We meet a lot of folks here at the ranch. They’re all on vacation, like our friends Lisa and Sean who visited us for July 4th festivities.

Lisa and Sean are former fulltimers who followed their hearts and left a place they hated living. They hit the road and for 18 months investigated towns where they might want to raise their kids, Ian and Caitlin.

Today, they are happily living in Fort Collins, secure in knowing that they made their relocation decision based on their heart’s desires, not because of money, or a job, or any other reason.

Like Lisa and Sean, Jim and I are also secure knowing that we are in our own happy place.

Right now, it’s being here at the ranch, working six days a week for good pay and awesome bonuses like free rent, and of course, fun co-workers.

Some days kick our asses more than others, but in September we’ll go to a new happy place, when we hit the road for more adventure.

Find the Fun, Crankypants

Each day while we’re here, we have the opportunity to interact with guests.

Oftentimes, they’ll ask Jim and I about our lifestyle, like the conservative, 50-something year-old vacationer who asked Jim what we were doing here.

Jim said that we enjoy coming back to the ranch each summer; not necessarily for the big bucks (hah!), but because it’s fun.

The vacationer looked at Jim and grumbled, “I wish I was at a point in my life where I could just go do something for fun.”

Jim wanted to say “So what’s stopping you?” but the expressionless appearance on the crankster’s face showed he had no desire to carry on the conversation. Maybe some day he’ll figure out that “fun” isn’t something you wait for. You have to go balls-out if you really want it.

Uncertainty is Half the Run 

Our days here are long, and we’re working six days a week which leaves little time for our regular business activities.

In fact, last time we worked here for an entire season, our online pursuits like Tripawds and Team Agreda were still in the infancy stages, and we had a lot more time to take in the beauty of the surrounding San Juan Mountains while spending our last few precious months with our Jerry.

Things are so different now. We really had no idea how many hours we devote to our own businesses, until we began punching a clock.

With just two hours or so left at the end of each long workday to check email, handle orders, manage our communities and write, our business “To-Dos” are being put on the back burner until our job here is done in September.

For a few weeks, losing my regular routine made me crazy. I felt terribly unorganized and was beating myself up for not staying caught up with my normal obligations.

One good mental melt-down was all I needed to remind myself that this spectacular place is where we were meant to be right now. Change is good, the unexpected is to be welcomed.

I also reminded myself that in no time at all, we’ll leave this routine behind, and get back on the road to our next great uncertain adventure.

 

Are your fears of turning into a broke, destitute toothless hobo preventing you from living your full-time travel dream?

You’re not alone. Most people will cite money concerns as the number one reason for not packing their bags.  Many are under the wrong impression that it takes a hefty trust fund to support the kind of roaming that Jim and I like to do, but we’re here to tell you that just isn’t the case.

With a little creativity and industriousness, you can support your road trip dream no matter where you are in life. From family units to solo travelers, you can find a way to finance your travel dreams now, before you’re too old to enjoy this adventurous lifestyle.

“Wanderly Presents: How to Make a Living on the Road“

One of the best places to begin is with this awesome article by our friend Nathan Swartz from Wanderly Magazine, a monthly online publication that gives the lowdown on permanent road tripping.

In this beautifully written epic article, you’ll read about individuals like Jim and I who have found ways to support ourselves while living the vagabondish lifestyle. Nathan will take you on a guided tour of how to find the best ways to support yourself while traveling and what kind of money to expect based on your chosen path.

As a full-time traveler with children and insanely talented graphic designer, Nathan knows the ins and outs of income generation on the road. This seasoned hobo has been seeing different parts of the country for years now, and his blog was our inspiration for really getting to know West Texas.

I know you’ll love his writing, so grab a tasty beverage and kick back for 30 minutes while you dive into the secrets of supporting your road tripping lifestyle.

 

This post is in response to the question Stephanie asked when launching the Life On Wheels Blog Carnival…

“Are you interested in reading and seeing what a fulltime travelers typical daily life looks like?”

We full-timers don’t exactly lead “typical” lives so it should be interesting to read everybody’s posts. And for us, it is a rare event if any two days are ever the same. So below I present two different scenarios based on the average days we might enjoy depending upon whether we are on the road, or workamping at the time — like we are currently doing again for the fine folks at Vickers Ranch.

Fulltime RVing: Our “Typical” Day in the Life

Wake up and try to remember exactly where it is you are.

Realize you’re boondocking in a truck stop so take short shower to conserve water.

