San Francisco not realizing that and it it's it can be a surprise yes the first day were there um we went to see the bridge and it was just complete fog I think we got a little tiny glimpse of it but um day two in the afternoon fog cleared up and we had um completely unobstructed views of the bridge so there you go October is the time to go that's great now switching over to Transportation a little bit as far as flying in for that quick weekend if you need to rent a car like what do you think is the best mode of transportation and how do you suggest most people get to and from San Francisco yeah it really depends on what you want you can rent a car uh that gives you freedom to drive around the city or drive you know again up into the mine Headlands or Mir Woods or wine country if you want to but you don't need one um there is a train that goes from the airport into the city center both from San Francisco Airport and Oakland airport it's called BART Bay Area Rapid Transit um and it'll take you right into the Heart of the City um there are buses that will take you around the city or again it's fairly small you can walk or you can cycle um do be prepared for the hills um you can also take the cable cars which is super iconic and fun and even as locals we take the cable cars when we want to just have a good time and just do something different um so you again you don't need a car a lot of people will rent bikes and cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge and down to saalo and then take the ferry back so you don't need a car for that um I I like to say it's really really up to you how much control you want and how much you want to do and see in what way you want to do it one thing I'll add to that is I'm not sure if it's a California thing or just the fact that we were from New England or we were driving all over the middle of nowhere out west before we got to California but it threw me off a little bit when we got to San Francisco like the way the street lights were positioned it seemed like they were like farther away than I was used to and it took me like a minute to get used to that I don't know if that's like a californ like I said a California thing or not but that took me a while little while to adjust to and then just parking we had a 21t van and trying to find parking for it was it took a little bit of time yeah yeah San Francisco parking can be a difficult thing um so yeah definitely definitely recommend rening a smaller car than not if you are going to rent a car um I don't I haven't noticed that about the the street lights or the the stop lights but I will definitely make a mental note to to think about that yeah I don't know what it was I'm not sure if we're used to like back home the lights are on strings are on poles so they're like above the roadway but out there they're on like pedestals right yeah that's true huh yeah so maybe it's maybe we're just weird I don't know but it took me like a minute to get used to I think we had also been in the middle of nowhere where there probably weren't any stop lights and there was no traffic so the first stop light we saw yeah yeah exactly it's as you're going cross country all the different stop signs positioning um it definitely is a culture shock sometimes so just be careful when you're driving didn't hit anybody but just took me a little while to get used to um I will say for anyone though that is you know a camper or a van life person for us what we didn't plan on is the challenging parking being in a huge vehicle I kind of thought we could find a parking garage but our van was too tall um but down by the pier there was a lot of not parking garages but you know parking areas and we found some luck down there so if anyone has a bigger vehicle head down towards the pier yeah that's great and um there's definitely a big parking lot at Chrissy beach too um I'm not sure about side requirements there but there's no height requirement so that's something you could potentially look into too very good perfect now um moving over to the lodging aspect do you have any hotels that you love is it an Airbnb friendly city that you kind of suggest people do that to get a better more authentic experience yeah so I always have stayed at Hotel Triton which is right near Union Square Downtown it's kind of on the kind of border of the financial district Union Square and Chinatown so you are in a great location um you're near the water you're near all of the sort of downtown attractions um you're not too far from the cable cars and it's just a it's a great Hotel nice rooms um and you're you're kind of set they do a even a happy hour every night with wine and and whatnot for guests which is fun in terms of airbnbs there's definitely that's an option um they're not cheap I think that's one thing with anything in San Francisco you're going to find it is not an inexpensive City so do brace yourself but there are definitely airbnbs that you can stay in in San Francisco um again it's a city you can do trusted house sitters if you're on a budget and you don't want to pay San Francisco prices for accommodation you can definitely look into alternative kind of ways um we do even have a campground in the precidio uh it gets booked up way in advance so make sure to plan well ahead but you can camp here if you want to um and there are other uh options if you want to uh Camp you can even camp on Angel Island um which is an island in the middle of San Francisco Bay again gets booked up way in advance but it's certainly something if you're up for something totally kind of different spending a night on an island uh is a pretty cool experience too yeah very cool actually hadn't heard of that so if we work our way back with the camper then that's definitely something we're to look into and good note on the um doing it in advanced because I think sometimes when you're traveling especially if you're on these road trips you want to be a little more spur of the moment but especially with cities where there's less camping options definitely something you want to look into to prior to uh your arrival yeah for sure now it is a city so obviously there's a night life what do you like to do you know once the sun goes down yeah there's definitely great amazing restaurants the food in San Francisco is hard to beat and then there's really good night life um whether you want a dive bar or a high-end bar or you want to go out all night dancing or you want to speak easy uh the one thing I will say is well there's a great variety San Francisco is not a l night City so it's you're not going to be at places most places till you know 4: 5 6: a.m. um most things close by two at the latest even on the weekends so do just sort of mentally prepare yourself for that if you are more of a late night person yeah that's okay because there's so much to do in the daytime so it's probably good that forces you to bed a little bit earlier to Rally up in the morning because like you said so many good um breakfast spots and of course you know all the fun activities on the water definitely now just transitioning into food in San Francisco do you have any favorite spots that you want to mention you think if somebody goes they should check out absolutely my favorite spot is Zushi Puzzle which is a sushi restaurant it's it's one of those places I always tell people don't judge it until you've eaten there because you're going to walk in and think where did she send me it's on this sort of random street um the decor is fine but it's nothing wow worthy uh but the food