Our Home Runs On Adventures And Shenanigans: Jessica And Ryan

It’s An interesting Story Actually…

We talked about it off and on for over 2 years before hitting the road. We just want to see the country, save some money, and go on adventures. We actually moved into the trailer for my maternity leave. Instead of being cooped up at home we traveled all over the west with our newborn.

What We Live In On The Road And How We Do It

We currently have a Grand Design fifth wheel and a big dually truck. We started small in an SUV and then a travel trailer. Once the baby started crawling the walls were closing in on us. We got this fifth wheel from another full-time family. The truck kind of fell into our laps too. It was all just meant to be.

I was and still am an RN. My husband, Ryan, is a stay at home dad. The original plan was to travel being a nurse, but I realized I could make more by staying with Kaiser and just transferring around from state to state with the company.

We Love It All

There is no way to pick a favorite experience since we started RVing. Every place we go we fall in love with something. Southern Utah and Northern Arizona are pretty spectacular, there is so much to see and do in that area. We love California because you can find a little of everything. Oregon and Washington are gorgeous. We just love being outside together. This picture is of the suspension bridge in Vancouver BC. Breathtaking!

Our First Go-Around Was A Bit Overwhelming

Our first adventure was TERRIFYING. By the time we finally got on the road it was dark, raining, and it was our first time towing something. Add to that a hormonal momma and a 3-week old baby. We made it about 5 miles before pulling off and crying. We didn’t have the trailer breaks set up correctly and it felt like we had no control.

We decided to try again, we avoided the freeway and took back roads. It took us about 6 hours to go 90 miles. It was so scary the whole time, but now we look back and laugh.

Don’t Make Excuses To Hold Off On Your Dreams

When it comes to kids and traveling, just do it. Don’t use pets or kids as an excuse to not go for your dreams. We have 2 kids, 3 dogs, and 2 cats. Yes, it’s absolute chaos, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Working On The Road and Budging For Our Family

Plan on spending $500-$1000 more a month then you have on your budget right now, especially in the beginning.

I work full time, this is a change for us because we are desperate to get out of debt. It’s hard, but we just have to make our days off count. Workcamping is a great way to get a site for free and lots of campgrounds don’t care about kids. My hubby is super social so he really enjoyed meeting all the campers.

Being Mindful of Weight In Our RV

The biggest adjustment has to be to stay underweight. It’s something I think about all the time because we are right on the cusp of having too much weight for our tires. This can lead to blowouts and other big problems. I’m constantly downsizing. You don’t think about what your things weigh until you move into a trailer. We don’t use plastic so all of our plates and jars add up fast.

Our Plans For Our Adventurous Family

Probably another 2 years. We are going to get out of debt want then park this thing on some land.
We have a few adventures planned. Next week is Disneyland and after that, we’ll be going to Yosemite for the first time. One of our goals is to go to every national park.