Stories from the Road

Keith Sims—plus his wife and three boys—spend about half of every year on the road. He talks to us about how his wife talked him (a big man and retired football player) into getting an RV, using it to enrich his kids’ homeschooling experience, and being an African American in the RV community.

You can keep up with Keith and his Soulful RV Family on Instagram (or any other social media).

Some episode highlights:

• 3:38 – What got a 6’3”, 300 lbs. retired football player into an RV.
• 8:44 – The changes in his family since RVing.
• 11:28 – RVing as part of the African-American community.
• 13:38 – Being an ambassador to minority families to RV.
• 19:14 – Discovering NAARVA.
• 23:18 – Keith’s RV.
• 28:53 – Tailgating in a Class A as a retired football player.
• 36:25 – Keith’s stories from the road.

They don’t use the word “hippies,” but Craig and Bryanna—the parents behind Crazy Family Adventure—may fit the modern bill. Along with their four kids and two dogs, they travel the country, roaming freely, and taking in all the sights. They talked to us about traveling with kids and keeping them socialized, some of their favorite locations, and juggling entrepreneurship on the road.

You can keep up with Crazy Family Adventure on their Instagram, blog, or look up their business Virtual Powerhouse.

Some episode highlights:

• 5:07 – What started the adventure.
• 8:53 – How their family has evolved since they hit the road.
• 10:00 – Their current (and previous and future) RVs.
• 13:09 – Unschooling their children.
• 17:07 – The RV Community with kids.
• 25:20 – Some favorite memories from their favorite places.
• 33:21 – Unintended entrepreneurship.
• 39:51 – Their favorite moment from traveling so far.
• 46:18 – Advice for jumping into an RV and hitting the road.

Joe Hendricks is a photographer and photography coach, so the RV lifestyle suits him perfectly. After a long and winding road to getting out there in a brand new Airstream, Joe and his family have since moved back into a traditional home—but not for good. Joe sat with us to talk about photography, traveling with loved ones, bringing important life lessons back into the household, and why traveling will always be part of his life.

You can keep up with Joe via his website, Instagram, or listen to his podcast, The Basics of Photography.

Some episode highlights:

• 2:36 – What got Joe into an RV.
• 5:05 – Some of Joe’s favorite aspects of the RV life.
• 9:30 – Showing Mom America.
• 15:00 – The transition back to normal life.
• 16:39 – Keeping the traditions from the road, in a home.
• 18:41 – “The Photographer’s Mate.”
• 23:00 – One of his favorite stills he’s ever taken.
• 26:40 – His favorite stories from the road.
• 29:40 – Bucket list locations.

There’s something to be said for real solitude. That’s the approach Abigail Schilling takes on the road, full-timing in her 1966 Kit Companion trailer. She’s a serial entrepreneur, but very much embodies the “work to live” mentality in every job and business. She sat with us to talk about being a solo traveler, letting nature heal some health issues, and how her RV, “Pheribee,” does after all these years.

You can keep up with Abigail via her Instagram, or check out her website and shop for some merch.

Some episode highlights:

• 5:30 – Life as a solo camper.
• 6:41 – Making the jump into the RV lifestyle.
• 9:22 – Hitting the road with health issues.
• 13:10 – What the RV community means as a solo camper.
• 18:03 – Being a Project Manager on the road.
• 23:37 – The hurdles between client work and RV life.
• 29:12 – Her podcast, Two Girls Talking.
• 33:54 – Choosing a vintage RV.
• 36:51 – The School of Battery Monitoring.
• 43:39 – A couple of her favorite stories from the road.

Heath Padgett—along with his wife, Alyssa—is one of the best known full-time RVers on the road today. Now, they put on the RV Entrepreneur Summit, write, vlog, and host a podcast, plus a number of other noteworthy activities. Heath sat with us to dish about getting to where they are today, being influential to new road warriors, and changing the future of RVing.

You can buy Alyssa’s book, A Beginner's Guide to Living in an RV: Everything I Wish I Knew Before Full-Time RVing Across America, or keep up with Heath and Alyssa on their Instagram.

https://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Guide-Living-Everything-Full-Time/dp/1973321513/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522083397&sr=8-1&keywords=alyssa+padgett

https://www.instagram.com/heathandalyssa/

• 5:16 – Heath’s RV story.
• 11:18 – The intent behind their documentary.
• 13:32 – How a rough first trip on the road brought them closer together.
• 16:50 – What the folks in his small Texas town thought of his plan to RV.
• 18:43 – A background on and overview of the RV Entrepreneur Summit.
• 24:36 – The many jobs of RV Entrepreneurs.
• 31:15 – Conversations about the future of RVing.
• 33:30 – CampgroundBooking.com.
• 36:09 – Their businesses, goals, and how RVs fit into it.
• 38:26 – Heath’s podcasting best practices.
• 42:12 – Business on the road vs. business for business sake.
• 45:24 – What the podcast has done for his own business.
• 48:00 – Advice for starting your own podcast.
• 53:00 – Writing a book.
• 56:22 – Harnessing the power of Amazon.
• 58:04 – International RV travel, and what that means for their current RV.
• 1:00:16 – Building an RV park.
• 1:04:47 – Heath’s least proud RVer moments.
• 1:08:34 – Their future, and going back to a “normal” lifestyle.