is so good and you should order from the special menu with the special roles uh the Salesforce role is amazing the butterface the Wasabi Tom you can tell I've been there a million times and I always send people there because it is so good so it's definitely something to try if you have a big budget or you want to totally Splurge sit at the sushi counter with Chef Roger and do the Omas menu where he just like puts food in front of you all night and it's amazing too but even if you just do the regular experience it's it's delicious tell Chef Roger Julie sent you right do you have any other food spots you want to mention I think the other food spot I would mention is more General but it's the uh fairy Plaza Farmers Market which is a farmers market at the ferry building right on the waterfront uh the main Market day is Saturday and it has a million food stalls selling everything from fresh produce to prepared foods to meals there's shops inside selling cupcakes and all kinds of other things and it is just it's like a food Paradise um and the stall where I always get breakfast is called Prima Vera and I get the Chila keyce and I sit if it's a sunny day sit outside facing the Bay Bridge and just watching the world go by and it's amazing awesome how about the uh the sourdough chowder is that a native dish to San Francisco I think so um that's what everyone says I as a local I I mean I think I had it as a kid I it's not something I eat on a regular basis but it is something that's very popular and it's certainly worth having if you like that um same thing with dungeon as crab in the winter uh it comes into season and it's absolutely delicious and um it's a great thing to to eat if you want to do Seafood uh especially down by the Waterfront maybe it's more of a touristy thing when I went there hope when I went there we got the Chowder because it's you know the San Francisco thing to do and uh I went there a long time with my family a while back and we did the same thing the Chowder Alcatraz and just all the San Francisco tourist things yeah yeah no I think it's great I mean I love clam chowder in a bread bll I just the the calorie count you can't have it every day yeah exactly you can't have it every day but it's definitely something to have if you like it yeah definitely something to have you're uh in the pi in San Francisco yeah for sure well great I guess we'll transition to the three two one Countdown the final three questions of the podcast what are three things somebody needs to pack when they go to San Francisco good question so I would say number one is good walking shoes because it is a walkable City but obviously again there are Hills so you know make sure sure your feet are comfortable um number two especially if you come in the summer bring warm clothes uh but at kind of any time of year you just never know um the fog can roll in when you least expect it or it can be cold in the mornings and evenings even if it's warm during the day so uh don't think oh I'm going to California I'll just bring some T-shirts uh definitely pack layers um and number three is uh pack an open mind and a positive attitude um San Francisco for some reason media is loving to hate San Francisco right now and a lot of people kind of come in with this mentality of it's going to be terrible or it's going to know I'm going to have to fight my way through this Doom Loop or whatever they're calling it um San Francisco is amazing don't listen to what they say uh it has its issues like every city does but it's a great City and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised so just come with an open mind we made that mistake when we went out there with my family a long time ago we thought it was going to be a sunny San Francisco and it was July and I think it was like 60 degrees foggy so that's really good advice to to bring warm clothes if you're going in the summer so just picky backing off that point you just made there what are two complaints or things people should be prepared for before venturing to San Francisco I think kind of dovetailing on that just be prepared for any weather um it's it's unpredictable uh at best and you can get surprises either way um and I think also be prepared for uh the Hills I think even for me when I come back from London and I've been away for a while I'm always like oh my gosh these Hills are real um so just don't be intimidated by them H you you'll walk off all those good sushi calories but it is something where you need to to be prepared there's some steep hills here yeah and now you just mentioned kind of like the role the media plays and how San Francisco San Francisco can get kind of a bad rap I know when we first drove in there we were at the Golden Gate Overlook and there were so many signs like lock your valubles in your car lock your car and it definitely we we had heard of you know all of the the stigmas associated with San Francisco and it and that definitely we were a little bit alarmed at first because we were not used to that um I will say in our the one day we spent there we didn't see like the 10 cities or the people sleeping in the street we didn't witness that I don't know if it was like just the area that we went to but um as far as we're concerned like where we ventured to it was a beautiful city yeah absolutely and I think like you said a lot of it's where you go um there is a homeless problem in San Francisco but there always has been uh I think the media sort of wants everyone to think it's brand new but it's it's been there forever it probably will be for for a long time if not forever more um it's mostly concentrated downtown so if you're downtown you're going to see more of that than if you're in other parts of the city um it's just something it's a fact of life in in San Francisco there are yeah break-ins are a thing um they were worse a few years ago because uh there was a policy where they sort of decriminalized smaller crimes and so crime skyrocketed and then they stopped doing that and now things seem to be getting better um I'd still recommend locking your car don't leave valuables um I do think that's a good thing to do in any City though um but definitely uh it's something to be wise about don't give anyone a reason to break into your car if you have one well I mean you're living there and you've been to 112 other countries that choose from another city so CLE you feel safe there all right Julie one last question we've talked about a lot of things in San Francisco but what is one thing if you could pick that you have to do before leaving San Francisco for me it's seeing the Golden Gate Bridge uh it's just one of those every time I drive across it every time I see it I just think oh man this never gets old it's just so stunning and so beautiful and the whole landscape around it whether you're on the bridge or you see it from the beach or you see it from any other perspective on a boat what have you it's just absolutely amazing it is a sight to see and we did the boat tour so the second day we were there it was such a beautiful day we're like you know what we we need to like make the most of this so we went to Pier 39 and hopped on one of the boat charters drove underneath it it was a you know shiny day it was beautiful we went around Alcatraz kind of regretted not going into it would that be like a top five or top three thing to do is a tour Alcatraz do you think if you have time I would definitely recommend it the audio tour is amazing they even have former prisoner is doing part of the narration for the audio