A couple who were in debt paid it all off and decided to live a life without the shackles of borrowed money.
Creative video company owner, Will Watson, 31, and his wife, marketing manager Kristin, 29, sold some of their assets to pay off the $24,000 (£18,627) they owed and bought an old military van.
The couple from Jacksonville, Florida forked up $8,000 (£6,257) for the ex-military truck and renovated it to make it suitable for travel.
Going with them on their adventures was also their one-year-old child and dog, so the truck was designed to include space for them.
The husband and wife had planned to move into the van before daughter Roam was born but decided to wait until she was six months old.
Now, having been on the road for seven months, the family has travelled over 16,000 miles from the Florida Keys up the East Coast to Nova Scotia, Canada.
With winter approaching, they are now headed south to experience a colder climate during autumn.
The biggest struggle has been having to stop every few hours while on the road so that Roam can crawl around and be given something to eat.
But the set-up works for them, they say, and Roam has been a ‘dream baby’ so far.
Will explained: ‘I sold an old truck for it and we also paid down about $24,000 worth of debt before moving onboard.
‘We wanted to have the freedom to live this kind of lifestyle. We could have done it with debt but wouldn’t have felt “free” and didn’t want to be dictated what we could do or where we go.
‘Being debt-free feels amazing. When we check our bank balance now, we feel a sense of peace and security. We have even been able to save money since moving into our tiny home and we are in the best place we have ever been in our entire lives.
‘We had already met so many other families living on buses and vans with multiple kids and we thought “if they can do it, so can we”.
Though pregnancy derailed their travel plans, it didn’t put a halt to it.
Will added: ‘Not continuing with our journey was never in our minds. I was fortunate to get a lot of help from my dad so Kristin could rest during renovations.’
Letting Roam roam and be happy is their main priority.
‘On longer travel days we have to stop every few hours so Roam can crawl around and eat,’ says Will. ‘At night when we put her down to sleep, we have to be very quiet, so we don’t wake her. Other than those two things we don’t have too many difficulties.
‘Roam has grown so much since she moved on board at six months old. Back then she was hardly able to move, and now she is climbing all over the bus exploring.’
They encourage other families to try it too, even if they have a small child.
‘I know it can seem scary to take your baby places that aren’t technically baby-friendly.
‘I know it’s a hard choice to live a life with a baby that doesn’t fit the “norm”, but something we have realised in the last year is that babies are incredibly adaptable and they want to experience the same things as you.’
MORE: Family sells four-bedroom home to live in a renovated school bus and travel the country
MORE: American couple take their two dogs and travel around the world in an old school bus
MORE: George the cat becomes a star thanks to his solo adventures on buses and trains
source https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/07/couple-pay-off-all-their-debts-and-move-into-a-renovated-bus-to-travel-through-north-america-11055558/
0 Comments