Each week, I’ll update you regarding my one year trip. I’ve decided to leave everything behind me and spend real time with the people that matter the most in my life: my wife and three children. This is my story, I hope it will inspire you to write yours.
Date: from June 11th to June 16th
Miles on the road so far: 1057
States/Province we have traveled through: Quebec, Ontario, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana.
It hasn’t been tough to hit nearly a thousand miles in 5 days as we went from Granby, Qc to Grand Rapids, Ohio in a very short period of time. I’m currently writing these lines after a great evening in a small vineyard with amazing host… but that’s for the end of this article. Let’s start with the beginning of my journey!
Majestic Oak Vineyard
Day#1 Leaving is the hardest step
The hardest thing to do when you want to achieve something big is to take the first step. In my case, this first step was the official departure. Funny enough, I had a hard time closing the door of my house and lock it for good. I didn’t see it coming, but it was a very tough morning. The night before, we had an “open house” with family, friends and about 40 children who were all friends of ours. It was a big party, we had fun, I was ready to leave.
The next morning was much harder. No more music, no laughter, simply the sound of my family packing up the last pieces of our trip into Freefall, our motorhome. We started the trip by having breakfast with close family. Here again, it was pretty hard to leave everybody behind. My advice on that: leave as fast as you can. There is no point in waiting forever before leaving, it just hurts everyone.
It was hard for everybody that morning. The idea is not to leave my house, but rather confirm that I’m jumping off into the deep end and hoping it was a good idea. A crazy one indeed. But when you are about to leave your comfort zone for good; you start to second guess your decision. Will I be happy? Will my kids be happy?
Our First Encounter – An Amazing Success!
We arrived in Ottawa towards the end of the day. We were welcomed by another family who’s leaving in a month from now with a similar project. In fact, we might get together somewhere in Central America.
It was kind of awkward to have supper with people we only had Facebook discussions with! But it truly felt like we had been friends for the past 20 years. I guess this is because we met while we are exactly in the same place in life. Both families are ready to leave everything they have for the unknown. We both are unsure of what is coming to us, but we are ready to take the leap of faith in order to live an extraordinary life. We entered their house with an open mind and they were very welcoming. Yann & Natasha became true friends within minutes. This was a flabbergasting experience and we finished our first day around 1am in the morning. That’s a great start!
Day #2-3 A Different Side of Ottawa
We had been to Ottawa last year during our RV “training session”. This is why we skipped the classic ByWard Market, Parliament and the Canal Rideau. We concentrated our time in museums this time. I must admit, I really like Ottawa. As Canada’s capital, everything is clean and museums are fairly accessible! It is also pretty easy to navigate through the city with my big fat 25ft long motorhome (and you need to add another good 5ft for the bicycle rack!). Ottawa is not a big city, about 900,000 people. It was good practice for me to drive through the city streets without being worried too much. Since there are lots of tourists, citizens are usually very respectful and they are not in a hurry (after all, 50% of them work for the Government! hahaha!).
We went to see the museum of War, by far my favorite. I was eager to learn more about the first and second world wars (these major events weren’t taught at my school !?!?!). I now understand a lot better why soldiers register and go to war and I was feeling very proud that Canadians helped during those two wars. Surprisingly, we stayed almost 3 hours (that’s quite a feat considering we have a 4 year old kid running all over the place!).
A Soldier @ War Museum
We also visited the Museum of History to see their special exhibit about the Canadian Gold Rush. It was particularly interesting since we will visit a part of British Columbia where it all started. We finished our day at the home of my wife’s old friend. They had us over for dinner and we had lots of fun. It was a little bit more relaxed since they have young kids. We then hit a private parking lot to sleep nearby. Around midnight, we hear a big loud scream “where the Fword are YA!!!…. Huh… not cool! My heart started beating like crazy. The man screams again “Ah I Fword (again!) found you!”… is he talking to us? Yikes… I’m not sure I want to find out. I now got ready to get out of the RV if anything came about, but I silently prayed that he’s just not talking to us. Good news! There is another voice answering his brutal call. Everything seems to fall back to normal and we don’t hear them again. I guess I’ll have to get use to this!
Then, the next morning, we spent half of the day to the Museum of Nature. Then again, amazing set up in a castle-like building. This museum is huge and it is quite perfect for kids (they have plenty of stations to try different things).
Museum of Nature
We were supposed to meet with another family that day but, they called it off since two of their kids had fever. To be honest, it was such a busy weekend we didn’t mind hitting the road and sleep at our first Wal-Mart instead! I was happily surprised to see how comfortable and quiet a Wal-Mart parking lots could be. I guess it will not always be the same, but this time, we had a blast!
Day #4 & 5 Niagara Falls
The next morning, we hit the road again to reach Niagara Falls. We are still learning our new routines in the RV and I must admit that we are not the fastest. So far, nights and mornings are not properly handled leaving us with very little time to work on our computers at night (at least, this is because we spend lots of time speaking with our children and have them going to bed late) and we seem not being able to leave with our RV before 10am (the main reason is because we sleep-in each day since we are tired ;-).
