In my seventh year in the corporate world, my husband, daughter and I lived in a comfortable suburban house. I thought I’d stay at the same job until retirement. Then we took our 30-foot Airstream through the Northwoods and discovered how much we liked the camping community and the freedom to travel.
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How camping changed our plans
Work was getting more stressful, and keeping up with the house took energy I was already short on. We camped nearly three months the following year. I was still working at the same job, but I kept thinking about the time we’d spent outside.
My eighth year in the corporate world was my last. We sold the house, left our conventional jobs and drove about 2,100 miles to Oregon. In the camper we used a bathhouse, got by without an oven and took turns homeschooling our daughter and tending to our new business. We traded yardwork for hikes and bird sightings. We kept extra s’mores supplies in case our daughter brought a new friend over.
Decide what you want more of
Look at a typical week. What gives you energy, and what do you wish you could spend less time doing? Write down a change you could make within the life you already have. You might try a regular evening away from work, a short trip or a different way of sharing chores.
Test the idea and plan for what could go wrong
Try a change on a small scale before making commitments you would struggle to undo. Talk through what each person in the household needs. List the costs, income, schooling or care responsibilities, and what you would do if the experiment felt unsustainable.
On the road we missed out on jobs we applied for, made mistakes launching the business and dealt with camper repairs that went sideways. Those experiences taught us to revise a plan as we went. Ask which parts of the experiment you’d like to keep and which would be easier to change.