Life is about learning, exploring and expanding your comfort zones.
Whenever you make a shift, you’re bound to go through emotions and even a decent dose of naysayers who want to interject their words of caution and try to steer you away from your dreams.
- You better have a lot of $$$ to keep that thing on the road/water!
- What about when ____ happens??
- How are you going to handle ____ ??
- You don’t strike me as a <handy/resourceful/adventurous/RV/boat> person.
We’ve heard it all (and are hearing it all again).
You probably have too when you’ve announced big plans. Maybe you’re getting ready to RV, switch careers, move across country, move from boating to RVing, RVing to boating, overlanding, space ships.. whatever.
Here’s a quick video we shot this morning on our walk, trying to capture some thoughts as we embark on our next big adventure:
There is of course a difference between jumping in without a parachute with a blindfold on (and hey, that can be fun too!), and going in with eyes wide open to the reality.
No amount of preparations however will ever fully prepare any of us for the adventures ahead of us. We each have to find our own balance between planning and pursuit.
Go in with confidence that you’re comfortable with the choices you’ve made, the preparations you’ve done and can handle whatever else comes up. That’s the greatest strength any of us have.
Don’t get trapped by your own labels either, remember they are best used as descriptions for what you’re doing – not prescriptions for your future.
The path you take in life is yours alone to take. Whether you succeed or fail (or more likely, somewhere in-between) – it’s YOUR story to write.
Life is too freakin short to let naysayers keep any of us down!
Carry on, friends. We will too!
Update: We are mere days (hours?) from being new boat owners as we start integrating in our next adventure of exploring the Great Loop by America’s waterways, canals and rivers.
We’re super full of excitement, and can’t wait to share with you our decision process of what we bought and give you a tour!
Sounds AMAZING and you guys are freakishly awesome! (or is that geekishly) LOL Cannot wait to virtually tag along!
So happy for your new adventure! Thank you for addressing the comments and lifestyle remarks everyone gets regarding RV’ing, boating, living! Keep up the good work!
A boat is just an aquatic RV… it’s all an adventure. Some ride a bike, some drive a car… some walk… some crawl (leaving the saloon…).
Life is a journey. Choose any path that suits y’all!
Awesome video guys – and – you are doing it RIGHT! Following your heart and dreams are the only way you can achieve true self fulfillment! The naysayers and “you might not want to do…” folks are merely trying to foist their insecurities on you – good on you for not letting them get to y’all!!
Kudos to you. Mix it up and enjoy. Been a boater (small) most of my life. Now the wife and I are retiring at the end of the year to head out full timing. You two help motivate us (we’ve been following you for quite some time). As for the Great Loop, I spent many a summer in the UP of Michigan in a chain of islands in Lake Huron. This is a very protected area for Loopers to stand down and rest for a while. I love this area and HIGHLY recommend it for you. Check it out: Les Cheneaux Islands (lescheneaux.org/). I guarantee that you will love this area as a place to stand down for a bit and relax.
Best wishes and safe travels,
Ray, Leslie and the Cattle dogs
Thanks for sharing your excitement in your transition! Looking forward to watching your adventure. My health, at the moment, keeps me isolated and without ability to change that. The armchair travel and experiences for this nomad, helps me immensely. Appreciate all you do! Blessing!
So great to see you both so happy and excited and with such pep in your steps! Thanks for sharing your journey and can’t wait to see the boat! Keep on inspiring others to go for their dreams too! Looking forward to the unfolding of this next phase for you
Naysayers are great, is there anyone else better to prove wrong?
I like your blog. Used to live in Wilbur-by-the Sea, FL. Worked at Boondocks restaurant there and they had a boat dock where people rented spaces. Good luck with your adventures. Becky
I am soooo, sooooo, jeloius of your boating adventure ahead. There is no doubt that you’ll enjoy every moment. Happy boating and RVing too.