We stopped at Niagara-on-the-lake and a part of me just wanted to go around the vineyards. Unfortunately, I’m not alone in this trip and visiting vineyards this soon (while we will be doing it in Okanagan and Napa Valleys later on) couldn’t be part of our trip at the moment. Instead, we stopped by the lake to eat. It was fun to seek kids playing around the lake and I was particularly amused by the fact that an old lady didn’t seem to appreciate my 4 year old throwing rocks in the lake. She thought he would eventually hit a bird. As if my 4 year old kid could throw a deadly fastball at the ducks! It was funny as Caleb didn’t understand a word the lady was saying. It was a great time!
Then, we went to see Niagara Falls. I was impressed by the amount of water and its power. The falls creates perpetual fumes of water as it falls very fast. We had a nice time just admiring the waterfalls along with a good Mr. Freeze :-). After an incredibly busy weekend of 4 days, we decided to hit a camping and relax for two nights. I think it’s important also to not always be on the road and also to make stops like this. It gave me my first opportunity to get some good hours of work into my online website. I’m starting to fall a little bit behind, especially compared to the past 6 months where I worked almost every night. I’m slowly getting used to this new way of living and I’m starting to feel that I will have more time on my own to work. After two nights at the camping, it was time to hit the road again…
Day #6 Sleeping in a Vineyard
The beginning of our trip is particularly demanding as we need to do lots of miles to get to the State Parks (Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Grand Tetons and Yellowstone). I don’t expect to drive every day for the rest of my trip, but my first week has been very busy (1057 miles driven already!). This is how we started day #6 with a 5-6 hours drive towards Chicago. We crossed the boarder at Buffalo with the nicest custom agent on earth :-). I guess entering Honduras will be less fun! Then, it was just a matter of driving and driving and… filling my gas tank! It’s incredible how it cost me $105 Canadian dollar but only $61 USD to fill my tank (go figure!).
After a very long day on the road, we reached a small, but very welcoming vineyard (Majestic Oak). You can see where we slept on the picture at the beginning of this post. When we arrived at the Vineyards, we could buy tacos and listen to live guitar players/singers. We took a bottle of white wine, ordered tacos and nachos and just chilled after the long day. Sleeping in the vineyard was an amazing experience. It was quiet and peaceful. I just loved it! As much as I enjoyed my first stay in a Wal-Mart, I will definitely look forward more vineyards 😉
The next morning, it will be another big day on the road…. To Chicago!!!!
Enjoy this great time with your family.
Bon voyage et soyez prudent.
Merci beaucoup! jusqu’à maintenant, ce n’est pas trop dangereux 😉 Le meilleur est à venir! hahaha!
Mike
Wow! Awesome adventure. I hope it is everything you envision. I look forward to reading more of the trip. Good Luck !
-Brian
Thx Brian!
I should be able to make a weekly update an write about investing at the same time. I’m getting a good work setup now after a week 🙂
Hi,
Sounds like a great start. I hope the rest of your trip goes as well. Please tell me, how did you arrange to have the kids take a year off from school? Are you home schooling? How about your job, other than your work on “TheDividend Guy”? And possibly your wife’s work?
The very best to you and your family! I give you all tremendous credit for taking the plunge and truly living life. Enjoy yourselves and most importantly, enjoy each other.
Guy
Hello Guy,
Once we got out of Quebec, there are no regulations around schooling ;-). We actually advise the school and meet with a 4th and 6th grade teacher to make sure we have all the right books and programs. My wife is doing most of the homeschooling, so far, it’s going great (yup, they started school already!).
On my side, I asked for a sabbatical at work and pay for my trip with this blog (and my other online ventures). My wife used to run a daycare at home but was tired of it. She simply closed it.
Cheers,
Mike.
Wow…this is great! Our family is planning the same thing. I am going to hopefully take a sabbatical and my wife too is taking time off from daycare. We look forward to reading all your posts as we too are planning on home schooling our 9 year old. Only big difference is we gave two older kids, one in soph year of college and another will be a freshman in college. We want to stay in close touch with them so the first year we are thinking of mini trips swinging back every 4-6 weeks to spend a few days each with them.
If you come to the NW (WA state ) we would love to show you around the Columbia Gorge!
Hey Chris!
I would have love to meet you, but we have already done WA state. We are doing the East Coast on our way back :-).
Funny enough, my wife use to have a daycare as well!
Let me know if you have any questions, this is an amazing trip, you should do it too!
Best regards,
Mike
I most likely will have some…thank you!
Sounds like you are off to a great start.
I am a retired (73) investor and was fortunate to own several companies when I was younger. I never took time off to travel full time with my children, but took them many places and countries. They still tell me the time we spent traveling made a big difference in their lives and attitudes.
Good luck and safe travel.
Hello Kent,
Thx for commenting! I already notice a change in my kids after a week. My oldest son is now starting to speak more English with kids of his age (his mother tongue is French). It will be a life changing experience for me, but for them too!
