As we were getting ready to take off, we were often asked the following questions. We hope you enjoy getting the quick version of our FAQ. There are obviously a lot of assumptions behind these answers, but I'll try to keep it (relatively) brief.
1. How long will the RV trip take?
A: About a year.
2. Where's your route going to be?
A: We're starting in Denver and heading north. Then we'll head east along the US perimeter and venture into Canada until we hit Nova Scotia and then down into Maine. We'll head south until Virginia and then swing into the midwest and then circle back to the east coast. We'll continue to Florida and then move west along the southern perimeter until Texas where we'll have a few stops. We'll continue west through Arizona and head back north to see some sights in Utah. Then we'll move west again and start heading north in California. We'll continue north through Washington and into Canada again. We'll come back into the US around Glacier National Park.
Bonus Answer: We planned to go to South Dakota and North Dakota. However, due to needing to take care of our residency activities, we decided to not back-track into North Dakota. Based on only a short amount of time on the road (3 days) and the amount of flexibility we've needed, we anticipate very frequent changes.
3. Why did you choose that route?
A: It's founded in visiting the National Parks with stops to see close family and friends.
Bonus Answer: We know that visiting National Parks may not actually be our destination due to restrictions with a dog. However, we felt this was a good basis for seeing the most iconic parts of the country. We also hope to see more friends and family along the way.
4. How old are you?
A: You never ask a lady how old she is. But I'm not old fashioned. I'm 43 and Andy is 42.
5. How are you able to retire already?
A: There's no short answer for this. I think multiple blogs will address parts of this. However, for the sake of this answer, the main factors are: planning, saving, no kids, good and steady income during working years, and getting a financial advisor.
6. Will you ever go back to work?
A: Never say never. However, we don't plan to go back to our careers. We will likely end up with jobs after sailing that are aligned with our interests. We have the typical U.S. retirement plan that will kick-in when we reach 67.
7. What happens after RV life?
A: We start looking for a boat. We anticipate spending time with boat fixes and bettering our sailing skills. We don't think Archie will be able to enjoy boat life with us, so we'll work around his schedule.
8. Where are you going to buy a boat?
A: We don't know.
Bonus Answer: We'll be in the Northwest when we start looking so we'll start our search there. We will travel to look at boats until we find one that works for us. We understand this may take up to 6 months or more as we travel throughout the U.S. just looking at boats. We hope to live around the marina where we purchase the boat, but we'll have to consider many factors before choosing our semi-permanent location.
9. Where do you want to sail?
A: Everywhere. We'd like to circumnavigate.
Bonus Answer: We've planned for being able to be on the water for 3-5 years. We've added some buffer so that if we are somewhere when a season comes early, we can stay where we are without risking sailing in sketchy waters. Andy has considered multiple possible routes based upon where we might find the boat. Realistically, we won't be able to have a decent plan until we know where our boat is going to be docked.
10. What kind of boat are you planning to get?
A: Likely a monohull. A catamaran would be nice for comfort, but it's significantly more expensive for initial purchase, maintenance, and docking.
11. What are your must see places?
A: So many! But we're excited to see anything that's new. But here's a list of a few:
Acadia National Park
Banff
Argentina
Fiji
Australia
12. What are you most excited about?
A: Being within arms reach of each other constantly. LOL! Just kidding! Besides the obvious one of seeing and experiencing so many new places, there's lots of things. We're excited to explore our creative sides. We assume that we have one and now we have time to figure out how it works. I'm picking up blogging, of course. Andy is picking up photography. We'll both be experimenting with creating video content too.
13. What are you most nervous about?
A: Not too much. Without jobs as an obligation, we have time to take care of unexpected things. Unexpected forces of nature are always an issue, but that's not unique to being nomads.
14. What if you don't like it?
A: No worries. We change course. This is an amazing opportunity and we are grateful that we can take it.
What are your questions? Comment below with other questions that you have.
