The end of 2020 has arrived, and the year of 2021 is laid out before us.

With this passing of time comes our one year anniversary of hitting the road and becoming a nomadic family. .

This stark reminder of the passage of time has given me some moments of deep introspection and a sense of needing to understand what our plans for the upcoming year are.

I have to say, when I originally imagined us living this lifestyle, I romanticized it. I thought of an endless vacation with seeing all of the sights we had dreamed of. I thought I would be living the dream and that  I would become this super patient, gentle parent who never missed a moment of my sons’ life.

And, in part I am, but it is so much more than that.

This is not a permanent vacation.

It is still work and life. We do not have a giant banking account to pay our way through life, and we still depend on income to support us. That means, we still have to work. We still have bills to pay. We still must clean house, do laundry, and cook food. None of these things go away when you hit the road.

If you want to know more about financing this lifestyle, check out our blog post on it. 

I have not become a super patient, gentle parent.

Let’s be real. I try. I try to understand that my son is learning, exploring, and trying to help us. However, he still makes messes. He is still infuriatingly stubborn. He still thinks its funny to do something he knows he is not supposed to. He pushes my buttons. He grinds my gears. He makes me want shout sometimes.

None of that changed with living this traveling lifestyle, but now we spend more time with him and less time at work or working on a house. We play more. We eat meals together. We get outside together. We make memories together. He has developed a greater sense of adventure. He has learned to climb and run. He is constantly learning and exploring the world around us.

Have I gained more patience, no. But, I have gained a deeper understanding of my son and why he does some of the things he does, and that gives me a place to start to become the type of parent I want to be.

Looking back, do we regret going fulltime?

Do we regret making such a drastic change in our life? Do we regret selling our home and belongings, leaving family behind, and living an unpredictable life full of travel?

Absolutely not.

We have met some amazing people along our travels, and we have had some amazing experiences.

We have spent months exploring Yellowstone National Park. We have camped in the Grand Tetons. We have hiked among the Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park. We have seen Landscape Arche at Arches National Park. We have hiked through 5 national parks. We have camped in 10 different states and have been farther north and west, then we have ever been before. We have made memories and gained knowledge that would have been impossible without this lifestyle.

No matter what happens in our future, if we had a chance to go back in time and do this again, I think the only change we would make is to do it sooner.

Do we plan to end our travels soon?

This question is hard for me.

I feel like I am split two ways. I love to travel. I love seeing new locations and having these amazing experiences, but my heart longs for a simple way of life. It is hard to understand how someone who loves the traveling lifestyle longs for a plot of earth to call our own, but I do.

I want a homestead.

I want to see my son run through our yard with chickens scattered throughout. I want to hear the moo of our dairy cow and the neighing of our horses. I want to teach my son to ride, plant vegetables, harvest food, and be self-sufficient.

I want to learn to can the food we produce.

I want to be able to identify the edible plants on my property and be able to forage for them.

I want to be able to let my son outside to explore without me needing to be right with him.

Again, I am romanticizing my dreams, but I can’t help it. I am a romantic at a heart.

We do not plan to put this into action anytime soon. First, we have to find the perfect place to settle down, and that means more traveling. Once we find an area to settle down in, then we have to find the perfect property to buy.

So, it will still be a while before we get there, for now I will just be a traveling homesteader.

What is a traveling homesteader?

A traveling homesteader almost seems like an oxymoron. How can you be a homesteader and still travel the United States?

If you look up homesteading, the definitions usually fall along the lines of being self-sufficient, preserving/producing your own food, producing goods for sale.

Obviously, we are not self-sufficient, there is no way that is possible.

We can’t preserve and produce all of our own food.

We do make soap, so I guess we at least meet that criteria.

But, with only meeting 1 of the 3 main points in the definition of being a homesteader, how can I call myself a traveling homesteader?

Because I still try to embody the homesteader lifestyle.

Instead of raising our own meat, we are going to a local butcher and purchasing meat from local farms near our current location.

I am working on growing some herbs or small vegetables in containers, but we are not completely able to grow our own food. Instead, we are purchasing whole vegetables from grocery stores/markets, and we are trying to be conscientious about what we are purchasing.

I am learning to waterbath can produce during this time, and I am improving my dehydrating skills.

But most importantly, I think we are trying to channel the values of a homesteader. We are focusing on creating food from scratch with wholesome ingredients. We are watching YouTube videos and reading blogs to learn about caring for land and animals. We are soaking up as much information as we can so that when we are landowners again, we will have a base to build from.

I think homesteading is more than just what you do on a plot of land, it is more about who you are, what you value, and how you go about achieving those values. These 3 aspects of homesteading are what I am choosing to focus on for now, and I will focus on the others as they come in time.

Is the new year forcing you to think of your future plans? Are you planning to make changes in your life? I would love to know about them!

Leave me a comment or contact me on social media and lets discuss what changes you plan to make in the upcoming year.

Find out about how why we chose this life, here.