tour so it's really really good and not only do you get to see alcatra and learn about it but you also get amazing views of the city from it and from the boat ride like you said just a fairy to and from so it's definitely worth a visit if you can and I did it when I went there a long time ago and we talk about doing it like gu so we didn't do it we bought the movie escape from Alat Tres after that and just watched it and we're like man I wish we went that's a great movie yeah yeah so that's my recommendation if you're going to go to San Francisco go watch the movie first cuz it'll definitely it'll make you want to go yes for sure a lot of history there yeah yeah actually on my California wafering blog I even have a a blog post about the best San Francisco movies to watch so that's definitely a list to look at if you want some inspiration great yeah we'll link that Below in any other blogs I'm not going to list all of them because already have a million blogs in San Francisco but we'll link some blogs in San Francisco below from Julie and one last time Julie where can our audience find out more about you you can find more about me at aady in london.com and California wearing. comom and all the social media platforms where I'm the same thing there awesome all right Julie thanks again thank you…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
14. Success Tips From a Professional Travel Blogger @ Julie Falconer 41:11

1 year ago41:11

41:11

www.atravelpath.com 00:00 Introduction 03:40 What Does a Typical Day or Week Look Like for a Professional Blogger? 05:22 How Long Did It Take You to Leave Your 9-5 Job? 06:00 What Was the Biggest Challenge You Had to Overcome to Leave Your Job? 08:30 Have You Discovered a Sweet Spot for the Number of Times to Post on Social Media? 12:40 Are Hashtags Still Valuable in Your Posts? 13:18 How do You Use Threads to Grow Your Blog? 13:40 How Long Does it Take You to Post a Blog? 15:15 How Long Should You Try Something New For Before Adjusting? 16:30 How Quick Can Someone Become a Professional Blogger? 17:50 What are Your Favorite Plug-Ins? 19:20 What Changes Have You Seen in the Blog Space? 19:50 What are Your Thoughts on Guest Blogging? 21:50 What Are 3 Tips for Someone Starting a Blog Today? 23:18 What Are Your Most Effective SEO Strategies? 25:45 What are Your Biggest Travel Frustrations? 26:40 What do You Love Most About Your Travel Lifestyle? 27:30 What Does Your Travel Budget Look Like? 29:20 What are Your Best Money Saving Travel Tips? 31:30 What Has Been Your Coolest Travel Experience? 31:50 What is One Thing You Can’t Live Without While Traveling? 32:30 What is One Thing You Learned You DON’T Need While Traveling? 34:15 What are Your Safety Tips for Solo Travel? 36:10 How to You Get a Visa to Relocate Overseas? 37:14 How Can Someone Start a Blog? What an incredible episode! Julie offered so much insight in the blog space after spending over 20 years blogging herself. There is valuable information in here for anyone who hasn’t yet started a blog or wants to enhance and optimize what they currently have. In this episode you’ll learn about: How Julie left her high paying job to pursue a career in travel 3 important blogging tips she has been sharing with her clients for over 10 years as a blogging coach Some tools and techniques Julie personally uses to enhance her blog and SEO And More! Julie’s Social (California Wayfaring) https://californiawayfaring.com/ YouTube Instagram Facebook X A Lady in London: https://www.aladyinlondon.com/ YouTube Instagram Facebook X Julie’s Blogs Mentioned in the Show: Red Panda Blog Blogging eBook Julie in the Media NY Times Article National Geographic Article Importance of Authentic Followers Website Tools SimpleTOC Yoast Travel Tips TrustedHouseSitters Packing Cubes: https://amzn.to/3I3McA2 Bose Headphones: https://amzn.to/42FZ9JU (We may receive a commission from purchases made on this page) Resources: Lonely Planet Johnny Jet Blog Past Episodes #8 With Andy and Rachel Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/rocky-mountains Related Blogs: https://atravelpath.com/travel-blog-tips/ *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision. Transcript from YouTube: right Julie Falconer thank you for joining hope and ey in episode 14 of the travel path podcast you're welcome so we know you or we knew you on Instagram as California wayfaring and then once we connected and scheduled this podcast we did some research and found out you have a separate blog in a website called a lady in London which we then found out was the top ranked travel blog in the UK You' been to over 112 countries now um we found out you've been a National Geographic and then not only are you a blogger but you also do coaching and speaking you've been speaking to people at universities across the country um so we started thinking who is this person um so I just want to say you know thank you very much for coming on our show uh we appreciate your time looking forward to jumping in here I do want to get into the blog space I think there's a lot of overlap between traveling and blogging so anybody looking to get into that or to grow their blog so be a great episode to tune into um but why don't we first just start by having you share a little about yourself sure so my name is Julie and I'm originally from California and I moved to London in 2007 after quitting a job in finance that I didn't like very much and I had no plan and no job and I started a Blog in the process of moving never thinking it would be anything more than a hobby and two years later blogging became my full-time job uh it was a travel blog it still is um I've been doing it full-time now for over 14 years and it's been a total adventure and like you said um I started with the London blog and then two years ago I started splitting my time between London and California and launched the California wayfaring blog so I'm traveling all over the world I'm running two blogs and uh I'm trying to stay afloat as I do you having a hard enough time as it is with one so to my um what does a typical like a day or a week look like for a professional full-time blogger it depends on the on the day and the week um if I'm at home all week then it's a lot of time at my desk um either catching up from being away from my last trip or getting ahead for going away on my next trip or if I'm lucky enough to be home for a little bit longer um it's a lot of sort of blogging editing photos and videos um responding to emails uh negotiating Partnerships and sponsorships um whatever else comes my way and in between it's a lot of social media because that's my main channel for marketing the blogs sure so it sounds like when you're actually in the places that you're blogging about you're not doing a ton of blogging there you're doing research taking notes and then once you're back home you're taking care of doing all that exactly yeah I mean I'm always working while I'm on the road too but it's more sort of just um you know the bare minimum to keep things going uh so you know responding to emails that I have to respond to or things like that um but I try to spend as much of my time in a destination doing the things that people do there and sort of experiencing the destination so I'm not just working the whole time and missing out on what there is to actually do you mentioned when you had left your job in San Francisco you didn't really think too much about it but I do want to dig into that a little bit this podcast we we spent a lot of um time talking about how people can