A Travelers Mindset Requires an Appreciation for the Present

Living in a motorhome for an extended period is exhilarating - if you let it be. 

• Every day there exists the opportunity for a new adventure. 
• Possibilities are endless.
• Nobody sets expectations for who you should be or what you should do.
• Opportunities to make new friends are around every corner.
• You control which path to travel.
• Knowledge is outside your door.

When Randy and I retired, our goal was to travel. Every winter for the last four years we have gone south to escape the cold of Idaho. We began our explorations with a plan in mind, to visit my brother in Palm Springs. When the time came to go home to Idaho, we headed to Arizona. That is the result of having a travelers' mindset; on a whim we follow the path of least resistance. So at that moment, we called Arizona home for a while. 

The longer we stayed in the desert the more we began to appreciate its beauty. We discovered a 55+ resort communities where instant friends invited us for drinks, and we learned new games. When the time came to leave we exchanged phone numbers and instead of saying goodbye agreed to reunite in the future. 

It is easy to return to a familiar place but unsettling to venture out with limited knowledge. However, the excitement of the unknown can be alluring. Currently with apprehension we are exploring new territory as we travel from Idaho to Maine. Consciously choosing our path to visit new territories and experience new adventures but allowing for the wind to change our direction. 

The more we travel, we understand the need to accept where we are instead of wishing where we could be. For instance, the first night of our trip we parked at a golf course that offered RVers a place to park for free. That evening instead of sitting on the couch watching golf on TV, we relaxed near the 18th green and watched the players putting and laughing. When we went to bed the quiet made us feel like we owned the course. I admit, I never expected to be spending the night in our motorhome at a golf course!

We try to spend nights places that offers new experiences. Once we stayed at an Alpaca farm where we toured the grounds and learned about the operations. It was the first morning I have literally been awaken by the crow of a rooster. 

Another evening we stayed in the parking lot of a museum and visited the establishment in the morning. We were the first to arrive, ate lunch in the motorhome, and after returning to the museum were the first to leave. If we hadn't taken the strange invitation to park next to the building more time would have been wasted driving than exploring. 

When we entered the gates of Pioneer Village we thought we were visiting a museum for a couple hours. Instead our senses were overcome with images of past decades and some memories transported us to our own past. As we explored the artifacts that documented the technological improvement of since the 1800's, I noticed a pocket watch like the one my mother cherished that her grandfather had handed down to her. When I saw the 1959 Plymouth like the one my grandmother drove, my heart skipped a beat. And the simple white porcelain coffee pot with the blue flower took me back momentarily to the family kitchen. 

When Heritage Wine Cellars offered us space to park and some wine samples, we opted to stay the night there. That is when I made two new discoveries, they make fuzzy peach wine and I like it. We walked to the green pasture behind the winery after dinner and drank the remainder of our the bottle of fuzzy peach wine. When walking the dogs that evening, we also discovered a cemetery behind the trees with fascinating tombstones from the 1700 and 1800s.

East North, Pennsylvania - Heritage Wine Cellars

Our mindset differs from that of most travelers on vacation. Think of your last trip. You knew where you were going, what you were going to see, how long you would stay and when you would return. You drove to the destination, visited the attraction, left when the event ended, and drove home. 

We left home three weeks ago with the plan to end up in Maine and be back home within three months and before the snowfall. I asked enough questions and researched areas to know a general direction and increased my awareness of attractions along the way, but that is where the planning stopped. With an open mind and an adventurous attitude we let the journey direct our path.

With the conditioning of the mind of the 21st Century, it is easy to hurry through life only seeing what the advertisements tell us to look for. When traveling, change your mindset. Slow down and let the road guide you without the demands of where you should go, stop, or what you should see. Simply open you mind and your eyes to what is in front of you instead of always anticipating the final destination.

If you wish to know where we end up each day during our journey, follow us on RVing in Retirement on Facebook - subscribe to our stories on Vocal Media - or join our blog on Medium, RVing in Retirement.