Our guests today are parents we met at a playground in Alaska.  Our lives intersect through many similar interests and after a 2+ hour parking lot conversation, some time together geocaching, a beach day with swimmers itch and swapping favorite RV stories I decided it would be great to continue the conversation on the podcast. Christine and David  vistit their Alaska roots each summer but align with International Teaching community.  With previous placements in Jamaica, China and Guatemala and the unique decisions and lessons that accompanied each stage.   Join us as w ..read more

In true RV fashion, this loop has not been unscathed from RV fixes.  As we field more and more inquiries about RV life, one area that comes up are in the technical aspects of RV ownership.  In our transition to RV life, my husband went from being a high school tech ed teacher (IE shop classes) to becoming a certified RV technician.  If you or someone you know is interested in RVing or looking for resources when it comes to owning an RV and the maintenance required, Brent (my husband) is a handy resource to have.  His Downloadable RV Inspection Form is a helpful starting poi ..read more

In the fast-paced world, where every moment seems to be driven by deadlines, notifications, and the relentless pursuit of productivity, there's a quiet revolution taking place—one that involves the deliberate act of hitting pause. II have hit pause several times on the podcast this year.  In spite of a underlying sense of guilt, I dug deeper into the transformative power of intentionally taking breaks, as experienced by someone who decided to embrace the "Power of Pause" in a year like no other during our family gap year.  I recognize I am publishing this episode while steeped in the ..read more

The basis of our gap year is the foundation of simple and inexpensive adventures we do as a family. Within this episode, you'll discover 10 curated simple adventures that can be embarked upon with ease. From hidden trails to local landmarks, from unique flavors to thrilling challenges, each adventure is designed to ignite your family's imagination and create lasting memories. I know this because over the past 10 months (and quite honestly past 5 years) our bustling family of five has tested these simple adventures. Why simple adventures, you may wonder? Well, they are the perfect remedy for ou ..read more

Periodically during our family gap year life in the RV, we have moments when we start to feel like we are missing the comforts of home.  When people ask what we miss from home the kids often - having a bedroom door (instead of a privacy black out curtain), a dishwasher, hot showers that don’t require us to turn on the hot water heater nor having to listen to the groan of the water pump.  Much like the novelty of travel, simple indulgences take us out of our daily routine and can offer a refresh.  In this episode I want to lean into how we might experimenting with indulgences wit ..read more

After years in public accounting as a CPA, Brad reached financial independence at the age of 35 through diligent savings and investing. Brad Is passionate about everything from saving money, to living a more healthy lifestyle, to ‘boring’ things like tracking your finances and cutting down on your tax bill. But his favorite topic is leveraging credit card rewards to save more money, and take trips you never would have dreamed possible for pennies on the dollar.Co-Founders and Co-Hosts Brad Barrett and Jonathan Mendonsa, ChooseFI has become home to the largest Financial Independence community i ..read more

As you heard in the last episode we are 9m into our family gap year.  This recording comes days after meeting up with a previous Ordinary Sherpa guest from episode 109| Living your Childhood Dreams.   and continually grateful for the stories and connections that have helped us in taking steps and moving forward on this journey.  We love meeting up with friends and strangers and the best platform to do that is through Boondockers Welcome, a part of the Harvest Host family.  We’ve had over 20+ stays through this platform this year and are always intrigued by the connections a ..read more

Join us for a quick update on our family's gap year journey! We'll share what's been working, what's been challenging, and what we've learned so far. We'll also talk about our plans for the next few months. Worth noting, I have found that I really enjoy podcasting and having conversation without all the ads and interruptions many podcasters use.  If you enjoy the ideas, find joy or inspiration from my work, you can buy me a coffee to say thanks and support the show.  If you want to go deeper with the content and/or get more engaged you can find additional ways to support the show thr ..read more

 As my family drove to Alaska (currently spending time in Fairbanks) I have seen many bike campers and was reminded of my conversation with a guest from episode 047 with Mason Gravely.  We have driven over 13,000 miles in the RV since January all across the country and passing bike campers along various highways through Alaska and Canada it brings new meaning to biking across the country. While Mason’s story is interesting I don’t suggest just jumping on a bike in Fairbanks.  I am bringing back this conversation today given our location in Fairbanks and as a nod to all those who ..read more

When this drops we will be in the arctic circle exploring a part of Alaska you can’t drive. If weather cooperates we’ll be visiting 2 more National Parks.  This week also marks 6 months of travel on our family gap year.  I brought my husband back on the show to talk through how we got here.  He referred to this as a mid-life retirement and I loved that analogy.  Much of our family gap year is an experiment in doing life differently.  He shares more about his travel back story, how the gap year came about, how we are funding it and what he is learning through the proces ..read more