What I've Learned...About Travel Dreams

 A few weeks ago, my friend Julie let me borrow her copy of Tsh Oxenreider's book At Home in the World. It chronicled Tsh's family's journey around the world in a year and the things they learned from the experience. I was familiar with Tsh by name, but other than some online articles, I'd never read her writing, and I really enjoyed her style. More than that, I enjoyed what I learned about travel from reading her experiences.

As you know, Ryan and I love traveling, and we have big dreams of doing more of it in the future, if the Lord makes a way for that to happen. I've spent a good chunk of this year thinking about the practical side of that, which was why Julie shared the book with me in the first place, and I've learned some things I thought I'd share with you today - especially after having just shared with you about our trip to Florida!

RV Life is for Us

Before we had an RV, I remember seeing RVs out on the road and imagining they were the best possible way to travel. Now we have one, and although we didn't take it to Florida (hello, gas prices), I stand firmly by my conviction that they are indeed the best possible travel means for those who choose road travel. On this last trip, I missed (seriously...so so much) the convenience of my own bathroom and kitchen at all times. For us, RV travel is the best way to go, and in our future, long-term travel dreams, I can't imagine going any other way.

Abby, our sweet, precious RV that we dearly love, will need to be upgraded before we begin any kind of long-term travel dreams. She's older, and while she does great for the kind of travel we have done and are able to do right now, she would not be the best choice for long-term, long-distance travel. (Plus, we both know we want a more traditional bathroom when we get to the place that we are on the road for a length of time.) Having said that, we know for sure that the size and layout we have now is perfect for the kind of travel we want to do. We are learning hands-on skills now for what we need to know in the future!

Having a Home is for Us

For many years, I thought I wanted to sell everything and travel full-time. No backup plan. Nothing to tie us down aside from a set of wheels. While I still think traveling for a large chunk of time (at a time) would suit us well, I have learned that we both need a home base. Tsh talked about that in her book as well. She loved traveling the world for a year, but at the end of that year, she was ready to come home - to a home. As I've researched and made my way through our long-term plans, I know for sure, we will want chunks of the year to be at home, in a real house that doesn't have wheels under it. We will need time to rest, think, recuperate, plan, and be - in something that belongs entirely to us. This has been a great revelation for us! (Better to learn that before you sell everything, right?) 

I used to think everything about bigger travel plans had to be either/or. Either you traveled, or you had a home. You didn't have both lives. God has helped reframe my thinking on that, and I'm grateful. 

Now is the Time to Research

I've been following an Instagram account called Under the Sycamore that features another family currently traveling the world for a year. I started following them shortly before they began the actual journey, and I learned the wife/mom had been laying out the itinerary of this trip for over four years. That made my heart leap! 

Sure, we aren't in a position right now to do long-term trips, but it doesn't mean I can't start planning. I have routes laid out already, and I've been putting travel guides on my Christmas wish list. I am already actively planning for these trips, even though they're down the road farther than I can see. I know things will change on some of those routes, with places opening and closing between now and our dreams becoming reality, but I can still do the bulk of the work! 

So if you need me in the months to come (in my spare time - whatever that is!), you can find me poring over my lists and routes. You'll find me reading guides and blog posts and itineraries and watching YouTube videos of people who have been where we hope to go!

Don't Be Afraid to Make Decisions Now to Impact the Future

As Ryan and I make decisions right now, we are doing so with the idea that in the future, we hope to travel. The places we live, the cars we drive, the investments of time and money we make - all of those things matter for a future we hope to see. There isn't a guarantee, and we know that, but we also know that if there IS a chance, and we haven't made good choices in the moment, we won't be positioned to see those dreams come true later. 

Even if others looking in from the outside don't understand what we're doing or why, I can pretty much guarantee there's a reason that might not be about the moment right in front of us!

Never Stop Dreaming

Even if I do all this work and we never get to go for real (for whatever reason), the time will be well spent. I've already learned things about our country simply by planning places within it I'd like to visit. The dreaming and learning is worth it, even if I never get to see it with my own eyes. (But I sure hope I do!) 

Whether or not travel dreams are part of your heart, I hope you spend some of your own time chasing the dreams that are there. Read. Learn. Know. Plan. Dream. It's so very good for the soul!