Four years ago,聽, as she’s known on Instagram, did what many of us only dream of doing. She gave up her life in the city, condensed her belongings to a few essentials, and took to the road in聽a 24-foot Winnebago RV. The spark? Skydiving, which she鈥檇 recently discovered. 鈥淚 had this sense that I was living in a very limited sphere and that there was more to life than working in a big city doing the nine-to-five until you retire,鈥 Linda says.
A PhD聽neuroscientist, Linda had studied memory and Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and was working on science software for a tech company, a job she could do remotely. So, from her studio-size home on wheels, she began traveling to places best suited for her high-flying hobbies, like the deserts of Utah or the cliffs of Northern California, where she鈥檇 skydive, paraglide, BASE-jump, and rock climb in between Wi-Fi-fueled work sessions.
鈥淲hen I was a kid, I was really into reading sci-fi and I used to dream about living in a spaceship and traveling from star to star,鈥 Linda聽says. 鈥淚 think that very much influenced my desire to live in this self-contained unit and wander about.鈥
For her, embracing the open road and chasing the wind through skydiving go hand in hand. Both bring a sense of liberation and clarity. 鈥淔lying takes you into the zone, into the current flow,鈥 she says. 鈥淵our mind is clear, you鈥檙e utterly focused on the current moment, which is something that鈥檚 really hard to find in the modern world.鈥
Linda鈥檚 Tips for Life on the Road
Customize Your Soundtrack: 鈥淢y RV has a built-in sound system with Bluetooth connectivity. Podcasts make the long drives doable. I have different playlists for working mode or if it鈥檚 time to go jump.鈥
Keep What You Need; Ditch What You Don鈥檛: 鈥淕etting rid of the physical clutter of life is liberating. Traveling in an RV, there are very few things you need: a lawn chair, one good knife, quick-drying camp towels, nice bedding. Little touches鈥攍ike soft lighting, a warm blanket鈥攎ake the place feel like home.鈥
Embrace Boondocking: 鈥淚 rarely stay at campgrounds. I prefer the peace and solitude of the wild and waking up to have my own view. Do some research on where you鈥檙e going, or talk to locals or friends who鈥檝e traveled in the area for suggestions on where to camp. It requires more effort, but it鈥檚 worth it.鈥
There鈥檚 Still Plenty of Downtime: 鈥淚鈥檒l be reading and drinking tea in bed. It鈥檚 not always traveling and adventuring. It鈥檚 like hanging out in a small apartment鈥攊t just happens to have wheels.鈥
Work Along the Way: 鈥淚 started out by using cell hot spots from all the major carriers. Wi-Fi isn鈥檛 hard to find when you鈥檙e around civilization鈥攃heck coffee shops, libraries. If I鈥檓 going to be somewhere remote, I look on my carrier鈥檚 cell-reception maps to see where I can get work done.鈥
Find Your People: 鈥淗aving a support system makes all the difference. I make friends on the road and through my sporting communities and I get to see friends spread out all over the country. Now I鈥檒l park next to a friend who lives in a converted school bus and we鈥檒l be neighbors in the middle of the desert.鈥
Hit the Reset Button: 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 for a weekend or months at a time, you can experience waking up in nature with solitude. You鈥檒l realize you don鈥檛 need as much physical stuff to live happily. It鈥檚 eye-opening in a lot of ways, to be able to live in a different way than the expected lifestyle.鈥
Don鈥檛 just go on a trip, go on a Real Vacation. Go RVing has everything you need to get on the road to an RV adventure. Visit聽聽to get started and follow聽聽on Instagram for inspiration to hit the road.