You know what? You guys are so frickin’ awesome. I have ‘followed’ along for the last 3-4 years, watched (and loved!) your live broadcasts, read your blog… Your generosity always astounds me. So, as you set out on this new phase I am absolutely sure that it will be all and far more than you hope. Have a wonderful time. All the best to you both.
Will you ever come back to RV life?
Yes.. probably every fall 🙂 We’re only part-time boating.
Enjoy the ups and downs. There are no guarantees in life – it is how we handle them both that defines us, not how many we have of each.
I am thrilled for you to be starting another new adventure. While I am still trying to find an rv to get out on the road (grew up tent camping for almost the whole summer in the NY state Adirondack Mountains), I am still very excited that you are going to start traveling by boat! I look forward to your posts and wish you a ton of fun experiences. Thank you for all the info you have shared, as I struggle to decide what cell/internet program to use for my travels. Go have fun…………
Glad to hear everything is working out! Have fun on the new boat. But I have to say coming from a Canadian ‘ You want to come to Canada in the winter???? There’s a reason Canadians are called snowbirds you know! This is coming from someone on the West Coast (Vancouver) and we’ve had the worst weather in decades this year! You might get lucky next year because hopefully it won’t happen 2 years in a row.’ is all I can say.
We definitely won’t be boating in Canada during the winters.. just the summers. We’ll be putting the boat in storage when it gets too cold as we head north, and returning to the bus.
Ah thought you meant RVing in Canada in the winter and kinda wondered.
Oh my goodness, thank you. I’m very excited for you. Your walking meditation comes at a great time for me as I am approaching some changes in my own life. It’s a great reminder to try stuff out and learn from your mistakes. You don’t need an answer to every question before you start!
I do think some folks forget the difference between real people and entertainers — you don’t “owe” your readers an RV lifestyle just because that’s what we have come to expect from you.
I for one am very excited to hear about your adventures on the great loop. My parents loved sailing and dreamed about the Intercostal Waterway as early as the 1960s. They never got there (on a boat) but it remained their dream. Last year we scattered their ashes there. (Shhh.)
Here’s to change, adventure, and the promise of the future!
Aww.. thank you. Your words mean the world for us. Thank YOU for getting who we are 🙂
All our best for the next chapter in your journey…
Part of what makes your social media offerings so helpful and interesting is how you interweave analysis, personal philosophy, and introspection on a wide variety of topics and experiences. This video is a good example of that. If you guys decided to make a living as life coaches, you’d pull it off. 100% Guaranteed.
If there’s anyone who can adjust to the boating life and make the best of it, it’s you two with your adaptability, flexibility, resourcefulness, and knowledge of the many systems that boating and RVs share. We wish you the best of luck as you embark on this adventure.
We’re looking forward to see the new boat.
Love your message! So inspirational and right on target – Life is short, enjoy every moment and learn from every turn.
Enjoy yourselves, there will be many new challenges to learn from. Keep an eye on the weather, not quite as easy to run away from it on a river.
Good luck and all the best.
Lovely walking along with you. You both sound so excited and looking forward to your change. Best of luck, enjoy and go with your heart. Can’t wait to hear about the new adventures.
I like what you wrote about labels. Labeling is not only divisive, but also gives people a goal to lower oneself to.
WW
We can see the excitement in your eyes and voice! and hearing Admiral Kiki has been promoted 🙂
So awesome! And thanks, I needed that just now. I hope a boat is in my future someday too. Can’t wait to follow along with you!
Have a blast! I can’t wait to see your posts from the Great Lakes!
