I don’t have kids just yet, but these couples make me slightly less terrified to do so. They have demonstrated, with gusto, how a love of travel does not have to die once you ‘settle down’. Josh and Jessa were living the “American dream,” house, kids, money, cars and well, they were not happy. The Curious Life Project is about creating a curious life by design and this couple one day, did just that. They decided to sell it all, buy an Airstream and live on the road, visiting all of the national parks in the United States over the course of several years, with their kids. Josh explains on their website the decision to sell the “American dream” as “deliberate decisions about how we spend our time, how much we own, where we spend our money, how much we work, and what experiences we have.”
I have been following this couple for a while, daydreaming about the possibility of doing this myself, and they lived on the road for several years.
The amazing thing is that this couple is not alone. The buzzword right now, freedom, is almost palpable as people are ditching cubes for a more scenic life. Take Dan and Marlene of MaliMish.com, self described as:
Family of 5 and a cat living, working & exploring the world since 2008. Every day is an adventure.
This inspiring family lives full time in an Airstream too, crisscrossing the globe in complete freedom. The kids are home schooled and it seems they are receiving a worldly education that would be tough to match in any classroom. They are sure to be your new favorite Instagram feed: @mali.mish
You certainly don’t have to have kids to catch the nomadic bug. Take Deke and Tiffani over at WeaselMouth, who “… realized our dream life is a little different from most folks’ our age. The material things we’ve worked for up to now – hefty mortgage, car payments, cable tv, daily cappafrappacinno – are all things we just don’t need or even want. In fact, they’ve become burdensome.” They live in their Airstream full time with their dog.
If you are like me, normally at this point, in similar articles that get you frothing at the mouth with the desire to quit your job and travel, a small question pops in your head. How in the heck do they afford to live? At the very least you have to pay for gas and food right?
Josh and Jessa employed themselves through graphic design and web development work when they were on the road. Dan (MaliMish) makes money from web development work and the lovely couple at WeaselMouth sell cool things, for fellow nomads, like this Sink Cutting Board and books.
You certainly don’t have to buy an Airstream (they are pricey), but I love how these people had the courage to follow their curiosity and say why not. Maybe you would like to be a ski bum for a while or live in a foreign country. Maybe you should give yourself permission to cut loose and follow your heart, as these people did. They certainly make it look like a worthwhile venture!
GABRIEL SCHIRM 