just start traveling and just getting started so obviously I know you didn't plan a ton there but obviously there was a time frame between when you decided you wanted to exit that job and start this new career and actually doing it so what was that time frame if you can remember know was like 20 years ago but definitely I I do remember so I left a job at an investment bank and I went to a hedge fun and I remember thinking I don't know how this is going to go but I'll give it a year and if I like it at the end of a year then I will stay and if I don't then I'm just going to do something probably move overseas is what I thought and within a very short time I realized I did not like the job and I did want to go so I had about you know 10 or 11 months of lead time to know that I wasn't going to stay past a year and to prepare myself for a for moving overseas and B for just a life change sure great and then during that time frame between when you actually left that 11mon period what was the biggest challenge you had to overcome to make that transition I think for me it was the first of all the decision of where to actually go I knew I wanted to go to Europe because IID studied abroad there in college and I'd spent a couple Summers interning at the US Embassy in Paris and the US mission to the EU so I really liked that part of the world but I had no idea you know how you get a Visa how you actually move overseas so that for me was the biggest challenge of just doing the research from a financial standpoint a lot of people when they want to make that transition especially going overseas or doing something that drastically different um they're saving up a lot of money sounded like you had something in place or a way to make income or or a job lined up I actually didn't but the nice thing about working for a hedge fund is you get paid very well so that was actually the lucky thing for me is I didn't have to worry about the money um the second time around though when I quit my job my first job in London to actually run the blog full-time about two and a half years after that that was when I had to start preparing financially much more and I had a job um in London with a a startup that I worked at for just under a year and I basically spent probably about eight or nine months before I left that job saving up money so every paycheck I would just put some aside until i' saved up a Year's worth of living expenses because I kind of thought okay if I have a Year's worth of living expenses it gives me six months and if I fail you know and fall flat on my face I have six more months to find another job so that was really how it went for me um you know first time I was sort of Lucky and that I didn't need to worry about the financial side but the second time I really was um you know diligent about saving so that I had a cushion in case things didn't go the way I wanted them to sure so long story short it's basically having a Year's worth of savings as a cushion um when you're going to be making a change like that that way if something falls through you have to make another change you have that savings there to you know help you out if you potentially need it yeah and I think I don't I think everybody needs that much I mean I'm definitely one of those people who worries about everything and so for me a year was sort of the minimum I was comfortable with I think some people you know they're like ah it's fine I'll I'll save a couple months and if nothing works then you know I'll figure it out so I think it's it's kind of I definitely worth having a plan but it's different for everybody it's different for everybody yeah um so we'll transition a little bit into the actual blog space you've been blogging for like we said over 20 years now and you're still posting pretty consistently on Twitter on Facebook I see your post PR every time I log in you know you hear all sorts of things of Facebook and Twitter are useless but clearly it's working out for you have you discovered a sweet spot in terms of like the number of times to post on those platforms yeah it it's different for each of the blogs for the London blog I've definitely discovered a sweet spot partly because I've been running the blog for I think over 16 years now um and so over time I figured out you know exactly what works exactly what to share exactly what people like and don't like um and so that's been nice for me to kind of get into sort of a Groove and a routine that I change it up every once in a while obviously because things change and the world changes and social media changes um but I generally with that blog I'll post once a day across all my platforms um with the California one because it's newer um a I'm still learning a lot from that one what people want to see what goes down well what people don't like as much um and B because it's newer I tend to share a little bit more depending on how things are going or what platform it is you know there's there's always that balance you have to strike though because you don't want to share so much that people get annoyed and they're like oh my gosh everything in my feet is you uh but you also don't want to share too little and you know risk people not even really knowing you're there so I think it's a matter of trial and error and testing things and really understanding your audience as well yeah have you figured out how much was too much uh I think depends on the platform you know on platforms like Twitter which are lower volume than they used to be um you know one post a day is probably enough on platforms like uh threads where people are just posting constantly these days you can get away with more um Facebook is always the big one that surprises me because I found once a day is great for me um but I know other people who say they post 25 to 30 times a day on Facebook and that works really well for them so it really depends on you and your strategy and your audience yeah yeah we're just getting started out with the Facebook and the Twitter we I think we just created the account about a month ago and it's been it's been like incredibly slow it's almost you're talking to a wall you post and then like I think we're at like I don't know on Facebook we're at like 50 followers now and then on uh Twitter it's just like seven eight it's it's it's it's gr it's very slow growth yeah it's I mean it's one of those things it's just that repetition but it's like and then but then randomly we'll get some somebody to like our post like a minute after it's been posted and we don't even follow them we have no affiliation with them it's like how is it reaching that person but it's not reaching anybody it's such a tough thing to figure out it seems like yeah sometimes the algorithms working weird and wonderful ways but I think a lot again it's testing things out seeing what works and it's also been consistent um you know I I posted on Facebook I think it was about 10 years every day and you know things grew and I had an okay click-through rate to my blog and then one day uh in I think it was 2020 one maybe a post just went viral and then ever since then my growth has been amazing and I I haven't done anything different it's just one day the algorithm decided that it wanted to show my Stu to more people so sometimes you just don't know uh other times it's more you know again a process where you can really understand uh how the algorithm works better and play that game too um and yeah sometimes it's just a total mystery so almost like there's no real way to figure it out but as long as