Meet Heather & Adam. A couple of Ohioans that hit the road full-time in their Four Wheel Camper two years ago and haven’t looked back since. Pursuing their dream of full-time travel meant leaving behind stable jobs and a beautiful home. But they knew the life they craved lived beyond the comforts of life on a solid foundation. After a series of life-altering events showed them just how unpredictable life can be they had the courage to go for it.
As luck would have it, Heather & Adam were the camp hosts of a campground Mark & I stayed at last fall. Though, it was all thanks to extroverted Heather insisting that introverted Adam stop their golf cart and talk to us while we were out for a walk otherwise we never would have met. That night we got to know one another over a campfire. It turned out we all had plans to go to Baja at the end of the year. The next time we crossed paths was three months later on a beach in Mexico. We hit it off and the next thing we knew we’d spent 3 weeks traveling together.
These two are some of the best people you could ever meet and we’re pretty stoked to call them friends. I’m excited to share their story here and hope you’re as inspired by them as we are.
What prompted your decision to live on the road?
It was mostly a combination of work/life balance, or lack thereof, and family members passing or suffering other health complications that brought about the realization that life is both short and precious, and that tomorrow nor the pension/retirement we were working towards are by no means promised to anyone. We want to live an intentional life and be more present in the moment.
What do you do for a living, how do you fund your travels?
We currently work seasonally as campground hosts.
What was life like between deciding to live on the road full-time and setting off to do it?
A lot of selling the life that we had spent nearly 20 years building, and finishing up projects around our house that had either been started or planned before we ever made the decision to sell our house and hit the road.
Your Four Wheel Camper flatbed setup is awesome. Is there anything you wish you’d done differently?
Thank you! We’re admittedly a touch biased but we agree, Wanda is very much our dream rig! That being said, we wish we had opted out of a couple of things when we ordered our camper, mainly the propane furnace as we’d like to have a diesel heater in its place. We also opted for dual 6v AGM batteries and while they have served their purpose for the last year and a half, we are currently looking to upgrade to lithium in the near future.
What are some of the challenges of full-time travel?
Where should we start?! Living in such a small space and the constant rearranging and reorganizing that comes with it, is at the top of the list. We’re always looking for a more efficient way of doing things which isn’t an issue in itself, it’s the going through things and rearranging them only to realize that you had those things tucked into that random corner or cabinet for a damn reason in the first place. There’s really only so many ways to arrange things in such a small space.
Aside from a lack of space, depending on what part of the country we’re in, finding places to stay can be a struggle. We don’t like to pay for camping, let alone make reservations at campgrounds so this can make certain places a struggle or expensive, or both.
Nearly everything in this life is a compromise, our small space allows us to get to places that a bigger setup simply could not go. Our lack of reservations allows us to spend as much or as little time in an area as we want. Even with those challenges and a list of others, for us, the trade off is absolutely worth it.
What have you learned about yourself from this lifestyle?
Adam: That’s honestly something that I’m still working on. I mean, aside from the reasons mentioned above about what prompted this journey, I believe there’s a deeper seeded reason that I chose to leave a well-paying career at the railroad and sell a life that I had spent nearly 20 years building, as well as a house that I very much loved. I’m still looking for that answer but I have come to realize that we’re pretty good at figuring shit out! We’ve certainly had our share of issues along the way and so far we’ve managed to figure them all out.
Heather: Gosh, there’s so much, a big thing for me is that I no longer let society pressure me into believing that success is measured by the material things in life or how much money we make. I’ve grown up thinking I needed to live the “American Dream” and have all of the things… a good paying job, home ownership, children, nice cars, a good retirement, etc. I’ve realized that none of this actually represents me or my happiness and I’m certainly not taking any of those things with me when I die. It may sound selfish but the way I spend my time is what matters most to me at this point in my life. I now desire less and often find myself craving more of our quiet life in nature and moments of stillness. This nomadic lifestyle allows us to see so much and experience new places that I would’ve otherwise never seen in my old 9-5 banking job of almost 15 years. I’m happy that I no longer sit at that computer desk daydreaming about the life that I now get to live.
What have you learned about each other as a result of spending so much time together?
How much our individual strengths and weaknesses compliment each other. If a situation arises and one of us is struggling to keep it together for whatever reason, the other is there to keep us grounded. We have also become pretty good at realizing when one of us needs to take a little walk in the woods or simply needs some space to be alone with our thoughts for a bit.
How has it been traveling with 2 dogs? Does that bring about any specific challenges?
Having our dogs with us has been great but it certainly does come with its challenges. Most of the national parks in the states are not very dog friendly in terms of hiking, so we tend to stick to the national forests and state parks.
What has surprised you most about this lifestyle?
The forever friendships that we have made between camp hosting and traveling. When you meet somebody in this life that you simply vibe with, it becomes very evident very quickly, and that is something we will forever be grateful for.
What has been the most rewarding?
Aside from the friendships mentioned above, the sense of self-reliance and accomplishment that has come with traveling the way that we do.
Can you predict what might motivate you to return to living in a house?
Adam: I say this all the time, if you had told me 3 years ago that I would be living in a camper full-time and traveling like this, I would have called you crazy! So I try not to make predictions at this point. I believe if we were to put down roots somewhere in the future it would not look like our previous “conventional” life, and would simply serve as a home base to support our travels in some fashion.
Heather: I can’t think of one thing.
What is some advice you would give someone dreaming of being a nomad but is nervous to take the leap?
Do it! We need much less in life than what we think. We are able to work minimum wage jobs to support this lifestyle. When you don’t have a mortgage or rent payment life gets a bit more affordable. Sit down and take inventory of your life and weigh just how much you’re willing to sacrifice, because while it’s absolutely worth it to us, this life definitely comes with its sacrifices and struggles. When you have finished taking inventory and figured out what you’re willing to give up, build a budget and start getting rid of the excess in your life. It took us about 10 months from the time that we made the decision until we actually hit the road, much of that time was spent planning and selling stuff.
Top three pieces of gear or tech that you wouldn’t want to live without?
Adam:
- The iOverlander app is extremely helpful, not only for camping but for finding resources such as water and propane as well.
- My fishing gear in general, whether it’s my fly rod and waders, a spinning rod or even a pole spear and snorkel.
- Any means of getting out onto the water! We personally use Kokopelli packrafts and are very happy with them.
- Bonus: Our Jetboil MiniMo camp stove, if for nothing else it makes our morning coffee very quickly!
Heather:
- This would have to be my iPhone, only because I take so many photos with it.
- My loveseat camping chair. I use it often and sometimes put my feet up imagining that I’m enjoying my old couch haha, plus our doggos usually sit with me.
- I don’t use it very often but having my electric blanket with us makes me pretty happy on those super cold nights.
What are you most excited about for the future?
- Short-term (1-6 months)- Working and exploring in Washington state this summer.
- Mid-term (6-12 months)- Returning to Baja, Mexico for the winter of ’24/25
- Long-term (3-5 years)- Traveling the Pan-American Highway!
Huge thanks to Heather & Adam for sharing their story. We hope you enjoyed this little peek into their awesome lifestyle.
If you enjoy the stories we share, you can support our travels by shopping on Amazon via this link or the links to the products above. At no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you purchase through the links provided. Thank you for being here!
