Dream a Little Dream… or a Big One

Before my husband and I got married we talked a lot about travel. The places we wanted to go, the experiences we wanted to have. How we wanted to do more of it. Sadly the only travel that we ever seemed to do, outside of some long weekend road trips, was to visit our families who lived in different states, on opposite ends of the country from one another. Although we enjoyed visiting family, that travel ate up both our bank account and our vacation time. It wasn’t the kind of travel we dreamed about. We weren’t okay with it but it was what it was. I mean that is how it was for everyone, right? Until we started to realize that it didn’t have to be. And, we made the decision that it didn’t have to be that way for us, anymore.

We were on our epic honeymoon road trip, which took us from Colorado where we lived at the time, to Grand Teton, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks and then eventually over to and down the Oregon Coast to the California Redwoods and into Sonoma County before heading back home. Mid-trip just outside Glacier National Park we wondered, what would it be like if we didn’t have to go back, what if travel was our way of life? Travel made our hearts sing and we didn’t want to stop. So we talked, and talked, and talked. And then we vowed to make it happen. We dreamed and then we made it come true.

There were lots of steps and sacrifices along the way from that day in Montana until we hit the road full-time almost two years later. This included job changes, a move from one state to another and becoming parents. We gave ourselves a three year time frame as a goal shortly before our daughter was born and then realized after our daughter was born that waiting for the “perfect time” was silly.

Even though we had a life that any person should be happy with, we just weren’t. Our hearts yearned to be on the road. And we would always be able to find an excuse as to why now wasn’t the perfect time. So a couple months later my husband and I sold most of our belongings, moved into an RV and hit the road to travel full-time with our eight month old daughter and two dogs. We were excited and scared as hell. It turned out to be the best decision of our lives.

Now, I am not saying everyone needs to sell all their things and move into an RV (please don’t- the campgrounds would be way too crowded!) What I am saying is DREAM. Dream a little dream or go all in and dream a big one. Don’t settle for what you think should make you happy or even for that thing that once made you happy but no longer does. Find what makes your heart sing. Whatever it is don’t wait for that perfect time. It will never come. That fear or anxiety will always be there. So start small. Put it out there. Write it down. Share that dream with someone else. Figure out the steps you need to take. Cross them off one by one. And whether it takes you ten days or ten years – make it happen. It likely won’t be easy but I have a feeling you won’t regret it.