Mike,
Just a short note to let you know how much I appreciate you sharing your trip. Sounds like your off to a good start. Enjoy the National Parks.
Safe travels to you and your family,
Steve
Hello Steve,
I wasn’t sure about posting such articles on The Div Guy Blog, but I noticed how you guys appreciate my articles about planning my travel so I decided to give it a shot. This sounds like a great success so far. I’ll definitely write more updates!
cheers,
Mike
Awesome idea. It’s going to be a trip to remember. Maybe you and your kids should watch the movie RV, so you can avoid their mistakes :-). Have fun!
hahaha! good one! yeah we are already making our own (I thought I had more space in my black tank… I’ll let you know what happened this morning when I flushed! hahaha!)
cheers,
Mike.
Love your reinvented blog! Great idea to take a year as a family and travel. Keep the updates coming:)
I retired at 59 and I’m kinda stuck in a rut. A nice rut but I’ve always wanted to go on an extended driving holiday. You’ve got me planning! All that saving and investing for Divi’s will come in handy:)
Thx again for your blog.
Hey!
I’m glad I’ve inspired you! this is awesome!
I actually took a note to come back to Chicago with my wife only… but that will be part of my next “on the road” update 😉
Cheers,
Mike.
Pretty sure I smiled the entire time I read that post 🙂 We just got back from a little jaunt to the beach, but I am very envious of your family’s adventure. We covered a good chunk of the area you’re now entering, on our recent roadtrip. Send me an email if you want a few ideas, along the way. Rock on!
-Bryan
Hey Bryan,
I’m sending you an email right away 😉
cheers,
Mike
All the best, enjoy your time with your family. Stay safe and looking forward to your future articles.
Hello Teddy,
I sure will, thx for stopping by!
You are really going to enjoy this trip. So many places and so much to see. Wow! Have a great time. This will be something for you and your family to remember forever!
Not sure I’d like to travel though Mexico, but hey, just be very careful.
Hey Neil!
you know what? if you walk around a big city in USA or Canada at 2am on a Tuesday night, you will get in trouble also ;-). I was surprised to see that St-Louis was 16th in the America deadliest cities countdown. I’ve spent 4 days there and I felt very safe. I guess it’s all a matter of being responsible and cautious :-).
cheers,
Mike
Great Story So Far, Ottawa is one of my favourite cities and I have been to many cities! Your journey through life is very inspirational and I have learned a lot from you, and the people you have recommended reading and following. I look forward to hearing about your financial adjustments through this “Brexit” scenario, given that you are counting on a steady income to keep you going while travelling. Have a great adventure and enjoy your family time you’ve earned it!
Hey Mike!
I will wait to see how the Brexit works out, but to be honest, since the “Greek Episode” I started to be doubtful about the Euro Zone. Too many countries with different economy and interests… not sure how it can work over the long haul.
Cheers,
Mike.
Best wishes for continued joy with your family in this new adventure. We done quite a bit of similar travel and our children always speak of it as one of their most joyous times. I am writing this from Mexico where we have retired some 15 years ago. We live in San Miguel de Allende, in Guanajuato State.
Please keep in touch and we will look to rendezvous when you reach Mexico.
Buen viaje ! Barry.
Hello Barry,
wow! that’s amazing! I’m sending you an email right away 🙂
cheers,
Mike
Mike, what an adventure. Yes you will love the wineries. I live in the okanagan and its really a paradise. I moved from the hustle and bustle of Toronto and will not go back.
Have a safe journey, and enjoy
Hello David,
I have family in the Okanagan Valley and it is definitely one of most beautiful place I’ve seen in my life!
let me know if you want to meet when we will be there (around mid-july)
cheers,
Mike.
Great to read that trip started well for you! Best of luck and safe travels! Looking forward to your next post.
Hello FerdS!
Thx for your comment, I’m enjoying every moment of it!
Cheers,
Mike.
Looking forward to sharing your journey – what a great idea! Let us know the high roads and the low roads…what you learn about your kids, your wife, or yourself…and what experiences changed you.
Hey Workinggirl!
I will definitely share that with you ;-). Travelling is not like taking vacation, it’s far from being perfect. But what we learn from it is amazing!
Cheers,
Mike
Mike, I was struck by your vineyard experience, … in backpack days (now age 73 ) on 78 int’l bike trips I used to seek out vineyards to sleep between the rows in Europe, mostly for the economy and camouflage they provided. Also agree with your very + comments on Ottawa. In the last week or so the Trump and Brexit fears seem somehow lessened,…fortunately, … both would have massive negative effects on markets.
Hello Gary,
I can’t wait to go back in another vineyard 🙂 hehehe! I loved my first experience!
cheers,
Mike
Good one.
Love your blog, hope to see your RV when you come through the Okanagan.
Hello Gary!
I’ll be there around mid-July 🙂
Cheers,
Mike
I love the fact you are actually making the trip happen! Wish I had done something similar when my kids were growing up. Grab that Golden Ring with all the gusto you can muster. Anxiously awaiting your next post.