Personal Updates Riley Woods Personal Updates Riley Woods

Our path to full-time travel

What leads someone to full-time RVing? Check out our journey to the nomadic lifestyle here.

When it comes to people living unorthodox lifestyles–particularly full-time RVers, van lifers, and other nomadic folks–we can’t get enough. It’s amazing to see how people achieve the life they love, navigate the unique challenges of the road, and otherwise embrace full-time travel in a world of sticks and bricks.

As we draw inspiration from them, we thought sharing our own journey to this point might be a fun exercise. We wouldn’t necessarily call our path to full-time travel inspirational, but there’s no harm in laying it out for you to see!

Things to know:

We have a long history of traveling together. From tents to truck campers, we’ve traversed many miles and months on the road, and it has all led us here—to becoming full-time nomads.

From road trippers to full-time RVers

Like many who choose to travel full-time, our interest in the nomadic lifestyle started small. We didn’t jump straight from beach vacations and hotels to living in a camper; instead, the build to this moment was gradual.

The best way to document our journey is to give you a timeline from the early days of traveling together to now. It’s been quite the ride, so buckle up and enjoy!

Cold noses, warm hearts

Before we officially started dating, Riley dragged Hanna on a tent camping adventure in North Carolina. Little did we know that it would set the tone for our future together.

The year was 2016, and we had just reconnected after going our separate ways in college. Riley had been going to western NC with his family since childhood, and as a young adult, he still felt drawn to the area.

Rather than rental houses and hotels, he did what any broke college kid would do–bought a tent from K-Mart (yes, K-Mart) and traveled on the cheap.

After reuniting with Hanna, he had the grand idea to drag her on one of his ventures up I-75. So, we went and spent several nights in the mountains, sleeping as far apart in that little tent as possible.

A young couple sits in front of a colorful mural of a mountain man as they share Nehi Sodas.

We’ve been adventure buddies since day one.

We distinctly remember waking up with cold, wet noses from sleeping against opposite sides of the tent, the damp fabric walls pressed up against our faces. Neither of us was willing to break the ice and cross the line into something deeper than friendship.

In hindsight, it’s a hilarious and endearing story, and there’s no question that those adventurous college kids set us on a path for full-time travel today.

Shortly after this and similar trips, Hanna returned the favor. She convinced Riley to get on a plane (for the first time in his adult life) and go to Estes Park, CO. It was his first taste of the West, and he never looked back.

We had no clue what we were getting ourselves into when we flew to Colorado in the winter.

Big sky country and restlessness

By the time Riley got accepted into grad school, we were dating. So, when he decided to take his talents to the University of Montana, we had some decisions to make.

For the first year, he lived in Missoula, MT, while Hanna took up residence near Denver, CO. The long-term thing was difficult, but we both enjoyed experiencing the American West in full for the first time.

After the year apart, Hanna joined Riley in Montana, and we started planning our next steps together.

A young man stands atop a craggy bluff taking a photo of the Bitterroot Mountains in the Montana Winter.

Our time in Montana only cemented our love for the West.

We weren’t ready to buy a home, and we didn’t really know where we wanted to be, so we did something radical–we bought a Jeep Wrangler, threw a rooftop tent on it, and decided to move into it indefinitely after Riley graduated.

While that didn’t last long–only about two months–it was our first taste of the lifestyle we could attain with a little effort, planning, and commitment.

Tearin’ it up in Tennessee

Our foray into adventure travel may have been brief, but it was just the beginning of our interest in overlanding and extended periods of life on the road. So, we tucked that experience in our back pocket, knowing full well that we would return to it in a more sustainable way in the future.

In the meantime, we decided to bide our time by moving to Tennessee and scratching our adventure itch in a different way–trail riding in Jeeps. This move coincided with Riley’s venture into aftermarket part design and manufacturing, so we bought a Jeep Gladiator as an R&D and marketing vehicle.

Our first stay in Tennessee was filled with days like this.