you're posting consistently at some point whether it's tomorrow or next year at some point it'll hit that algorithm at the right time whatever it is and it'll it'll take off yeah I do believe that and I think also you know it's about being consistent and reaching the audience and the demographic you're trying to reach and if you do that um you know you're bound to to reach those people at some point and you may need to tweak it and you may need to you know change your strategy this way or that way but I do think being consistent is key now you're not hashtagging it doesn't seem like is our hashtag still a thing uh on which platform I think I just saw Twitter uh yeah I don't use hashtags on Twitter that much anymore I haven't found that they're that valuable these days um I use them definitely on Instagram I use them on threads I use them occasionally on Facebook but um yeah again it just really depends on the platform um you had mentioned threads we looked into threads briefly it didn't seem like it was like a platform that would support growing your blog but you do so how are you growing your blog with threads um yeah absolutely I it depends kind of how I'm posting but sometimes I'm just sharing a photo or some kind of content that is just sort of appealing to people which helps build my following and then other times I'm sharing links to my blog um and that way people can you know click on the link come to my blog see what I'm doing now this answer is probably going to vary quite a bit um but for somebody just starting out how long does it take you to to create a blog and I know probably varies by the word count but is there like a ballpark number in terms of like the amount of time per word count you've discovered it really depends what the topic is some topics take a lot longer because there's just more to write other topics are pretty quick um I'd say on average the actual writing part of it takes me anywhere from an hour to two hours maybe three if it's a really long post um but I find a lot of times you know it's it's the writing plus it's adding all the photos adding the videos doing the formatting coming up with titles tagging everything doing the social media for the post so it's it's a lot of work beyond that and that I think for me anyway is what takes the most amount of time it does seem like the writing is like half of it because then it's uploading and then doing the file name so it search engine optimizes and then yeah posting are you doing anything different when you post from Facebook to Instagram because I just take the URL and I'll just post it to that account is there a different way you're doing that for a different social media account yeah I mean I try to post different captions for different platforms or um just different content entirely on some of my platforms certain content works really well that doesn't work at all on other platforms so I tailor everything really specifically to the platform that I'm sharing on to the people who follow me there but um I think again it's a matter of trying what works and sort of seeing what's what's going to do well for you and then keep doing that and uh if something doesn't work then learn from it and you know don't do it again and move on to something how long should you try something before you realize it doesn't work and move on from it I think it depends how badly it does you know if you get no engagement at all then it's probably a pretty clear sign if it's you know a weak response you might TW it and try it again uh one one or two more times but I I found usually in my experience it's pretty clear what people are interested in what they're okay because our approach so far like this year this is the first month of January right now is we were thinking about doing like monthly kind of after Action reviews seeing like going like sitting down seeing what's worked what hasn't worked and then making adjustments then but it sounds like you can almost tell quicker than that almost like a week if you're posting every day you can get feedback pretty instantly yeah and it's a lot of the well I think all of the plat forms save a few give you pretty good analytics on even on the post level so you can look at how the post did what the reach was uh you know click-through rate whatever whatever your metrics are that you're measuring your your success by and you can see that pretty easily so you went pretty quickly so you you left your job and then in within two years you were blogging full-time I feel like that's a pretty quick time frame for somebody to become a professional blogger in terms of somebody starting out to manage their expectations is that still reasonable today how often were you posting during those two years to get you to that point yeah I mean I think there are two things I one I was posting probably once a week in the very beginning um and two I think it's so different now than it was back then I mean in 2007 no one even knew what a Blog was and even when I went professional in 2010 nobody knew what a Blog was um and it was not as easy to monetize blogs it was a very different landscape back then um nowadays it's everybody knows what a Blog is it's very easy to monetize blogs um I know people who go professional full-time with a full-time income in less than six months but you have to be posting every single day uh preferably multiple times a day and putting all your resources into either SEO or social media or both it also depends what uh vertical you're in you know if you're in travel unfortunately we just don't get as much traffic as food blogs or other types of blogs that just get loads and loads of traffic where you can go professional so fast um so again it really depends on you you know the pace that you're going how much time you have to dedicate to it but the good news is is today it's a lot easier to make a full-time income from a Blog than it was back then it is good news yeah right now we're goal this year is to be doing five weeks so Monday through Friday and so far it's the third week in January we've hit it but it is a lot it's a a big big workload yeah have you found like what are your favorite plugins on your website um I don't actually use that many plug plugins partly because they slow your site down and so it's not great to load up too many um I think probably the most important one for me is yoast which is a an SEO plugin that just kind of helps you optimize your blog posts for being found in Google um and it also kind of optimizes your whole site in general for SEO yeah Yos has been great I just I work on getting the uh the green lights there and then it looks good and I hit post nice the table of contents that's something I was I was doing a lengthy blog and I saw another blog that had a table of contents and I was like that was that seems like a really good way to keep readers engaged on there when I searched how to get one onto your blog I came across article saying that this greatly enhances your SEO because not only are you making people stay in your blog longer but you're actually adding those keywords again um do you agree with that yeah I mean I think it's whatever you find works for you SEO is a weird and wonderful thing in that what works for one person might not work for someone else and one strategy that works amazingly for one blog might not work at all for another so I think if you found that that is helpful for you from an SEO perspective then I think it's great I'll put I can't think of the name of it off the top of my head but I'll put a link in the