“Not all those who wander are lost”
J. R. R. Tolkien
This is our motto for our life on the road. It comes from a poem Gandalf wrote to Frodo about the man they would meet in Bree, Strider. Strider was the king-in-exile who roamed Middle Earth until the time was right to reclaim his Throne. He was a wanderer whose destiny awaited him. When we first met him, wandering was his destiny.
For many years, Marlene and I have enjoyed traveling. But now, our destiny is less about traveling and more about wandering. We have traveled by car, tent, tent trailer, plane, travel trailer, and now in our motorhome. Most of these trips were vacations. A few were for work. But it was always about the destination. As we approached retirement, however, something began to change. We were increasingly disappointed when the trip was over. Going “home” had lost its appeal. Traveling just was not enough. Our destiny awaited us.
When we finally retired, we traveled more. We traded our travel trailer for a motor home and our pick-up for a Jeep. We made plans and built itineraries. We wanted to be on the road for 6-9 months a year with a return to our apartment to rest up and prepare for the next trip. Then came the COVID lockdown. We spent the next year in our apartment, planning, craving, and dreaming of being on the open road.
We resumed our travels when the lockdown ended. Our hopes and dreams became a reality. And it was better than we could have anticipated. But, when returning from our 2022 Spring Trip, we looked at each other. We did not want to go back to the apartment. We even toyed with making a few stops, but we had obligations and responsibilities back home. We got our lease renewal letter from the Apartment Complex within days of getting home. They were raising our rent by nearly 20%. Fate helped us make our decision. We resolved, then and there, to begin exploring life on the road. Our destiny as wanderers presented itself.
We spent the next two months looking for reasons why we shouldn’t go full-time in our motorhome. We looked at the finances. It was feasible. We talked with friends who were living full-time in their RV. They helped us see that there were no insurmountable day-to-day problems with living in our motorhome. We spoke with family and friends. Again, all were supportive and encouraging. I looked at the logistics of planning life on the road and found that we had the tools and skills from our previous trips. Then we sat down with all of this and discussed our hopes and expectations. The next day we notified the Apartment Office that we would not renew our lease. We were ready to move from being travelers who went from destination to destination to becoming wanderers who lived on the road. It was time to claim our destiny!
We had plenty of destinations on our bucket list. But we both knew that traveling would not be enough. We were ready to wander. This blog is called “Wanderlusting” in celebration of this way of life that has chosen us.
I want to clarify what I mean when discussing wandering as a lifestyle. The dictionary defines wanderlust as” itchy feet, a very strong or irresistible impulse to travel.” It comes from the 20th Century German word wanderlust, meaning “taking pleasure in roaming about.” Wandering emphasizes the space between where we are and where we intend to be. It is all about the in-between, the places where dreams emerge and grow. Wandering is living on the edge of time that offers surprise, wonder, and awe. It is all about the unknown, the mystery that surrounds us every moment. When we are wanderlusting, the destination and direction are not as important as the adventure of the day. We were ready to let wanderlust take the lead in our lives.
I hope to share some of our experiences with you when we get back on the road in 4 weeks. Until then, I will share a bit more about why we live on the road and introduce you to our companions; Koko, Nakai, and friends. If you would like to follow along, please follow us on Facebook. You can also bookmark this page in your browser and check back each week.
We look forward to traveling with you as we follow our wanderlusting souls.
Bob
This will hopefully be fun for you as well as for everyone who chooses to follow your blog. As experienced RV travelers, Paula and I share much of your travel philosophy, although we aren't full-timers. But, our experience is that we have to plan our major destinations pretty far in advance, even though we always leave our days open in each location for whatever adventure might await. So my question is: how much of your next year's major destinations are planned and reserved at this point?
ReplyDeleteOur 2024 travels are in the early planning stages. We know we want to travel the Midwest and have looked at a number of routes. Hoping to have it outlined in the next month so that we can start booking the most popular places.
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