Walk and feed the beast Wyatt.

Check on our websites.

Process orders for helpful dog gear, and our handcrafted dog themed jewelry.

Ask navigator where we’re headed today.

Drive.

Discover some interesting roadside attraction nearby and take unexpected detour.

Moderate the Tripawds Discussion Forums.

Respond to inquiry about how we support our RV lifestyle.

Drive.

Discover the local price of diesel.

Drive.

Try to find a free place to camp for the night.

Resort to finding a cheap RV park.

Educate potential new partner about the best profit sharing business model we have found.

Welcome new Tripawds bloggers to the largest online community for three legged dogs and their people.

Research helpful home based business tips to share on our Team Agreda Facebook page.

Try to fall asleep with neighbor’s exterior RV light glaring in our window.

Workamping: Our Not So “Typical” Day on the Job

Wake up stiff and sore from previous day’s manual labor.

Let Wyatt run free through horse pasture.

Check in on our discussion forums and websites.

Thank customer who downloaded our home based business e-book.

See if “Old Blue” the work Jeep we are loaned will start again.

Make quick round of guest cabins to check for trash cans attacked by bears.

Grab any freebies guests leave behind – the perks they don’t tell you about in Workamper News!

Check in at office to discover all the projects on the to do list.

Make multiple runs to upper ranch with dump truck full of debris from blown down trees.

Round up a few donkeys who escaped the pasture.

Wonder what impact the water shortage will have on this year’s hay season.

Enjoy lunch under the Cotton Woods.

Coach new business builder on our company’s products and compensation plan.

Paint a 70 year old log cabin.

Replace toilet that cracked when another cabin sank over the winter.

Look forward to fishing in the lakes again.

Dig up Daisies from rocky ground to transplant near rec hall.

Enjoy a laugh with a great boss who brings the beer at the end of a hard day.

Have dinner outside with deer wandering about.

Dump long overdue images from our camera and update the Tripawds Three Legged Dog Galleries and LiveWorkDream Road Trip Photos.

Wish we had a bit more time to write about all our adventures.

Fall asleep remembering why we don’t want to be resort owners.

Share Your Typical Day in The Life!

Leave a brief comment describing your typical day on the road, or join the Life On Wheels Blog Carnival to share how your life is not so typical.

Have you heard of Road Rebelles Radio?

Rene and I recently had the pleasure of being guests on this BlogTalkRadio show hosted by Kimberly and Margie from FullTime Families. These young ladies are a hoot! We had such a fun time on their show we wanted to share the podcast with our readers. Listen to the show below or click the iTunes button to download the podcast for listening offline.

Rene and I join the discussion at about ten minutes into the show, but the hour flies by! We share tips for making a living online, ranging from our various workamping experiences and the websites we manage to how we are helping others start and grow their own product marketing business.

The information we discuss for staying debt free and supporting our RV lifestyle can be found in our home based business e-book Income Anywhere! We even provided a free copy to one lucky winner during the show. You can get your own coupon code to download this resource packed 58-page PDF for less than the cost of a grande mocha, simply by sharing this link to our book.

After just a few too-short weeks back at Jerry’s Acres, we’ve hit the road again for our fourth season as snowbirds.

Personally, I think that qualifies us as full-timers still. I know plenty of RVers who spend more time stationary at the same park. Our park just happens to have a sweet clubhouse, free camping, and a few Moose – who will be happy to see us gone. But I digress…

Winterizing the house in the middle of May did seem a bit odd, but now we are prepared to be gone for the year. We’ll be spending the summer with the Vickers in Lake City again where I’ll take on the ranch hand role until hay season when I’ll be running around the fields again. René will likely be helping out with hospitality duties and breakfast horse rides.

Come autumn, we have plans to head East where we’ll be speaking at the Greyhounds  Rock canine cancer conference. Then we will likely make a B-line for West Texas again until things thaw out up in the mountains.

Currently, we are boondocking for free at about 10,000′ in the woods outside Leadville, CO near Turquoise Lake, which looks alarmingly low. You can always find out where we are by checking our Maps page. To see where the 6,000 miles we put on the truck and trailer took us last season, see our map below from “snowbird” season #3.

Snowbird Season 3

Red Feather Lakes, CO and Back via Big Bend, TX (10/17/11 – 04/10/12)

View Snowbird Season 3 (2011-2012) in a larger map

Want to know how we support our mobile lifestyle? Contact us for complete details about the best home based business we have found that allows us to work from anywhere.