CHAPTER 1

Song of the Open Road

We woke up to a thin, cold dawn and the pounding of a patrolman's fist on ourcamper door.

"Move along," he said, not unkindly. "I've let you sleep since two o'clock thismorning, but it's six now and time you hit the road."

No, we weren't homeless alcoholics sleeping off a cheap drunk under a tent ofyesterday's newspapers. We were young, able, self-sufficient adventurers who hadstopped late the night before in a highway rest plaza, and we had overslept thetwo-hour limit.

Our visit from that policeman was just another in a long series of remindersthat in shedding our old style of life and adopting a new role as full-timewanderers we had shed a lifelong mantle of respectability. Our new life baffledsome people, amused others, and enraged more than a few.

What had we gotten ourselves into?

What It's Got, What It's Not

Close your eyes and picture the free, roving life on wheels. Immediately youimagine a cozy, self-contained camper beside a rushing, trout-packed brook. Youhave no deadlines, no lawn to mow, no leaves to rake, no committees, noneighbors to be stuck with year after year. You fantasize about a life with noties, no traps, no taxes. The full-time RV life is all you hope for and much,much more. But it also means a break with treasured possessions, with status,with symbols, with Your Place In Life.

Can you handle it?

The RV itself is a red flag in the faces of politicians in some cities, wherespecial laws have been passed against RVs simply because they are RVs. In somecommunities you can't park an RV at the beach or the park even if it fits in acar-size parking place. Other communities have laws prohibiting RVs from stayingwithin the city limits overnight, and a few don't want you in townanytime. There have been times when we have been hassled, threatened,vandalized, and humiliated.

It isn't our aim to talk you out of following our mud flaps, but we do want toprick your dream balloon enough to bring you back to treetop level. Knowing thatthere will be bitter with the better will help you to make necessary adjustmentsin yourself, in your dealings with society, and in your relationships withfamily and spouse.

In the Beginning

For us it all began in Danville, Illinois, where Gordon was a professional pilotfor a large corporation. He liked the company and the job, and he valued hisprofessional relationship with his coworkers. We both liked friendly littleDanville, which was large enough to have good shopping and a nice mix of people,yet small enough that I could do most of my shopping by bicycle. We were onlyten minutes from the airport, our church, or a night on the town and an hourfrom a major university town with theater and concerts.

Still, we began to toy with the idea of early retirement. One of our friends haddied of a heart attack at 41, another of leukemia at 38. What if time ran outbefore the traditional retirement age of 65?

The Ties That Bind

You're probably wondering how we could even think of dropping off the edge ofthe world with all the family obligations one usually has at that stage in life.First it's the children, then the grandchildren, then the care of your elderlyparents—an unending treadmill of obligations. However, people differ inhow they handle such "obligations."

We met some young parents who became full-time travelers not despitetheir children but because of them—either because they wanted tospend precious years traveling and learning together while the kids were youngor because they were determined to get their children out of an environment theyperceived as too materialistic, too violent, or otherwise not up to thestandards they wanted for their families.

Homeschooling, once just an oddball way of educating kids whose parents weremissionaries or who traveled with the circus, is being used today by thousandsof parents at home and on the go. Most feel that they can provide a bettereducation than the schools can, citing such public-school problems as weapons,drugs, and overcrowded classrooms. With "home" schooling now available,affordable, and growing in popularity, children can travel full-time and stillget a first-class education.

We've met many liveaboard children who have received some or all of their earlyschooling through homeschooling, and there wasn't a brat or a dunce in thebunch. Do an Internet search on "home school" or "homeschool" and you'll uncovera huge treasure trove of accredited schools, learning options, resources, andsupport groups. Do your homework to make sure you get the best program for thebest price, with the most portable and credible credits for your child's futurecareer or entry into college.

If you own real estate check with your local school district, which may offerfree homeschooling programs providing you return once a year or meet otherrequirements. Do an Internet search for almost any homeschool topic from "home-school+prom"to "homeschool+math+tutor" to "homeschool+Lutheran" and you'll finda wealth of material ranging from free courses to forums specific to that topic.See chapter 12.

It's true that many people prefer to stay put until their children are grown.Others feel that they must stay with elderly parents, a shut-in sibling, or afamily business or farm. One of today's most common dilemmas is that of the"sandwich" generation, in which middle-aged people are saddled with the care oftheir aged parents just when their own children get divorced and move back homewith their children.

We've heard just about all the reasons why you can't go. They range from verygood ones to mere cop-outs. The truth is that you probably can take to the roadin an RV if you and your spouse or companion(s) or family make the effort towork it out.

If you think you can't go because you don't have a spouse or...