show notes for that plugin we downloaded yesterday um you mentioned the blog space has changed quite a bit in terms of the number of bloggers um since you first started out what other changes have you seen so far I mean huge ones when I first started my my very first blog it was 2002 and you couldn't even put pictures on a Blog it was just writing and text and there was no social media Facebook didn't even exist yet um and today you know we've got you can do so much with a Blog and social media is everywhere and so I think that's probably the biggest change is just there's a lot more that you can do with a Blog and there's a lot more that you can do to Market your blog what are your thoughts on guest blogging guest blogging you as a blogger guest blogging for someone else or or I guess either or and I I asked that because we I just got a I've gotten like a couple inquiries over the past couple days like people they'll go to our contact us box and they'll ask about Guest blogging like oh reach out to us pay us x amount and we we have 50 million viewers you know we'll get um so I guess the first part would be guest having someone else guest blog for you that's what it looked like they were trying to do yeah I think that's fine as long as they're a legitimate person with without an agenda of trying to get you to add you know spamy back links to their website or something like that um 99% of people who approach you to guest post on your are those people um they're just SEO people who are trying to get you to do that and that's not great for you or your blog um but if it's you know if it's somebody who genuinely has an expertise in the topic that you blog about and you think that they're you know going to be a good person to write for you I think that's great so I know you had mentioned uh in a video previously that it's really important to having authentic followers on your account similarly with guest bloggers how what's a good way to make sure that anybody you're bringing on is an authentic guest blogger I think usually it's prettyy easy it's a matter of looking at who they are what they do if they've sent you a link to their website or what they're trying to uh promote and it looks legitimate then it's probably is if they're promoting you know teeth whitening toothpaste and you're a travel blog then Pro probably not a great fit so I think a lot of it is just common sense and kind of you know if it if it looks like a duck and it walks like a duck and that kind of thing I would air on the side of caution anyone from a corporate standpoint going a guess blog probably it wants the SEO uh value out of it they're not doing out of the goodness of their heart so I would be very skeptical there but if it's a blogger or somebody like that and they have a legitimate blog and they want to write for you um you know that's something you can think about what are some of the best tips you would have for somebody looking to start their blog today I would say so basically I've spent I think I spent 10 years teaching classes about blogging I've written eBooks about how to blog I do Consulting and coaching for bloggers on how to blog and the number one thing I always say is there are three things it takes to be successful as a blogger especially in the beginning and those are time patience and consistency uh first one's the most important you got to put the time in I think a lot of people hear these get-rich quick schemes or oh start a blog and you'll make millions and this and that and and people think it's going to happen overnight and it does not and it takes a huge amount of time to actually even set up a Blog let alone put content on it let alone Market it and get the traffic to it um patience is is the second one it kind of go to what I said it doesn't happen overnight for 99.9% of people uh you really have to be patient and you can't give up just because you know the third day and you don't have 10,000 followers uh and consistency and that is the key to being successful as a blogger you have to publish consistently you have to be consistent with marketing it on social media if that's what you're deciding to do or doing your SEO if you want to go that route or both if you're going to go down the middle um and those things are really key to being successful as a blogger right so time patience consistency I just want to repeat that because keep in mind everybody she's been blogging for 20 years and she's been telling people this exact same tip for 10 years so that's got to be the key time patience consistency what have been some of your most effective SEO strategies you know I think it's a combination of on page SEO and off page so you know making sure all your posts are optimized in terms of the keywords that you choose and how you're structuring your site and all that kind of thing is important and then off page you know you want to get those backlinks from other places around the web you can be as assertive about that as you want to I mean some people are really um you know out there trying to get their backlinks other people including myself uh Focus just more on producing and creating high quality content so people will want to link back to it naturally um but again it's really up to you there's so many different strategies for SEO so many ways to do keyword research um I think everybody finds their own path in terms of how focused they they are on it how much they do uh about it but it is definitely an important part of blogging if you want to be found in Search and if you want to grow your site that way um I just my number one piece of advice though is you know be aware of scuzzy tactics if you're using what they call black hat SEO tactics you're probably going to get penalized by Google at some point and you don't want that to happen because you lose all your traffic that black hat that's like if you're making text like invisible but the keywords um what are other black hat techniques I guess yeah I mean there are a lot of them that's one of them buying or Andor selling links um that's a big one for Google um any kind of any kind of thing that sort of web spam keyword stuffing so repeating the same keyword you know 500 times in one blog post like it's a lot of it is just common sense if it doesn't seem like it's something you're probably supposed to do it probably isn't something you're supposed to do if it reads awkwardly because you have too many keywords and that's probably that's why I like yoast is it'll tell you if you have too many keywords or not enough keywords so I'm glad that you use the same um the plugin that we have I know there's a ton of different plugins out there so that's cool that we're using the same one yeah yeah for sure awesome well that was an incredibly fastpaced conversation about blogging I was trying to take notes and mental notes at the same time I feel like I've just got to relist this entire thing to get the everything we talked about but um yeah that was that was some great information I think we'll transition a little bit into more of the travel lifestyle cuz this is a travel podcast too um but yeah do you have anything to add hope no I think um it just transitioning into travel would be great and so you can let us know some of your frustrations currently that you face while you're traveling uh I think to be honest it it sort of depends where I am when I'm in California with my California waering hat on and I'm traveling um most of my travel here is road trips whether it's a day trip or a weekend trip or a multi-day multi-week trip