We are a couple from the Beer City known as Milwaukee. Laura is a freelance photographer and Camrin works on testing websites. We are joining the many people who are selling our belongings and planning to live life on the road. We hope to visit several national parks, work on farms, and spend most of our time outdoors. 2016 was spent saving money and paying off our student loans, and now we are ready for a change in lifestyle and a chance to explore the world.
Why?:
Together we realized we wanted more for us than routine and cubicles. We both have a passion for the outdoors and want to live more sustainable lifestyles. 2017 will be the year we pursue our passions, see the world, and meet the amazing people who inhabit it. We have no idea what path this adventure will take us down, but we are ready for the possibilities that the open road will bring.
Our Plan:
Our plan is to hit the road by June of 2017. We are going to be living in a Jeep Grand Cherokee named Tina with a roof top tent. Our route is tentative at the moment, but we will start with the American West. We will be signing up for the WWOOFing program and that should help us figure out where we are going first. What is WWOOFing you ask? It stands for Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms. It helps volunteers find farms to work on in exchange for a place to stay. This will be a great way for us to save a little money, and a great way to learn more about farming and the communities they are a part of. For more information please check out the website https://wwoofusa.org/
How are we paying for this?:
We saved as much as we could over the last year and sold a lot of our belongings. The Jeep was used and we are using coupons, sales, and craigslist to purchase most of the gear we need. Potential freelancing, Etsy, stock photo sales, and Google Adsense will hopefully make us a little money along the way. Otherwise, we are really going to try and make this journey affordable and as cheap as possible. We are using a few websites to help us find free or cheap camping, (http://www.ultimatecampgrounds.com and https://freecampsites.net/) and then, of course, WWOOFing will also help with accommodations. Food and gas will be our biggest expenses.
We certainly do not come from rich families and our former jobs didn’t make us rich either, but we really believe that we can make this work. Besides, what is money compared to experience?… well, that’s what we’re going to try and live by.