Equipped with a beastly new truck, we ran with a crew that enjoyed rock crawling, giving us our first exposure to the more extreme side of off-roading. While we still preferred camping (as evidenced by our refusal to ditch the rooftop tent), we enjoyed this new hobby for a year–especially when 2020 hit and we needed a way to stay sane while the whole world felt cooped up.

There and back again (to Montana)

Despite our good run in Tennessee, we craved the West. So, we packed up and headed back to Montana. Riley was still making Jeep parts, so we continued to find trails–this time with an emphasis on the camping at the end of the road.

Montana is a different ballgame from Tennessee in terms of remoteness, so we found ourselves pushing the limits of our backcountry experience. Here, we learned how to be a bit more self-reliant, plan for the worst, and be at home in the great, empty spaces.

You could say 2021 was the biggest shift from where we were to where we are now. Off-roading and camping evolved from hobbies into lifestyles. We knew then that we wanted to build our lives around this form of adventure.

When we got married in September of 2021, this passion for adventure travel was on full display. Instead of a traditional wedding and honeymoon, we lived in our Jeep Gladiator for three months.

Our elopement in Ouray, CO, was out of a fairytale (thanks, Tori of Come to Bliss)

We started in Montana, worked our way down to Ouray, CO, and then spent time in Utah before returning home. Along the way, we camped, explored trails, and eloped in the San Juan Mountains. It was the perfect way to start our marriage.

Even nomads get lost

Married life changed things for us–or so we thought.

Concerned by the trajectory of the world and wanting our new relationship stability to be reflected in our joint life, we decided we wanted to buy a house. Talk about poor timing.

In the post-pandemic market, prices started to soar. Unfortunately, we had already moved out of our apartment in Montana and headed back east in an attempt to find the perfect place to call home.

What followed was two years of biding time in Florida and escaping for a handful of months each year to retain our sanity. While it wasn’t the best use of our time or money–Florida is a long way from the western destinations we love–we made do and counted our blessings.

It didn’t take long for us to realize that the housing market wasn’t conducive to us buying and that we needed to come up with a different plan. Naturally, we went back to what we knew–pushing the limits of how long we could stay on the road at a time.

This prompted us to buy a Scout Camper Kenai–our foray into campers. While minimalist, this setup allowed us to live on the road for around four straight months, traversing from Florida to Washington, and then venturing throughout America.

Our Scout Camper Kenai took us to some unbelievable locations.

In the brief time we had the Scout, we covered over 20,000 miles, explored new places together, and even had the opportunity to represent Scout at Overland Expo East. It was a phenomenal camper, a wonderful experience, and a rewarding opportunity to get to know some rad folks in the industry.

Alas, all good things come to an end.

Returning to Tennessee and scheming for full-time travel

If you’re sensing a theme here, you catch on fast–we have a tendency to return to places we love, especially when we’re figuring out our next steps.

This second (and current) stint in Tennessee fits the bill. After two years in Florida where we paid rent despite being gone nearly half the time, we decided to commit to being in one place for an entire year–something that has been strangely difficult for us.

Tennessee is the perfect place for this phase of life, as it has loads of hiking and outdoor activities to keep our adventurous spirit satiated, a healthy helping of great food in nearby Chattanooga, and a reasonable cost of living compared to much of the country (especially western states).

In 2024, we committed to staying still (for us) and buckling down to advance our business and plan our next step thoroughly. While we flirted with home ownership again, the path forward for us soon became clear–we needed to embrace a full-time travel lifestyle now, or we would always have those lingering “what ifs.”

Round two in Tennessee has been pretty great!

From around August onward, we focused our efforts on determining what full-time RV setup would be best for us, calculating our budget, putting together a loose timeline, and frantically trying to get all our ducks in a row to kick off 2025 on the road.

While we haven’t quite made that goal–our camper is still in production at the time of writing this–we are a few weeks from being fully nomadic for the first time in our lives. Given the investment of time and money in this endeavor, it feels like the first time we’ll be embracing the travel lifestyle without the option of “falling back” on the security of an apartment or home base.

Our journey to this point seems chaotic, and it has certainly been filled with twists and turns. Looking back, however, it all makes sense. From the highs of finding new campsites to the lows of uncertainty, every inspiration and setback has played a part in leading us to this decision.

