In January of 2014, Kerensa and Brandon decided to ditch their "normal" corporate jobs and lifestyle in the NY metro area. They decided to embark on a journey that many have dreamed of, but few have the courage to do. Brandon and Kerensa are Product Designers who both share a passion for exploring, scuba diving, and food and are on the hunt to find the best spots in the country.
I had the privilege of interviewing the couple and happened to catch them out walking the dogs on a beautiful summer day in Colorado!!
Q: What size is your RV?
A: We have a 40 ft motorhome but are looking to downsize in order to be more versatile with our camp spots and fit into smaller space.
Q: How are you able to operate a full fledged business in such a compact space?
A: We actually have a custom set up which we designed to take the place of our "dinet" where there used to be a table there is now a beautiful office setup in which we design our projects.
Q: How do you find a balance between work & play since you are on what some people would call a "Permanent Vacation"?
A: We're definitely learning as we go, since most of the tourist sites we want to see are open during the day, sometimes we to do the opposite of a normal 9-5 working schedule and go out to the city/tourist spots during the week to beat the crowd. Then in the evenings and on the weekend we may stay in and work. This allows us to beat the crowd, as well as see all the sights we want to see while still getting our work done.
Q: How do you handle keeping clean and maintaining the vehicle?
A1: I try to pick up stuff on a daily basis. Since it is such a small space it tends to get cluttered quickly. Brandon doesn't really care as much as I do about the day to day clutter but whenever we move to a new location that day is pretty much dedicated to cleaning out and organizing the RV.
A2: As far as maintenance we are sure to follow the user manual as well as get our fluids changed yearly. Our generator actually just let us know that it needs to be serviced. So we plan ahead, find a reputable place and set aside a day or so for service.
A: I say just do it really... it's pretty great! We both love it, we are very happy with our lives. Just make sure to do your research. Go to RV shows to see what you like, research blogs, because there are a lot of people out there who are blogging about what we're doing and the lifestyle that they're living. Reading those posts really helped us prepare before we actually "took off". It allowed us to have a sense of what we needed.
There is a common phrase that goes around:
"Buy your last RV first."
I personally think this tip applies well to a lot of retirees; but not necessarily us. It works if you're just a straight up snowbird, moving north to south by the seasons. But if you're like us, for example we used to camp. And that was fine for us until we decided to get an RV. But my point is, you don't really know what you want/need until you actually get out there. We started our journey thinking hey we want more space with a 40ft RV but now we're thinking why not go smaller? Save some money and we will be able to travel to a lot more places with more mobility.
Q: Last question, throughout all of your travels thus far, which place has been your favorite to visit?
A: Probably Burlington, Vermont. It was beautiful over there in the summer, the weather isn't too hot. And Brandon got to go diving a lot which was nice and it was just an overall good time! Also now that we are in Colorado witnessing the changing of seasons over here is absolutely beautiful.
Follow Brandon & Kerensa as they embark on their journey by subscribing to their blog!
drivedivedevour.com
See their design work here! http://www.deglossed.com/
Check out this cool .gif we made to illustrate the couples' travels thus far!
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Q: Have you had any major breakdowns or mechanical problems since you've been on the road?
A: Well luckily we haven't been stranded... One thing we did find was that the previous owner of our RV had taken it down to Florida and had never washed the salt water from underneath the vehicle. We found out when the bottom of the RV rusted to the point where the plastic parts of the fender literally were falling off. So Brandon & I had to makeshift braces out of aluminum on the side of the road in order to hold the bumper in place. We have since replaced all the metal on the undercarriage.
Q: What are some of the day-to-day struggles that you didn't have to deal with before you were living in an RV?
A: As far as day-to-day struggles, the sanitation is very different. Dumping tanks all the time is definitely a lifestyle change, It's just something you don't think about when you're living in a house, I'm not sure if I'm just very sensitive to it but it seems like the bathroom always smells, even though we keep it clean.
Also getting used to cooking in such a smaller kitchen was a pretty big adjustment. You have to put things away quickly to avoid clutter in such a small space. Learning to use a microwave/conventional oven to cook also took a little bit of strategy especially when we need to use both at the same time!
Q: What kind of meals do you usually prepare on the road?
A: When the weather is good we like to use the grill a lot. I(Kerensa) happen to be vegetarian, so usually one side of the grill is cooking veggies and the other side is cooking some type of meat. Pretty much anything that I used to cook at home I still cook in the RV.
"Part of our blog is dedicated to finding delicious local foods. Brandon & I really love to eat out and explore the food scene wherever we are! Then I like to take it home and and actually try to cook it myself. Our crock pot comes in very handy because I can throw something in there and leave it on while we go explore." -Kerensa
Q: How do you decide where and when you are going to eat out?
A: I usually go out and walk around to get a feel for the lay of the land, as well as search tourist sites online, read yelp reviews, urban spoon, trip adviser etc. A lot of times we like to talk to locals for recommendations too. And we love going out to local Farmer's Markets.
Q: Can you give some insight into the costs associated with this type of lifestyle?
A: It's actually pretty normal compared to what we had before, a lot of people have a mortgage payment or a rent payment on a house. But with an RV you probably have either a smaller payment, or you've paid it off. So if you're traveling with a car AND an RV you might have payments or you might not. Aside from that for us there is the normal cost of food and groceries, as well as a budget for eating out.
Q: What about maintenance?
A: Well it's the same as maintaining your house you have to maintain your RV just as well. I remember one time when we were living in a house, we got home from vacation and had to rebuild our whole roof! Luckily none of our RV maintenance has been nearly that expensive. Fortunately our service agreement, commonly known as an extended warranty has covered most of our engine repair expenses. It seems like there would be a lot more things different but really we've found it very similar to the cost of living we had before.
Q: What advice do you have for the readers at home who want to transition into this type of lifestyle, but are a little bit hesitant about getting their "feet wet"?
A: I say just do it really... it's pretty great! We both love it, we are very happy with our lives. Just make sure to do your research. Go to RV shows to see what you like, research blogs, because there are a lot of people out there who are blogging about what we're doing and the lifestyle that they're living. Reading those posts really helped us prepare before we actually "took off". It allowed us to have a sense of what we needed.
There is a common phrase that goes around:
"Buy your last RV first."
I personally think this tip applies well to a lot of retirees; but not necessarily us. It works if you're just a straight up snowbird, moving north to south by the seasons. But if you're like us, for example we used to camp. And that was fine for us until we decided to get an RV. But my point is, you don't really know what you want/need until you actually get out there. We started our journey thinking hey we want more space with a 40ft RV but now we're thinking why not go smaller? Save some money and we will be able to travel to a lot more places with more mobility.
Q: Last question, throughout all of your travels thus far, which place has been your favorite to visit?
A: Probably Burlington, Vermont. It was beautiful over there in the summer, the weather isn't too hot. And Brandon got to go diving a lot which was nice and it was just an overall good time! Also now that we are in Colorado witnessing the changing of seasons over here is absolutely beautiful.
Follow Brandon & Kerensa as they embark on their journey by subscribing to their blog!
drivedivedevour.com
See their design work here! http://www.deglossed.com/
Check out this cool .gif we made to illustrate the couples' travels thus far!
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