Ed and Liz Wilcox haven’t been on the road long, but they’re no strangers to the RV lifestyle—they lived stationary in their travel trailer full-time for over a year. Now, they’re RV entrepreneurs. They talk about the fateful day that led them to their motorhome, some struggles they’ve faced since, and how to keep it all in perspective.

Download Liz’s book, “Tales from the Black Tank: A Collection of Hilariously Crappy Stories,” or keep up with them on their site The Virtual Campground.

• 8:52 – The vision for The Virtual Campground.
• 11:20 – Tales from the Black Tank.
• 21:43 – What drew them to the RV lifestyle.
• 27:42 – Some doubts and worries.
• 31:35 – From stationary RVing to moving.
• 32:51 – Their switch from a trailer to a motorhome.
• 36:51 – How they’ve grown since moving into the RV.
• 41:50 – The experience being entrepreneurs.
• 50:14 – Their advice for new RV entrepreneurs.
• 53:00 – A (bad) story from the road.
• 56:14 – A (nicer) story from the road.
• 1:00:18 – Advice for people on the fence.

Everyone has to start somewhere. Kevin and Maria Sipe have only been full-time RVing for several weeks. Yet they still have dozens of stories, amazing experiences, and plenty of happiness already. We talked to them about taking that giant leap into a life on the road, the steps they’re taking to reach financial freedom, and how they’re each taking to a new lifestyle.

Follow along with Kevin and Maria via their blog, From Paris to Roam, their YouTube channel, and every other social media platform.

• 2:46 – The transition from a house to an RV.
• 4:28 – Work/life balance on the road.
• 6:49 – Where they see the blog going.
• 10:15 – What drew them to make the switch.
• 15:00 – Steps they’re taking to get out of debt.
• 17:17 – How their families took the news.
• 20:32 – Other big trips they have planned.
• 25:15 – Maintaining relationships on the road.
• 27:57 – Being in the midst of an RV renovation.
• 31:28 – Tips for being a new RVer.
• 33:26 – Their stories from the road.

Pete and Jordan are a pair of road-warrior entrepreneurs, and founders of Quarter for Your Crisis. QFYC helps others find purpose through both their work and their lives, creating community, conversation, and courses to guide you in your journey. We talked to them about finding the road and getting away from a corporate mindset. They broke down what a quarter-life crisis means to them, how it impacts other Millennials, and minimalism.

Follow Pete and Jordan on Instagram or on their website.

• 6:56 – Overcoming uncertainties.
• 8:16 – How South America shifted their mindset.
• 11:22 – Quarter for Your Crisis and how it has evolved.
• 13:27 – Challenges and benefits of growing a business out of an RV.
• 22:11 – Their experiences with the RV overall.
• 24:22 – A little story about moochdocking.
• 25:36 – Some of their favorite stories about RVing.
• 33:09 – The RV community and what it means to them.
• 37:13 – A breakdown of their business.
• 43:47 – Where they see this whole adventure going.

Dan and Lindsay McKenzie were on their way to living the “American Dream,” when they got bad news. Instead of letting it rule them, they took a detour. Then another. Now, they’re following their detour (and documenting every step via their blog Follow Your Detour), and encouraging others to hit the road as well. They talk with us about what led them to find their own path, helping others get out of debt, and what the future looks like for Follow Your Detour. 

Follow Dan and Lindsay on Instagram.

• 3:50 – The changes they made to get out of debt.
• 8:17 – What it took to get them on the road full time.
• 10:56 – Experience vs. things.
• 13:25 – What a day’s work looks like in the RV.
• 15:35 – The way their program has changed others’ lives.
• 17:45 – Where will Follow Your Detour go in the future?
• 22:35 – How they choose where they’re going next.
• 25:57 – Maintaining relationships on the road.
• 29:10 – Their favorite road stories.

Trent and Siobhán are a pair of modern-day traveling minstrels: musicians that travel the country in an RV, playing at churches and living the life they always dreamed of. While that’s a story in itself, theirs is even crazier because they also share the space with their five (yes, five) boys. Host Sam talks to them about just what makes their lifestyle an adventure, as a family, every single day.

Follow Trent & Siobhán on YouTube or on Instagram!

Some episode highlights:

• 2:00 – The importance of a schedule with (and without) the kids.
• 3:50 – Balancing music, travel, teaching, parenthood, and everything else.
• 8:20 – Life before traveling in the RV.
• 13:20 – What was at stake for them.
• 18:20 – The best (and most difficult) part of RVing.
• 22:30 – Getting the kids socialized on the road.
• 25:48 – The moments that makes it all worth it.
• 33:25 – Upcoming locales.
• 34:08 – The favorite places they’ve visited (recently).