um and usually my biggest frustration is just traffic which you know we all have to deal with when we're driving somewhere especially if it's a rush hour or a city or whatever so you know that is what it is uh when I'm in London it's more more of my trips are uh trips require flying and um I would say the number one frustration is just how difficult it is to fly anymore you know airport security has just gotten more and more tedious um Airlines have just started charging for literally everything you have to pay to breathe now um so it's just you know one of those things that just it is what it is but it's not uh it's not my favorite part of traveling pivoting from that what do you love most about your travel lifestyle I love the independence and freedom that I have and it's funny because sometimes it's more perceived Independence and freedom than it is actual uh because it is a lot of work to run one blog and it's a huge amount of work to run too and so I you know I work seven days a week 365 days a year there's no time off I haven't had of vacation in 14 years since I started doing this full-time but I do get to call the shots on my schedule I do get to travel all over the world all the time so again it's it's freedom and Independence uh or at least the perception thereof that that I love about it and if you were traveling consistently so it sounds like your travel lifestyle it changes quite often you're traveling full-time and then you're back home doing a lot of stuff catching up and doing your blogs um if you were traveling consistently for a week or for a month what would that budget look like yeah it for me it really depends where I am uh you know if I'm in a part of the world where cost of living is very uh low compared to what I'm used to then my budget is going to be a lot smaller than if I'm traveling in let's say you know London or San Francisco which are very expensive um so for me budgeting is a lot about backing into uh what my my costs are probably going to be in terms of accommodation food uh anything I want to do in terms of sightseeing or tours or something like that um looking at again cost of living average prices and then kind of saying okay based on all of those things I probably should budget X for this trip do you have any examples of any lower cost of living countries you've been to yeah I mean all over the world I'd say um you know for in Europe uh Portugal tends to offer really good value uh it's a great destination and every time I go I'm always pleasantly surprised by the costs um a lot of there are a lot of countries uh in the eastern part of Europe that tend to be really reasonable too Romania is great for that um and then I'm trying to think where else I've been the last few years Central America I had a great time there and it was not you know prohibitively expensive in most of the countries that I went to um yeah but again I could name I could name more south southeast Asia there's some countries I've been to Africa there's countries I've been to it just it just depends where you go think we talked before the podcast started we haven't been overseas quite yet where we we're kind of wanting to more and more after you we're watching videos and seeing blog posts about it and it's beautiful out there Portugal particular we watched a video on that a little while ago and didn't realize how beautiful that country was so great so someone looking to start traveling maybe on a budget maybe consider some of those countries that Julie just named what has been your best some of your best money-saving travel tips so far that's a good question and again I think it depends where you go um if you're traveling you know again to Europe and you're open to where you go I would say you know again research what countries aren't going to be as expensive as others so again Portugal for example or Romania or something like that um or if you're going to Asia you know you might want to choose let's say Thailand over Japan where your money is just going to go farther um I'd also say in terms of just everyday things um you there are lots of different little ways that you can save money um uh going to a grocery store instead of eating out the whole time you know accommodation if you can do uh something like uh trusted house sitters or one of those where you get accommodation for free in exchange for pet sitting for somebody instead of paying for accommodation those are great ways that you can start really saving a lot of money if you're interested in doing that method of house sitting or pet sitting you can listen to episode 8 we had Andy melon who had talked about how they still to this day they do that they travel they' been to Hawaii for free because they pet sit it pretty incredible to opportunities there a couple more questions before we start wrapping up part one here what has been the coolest experience so far traveling wow I think probably for my birthday a few years ago I went to Nepal and I did not do the usual thing people do in Nepal um instead because my favorite animal is the red panda uh I spent a week tracking red pandas in Nepal and it was amazing I stayed with host families and different Villages uh went tracking red pandas every day got to see two of them which was very exciting um and it was just a great experience it was a great cultural experience um it was an amazing experience just to be in nature all day tracking these pandas and it was nice because I did the whole trip through a charity and you know it was great to be able to know I was supporting conservation efforts while I was doing it yeah sounds incredible sounds you were tracking them were you expecting to see I know you saw it two is it rare to see them it is fairly R to see them yeah they're just there there aren't that many of them and they tend to hide in trees so it's not easy to spot them even when they are around I'm sure you have a Blog and some photos about it so we'll add that to the show notes this episode here yeah great um over your 20 years of blogging and traveling what has been one thing that you learned you can't live without noise cancelling headphones that's 100% I I don't know if I'm just very sensitive to noise or or what but if I'm on a flight or a train or wherever I am I have to have noise ging headphones it keeps me saying uh blocks out a lot of annoying noise in airports or wherever I am and it's definitely definitely my my go-to sure do you have any brand recommendations that you use yeah I I've always been pretty loyal to Bose I just got a new pair for Christmas of the uh the wireless ones that use Bluetooth and they've been amazing so far so I definitely recommend those awesome yeah good tip um contrary to that what has been one thing you've learned that you don't need a suitcase uh I'm a big never check a bag person I've been interviewed about it in the New York Times I've written blog posts about it um I'm very diard uh don't overpack don't bring more than you need and a lot of times things you think you need you really don't need them um so definitely be a minimalist capsule wardrobe travel size every everything roll your clothes um you don't need to bring that big bag use the packing cubes I I you know I have never Ed them but I know people who swear by them so I think they're great if you want to do it yeah yeah we swear by them so don't check a bag you're bringing probably a carryon and then a backpack maybe how long are you traveling for when you're not checking a bag I've done it up to three weeks before um I did laundry once in the