It’s been over a year since we got back from our big Mexico trip, so naturally I started to get antsy for a new adventure. Kim and I talked and were both missing time in nature, something that with a 3 and 6 year old we felt was becoming possible again. Maybe the 10+ mile, overnight backpacking trips we used to do weren’t possible yet, but car camping while driving to Mexico was so successful and fun with a 2 and 5 year old that we wanted more of that. Also this is a kind of travel that can easily include Ubu, our almost 10 year old dog.
Based on our finances we figured 2-3 months in the summer was doable, now we just needed to figure out the details: work situation, house rental, finishing house projects, packing, itinerary, using up our fridge and freezer, and many more details. As usual, we made a list of things to do months in advance and started tackling them as we could. Having done this once before for the Mexico trip along with the fact we were only planning to travel for a few months instead of the better part of a year I’d say things were easier. That’s not to say they were by any means easy, there’s a lot of effort leading up to the day we hit the road and left for our camping adventure.
One of the hardest details for me was the work situation. Despite having “unlimited” vacation time, 6 straight weeks was apparently too much for my current company. That combined with the fact that Walmart, a company I have no desire to work for, acquired my company made it so that for this trip quitting my job was the route to travel freedom. Working in software in a good economy means I’m fairly confident that I’ll find good work once we’re done traveling, but this will be the first time I’ve ever quit a job without having something certain lined up next. It’s both exciting and a little bit scary.
The kids’ school year went a little longer than normal this year because of all the winter snow days, so as they finished up school I finished up work, and we all finished packing up the house for our short term renters to move in. Our plan is to head to Montana just like we did on our Mexico trip, but this time go north along the Rockies into Canada. We have a very rough itinerary with nothing booked ahead. This is a feeling of freedom from routines and responsibilities I don’t think I’ve come close to feeling since before having kids.