From dream to reality...

For those who aren't aware, for as long as I can remember I've wanted to travel the world. I recall a specific conversation with my brother when I was 12 (my brother was 17 and going off to college soon) that went something like this:

B-"So Andrea, where do you think you want to go to college?"

Me-"I'm only 12! I'm too young to think about that."

B-"Actually 12 is the age you should start thinking about it, I wish I had started planning before I got to high school, it would have made it so much easier."

Me-"Well, I don't know, I don't think I want to go straight to college after high school. I don't really like school that much and I'd like some time off so I don't burnout, you see that all the time, you know."

B-"That's silly, what will you do instead, work at McDonald's?"

Me-"No, I'll travel around the world, go see all the places I've never been."

B-"And with what money? Mom's not rich you know. Only rich kids get to do stuff like that."

Me-"Well I won't need much money, I'll just buy an RV and travel around the U.S. and then take it to Europe and travel there and Asia, then to Australia, then fly to Hawaii and see it, then maybe I'll go to college."

B-"You can't take an RV to Europe, you have to fly and it's too expensive to ship cars."

Me-"Well then, I'll sell my RV before I leave the U.S. and buy a new one in Europe. I probably won't need one for Australia, I'll just go to Sydney and look around by car."

B-"You still haven't told me where you're going to get the thousands of dollars it'll take to do all that."

Me-"I'll work while I travel, each place I go, I'll stay for a little while, long enough to really explore the area and then move on."

B-"Hmph, that's not practical, you're just dreaming."

And so I was. And I kept dreaming this dream for a long time, when I got married, I included my husband and then the kids. And for a long time I didn't think it was practical or possible. Then I started hearing about people doing it and I met a family who were just settling down in Austin, TX after having traveled for 5 years. They called themselves the Barenaked Family.

Not only did this family inspire me to live my dream, but they inspired me to cherish my children. Not to say I didn't cherish my children before, but it was an entirely different experience to look at my children and not see them as an inconvenience or people who needed to be controlled, but as individuals with their own dreams, hopes, desires, and fears.

From there, the rest was downhill. I started seeking out information and methods for self-improvement that would be in line with my values. I participated in some courses from Landmark Education that enabled me to truly let go of the past and live in the present.

Through that, I find myself with RV in hand; definite, solid plans for income to make the RV livable and then a rough idea of how to make a go of it. While you may think that "rough idea" means we're not ready, quite the opposite...I like rough ideas. I am ever-changing and adaptable. Fortunately my husband and children trust me enough to know that whatever happens, whatever I choose, their needs and wishes will be respected.

We plan to hit the road in the new year, January, to be precise.