By The decision to sell our house and travel around the United States didn’t come easy.
It wasn’t just something we decided to do on a whim. While you can learn more about our big adventure and the decision-making process here, it’s important to have a little more of the backstory behind it.
It took hours, days, weeks, and months of research and discussion. Figuring out where to go was the easy part. Determining how to accomplish something of this nature was, well, quite a bit different. There were so many questions to answer.
Where do we store our stuff? Do we want to pull Luca out of daycare and then figure out a return plan? Do we want to be “homeless”? What if we struggle finding a home upon our return? There were doubts. There was anxiety. And sure, with some of that stuff, there still is.
But for us, the pros greatly outweighed the cons. We know we made the right decision for our family.
With all of the questions we had to answer, and with all of the discussion and research that went into this, there was one big thing that gave us the confidence that this was the right thing to do.
The trial run.
It was the first step toward building up to something like this, our big adventure.
It was a handful of months into the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 that we started throwing around the idea. We had been working from home since March 2020 and had mostly kept to ourselves because of Adam’s prior health issues, save for some socially distanced outdoor get-togethers with family.
We were eager for a change of scenery and weren’t looking forward to a long Covid winter (living in St. Louis) with limited time both outside and with family and friends.
So we decided to temporarily relocate for a month in November 2020. We spent three weeks in Perdido Key, FL, and a week over Thanksgiving in New Orleans. For this test run, there was no Chubbs to join us to help take care of Luca. It was just me (Adam), Amanda and our little man.
The verdict? We absolutely loved it, and it helped to lay the foundation for our big adventure.
Why Perdido Key? And where the heck is that?
Similar to our thought process behind staying in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, we wanted to find somewhere warm, somewhere driveable from St. Louis and somewhere with reliable WiFi.
Perdido Key, yet another small beach town, exceeded all of our expectations. Located on the Northwest Florida Panhandle between Pensacola, FL and Gulf Shores, AL, this narrow strip of snow-white beaches and crystal blue waters was perfect for a month-long getaway.
We stayed in a gorgeous townhome overlooking the bay. It had amazing views, easy access to the bay, and was equipped with everything we needed to feel at home for an extended stay. Plus, the beach and restaurants were just a short 5-10 minute drive away. Added bonus: John is an amazing host and was responsive to any questions we had.
Did I mention that the weather was perfect too?
We spent the first week in Perdido Key on vacation. We hit up the beach daily, having it almost to ourselves most days. We gorged on seafood (special shout-out to The Deep Blue Seafood Truck).
We kayaked, we biked, we drank wine or coffee on the balconies depending on the time of day. After being cooped up at home for eight months, this was just what the doctor ordered. Especially with a toddler!
We worked the next two weeks, but listening to the sound of the ocean or working from the balcony sure beat bundling up or being stuck inside at home.
After a wonderful three weeks in Perdido Key, we drove three hours West to New Orleans, where we stayed for a week over Thanksgiving.
We found a cute shotgun-style duplex in the Garden District hosted by an incredible couple, Iwona and Kirk. They even shared a slice of homemade pie with us on Thanksgiving.
While it didn’t offer the soothing sounds of the ocean, we enjoyed the stay for a multitude of reasons. We loved our daily strolls around the neighborhood to soak in the unique architectural styles of New Orleans. The Southern food down there, especially the crawfish, was a delight. And the Cajun Thanksgiving meal we picked up from Copeland’s was the best Thanksgiving meal I’ve ever had, and that’s saying something considering Turkey Day is my favorite holiday.
We walked around the French Quarter, took advantage of the warm weather by running around some of the local parks, and of course we had more than our fair share of beignets.
All in all, the four weeks we were gone were incredible. We certainly missed our families, but we were missing them anyway during the pandemic since it was pre-vaccine. Outside of that, we didn’t feel homesick. We weren’t ready to come home after the four weeks!
When we eventually came to our final decision earlier in 2021 that we were going to sell our house and travel, our trial run often came up in the conversations.
We had spent an extended period of time away from home and loved it. We had figured out how to prepare and pack for a month-long trip. We learned what we could get away with not packing, and on the flip side, what we needed for any future relocation. We adapted to new and different work environments while still obviously having Luca around 24/7.
We did it once. We knew we could do it again. We wanted to do it again. And so we’ve made it happen on a grander scale. We sold our house so that we could travel, and we’re not looking back.
The widespread adoption of remote work by more and more companies during the pandemic (and beyond) has lent itself to this new lifestyle. The idea of the nomad life or the workcation or whatever you want to call it is becoming more of a trend.
We’re on board. You can do it too. But before you do, give it a trial run. Happy travels!
Away From Home Adventures 