Preston, California - Travel Life Trade-offs (Pt. 1)

People make comments about the road-life we lead. Most say we are blessed, lucky, fortunate or favored (some think we are dangerously irresponsible). The comments come with a hint of wishful yearning from people envisioning their lives in full-time travel mode. There is a romantic jealousy epidemic these days and a few things need to be set straight. Be prepared to bear with me; this might take a few posts.

To begin, road-life is easily confused with vacation life. We hear about families taking the leap into their RV only to spend their savings, complicate close relationships and end their trip in bitter regret. Our first attempt at the nomadic life ended the same way with the tragic results. The Wildes naively set out on full-time vacation three years ago. Here is what we learned.

Vacation is a healthy drug. Most people use vacation as an annual therapy. But too much of a good thing is too much of a good thing.

All of us acted like addicts when we went on full-time vacation. The kids were expecting special, costly outings every day. Eating from restaurants and convenience stores turned into the norm. I drove the RV like a maniac just to get our next wanderlust fix. We all got cranky and curled up with "adventure withdrawal" on "normal" days. The entire experience took us by shameful surprise.

A roll-over accident ended the trip and two years passed. After some travel-bitterness subsided, Linsey started to feel the pull of the road and made secret preparations. She researched new rigs, built a responsible budget and outlined a sustainable road schedule. She dropped hopeful hints and I recoiled every time she brought up new road adventures. I was haunted by images of our mangled RV on the side of the Florida highway. I didn't think we could ever take another shot at life on the road.

After some time, I softened and agreed to pursue one final attempt. We agreed to move slower, spend less money and live healthier. Linsey and I agreed to abandon the vacation mindset and opted for a sustainable road lifestyle.

Redefining daily life on the road was the first step in a sustainable direction. The first time we worked hard to live out every travel dreams imaginable. After we abandoned those vacation expectations, most of the pressures subsided. We started asking ourselves, "Who cares?" Trying to prove we could live in vacation mode was what ruined our first try. 

This time we are committed to a humble, sustainable journey. It might not be as flashy, but we are confident we will find contentment. No crash and burn necessary.

Stay Wilde!

-Erick Wilde

To see some video on the beginning of our second attempt at life on the road, check out This Wilde Life (<-- follow link) on YouTube. We are gearing up to release a bunch of new content. Show your love and make sure to subscribe, give a thumbs-up and comment. We love connecting with kindred spirits!