We’re excited about what this year (and the years to come) has in store, and we hope you’ll follow along as we learn by doing. Life is a big adventure, and we feel incredibly blessed to be on it together.

Feel free to drop a comment below or otherwise engage with our growing little community of wild spirits. We’re happy to have you, stoked to share our story with you, and hope to learn a lot from you as we head off into the unknown!

- Riley + Hanna

Read More
Personal Updates, Travels Riley Woods Personal Updates, Travels Riley Woods

Our 2025 full-time travel itinerary, bucket list, and New Year’s goals

As we shift from sticks and bricks to full-time travel in 2025, we have a few key goals guiding us.

Howdy, y’all!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a memorable New Year’s Eve. Since we try to post every Wednesday on this here blog (we fondly call it Wander Wednesday), we figured the first day of the new year falling mid-week was a sign.

So, we’re going to share our hopes, dreams, goals, and plans for 2025 with y’all. Hopefully, doing so will hold us accountable and inspire you to pursue your own big adventures over the next 12 months.

Things to know:

We’re traveling full-time in 2025, and there are a few locations (and activities) on our bucket lists that we can’t wait to check off.

A young man dips his lover as they dance on a cliff overlooking a green valley and snaking river.

2024 had a lot of this. Here’s to hoping 2025 has even more.

A new season of full-time travel

Not everything on this list will center around our lifestyle shift from homebodies to full-time RVers, but that change is an overarching theme that will surely color our experience this year. Embracing travel as our everyday reality instead of a temporary adventure is a challenge we’re looking forward to and can’t wait to share with you.

With that in mind, let’s kickoff this meandering little blog with some travel-forward thoughts.

Our 2025 travel plans

In the process of picking our camper (and now waiting for its completion), we’ve put a bit of thought into our itinerary for 2025. It’s still a vague calendar, and we can’t solidify any plans until our camper is in our possession, but here’s what we have so far:

  • January - March: Florida (family) and the Southeast

  • April - May: The Southwest (Arizona and Utah)

  • June: The PNW (Oregon and Washington)

  • July - September: Canada and Alaska

  • October: The PNW (Washington Islands)

  • November - December: Texas and back to Florida

It’s a packed schedule that’s subject to change, and we hope we planned enough time in each region to fully immerse and enjoy. If not, I guess we’ll have to run it back in 2026!

Expect the coming year to be filled with amazing views like this.

Our travel bucket list in 2025

While our full-time travel itinerary is dictated by many things–including friends, family, and a handful of events–some bucket list destinations also informed our loose plans. If you notice any glaring “must-see” omissions from our list, please drop a comment below–we don’t want to miss out on anything while we’re in these new-to-us locations!

  • The San Juan Islands

  • The Oregon coast

  • California redwoods

  • Jasper, Canada

  • Denali

  • Vancouver Island

  • Moab (and nearby deserts)

Personal goals

Despite the somewhat overwhelming nature of planning out a year of travel, choosing destinations and building timelines is easy compared to setting personal goals. The prospect of full-time travel is new and unfamiliar, making it difficult for us to set clear goals in the context of the relative instability of not having a traditional home and lifestyle.

That said, we have a few personal goals that either transcend the uncertainty of our new lifestyle or apply directly to it.

  • Date each other. We’ve found that it has become increasingly difficult to “date” like we did before work and life responsibilities increased. We want to be intentional about getting back to that romanticism in 2025.

  • Workout on the road. We both hike regularly and go to the gym faithfully. This will undoubtedly be more difficult while traveling full-time (especially weight lifting), so we are exploring ways to facilitate physical fitness while on the road.

  • Balancing work with other interests. We are blessed with the unique opportunity to work for ourselves in an industry that fits our strengths. Still, we want to carve out time (and mental capacity) for our other interests this year–photography, creative writing, reading, and so on.

  • Stay in the moment. If there’s one thing we’re good at (especially Riley), it’s dreaming big. Unfortunately, those dreams sometimes distract from the amazing things we’re doing at the moment. This year, we’re going to root ourselves firmly in the moment and appreciate it fully.

