Do you have a dream to travel full-time?
Are you waiting until (1) you retire, (2) you have enough money saved up, (3) you win the lottery, or (4) you get rid of all that STUFF?
WHY?
There are dozens of reasons people of all ages put off that travel dream that is buried deep within their souls. But I can tell you that you don’t have to wait! I hit the road at the age of 56, and I have all kinds of friends that travel full-time who are right out of college or were on their way to the senior center before making the detour to hit the road, and many others that cover every age in between. The Solo Traveler Community wants to help you settle all of your “whys” and join us for off-the-beaten-path adventures. And we’ve even created the Full-Time Traveler Blueprint to help you learn everything you’ll need to know to handle this lifestyle!
What Is The Solo Traveler Community?
The Solo Traveler Community is a member-driven ‘neighborhood’. It’s wrapped around a central idea that others who have traveled the road you would like to follow (full-time travel) can help, inspire and educate you as you also utilize the resources, trainings, videos and articles that are provided within the community, like the entire step-by-step Full-Time Traveler Blueprint course. Think of the Solo Traveler Community as a big virtual campfire, where members share their tips for finding the right RV, trade stories about where the best campsites are, and come up with ideas on how to stay safe, all while enjoying decadent S’mores! 😊
Maybe you have been on the road for a while and have some experience in dumping the black tank, finding ways to make a living while traveling or with boondocking. Your knowledge can be invaluable to those who want to hit the road but are a bit fearful of the unknown. Share it with us in the Solo Traveler Community, and maybe you’ll find some resources that can be useful to your future travels, as well. At the very least, you will be connecting with many like-minded travelers and creating a community of friends.
You may fall somewhere in between, traveling here and there, but the road might get a little lonely from time to time. You’re looking for others who share your passion about travel and understand your need to trade experiences, worries and successes found in this lifestyle. The forum in the Solo Traveler Community is a place where ideas, solutions and conversations can be shared. AND Photo Tripping America will be offering in-person convergences in a variety of locations – STC is the only place to find out about them!
Why Solo Traveler Community Was Created
I have always loved travel – a gift I got from my mother, who made sure that, no matter how tight the finances were, we got to see a new part of the country every three years. By the time I was in high school, we had traveled to 38 states. But that came to an end, as my brother and I had summer jobs to save for college, and we could no longer take the time to travel.
Skip forward about 15 years. I had been working relentlessly all that time, and even held down two full-time jobs for seven of those years. I was tired of punching a time clock, never getting enough rest, and taking pictures on the way to my job. I loved photography, but never had the time to practice. I wanted time to wander, see the country, and actually set up photography shots, waiting on the light to illuminate the landscapes before me, instead of quickly snapping an image as I just happened across it. Maybe you have a similar dream and are searching for a way to pursue it ???
I made a life-altering decision at that time. I sold my house, put my belongings in storage, purchased a good camera outfit and a tent, and drove around the country for almost a year, living in the tent off the modest profits of my real estate sale. I camped in torrential rainstorms, in mountain snows and along dry arroyos in the desert. I was a quiet introvert living in the forest, hiding behind a camera at numerous national parks and along the seashore. And it was amazing!
It was a great year of exploration and adventure, but eventually, I had to come back and GET A JOB.
Invest My Effort In Others
Fast forward another twenty years. I began to feel restless again. I loved the job I had at the time, but I had been doing it for more than 10 years. I was edging closer to “retirement age,” but knew I’d never be able to retire, after working hourly wage jobs with no benefits for almost 30 years, mostly in the service industry. I had always made just enough to get by and had never felt deprived. But now I had managed to get “old” without ever finding Mr. Right and raising a family, which had been a huge dream of mine. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoyed all but one of the 39 jobs I had between college and this moment, but I realized that I had invested my life in other people’s jobs, not in other people.
The more I looked back, the more depressed I became with my life’s work.
I realized that I wanted to make a difference. I needed to do something that mattered, something that would improve the lives of others and help me to feel useful. And to do that, I needed control over my own time. So I began to make plans to hit the road again.
It took two years of planning and talking my employer into letting me leave, while training my replacement before I did so. I then suddenly realized that:
- I had to find a way to make a living while traveling
- I had to get rid of all of my “stuff”
- I had to find the right vehicle in which to live
- I had to save $$ for emergency repairs, etc.
