Red Roads Fulltiming Family

Fulltiming FAQ's: Family Life

1. Do you homeschool your children?

    Yes, in the sense that they don't go to school away from home. No, in the sense that we don't do "school" at home.

2. What do you do about privacy?

    For privacy from other people, we stay in our rig. We have learned that most people in campgrounds respect a closed door as a request for privacy. Sitting on the patio under the awning, especially with an extra chair or two, is an invitation to visit. David's tinkering around the truck also attracts visitors.
    Privacy from other family members is a little more complicated. Having a second bedroom is a blessing because it means we have three spaces (not counting the bathroom and the separate "water closet"!) that can be separated from each other by a closed door. We have two TV's so that different shows can be watched at the same time. We can also use headphones for late night TV watching in the living room after J and Bud have gone to bed. If a person really needs to get away from the others, he or she can sit in the truck. Yes, we really do that!
    Living in the rig has also taught us to get along better with each other. There doesn't seem to be as much need to "go do your own thing." I'm not saying there are no tense moments and no raised voices, but I honestly don't think we desire privacy as much as we did when we had lots of space in the house.

3. Do you meet many other traveling families?

    No, we really don't. In the summer, we meet vacationing families, if we're in state parks or other places frequented by weekend campers and vacationers. More typically, however, we meet retired couples, or workamping couples who do not have children traveling with them. Through the Families on the Road e-mail list, we have "met" families traveling around the country. There's a lot of information sharing on the list.
    People who ask this question are often wondering if our kids get to spend time with other kids. Not as much as when we lived in a house, but even then they didn't spend eight hours a day with scores of kids their own age. J keeps up with friends and extended family members via e-mail, instant messaging, and telephone. These activities are not as important to Bud, but he is more likely to spend time with another boy he meets in a campground. 

4. How do you decide what activities to do?

    We consider a lot of factors when choosing activities: cost, educational value, memory-making potential, individual special interests, etc. We each have things we'd like to do as we travel, things like visiting certain national parks we've heard about, or trying something new like skiing or salmon fishing or trail riding, or going to places with fun activities, like a science museum. All of these things are taken into consideration as we plan our stops.
    To find attractions, activities, and places to visit, we used AAA Tour Books, state welcome center brochures, travel magazines and books, the Internet, and personal recommendations from family, friends, and fellow travelers.
    We also take into consideration our need to do "ordinary" things, like doing household chores, reading, playing with Legos, and completing math lessons. We make sure to have stay-at-home days, so we don't start running in vacation mode.

5. Where is your home?

    One response to this question is the title of a book by Kay Peterson, co-founder of Escapees: "Home is where you park it." Another answer might be, "Well, today home is Wenatchee," or Yuma, or Soldotna.
    When people ask this question, though, they are usually just striking up a conversation, looking for common ground. We usually say, "Before we became fulltime travelers, we lived in a house in northwest Ohio." That's enough to satisfy their curiosity or to continue the conversation, according to their inclination.

6. What adjustments have you had to make?

    David retired in March, 2002. We rest of us were used to being together all the time since J and Bud did not go to school. Being "four together 24/7" was a challenge for all of us. 
    We began living in the rig in late September, 2002, because our household furniture had all been sold. We still had a lot of unsorted "stuff" with us that had to be gone through and reduced before we headed out on the road. Our living quarters were crowded and disorganized for several weeks. This was difficult for us, but we were glad to be in familiar territory (geographically) as we went through this process.
    It took us quite a while to adjust to the closeness of 400 square feet of living space: sharing the only bathroom; moving things around to find the best "assigned space" for each item; not being able to stock up on pantry items and household supplies; and even learning to walk through the rig without bumping into objects or each other!
    When we lived in a house, I sometimes had to spend the first waking moments of my day remembering what day of the week it was and what activities were planned. Now I still have to do that and also figure out where I am!
    Grocery shopping can be quite an adventure as we move around. Store names are different; preferred brands are sometimes unavailable; and our refrigerator is a lot smaller than the one we had in the house.