Chowder is a big fan of life on the road. We think he’ll love every second of it.

Sharing it with all of you

While we have our private goals–as individuals, a couple, and business owners–we wanted to keep the resolutions shared here brief. Consider them a little taste of what we want to share with you during this year of travel. We hope you’ll hold us accountable and watch us flourish as a result!

What are your goals entering the new year? Do you have any bucket list destinations you’ll visit, lifestyle changes to make, or interpersonal growth to work toward? Drop them in a comment below, and we’ll give you a hearty dose of encouragement.

If you’d like to keep tabs on us as we pursue our full-time travel dreams in 2025, be sure to check back regularly for updates, follow our Instagram for consistent content, and visit our YouTube channel for in-depth looks at how life on the road is treating us.

- Riley + Hanna

Read More
Build Riley Woods Build Riley Woods

Why we didn’t buy a travel trailer

Travel trailers are a great option for full-time adventurers, but we chose to go a different route. Here’s why we didn’t buy a travel trailer.

Making the decision to become full-time nomads in 2025 was something Hanna and I took very seriously. While we have plenty of travel experience together, there’s a big difference between a few weeks or a couple of months and 365 days of life on the road. So, we wanted to make sure we chose the perfect (okay, there’s no such thing) camper for us.

We weighed a lot of factors during the decision-making process, and while travel trailers definitely have some compelling advantages over other RVs, we ultimately determined that it wasn’t the right route for us. If you find yourself in a similar situation, maybe our thoughts on travel trailers and why we ultimately didn’t buy one will be helpful to you!

Things to know:

Travel trailers offer a lot of advantages for full-time travels. From a built-in base camp to loads of living and storage space, the benefits are undeniable. So, why didn’t we choose to buy one?

Note: By the time you read this, we might already have a camper. Our intent is not to mislead you, we simply wrote these blogs well in advance!

A travel trailer wasn’t right for us - here’s why

For those of you who love travel trailers or don’t have the same priorities as us, keep in mind that this is our story. We actually love the idea of travel trailers and came awfully close to buying a few different models. At the end of the day, our opinions are heavily influenced by our lifestyle and preferences, so filter everything we say through your own experience!

A girl sits in a camp chair next to a peaceful as the sun sets on the mountainous landscape and her Jeep Wrangler equipped with a rooftop tent.

Our history of go-anywhere travel has heavily influenced our camper search.

What we like about travel trailers

This blog may be about why we aren’t buying a travel trailer, but I think it’s important to acknowledge their strengths and admit that we were almost convinced to buy one. They have some real benefits, and they are a great choice for a lot of people. In fact, I’m sure that we would have been perfectly happy if we had decided to get one!

  • Loads of living space, making it phenomenal for full-timers, remote workers, and those seeking a homey environment.

  • Practically endless brands, models, sizes, floorplans, and features to choose from, allowing you to find a unit that is perfect for you and your family.

  • Endless potential for customization, both internally and externally. You can add solar panels, renovate the interior, and otherwise outfit your travel trailer to suit your needs.

  • Plenty of support for DIY projects, problem solving, and warranty work thanks to their popularity and widely-accepted use.

  • Easy to use as a base camp because you can set up your “home” and have your tow vehicle free to go exploring.

I’m sure there are many other reasons to consider a travel trailer, making them even more compelling for a large portion of the population that is interested in part-time or full-time travel. That said, we determined that it wasn’t the right route for us, and this is why.

We don’t want to tow a trailer (I know, I know…)

We know that many fellow travelers have no issue towing their campers. From tiny teardrop campers to massive fifth-wheels, many adventurers tow their homes behind them with no issue. We deeply admire those people (hats off to you if you’re one of them), but while we have a bit of experience towing trailers, it’s not something that either of us enjoys.

This didn’t immediately rule out travel trailers for us because there are legitimate advantages to them that almost convinced us that it would be worth the sacrifice (more on that later). At the end of the day, though, we didn’t want to be tethered to a trailer and deal with the stress that often accompanies it. Not wanting to tow something around the country was factor number one in deterring us from purchasing a travel trailer.

