Escapees July-August 2024

camping chair chat

Paving Your Own Path

buying a brand-new fi fth wheel instead of renovating an old? So I asked him to clarify “who”? Who is it that you don’t you want to think you’re immature? He went quiet for a moment, then responded with “society.” This really got me thinking. Whose expectations do we try to live up to? Do we make our choices based upon what we think others will approve of? And if there is a particular person we’re trying to in fl uence with our choice, the next question would be why? Do we have to agree with everything everyone else does? Probably not, so why give anyone else the power over us? There is so much freedom in breaking the habit of doing things that fi t into a certain group or lifestyle. Even if it’s as simple as being the only RV at a “Van Life” event, there’s power in being vulnerable and different. The point of being a nomad is to be free, so why not live life how you want to live it? Be a nomad if you want to be. Be the person you want to be and don't apologize for being yourself. It’s in those moments that you realize there really are no rules to how to do this life. Your decision might not resonate with everyone, and that’s okay. We can’t control how other people will react, all we can aim to do is control our own response. Kelley Welch #173565

RV life, Van life, full-time travel, part-time travel, social media travel in fl uencers, digital nomads, travel by choice, travel by necessi ty. There are so many ways to live nomad ically these days, it can be easy to get lost in the labels that de fi ne the community. I recently met up with a friend who is brand new to life on the road. I have been travel ing in my RV full-time for over three years now, and I'm always interested in other perspectives, so I asked him “What are your fears?” The response surprised me, but it was not an uncommon thing to hear. I assumed the response would be something related to fi nding campgrounds, cell phone service, dumping tanks or one of the many inevitable obstacles one may face on the road. Instead, he expressed worries about what people would think. Would they think his choices were immature? Would they think he was sel fi sh for being so far from family? Would they judge him for

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July/August 2024 ESCAPEES Magazine