Have you ever paid attention to the feeling you get when you think of a person, place, career, or future possibilities that excite you? Maybe it’s my personality type or something, but I can point out certain things in my life that I’ve learned about and they instantly resonated with me on a deep, sometimes unexplainable level.

As an adult, I’ve come to connect this feeling with things or subjects that are somehow in line with my purpose - aligned with who I am at my core. I’ve experienced this feeling countless times with many things in my life, and I’ll write about those in a later post.

The more I grow and detach from insignificant societal norms and become more aware of myself and the world that could be, the more authentic I feel I am becoming.

Something is happening in my soul.

I find myself dreaming of, journaling, and talking with the Universe more and more about homeschooling my son(s) (unschooling, adventure schooling, road-schooling, etc.) and traveling on a semi-full-time basis. I know more families are doing this now, but most still consider it a pretty radical thing to do.

I told myself 2020 is the year it is going to start, and you guys…my planner and notebook are packed with plans down to the tiniest details. I’m talking vintage RV style…a Rambling Hippie on a mission! It’s something I have fantasized and talked with friends/family about doing for years, but it seemed like such a distant dream, yet alone a real possibility within the next few years.

If all of these self-development and entrepreneurial books I’ve been reading over the last 5 years have taught me anything, it’s that if you want something, you write it down and get serious about a plan..you may be surprised how quickly it will manifest.

I blame this vision of traveling and unschooling on the incredible experiences and insight my grandparents provided me with as a kid, my liberating solo trip to Palo Duro Canyon for my 26th birthday, my ‘86 Volvo station wagon (RIP Pearly), my mom, and the following books in the order in which I read them. All are available on Audible btw - click here to purchase a gift membership for someone to inspire them, or on one of the links below to start your free trial.

• The Alchemist by Paolo Coehlo

• AWOL on the Appalachian Trail by David Miller

• Wild by Cheryl Strayed

• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

• Just Passin Thru by Winton Porter

• A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

• The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

• The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris (this is a fav that I’ve purchased for entrepreneur friends and still listen to regularly on Audible)

…along with countless hours spent researching and reading articles about American school systems and the alternatives, listening to podcasts, reading forums, Facebook group discussions about homeschool and RV living, and just being a whole damn hippie at heart. *Side note - and I love side notes - I believe we’re all hippies at heart, craving love and peace, but that’s another talk.

Since I had my firstborn almost twelve years ago, I’ve known I wanted to expose him to more of the world, more culture, more history, bigger ideas. I believe exposure to diversity at a young age - whether through experiencing diverse cultures and religions, history, landscapes, ideas, etc. - when seen through a perspective of love and acceptance (this is where parents/teachers come in), is an effective catalyst to positive change. I didn’t get much of that growing up in the Rural South and it is absolutely something I want for my children, grandchildren, and so on.

I long to give my kids meaningful and impactful experiences in this life. I want them to see love (or God/the Universe if you will) in every human, every animal, every landscape. I want us to cultivate love and change together, even if on a small scale. And yes, I realize this sounds like a romantic hippie dream at this point, but I know the BTS work and at times, utter discomfort that this will require.

How can I turn this daydream into a reality?

Initially I couldn’t quite visualize what unschooling while traveling would look like. Like..do I have to buy a big truck and camper and go back to my country roots to make this a real and comfortable-for-the-kids possibility? Staying in short term apartments or Airbnb’s in different places sounds too irresponsible for a single mother (major eyeroll here).. or at least it would to my family and likely my son’s dad.

So how can I make it happen before my kids are grown? Well, I think I know just the way.

If all goes according to plan - and trust me, I am entirely prepared for many things to not go according to plan - this new reality will kick off with a Spring Break trial run, after which I will share my soon-to-be-excecuted two-year travel plan with deets! (People still say deets, right? IDK…I’m in this Awkward Millenial phase where I’m not quite sure which slang is current and which is outdated.)

I will def be back here for more talks on the subject.

If you or someone you know has gone full-time RV or van life, drop a comment and let me know your take. I love hearing different perspectives and pros and cons! Also, if you’re interested in more of my Audible recommendations, let me know.

Love and light,
Ladye