Welcome back to our interviews series! This space is dedicated to sharing the stories of fellow nomads because we believe everyone who has chosen this unconventional way of life has an intriguing story to tell.
A few months back, a YouTube channel called Sparks & Rec appeared in my feed and immediately caught my attention. The video was all about working blue-collar jobs from the road—a niche you rarely see online.
Most full-time nomads we meet are either retired or working remote desk jobs, and most of what you see online are nomads making a living as content creators, a whole other niche. But Chase, a welder, and Bryce, a writer and video creator, are shedding light on a completely different path. They are proving that you don’t need a laptop job to make full-time RV living a reality.
Mark and I believe there are countless ways to pursue an alternative lifestyle, and we love that Bryce and Chase are opening eyes to this overlooked niche. We hope you enjoy getting to know the “blue-collar nomads” behind Sparks & Rec, and learning exactly how and why they’ve made life on the road work for them.
What was the breaking point or ‘a-ha’ moment that motivated you to trade a traditional life for life on the road?
Being gone from each other was the breaking point. Chase would be gone for 5 weeks at a time, come home for a day and then leave again. We realized if we wanted to see each other that something needed to change. We didn’t know that people lived and traveled full-time in campers but we realized that a camper was the solution.
Before you took the leap, what was your biggest fear, and how did reality compare to that fear once you hit the road?
Sounds silly but we didn’t have a fear coming into this. We just knew that this was going to be the only way to see each other and we were going to make it happen. I guess our naiveness helped cause we knew nothing about campers but we both knew we would figure it out.
Tell us about your rigs and why you enjoy having two different setups.
We have a 2010 Keystone Montana fifth wheel and a 2000 10-2000 Northern Lite truck camper. We bought the fifth wheel first and honestly never thought about getting another camper. We went over 5 years with only the fifth wheel. When Chase’s job changed, we decided a truck camper would better fit our lifestyle. We never boondocked in the fifth wheel but came to love it through the truck camper. Now we use the fifth wheel for work and the truck camper for the off season. The truck camper allows for flexibility that the fifth wheel doesn’t offer.
If you were starting over today, would you choose a different rig and why?
No we wouldn’t. We would still start off with the fifth wheel. We chose an older used fifth wheel because that is all we could afford and we wanted the space.
I love that your You Tube channel promotes the ability to work a blue collar job while living on the road full-time. I think many people might assume you can’t do blue collar work from the road. Tell us about how you make that work and whether RV living helps or hinders what you do for a living.
Chase is a welder and welds on various power plants and refineries across the country. When Chase went to welding school, this type of work was not on our radar. When Chase started to travel we would stay in motels (not hotels), Air BnBs, rented campers and tiny cabins to save money while he traveled. Instead of giving the motels and our duplex rental money, we knew that living in a camper would be cheaper. Chase works heavy in the spring and fall and we take the summer and part of the winter off. If we had a house and a camper, Chase would probably work more due to house bills. There’s not many jobs where you only need to work half the year and you’re able to take the rest off and travel the country.
What is the most challenging aspect of this lifestyle that you didn’t anticipate, and how do you handle it?
The uncertainty for work can be a challenge. Sometimes work can get pushed back, canceled or cut short. It doesn’t happen all the time but we’ve learned to budget for when those occasions arise.
How do you cultivate a sense of community or handle loneliness while constantly moving?
We are both introverts. For us we don’t mind the loneliness at times. We’ve met people through social media that we end up meeting in person. We’ve gone to rallies and have met life long friends. Chase meets people through work, but in every situation sometimes you meet people and that may be it, the relationship doesn’t go past work. Sometimes it will take a bit longer to meet people where you build deeper relationships. We’ve met people at rv parks, even if they aren’t full-time.
What has full-time travel provided you that stationary living could not?
Due to Chase’s work, if we lived stationary, I would never see him. I remember crying when he would leave for another job. We would have never dreamed that we would see the places that we’ve seen. Sometimes we get lucky and the job location is in a great place to explore or we see new bucket list places during the off time.
What has surprised you most about the full-time travel lifestyle?
We’ve stumbled upon places that we didn’t know existed. Whether it was a work location or during our off time. We have met so many people on the road compared to living stationary.
Has your definition of “success” changed since you started living on the road?
It has. We view success in terms of how much time we are able to take off in the summer and winter. You can’t put a price tag on the places we’ve been and all the experiences.
What are some valuable lessons you’ve learned (either about yourself, travel, or the world) since pursuing this way of life?
Our level of confidence has grown. We are not afraid to try to fix anything on the campers or truck. We know that things will break and when it does, we tackle it head on. We value experiences over materialistic things. There is so much freedom with owning less.
What is some advice you would give someone dreaming of full-time vehicle-based travel but is nervous to take the leap?
Just do it. We started very unconventionally. We started because of Chase’s work. We didn’t have a truck the first year and we figured it out. Life is too short for any age to start this lifestyle. Things will go wrong but we wouldn’t trade anything for this lifestyle. You can do all the research and wear yourself out, but at the end of the day you need to get out of your comfort zone and take the leap.
What are you excited about for the future?
We are expecting our first baby in October and we are so excited to show her all the places we’ve been and have yet to see. We are starting to plan some bigger trips in the summer when Chase is off.
For those that want to follow your journey, where can they find you online?
You can find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube at Sparks and Rec. We most more in-depth videos about Chases work and our story on YouTube.
Thank you so much to Bryce & Chase for taking the time to share their story. Be sure to follow them on the social links above for a closer look at their lifestyle.
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