We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the world and our hearts go out to those who have been sick, lost a love one, or struggled financially in the past three months. As we’ve been nearing our departure date and preparing to embark on the full-time RV life, we’re noticing how quarantine time has presented not only challenges, but also some very unexpected blessings.
In general, we strive to view all obstacles in life through this filter: what do we have control or influence over, and if we can’t change the circumstances, then how can we change our personal experience with it? Much of the latter begins with our attitude.
In this blog we share some of those blessings we’ve identified, and how the pandemic restrictions have helped ease our transition into being a full-time RV family. Because I’m such a Simpsons nerd, I’m taking a page from Homer’s book and calling this our family’s “crisitunity.” If you don’t know what I mean, this should explain:
Some Hidden Blessings of Quarantine:
Together time. Of course we’ve wondered how it will be to transition from our busy, active lives to suddenly being together 24/7 without the structures of work and school. And now here we are—together 24/7, without the structures of work and school! The major difference is we got to quarantine in a 2700-square-foot house vs. 300-square-foot RV. It’s been like training wheels for RV Family Life! At ages 13 and 7, our kids are masters at pushing each other’s buttons, so being home together gave us a chance to observe these dynamics more closely and help guide them appropriately. After eating breakfast, lunch and dinner together for most of the last 90 days in a row, we’ve appreciated the opportunity to learn how to be together like this.
RV Prep. In order to live comfortably on the road for year or more, we had so much to do to get the RV ready—the list of enhancements we wanted to install and try out was long! Being home more provided the perfect opportunity to get things set up and make sure they work. Unfortunately, whatever money we’ve saved from not being able to go to restaurants or the salon has been offset (and then some…) by our zealous support of Amazon.com for all of our RV supplies and upgrades! I’m glad we could do our part to help keep Amazon in business (tee hee).
Selling the house. Oh, and we’re also selling our house, so being home allowed us to do all that work that comes with preparing to sell, not to mention all the time required to downsize everything we own to fit in that little traveling box!
And then there’s school. One of the things I put on my lengthy to-do list way back last winter was to figure out how to do “road school.” And then the schools closed so we got to dip our toes in the water. Obviously, the kids’ distance learning was facilitated by their teacher, but I was their at-home monitor and coach, which means the kids have gotten more used to me in this role. I didn’t come up with lessons but I did get to see how different tools and methods work—and had time to begin researching apps, learning websites and curricula. And believe me, I saw for myself (as I’m sure you have too if you have children) the very different learning styles my two kids have, how long their attention spans last and how much they need to be monitored during the day. This has helped me get a feel for realistic expectations around how school and work time can be structured in our days, many of which will also be full of exploration!
Piano lessons. This was one activity I thought would go on hiatus while traveling around the country. But not only did I find a roll-up piano keyboard perfect for the RV, their piano teacher started teaching virtual lessons on Zoom and it’s been working really well! I never would have asked her to do that just for us, and yet she chose to set it all up because of quarantine so we can easily continue with lessons. Now it’s just a matter of fitting them in between our adventures, and having good internet connection!
Virtual Work. I want to continue supporting my financial services clients while we’re on the road, and traveling full time means everything has to be virtual and digital: no more filing cabinets or meetings with a handshake. I had coincidentally given my notice to end my office lease at the perfect time, and spent hours entering data and scanning paperwork into a secure CRM. Plus, just about everyone is accustomed to online meetings these days—even my parents have had fun doing virtual trivia night during quarantine! It’s a huge relief to know my clients and prospects will be comfortable and confident meeting remotely.
Online Workshops. In addition, my firm has always offered educational events, which are great, but take a lot of energy—dressing up, working late, arranging child care, getting refreshments ready and printing up handouts. Shifting these to online events means I can participate and offer “How Money Works” master classes and other workshops from wherever I am, plus it’s more convenient for guests attending from home!
The commute. This busy woman has added 1 to 3 hours of daily driving time back into her day. So even though I feel like there is less time for work because of kiddos, school, and making lunch and dinner every day, I’ve exchanged the time I would spend driving around (blah) for time spent with my family (yay)! And don’t get me started about trading in the high heels and pencil skirts for fuzzy slippers and leggings! (Only my hubby isn’t thrilled with that swap – HA!)
Grandma-weaning. Up until early March, Gary’s mom watched the kids most afternoons until we got home from work. This was a significant, fulfilling part of her life, and I was worried about going cold-turkey in July and how she’d do without them (and they without her). Even though we will absolutely miss all the grandparents and family at home, we feel that social distancing has helped ease this transition for all of us. And once again, communicating via video chat won’t seem quite so weird after all this!
There are still challenges…
Believe me, there have been obstacles along the way and there are still some unknowns as we get ready to head out:
Our driving instructor cancelled our Class A Motorhome driving lessons. This might not seem like a big deal, but we’ve got a beast of a motor home plus a tow vehicle, 60 feet total, and we both want to feel confident driving and parking it.
We had to cancel our Spring Break trip in the RV because of campground closures, but really needed to test things out for a couple of days to see how they work and then come home and make adjustments. You don’t want to embark on RVing full-time without having at least one short trip under your belt. Thankfully, Washington campgrounds opened and we were able to cross the border and get out for our Trial Trip last month!
The real estate market has been a nail-biter and quite a source of apprehension. We feel very fortunate that our home has sold and the timing is working out perfectly with our departure plans.
We are hearing that RV travel and camping are going to be more popular than ever this summer, due to international travel restrictions and cancelled vacation plans. How will increased demand affect our ability to reserve sites or find places to stay as we go?
Will all of the attractions we are excited to see and do be open? I already re-routed one leg of our trip because the 2020 Cheyenne Frontier Days festival was cancelled. Thankfully, the Cody Night Rodeo is ON with social distancing provisions in place so I pivoted the plan and bought tickets so we can still get our yee-haw on in Wyoming!
On with the journey!
In this time of uncertainty, folks have asked us if we still plan on going on our “trip.” I tell them that this is so much more than just some “trip” we can reschedule for next year. This journey is the culmination of years of planning. This journey is us embodying our most deeply held philosophies and choosing the direction of our future. This journey is teaching our kids that, with planning and focus, they can lead extraordinary lives. So the answer to that question is a very certain “YES!” We will not let external circumstances dictate our ability to live the extraordinary life we choose.
We are incredibly fortunate and thankful to have our health and our work—and to have been given the gift of this quarantine time to prepare for our journey in ways we would never have dreamed possible.