We like to get off the beaten path

Our travel history consists largely of venturing farther into the backcountry than most RVs and campers can go. We’ve used Jeeps, rooftop tents, and overland-style truck campers to push ourselves into off-grid situations and try to escape the crowds. We love a good campground now and then, but we definitely prefer the boondocking in nature style of travel.

A white Jeep Gladiator with a rooftop tent and a Ford F250 Tremor with a Scout Camper camp off-grid next to a small stream with magnificent mountains rising in the background near Silverton, CO.

One of our favorite off-grid campsites that we frequently return to.

There are a handful of travel trailers designed to facilitate backcountry camping. Some are built with off-road suspension, feature high-quality fit and finish, and use durable build materials. Unfortunately, those campers tend to be very expensive. At the end of the day, you’re still pulling a trailer down a potentially dangerous road with limited pull-offs and turnarounds. That sounds like a recipe for disaster to us, and it wasn’t a risk we wanted to take.

The price (and quality) vary wildly

One of the most compelling aspects of travel trailers is that you can find something in your budget. Whether you have $10k or $150k, there is a camper out there for you. This is a huge advantage over RVs and other campers. It’s also something that made us hesitant.

Price and quality do not always go hand-in-hand. Sometimes, you can score an amazing product at a budget-friendly price, but those instances are few and far between. When it comes to travel trailers, it was extremely tempting for us to opt for a more budget-friendly camper, then allocate the savings toward other things.

The more campers we toured and the more research we did, however, the more we were unsure. Very few (if any) of the travel trailers on dealer lots inspired confidence. Most felt like they would suffer from quality issues if we dragged them down a rocky road. The higher quality options put some of those concerns to rest, but at much higher prices. All of this left a feeling of uncertainty in our guts that we just couldn’t shake.

Something stinks (it’s the black tank)

There are some advantages to traditional camper bathrooms that utilize a black tank. The residential feel of the bathroom is nice, the need to empty it only on occasion is arguably an advantage, and it’s the most common approach to when ya gotta go on the road. That said, we’ve never been interested in a black tank.

As people who like to go camping in the great outdoors, we don’t love the idea of being beckoned back to civilization by the need to dump our black tank. Sure, we’ll have freshwater and greywater tanks, but those aren’t quite as dire as a black tank. You can limit greywater use and refill your fresh water just about anywhere.

A collection of Jeeps with rooftop tents camped in a valley surrounded by soaring red mountains in Colorado.

If you look closely, you can probably spot our bathroom tent. No shame!

The added maintenance is also not glamorous or appealing. We realize it’s not a big deal, but we would much rather use an alternative method–such as a dry-flush toilet–than mess with a black tank. Personal preference? Yep! A factor in our camper purchase? You betcha!

Home sweet home

While the plan is to travel full-time, we don’t know what the future holds. If we settle down and buy a house, it might be difficult to store a travel trailer on the property. These campers can be long, and without a suitable place to store them, you’re left paying for a spot in a storage yard. It may not be terribly expensive, but it is still an additional line on the balance sheet that we would rather avoid if the situation arises.

When we are traveling, we are confident that we will want to venture to more remote locations. If we want to go to some of our favorite spots located off of trails, what are we supposed to do with the camper–pay for a spot at a campground while we go sleep in a tent for a night or two? It creates logistical problems for us when we want to embrace the more exploratory side of adventure.

Don’t buy a travel trailer (if you’re us)

There are so many reasons to opt for a travel trailer as a full-time traveler or part-time camper. Many of the benefits of travel trailers really spoke to us. Because it will be our home for at least a year, a camper with adequate space to live, work, and relax is extremely important. The ability to leave the camper behind and take the truck into town or on a day trip is also really appealing. Even the financial side of the equation makes a compelling argument.

At the end of the day, though, we determined that a travel trailer just wasn’t right for us. It’s not because they aren’t great–they truly are, and many people are more than happy using them–but our lifestyle and priorities steered us in a different direction. We can’t wait to share with you exactly what camper we bought.

