Note from Caleb: My wife Jen wrote this post. Today coincides with the launch of the new site she is using to chronicle our travels on BecauseWeWantedTo.com. Take it away Jen!
One of the first things that Caleb and I talked about when we met was our desire to travel. We showed each other the photo albums we had put together of our individual international trips, reminisced about the places we had been, and dreamed of seeing more. As our relationship began to develop, traveling together was always a goal.
Why Are We Leaving a Comfortable Life Behind To Travel?
Now, here we are two months after our wedding making our way across the country. Why now and why at all?
- Well, we have always wanted to see the US. He and I have done our fair share of traveling, but Caleb’s new career move has made it possible for us to be mobile more than just two weeks a year.
- We have tons of friends and family spread out all over the country so we thought it would be awesome to spend the fall visiting them and seeing things on the way.
- We’re young and able to rough it, we don’t have kids and there are no puppies on the horizon (although I think I’m wearing him down on that one).
I am also just getting started on my photography portfolio and what better way to get some practice taking photos than with family and friends?
Note from Caleb: While this journey will not be by foot (like Nate Damm walking across America), I still consider the journey to be one of the most epic things I have ever attempted to do. Why would I label this trip epic?
- I have always done what was “safe” and quitting my day job was not a “safe” move.
- Jen and I have been talking about doing this since the first time we ever met.
- We are huge planners and we haven’t booked any accommodations.
- We will get to see a lot of people that flew out to the Northwest for our wedding.
- We will most likely take approximately 10,000 pictures. Give or take 1,000.
Where Are We Going?
We are going all over the United States. Not just down one coast, to a National Park, or to Disney Land. We’re talking 9,000+ miles behind the wheel of our Toyota Camry (which we’ve named “The Bruce”).
We both love the outdoors, so we are going to major “must see” places such as the Grand Canyon. We also both love exploring new cities, finding the great places to eat, and spending time visiting the museums and historical sites. This combination has us traveling all over the lower 48 states.
There are sure to be places that we will randomly decide to go to, a few of these dates are behind us, and our return route from Michigan to Arizona/California is currently up in the air, but here is the current schedule.
- Seattle - 9.17
- Portland - 9.18
- San Diego - 9.19 to 9.23
- Las Vegas - 9.24
- Zion National Park - 9.24
- Bryce Canyon National Park - 9.25
- Arches National Park - 9.26
- Monument National Park - 9.26
- Boulder/Denver - 9.27
- Omaha - 9.28
- Chicago - 9.29 to 10.14
- East Lansing/Detroit - 10.14 to 10.23
- Niagara Falls - 10.24
- Boston - 10.25 to 11.2
- New York City - 11.3 to 11.6
- Philadelphia - 11.7 to 11.11
- Washington DC/Baltimore - 11.12 to 11.17
- Petoskey, MI - 11.20 to 11.28
- Drive Westward to Arizona - 11.29 to 12.6
- Phoenix, Tempe, Flagstaff, & Tucson - 12.7 to 12.16
- San Diego - 12.17
ALL dates are subject to change 
We’d love to head international for three or four months starting in 2012, but we’ll make that decision later.
How Is This Possible?
We are able to go on this road trip for a number of reasons:
- We both live frugal lives and within our means.
- We saved up enough of a cushion for a “restart fund” if we need it in 3 months.
- Caleb can work from anywhere that there is Internet with his new job.
- We took the fear and uncertainty that comes with “quitting your job to travel” and used it to motivate us, rather than scare us to death.
Whatever is stopping you from doing what you know you should be doing isn’t as scary as you are making it.
Help Us Decide Where Else to Go
Where should we go that is missing from our list or do you have any recommendations for places to see in any of the places we are visiting? We’d love suggestions of great places to eat, explore, or stay.
(I’ll be writing about our travels on Because We Wanted To if you’d like to follow along and you can see pictures from the trip on my Flickr account.)
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I liked #3 the best - “We are huge planners and we haven’t booked any accommodations.” I’m also a planner, so that definitely jumped out at me for the makings of an epic adventure!
When you’re down in the DC area, consider checking out Charlottesville, VA. If you haven’t been, it’s a neat little city with some fantastic restaurants and great wineries just outside it, too.
It has been a nice change just to be able to do whatever we want day to day on the trip so far. If we are sick of driving we just stop for the night. If we want to explore somewhere more, we just stay longer.
Thanks for the recommendation of Charlottesville. We might need to add it to the list!
Great fun!
I’m surprised that Yellowstone didn’t make the list but you don’t have time for everything! I would recommend a swing through Kansas City on that return trip. A great “Little City” and there are several great Jazz clubs and if you come through after Thanksgiving they light up The Country Club Plaza in a most beautiful way.
I’ve been to all but 3 states myself but never did a trip of this magnitude. When my daughter is a bit older we are planning to do an RV tour for a full year so I look forward to hearing about any “must see” spots you come up with.
I look forward to your updates!
Hey Kathy,
I’ve been to Yellowstone before and I would love to go back, but there are only so many places to fit into 3 months!
We’d thought about stopping in Kansas City on the way back, but now we might have to. Thanks for the advice!
Must see so far would definitely be the 4 National Parks, especially Bryce Canyon.
I agree that Kansas City is a great little city. Stop on your way. The drive is not bad now that they reopened the highway. Also, I would love to say hi to you two in Omaha. There’s not much around here, but you have to check out The Old Market.
That’s two votes for K.C.! And it turns out we actually have some extended family there, so we may crash there for a night or two on the way back west.
As for Omaha, we are there now. Last night we went to a restaurant downtown called “Dixie Quicks” that my wife saw on “Diners, Drive Ins & Dives”. It was great!
Congrats, you two - I’m sure you’re going to have a blast!!!
Obviously, I’ve got to put in a vote for a stop in Madison, WI, but sounds like you’ve got a pretty fantastic itinerary laid out. Can’t wait to see pics!
We might head up to Madison & Milwaukee either while we are in Chicago or if we loop around through WI on the return trip. I will let you know if we do!
I hope both of you have the time of your lives - your good choices (financial and otherwise) have made this possible, and you deserve to do shake things up a little. I’ll admit I’m a little jealous, but jealousy gives me the drive to keep working for similar goals in my own life.
Congratulations!
Thanks Andrea! This was definitely a plan that we put together over many months and wasn’t too spontaneous. We wanted this for a long time and that is what drove us to keep working hard towards our goal.
I love that you are big planners but haven’t booked out any accommodation - although you have plotted out all the distances on the map which looks hilarious and exciting to me. You will love it. The freedom of not having stuff, being on a road trip, discovering your country and spending time with family and friends will be awesome.
Here’s to your journey!
Haha, good point. The roadmap and dates of what cities we are staying in was done more for the people we will be staying with than for ourselves. And the exact dates will most definitely move around as we find new places to check out.