Articles I’ve Written – Interviews I’ve Done – My Ventures
You’re a Fulltime Whaaat??!!
Here I am in 2001 as I was heading out of Austin, TX to follow my “crazy” dream of solo fulltime RVing. The inspiration to become a fulltime RVer came to me during a spiritual retreat in Sedona when we had to answer the question “What would you do if you had no fear?” My first and loudest instinct said, “Travel!” I wanted to stand in awe before the tallest of mountains, sit beside streams of water and listen to its soothing sounds, hike in forests and wrap my arms around and hug trees.
Only problem with that vision was that I can’t stand airports and hotel rooms. So even though I’d never heard of fulltime RVing, when I did, it sounded wonderful that you have your own home and all its conveniences with you wherever you went, but you could change out your yard on a whim. This quote makes me smile, but is totally true for me, “I’m a homebody. I just don’t want my home in the same place all the time.”
See Inspiration’s Journey for the full story and some of what I did during the first few years. It seems unreal to me now that when I first took off in 2001, the only option for internet access was standing in line at a campground for dial-up AOL! That will give you an idea of what an “old timer” I am. And don’t laugh too hard at the old style of that old site, but it looked good to me then. 🙂
I named that first site Inspiration’s Journey because of my being so inspired and enabled to follow my dream despite what would have seemed big odds against that. And yet I’ve pulled it off for almost 17 years now, even when I didn’t know where the money for the next tank of gas was coming from. So my biggest goal for this site is to inspire others, particularly solo women thinking they’re too afraid to travel alone, to do the same.
I also started that as an online journal when I took off as a way to share what I was seeing and feeling with my family and friends. It goes into much more detail of the beginning of my journey and the things I had to overcome to get on the road back then, but I stopped updating that in 2005 when I started this site.
I’m always asked what is the favorite place I’ve ever been. That’s always a tough one, but I still have to say that my 2003 trip to Alaska was my favorite trip for a lot of reasons, but mainly because I was just so proud of myself that I pulled that off all by myself!
As I’m updating these pages in 2018, I realize how bad my pictures were compared to what I can do now, so I’m trying to decide if I want to tackle that again sometime. hmmm….
My Published Articles:
My first article, “Alaska Alone,” was published in the Good Sam magazine, “Highways” in 2005. The response to this and to my journal inspired me to begin work on this site to provide info to RVers with our specific needs in mind. After all, there’s a lot of info we who drive something 36′ long, towing a car behind us, need that a little Toyota doesn’t!
My Interviews:
A page with interviews of me from other media, including my first time on TV. So nervous I sighed big at the end and she didn’t edit it out! 🙂
My Ventures:
Answers the FAQ: How do you support yourself on the road?
I’d Love to Hear From You!
I consider myself extremely blessed to be able to live this lifestyle. I’ve experienced a lot since I took off and want to share what I’ve learned along the way. So much of it came from other RVers, who are some of the most friendly people on earth, always so willing to help and share. I hope to continue this tradition and “pay it forward” by being of service to other traveling souls. I’ve often said that on the top of the list of the coolest things about RVing are the people you meet. I think that people who enjoy the freedom and adventure of the open road and don’t crave the seeming security of sameness are a special breed so it’s extra special fun to get together with them. I love to hear from readers – how they found the site, your own experiences, etc., so I hope you will freely comment on any page.
Here’s to meeting more of you down the road!