We’re hitting the road full-time in 2025, and we’d love for you to come along for the ride. Whether you follow our antics on social media, catch up with us on YouTube, or connect with us in the comments, we’re so glad you’re here. We can’t wait to share our journey with you and to continue growing and learning from this amazing community of fellow travelers!

- Riley + Hanna

Read More
Personal Updates Riley Woods Personal Updates Riley Woods

Why we decided to travel full-time

We've made the decision to travel full-time. Here's why -

There’s a strange sense of confusion when you tell someone you plan to break the norm. If you’ve ever deviated from the traditional path of living–whether it’s in your job, your lifestyle, or way back in high school–you know the feeling.

Even the most supportive people in your life exude a sort of quiet uncertainty about your choices. They could love you to death, but they rarely understand why you’re doing what you’re doing. Hanna and I are familiar with this feeling. If you’re reading this, you probably are, too.

We’ve always done things a little bit differently. From school (hello, I have a Master’s Degree in Poetry) to our jobs (we started our own business), we’ve always bucked traditional wisdom and forged our own path. Now, we’re doing it again by choosing the nomadic lifestyle in 2025.

Things to know:

We’re hitting the road full-time in 2025, and it feels like it was a long time coming. Our personalities, individual and joint travel histories, and desires for our lives make this seemingly significant step feel like the most natural decision we’ve ever made.

Full-time travel in 2025

Travel is in our blood - a brief history of our journey to now

The adventurous side of life has always appealed to Hanna and me, both individually and as a couple. Before we became an item, we traveled in our own ways. These individual adventures set the stage for a relationship that would have a bit of wanderlust at its core.

I found myself returning time and again to the mountains of Western North Carolina, chasing the vistas and camping alongside babbling streams. I was driven by the feelings of freedom, independence, and childhood nostalgia. For generations, my father’s family put down roots in the Appalachian mountains. While they had a deep history in Old Florida, his family always seemed called to the mountains. He passed that down to me in the form of a longing for mountains always tugging at my heart.

A silver Jeep drives through a deep creek surrounded by lush foliage in the wilderness of Appalachia.

Exploring the many forest roads of Western NC.

Hanna traveled, too. Her father was in the military and spent years in far-off places. That bold spirit of adventure was passed down to her, and she explored places like Alaska and Costa Rica with her family. She is a brave and passionate person who has traveled the US in a Mazda 6, done work-trade on Orcas Islands, and otherwise lived a life largely unbound from the traditional structure of Western society.

Once we (finally) became a couple, our traveling picked up pace dramatically. We camped in Walmart tents beside lakes, bought Jeeps, stayed in rooftop tents during snowfall, and ended up living in a truck camper for four months in 2023. While this is an extremely condensed version of our evolution to this point, it speaks volumes–we have proven to ourselves over the course of several years that travel is integral to who we are and what we love.

Embracing the adventurous life together as fresh-faced youths.

Starting a business - how we can work on the road full-time

Back in 2017, Hanna took a leap of faith. After doing breaking news at a couple of news outlets in Florida and a brief stint in a marketing position at a small business in St. Pete, she decided to strike out on her own. She left the less-than-stellar job she was working and started pursuing freelance writing projects.

She got her start on Upwork, a popular freelance site, and found herself working for pennies on the dollar. She would spend hours transcribing podcasts and other audio files, only to get paid next to nothing. Heck, her first client took the work and dipped, not paying her at all!

I could write a book about the things I admire about Hanna, and at the center of it all would be her sticktoitiveness. She is a persistent person who will fight for what she knows is right. As my dad would say, “She’s not stubborn; she’s determined.”

Long story short, she worked her tail off, and her career as a freelancer started to blossom. Toward the end of my time in grad school, I started helping out part-time. When I graduated, we both took on the freelance world with the reckless abandon that only young, spirited, and a little bit naive people can.

An early brand shoot we did for Boundless Copy.