Some folks dread change and some folks thrive on change. I also recently made the change from extended time RV’er to Boater. I still have my motorhome and plan to RV during summer (hurricane season) and then spend winters in the Bahamas on my sailboat. I just got back from my first trip on the new to me sailboat. I had to sail it from Hilton Head SC were the previous owner was based, down the ICW to W Palm Beach – Lake Worth inlet, where I crossed over to the Bahamas & back. I think you’ll find a lot of similarities between boating & RV’ing. Lots of the same systems, diesel engine, 12 vdc batteries & backup genny, water pump plumbing, propane cooking, etc. Lots of technology in boats also. My sailboats navigation system works off satellites. Boaters are always looking for reliable WiFi and once you’re offshore you usually loose any cell coverage. A house on the water instead of a house on wheels. Also, a lot of similar decisions in how you live the lifestyle, stay in marinas with hookups (rv parks), or stay self sufficient at free anchorages (boondock), live on the boat staying in one area or move around constantly. You won’t run into me on the Great Loop, to me the ICW was something I had to do once to get into position, I’m a boater for the island hopping exploration, but many boaters thrive on doing sections of the ICW and/or Great Loop year after year. good luck
So happy you’ve found your unique happiness quotient! Island hopping may be something we do in the future.. but for now, the Loop seems like the perfect match for this stage of our lives. We do after all, cover mobile internet options for RVers as our job, so need to stay in tune with that.
Live your dream everything else will fall in place
Exactly.. and they always have. 🙂
I love the comment …don’t get trapped by your own labels. What excellent advice. Good luck to you both although I doubt you will need it and congratulations on the next chapter.
Trace
Always an important point we have to remind ourselves 🙂 Thank you for the encouragement!
G and I are so happy for you guys and are anxious to hear more. Congratulations! G is jealous…
Shhh.. the boat has a guest cabin. 😉
Confidence is the key–a belief in yourself and your abilities. We bought a motorhome with zero planning and embarked on an adventure that lasted 13.5 years! I can’t wait to read about your making the Great American Loop. Stay healthy and good luck!!
So so so true, and exactly our attitude. Sounds like a similar path for us 11 years ago when we initially hit the road with minimal RVing experience.
Hopefully you guys have prepared by watching Captain Ron – “The best way to find out Kitty is to get her out on the ocean. If anything is going to happen, it’s going to happen out there.”
Ironically, ‘Captain Ron’ was the outdoor movie we hosted a couple stops ago 🙂
Thanks, you two! I love reading your blog, but especially loved this entry and your video. My husband and I are in one of those major change phases, too! We are going to sell our house near Seattle, set up residence in an RV park in Florida, and embark on our own RV journey. A certain financial uncertainty, since we are not of retirement age, makes this change exciting, but also requires a level of commitment that makes it real. Many, many of our friends and family are very supportive and envious. Definitely more people are supportive than not, but really it is our decision and we don’t need to take a vote on it. More power to you in your next phase! I can’t wait to read about it!
Laurie, currently in Seattle
Exactly… the only votes that matter are your own! It actually kinda amuses us to get comments along the lines of ‘I’m going to quit following you if you change!’.
You guys know what you are getting into and you only live once. It’s the cat I’m worried about…seriously.
Many cats have successfully moved aboard boats in the past, and Admiral Kiki is exceptionally adaptable to different travel styles. We’ll of course do everything in our power to make it a comfortable transition, and her safety is of utmost importance to us.
Life IS an adventure. You don’t grow without change. Thank you for being the inspiration you two are. I love following along. Boating, who knew? It will be a fun adventure, can’t wait for the start!
And thank YOU for your encouraging words!!
Can not wait to hear of your first trip…
I’m excited for you both. As we have learned in our 60 plus years, if you don’t do it when you can, you won’t. If that makes sense. We finally sold our house after six months and will be heading out on the open road. You guys have a blast in your new boat.
Makes total sense, and is our motivation to do it while we can. We’re not getting any younger, that’s a given.
Congrats on your next adventure!
“Shake of the snow-globe!” – love that! You guys will do great. Just seeing stuff from SXSW and realized it’s been 8 years since we sat talking in Austin.
We watched your Facebook Live cast from RVE a while back, and were thinking of our first meeting at SxSW. Believe it was 2010 (the year we ‘unattended’). So *whew*, only 7 years ago, not 8.
So excited for your new adventure. Looking forward to following along and excited to hear the details.
Exciting times are ahead.