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As I plan my wedding, I’m spending a number of months pretty much parked in one place — but after that, my new husband and I are looking forward to re-engaging with the process of full-time wandering. It’s such a joy to be on the road — not only because of the places we see and the people we meet, but because of the new outlook on life that travel gives me.

Change Is Good

I personally thrive on change. Any day when I can land in a new town is a good one for me. No matter how much I love a place, I couldn’t stay there forever. I get antsy, wondering what I’m missing out there in the bigger world. It’s not that I don’t enjoy being where I am — I really do, but only for a limited time. Then I’m  ready to move on and try something else. I’m a full-timing version of those sharks that will die if they stop swimming — call it travel ADD if you like, but I wasn’t built for long stays!

I wonder sometimes if the tendency to “settle” in one location isn’t a lot of the reason why folks in modern society feel stuck in a rut and become unhappy with their lives. I know so many people who spend every day in a low-grade state of discontent, realizing that something is missing but not entirely sure what it is. I think that what’s missing is excitement, stimulation, something new and interesting to keep them engaged in life. The sense of sameness ends up killing them, very slowly. Nothing raises my spirits more than crossing a state line and seeing a new town come into view.

An Instant Paradigm Shift

It doesn’t matter what problems plagued me at my last stop — everything becomes brighter, more full of hope and possibility as soon as I hit the road. It suddenly seems easier to find a little clarity, create some order out of chaos, to come up with a solution. It’s like going outside for a walk or taking a vacation when you’re feeling stressed — all it takes is a change of scenery to give you a change in perspective. Perhaps if more people became full-time RVers, we ‘ d have fewer prescriptions for sanax and lexapro floating around out there! I was listening to someone complain about how hard travel is the other day, and I couldn’t help but disagree.

As far as I’m concerned, there is nothing more freeing than heading out the door on a road trip. I actually see travel as the perfect metaphor for simplifying — and as an RVer, I realized how much I’ve incorporated this philosophy into all I do. The same guidelines you follow when hitting the road can help you “travel light” through everyday life as well.