+ What Do You Do For A Living?

I (Lindsay) am a healthcare recruiter, currently working very part-time. Chip is a family doc contracted to work through MD Live (as a Skype doc), also part-time. The boys are professional stick collectors, snack beggars, and dirt diggers. In addition, we make about 80k yearly from this blog. Just kidding. More on us, read here.

+ Where Are You From?

We are based in Durango, Colorado (nope, it's nowhere near Denver). Lindsay is originally from Minnesota and Chip is from Ohio.

+ Why Did You Decide To Travel?

Because it's freakin' awesome. Need more details? See our post: The Top 6 Reasons Why We Chose To Hit Pause

+ What's Your Camper Like And Do You All Sleep In It?

Spud is an '86 VW Vanagon Westfalia. He sleeps four, two up top and two below. There is a two burner stove, sink, storage for dry goods and cookware, a heater for cold nights, and a mini fridge/freezer. There is no A/C or cruise control (though a rock of the right weight and shape on the pedal works really well). We did upgrade the engine and can comfortably cruise the back roads at 65 mph.

+ Do You Cook In The Van & What Do You Make?

Yes, we cook most of our food in the van given that it is equipped with two burners. For breakfast, we typically make waffels or pancakes with fruit. For lunch, sandwiches or quesadillas. For dinner, pasta, soups, stir fry, and Mexican dishes are some of our favorites. Chip is typically the cook and I'm the dish washer (along with help from the boys).

+ Where Do You Usually Find Places To Sleep?

A mix of family, friends, paid campgrounds, hotels, VRBOs, and BLM/National Forest. With kids we've found that places with a beach (or river/lake), playground, or other kids make life easy. We lean more toward paid spots when not in the west, free stuff where it is plentiful in the west. We try to be creative with the kids, but a parking lot with not much to do but update instagram and sip cogniac doesn't really suit them yet (give it a year). About once a week we'll stay in a hotel, typically on a rainy or really hot day.

+ How Many Hours Do You Spend Driving Per Day?

We generally double whatever google says for our actual driving time with stops for bathroom, playgrounds, parks, whatever. Three hours of "google" drive time seems to be about right, so far. We laze away most mornings and hit the road around 10 or 11 and usually are at our new digs around 4. Beyond that and the kids start to get a bit antsy and the "mean words" start flying in the back. If we divide the total amount of driving we plan on doing (7,500 miles, give or take) over the first leg (6 months), it works out to about 40 miles per day. That means most days are actually non-driving days.

+ How Old Are Your Kids?

They are three. Yep, twins. No, not identical.

+ Do They Still Follow A Routine?

Yes, we get a lot of playtime in, three meals a day, a small nap in the afternoon (most days), and bedtime around 7:30 pm. They get a ton of playtime with other kids. But probably eat more popsicles and ice cream than ever before. Whatever.

+ Have The Boys Adjusted Well To Life On The Road?

So far, yes. They love seeing new things, talking to people, and don't mind being in the car (like I mentioned, at under three hours a day). They refer to Spud, our camper, as "home."

+ Do You Work From The Road?

If we can. We both agreed this trip was to slow down and enjoy the time with our kids so work is currently not a huge priority. We saved for a few years so that we don't have to log in everyday.

+ How Can You Afford To Travel Long-Term?

Here's more info on our finances, but simply put, we saved our butts off for nearly two years and are currently working limited hours to keep money flowing in. You might be surprised at how little it might cost you to do something similar.

+ Did You Sell Your House And All Your Belongings?

We rented out our house. We sold, loaned, and donated a bunch of stuff but kept the basics for an easy transition upon our eventual return.

+ How Long Do You Plan To Be On The Road?

For now, one year. If it's going well and we are able to sustain, maybe more.

+ Do You Miss Your House?

We haven't badly missed our house or town yet. Maybe because we are settling in to our routine on the road and it's going well. But there are definitely moments when I miss our friends and neighborhood.

+ How Much Money Do You Spend In An Average Day?

$75 - That includes food, gas, lodging, van maintenance, health insurance, and ample amounts of Benadryl to quiet the kids down for long driving days. That last bit gets a bit spendy. Kidding.