middle I didn't rewear anything people are always like oh that's so gross but I really I really was actually clean the whole time don't worry um but you know it depends where you're going to where I was going for 3 weeks it was very warm and so my clothes were pretty small if I were going skiing for three weeks it probably wouldn't have worked because you need a lot more clothes so it depends but yeah I got away with it for three weeks at one point well one of us here I'm not going to name names so if we're packing for a weekend you'll think we're moving our entire house that's all right that's all right I understand I'm getting better that's good yeah it takes time hence the pack in cubes you've been to 112 countries so you have been through tons of different airports and solo travel and I'm sure travel in groups do you have any safety tips for traveling as a Solo Traveler or in a group yeah I mean for me it's always been a matter of just using Common Sense uh you know don't walk down a dark alley by yourself at night um don't go out and get too drunk or do too many drugs alone and then not know where you are and not be able to get home uh you know it sounds obvious but you know it's it's worth at least pointing out um I think also not as big of a deal I think in a lot of places in the US um as much as it can be in Europe although it does happen everywhere is you know just keep your bag closed and on your person and don't you know walk around flaunting valuables everywhere um that kind of thing can always be a good idea don't leave your bags unattended don't leave them you know sitting somewhere on public transport and walk away um but again a lot of it is just more common sense than anything else yeah absolutely do you find that you're traveling solo mostly or I know that you got engaged recently do you get to bring your um fiance on these trips with you ever uh it's it's a huge mix I do a lot of solo travel I do a lot of group travel and I do a lot of travel with either friends or my fiance or or whatever else so um it's it's a always a a crapshoot in terms of what I ends up doing yeah perfect well it's probably nice to be able to have that variety so you know you can get that solo time with yourself and really focus in on you know whatever country you're in to blog and get all the information but I'm sure it's wonderful to you know have your significant other or your friends with you just to travel and enjoy we typically just travel the two of us so this is all we know but that's not bad no it's not we like each other so it works out if you could have listened to this podcast when you were first starting out when you made that transition from your job in San Francisco what is one question I didn't ask tonight that you would ask and how would you answer that now I probably would have asked about visas is in terms of living overseas you know how do you even do that how do you get a visa do you need a job to get a visa and a Visa get a job that whole thing I had to sort of figure that out on my own and it wasn't the easiest thing to figure out um but I did um and I think that's probably something that I would have wanted to know and to get your visa was that just a lot of time involved in that or how was that process and we're not going to go into too big detail into it but um I guess kind of roughly yeah it took a couple months it wasn't as timec consuming as as you might think um there's the application is long and it's very detailed but if you are you know T ticking all the boxes and doing everything they ask you to do uh it didn't actually take too long um again this was a long time ago so it could be different now and it certainly wait times vary depending on what's going on with the government um but it's a lot of times you know once you figured out how to do it it's just a matter of applying if you're eligible and then waiting great and then if somebody were wanted to get into the blogging lifestyle and become a professional blogger but haven't started yet what is one thing they could do today to get them going well they could start a blog today that's always a good way to start the thing is I from years and years of teaching blogging and coaching on blogging I've realized that people think blogging is much more sort of intimidating and difficult than it is um starting a blog just creating a Blog takes about a minute and a half um it's the everything you put on to the blog content wise that takes a long time and so I think people put off actually even creating a Blog because they just think it's going to be so hard or so much work um and really all they need to do is go to whatever website they want to start a blog on and create a username and a password and you basically have a Blog after that so I think the the number one piece advice I give people is don't be afraid of it just start it's easy now with me there's so many YouTube tutorials and it's so userfriendly WordPress or whatever site you're using to actually create that website and start blogging do you feel that cuz we're in the real estate business and we've heard in in this kind of business people they they just don't start it's intimidating and once they start things start moving smooth and they start moving faster one of the big handicaps is just starting it's it's ring it's intimidating do you see that a lot with the blog space too where once people actually take that leap then they get more comfortable and it grows and it moves forward but what's the biggest thing that prevents people from getting started once people get started is it easier and and I think absolutely it is and I think the biggest thing that prevents people from starting is like I said just fear or intimidation or thinking it's going to be too hard but I definitely think once people get started you know they get that momentum going and then it's easier every day all right excellent when you were starting out in San Francisco and even today were there any other bloggers or YouTube channels or even books that influenced you and helped you get to where you are today to be honest when I was first starting there wasn't anything I mean I don't YouTube barely existed and there certainly weren't any blogs or or any books on blogging um so it really was just a matter of kind of stumbling through it myself and then there was a small blogging Community online you know in the very very early days um through like Lonely Planet forums and things like that and we all kind of found each other and started following each other's blogs um but I I you know I would say for me it was more in my blogging Journey after a few years of it once I started networking with people um I definitely found inspiration in blogs like Johnny jet if you've come across his blog it's great um lots of uh good like airline miles and credit card point points tips on his blog in addition to everything else um so that's one that I have always just really loved and admired great so we'll put a link to Johnny jet in the show descriptions as well as every the other resource we talked about today and one last question Julie where can my audience find out more about you well my blogs are a lady in london.com and California wearing. comom and then I'm all over social media on both of them with both of those names excellent I can vouch for that she's all over the place thanks again for coming on you're welcome thanks for having me…

A Travel Path Podcast

1
The ULTIMATE Florida Keys Travel Guide @Adventures of Mom, Dad, Girl, and a Little White Dog 35:47

1 year ago35:47