Now, we operate a full-scale business. We have retainers with clients, have worked with massive corporations and small businesses, and have grown Hanna’s dream into a company that supports both of us. Are we rich? Absolutely not. But we work for ourselves, and that’s worth a lot more to us than a few extra bucks.

Because our work is all digital–copywriting is our bread and butter–we can work from just about anywhere with an internet connection. It’s truly a blessing, and we don’t want to take it for granted. That’s another reason we’re hitting the road–to enjoy this beautiful world the best we can while we’re able to work remotely.

We’ve tried to settle down - restless souls and a historic housing market

For a long time, Hanna and I have fought against our nature. We’ve tried to split the difference, spending time in one location for six or eight months, then traveling for the rest of the year. We’ve also attempted to purchase a house (a few times). Neither of those routes has worked out well for us, and we’re starting to take it as a sign.

Since I graduated from grad school in 2019, we have mostly followed the formula of renting an apartment somewhere we like, calling that home base, and doing one or two substantial (month+) trips a year. The downside of this approach is obvious–it’s expensive, and there is nothing to show for your rental payment when it’s all said and done. Half the time, we were paying for somewhere to live, and we weren’t even there.

We have also flirted with home ownership. In fact, we’ve tried to purchase a home a handful of times in the last few years. It started with a tiny house, which we actually bought. Due to some issues with the property, it became a money pit and a massive headache, so we cut our losses and sold it. We then made offers on two other, more traditional homes. Neither worked out.

We never stopped searching, but with these downfalls and rising prices and interest rates, we have felt deterred from continuing to seriously consider home ownership–at least for the time being. Throw in the fact that buying a home is expensive–no matter how you slice it–and we knew we’d have to put off future travels for quite a while. No thanks!

You only get one shot - doing life our way

In the midst of yet another stressful conversation as we attempted to buy a home, Hanna and I had a good old-fashioned come-to-Jesus moment. We paused, looked at each other, and came to the conclusion, “Hey, we’ve always done things our way, and it has worked out just fine. We don’t have to buy a home or settle down just because it’s ‘what people do.’ We can live life the way that makes sense to us.”

There was a sense of peace that followed that realization. Traditional wisdom says that there’s a logical order to life. You proceed through the steps sequentially, and each phase corresponds with your age or where in life’s progression you currently are. But it doesn’t have to be that way, and we didn’t need to abandon our unique approach to living that has, by all accounts, worked out pretty well for us.

This conversation was tied to something else I had expressed to Hanna just days earlier. There is a constant battle within me that tries to balance making the most of every moment we have together with the urge to provide for her financially. I tried to summarize this with the following question:

“Is it better to leave you with a heart full of memories or a bank full of money?”

More memories like this, please.

As a kid, I was very sick. I struggled for years with an illness, ended up undergoing two massive surgeries, and am truly blessed to be here today. While I am (by my standards) entirely healthy now, there is always a nagging voice in the back of my head that reminds me tomorrow is never promised and questions what my life expectancy really is.

I don’t want to spend my days squirreling away money in hopes that we find stability and can one day travel with complete financial freedom. I want to make the most of our one shot to experience life together, and I want that time shared to be as beautiful and raw and memorable as humanly possible.

I want to live while I’m alive, and travel is an essential part of that shared experience for Hanna and myself.

Hitting the road - we’re going, and you’re coming with us

I know this blog has been a bit meandering and long-winded. If you’ve stuck it out this far, thank you so much!

In the coming weeks, I’ll dive into the logistics of how we plan to travel, some of the deeper motivations that inspire us, and our process of selecting the (hopefully) perfect camper for us. We’ll share stories from the road, post pictures and videos on social media, and do our very best to take you on our adventure with us.

Thank you for being part of this journey!

But this isn’t just about us–it’s about you. Already, the outpouring of support, excitement, and knowledge has been incredible. We’ve learned an unbelievable amount from experienced full-timers on YouTube, through Instagram, and in real-life conversations. With every comment, howdy, or little wave in a campground, our community grows, and we love that.

So, don’t be shy. Drop a line below, shoot us a message, and join us on our journey. We couldn’t be happier to have you.

- Riley + Hanna








Read More