Monday, April 29, 2013

Repost: Could you travel the country with your family for a year?

I've contributed to the Orlando Sentinel's Moms at Work blog since 2010. The blog is changing content management systems and my old posts will no longer be available to the public, so I'm reposting them here, in the order that they were originally posted.


May 18, 2011

I'd love to be able to take a year off to travel with my family -- at least, I like to tell myself that.

My husband and I have fantasized about buying an RV and taking a year to introduce our daughter to every nook and cranny of the continental U.S., perhaps when she's in middle school.

It's likely to remain just a fantasy, though.

When I look at the preparations Orlando mom Britt Reints has made for a year-long trip with her family, it makes me rethink how I'd feel about doing the same with the people I love most. She's sold most of what her family owns, her husband's taking a year off from work and her family will be embracing homeschooling.

You know what? I may not be cut out to do all that.

First and foremost, RVs are expensive, and I think I can find better uses for that much cash. Also, I am absolutely a city girl, so although such a trip sounds great in theory, I'd probably be deeply unhappy spending so much time away from cities. And don't even mention camping, which would have to be a regular part of traveling with an RV. The mere word "camping" makes me shudder in horror  (I'm secretly hoping my daughter never wants to be a Girl Scout).  Finally, as much as I love my family, I think the minor things I find annoying about them and that they find annoying about me would be heightened if we had to spend so much time together.

Could you spend a year traveling with your family in an RV?

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