- I had to find a way to keep my friends close, even as I traveled, because my first time around 20 years before, I realized I had been desperately lonely
- Once I purchased an RV, I had to allow time and money to remodel, repair and replace a few things to make it comfortable and uniquely my own
- I had to plan my initial launch. Where would I head first and why was I going there?
- I had to save $$ for fuel
- I had to learn to drive my RV
- I had to learn the initial workings of an RV (water systems, electrical systems, dumping tanks – you know, all the fun stuff!)
- I had to find a trailer to haul my car, as its transmission will not allow it to be towed on the ground
- I had to learn how to load and unload my car from the trailer
If I looked at this entire list all at once, I would have hit “overload” and thrown my hands up in defeat, but I realized that I needed time to accomplish these things before I hit the road, if I wanted to be successful. So two years’ time was sufficient and actually passed very quickly.
I look back now almost five years after I hit the road as a full-time traveler, and I am so grateful that I made the decision to take control over my time and my life. But to be honest, it wasn’t until these last few months of my adventure that I have finally figured out how I could help others and possibly make a difference in their lives…you know, my main goal all along! 😊
I want to help you realize your dream of full-time travel.
I remember what it felt like watching a friend come to town for a visit, then leave to travel the country. She hit the road alone after retiring and has been traveling full-time for more than 7 years. Along the way, she has sold linens that she sews in her RV at farmer’s markets and art fairs, donating the income to humane societies in the towns where she camps, reads to children in hospital wards wherever she happens to be, and sews quilts to be given to children in daycare centers. She definitely knows how to improve the lives of others as she travels from community to community! And she creates community wherever she goes, joining quilting groups, hiking clubs and volunteering as a gardener. She is surrounded by new friends and works hard to stay in touch with the old ones.
After her visits, my heart would wrench at the thought that she gets to travel and follow her purpose in life, but I was still stuck at home. I wanted desperately to do the same. And my guess is if you have read this far, that you feel that tug on your heartstrings, as well.
Follow the Full-Time Traveler Blueprint
I realized that with two years’ research, collecting resources, teaching myself several skills, and learning from experience, that I might be able to help you follow your dream, and possibly assist you in getting on the road sooner. So I am collecting all the information, resources, videos, teachings, courses and paraphernalia that I learned from and putting it all in one place for you to utilize. I have even created the Full-Time Traveler Blueprint ~ a step-by-step course to take you through the process from deciding if full-time RV travel is right for you through finding your perfect RV, budgeting, downsizing your life before you hit the road and learning everything you need to know to make this lifestyle everything you dream of it being! Take a look at the learning modules I’ve designed to see the specific topics covered here. All of these resources and training lie within an entire community, where wanna-be travelers and those already on the road can share their experiences, solutions and encouragement 24/7.
- If you are finding yourself stuck, knowing that you want to travel, but not knowing where to start, I want to help.
- If you are thinking about traveling, but need to figure out how to make a living while you travel, I can help.
- If you are already traveling, but feeling that you are all alone, I want to introduce you to a community that will not only become your staunchest supporters but will show you how to keep friends, old and new, close.
- If you travel but don’t really know what your purpose in life is, I can’t tell you, but I can help you find ways to discover how to make your life more meaningful.
Among hundreds of resources in the community, you will find out:
- how to drive your RV
- where to find a great campsite
- how to empty the black tanks
- how to decide which RV is right for you
- where to have your mail sent
- how to budget for RV life
- how to travel with pets
- how to boondock
- where the best places to eat are
- how to create travel maps with all of your favorite attractions, people, diners, and dump stations in one place
- what to do when your awning breaks
- best ways to finance the purchase of an RV
- how to travel with a ‘toad’
- maintenance tips on RV systems
- where to find the best camping passes
- how to make your RV feel like home
- the answer to the biggest question of all: who is building the campfire tonight? 😊
The Solo Traveler Community is geared around those of us who are or will be traveling alone, but the information and support found there can be useful to all full-time travelers. So put feet to your aspirations and jump into the community. What have you got to lose, except the regret of not following your dream?