The Financial Decisions That Made Our Full-Time Travel Life Possible

When people hear that we travel full-time as a family, we get a lot of reactions — wonder, excitement, curiosity, and often, confusion.

“How do you afford that?” is probably the most common question we hear.

The truth is, this life didn’t just happen by chance or luck. It has been the result of thirteen years of intentional decisions — many of which go against the grain of what society tells us we should do.

In this post, we want to share the financial decisions that helped pave the way for our life on the road. Not because we think everyone should follow exactly in our footsteps, but because we hope it might spark ideas, challenge assumptions, and offer encouragement to anyone dreaming of a life that feels a little (or a lot) different.

1️⃣ Breaking the Mold from the Beginning: We Eloped

One of the first unconventional decisions we made as a couple was to elope.

While many friends were planning $20,000–$50,000 weddings, we knew deep down that wasn’t for us. We wanted something intimate, meaningful, and most importantly — something that didn’t leave us financially drained as we started our life together.

Choosing to elope set the tone for how we would approach money and life in the years to come.

It taught us early on that we didn’t have to follow the script — and that in fact, breaking away from societal expectations could be one of the most freeing choices we’d ever make.

That decision gave us our first big “yes” toward our dreams: we started our marriage without debt, without stress over paying off a big event, and with a mindset focused on what mattered most to us, not just what looked good on Instagram or made relatives happy.

2️⃣ Thrift Store Finds: Dressing Well Without Draining Funds

The next major shift came in our approach to everyday spending. We started shopping for clothes at thrift stores and secondhand shops — not just occasionally, but as a lifestyle.

Not only did this allow us to build savings, but it also rewired how we saw value. We realized it’s not about having the newest or trendiest, but about having what works — and often, what works comes at a fraction of the price when you buy secondhand.

For growing kids, this has been especially crucial. With two boys who seem to sprout overnight, we’d go broke trying to keep them in brand-new gear. Thrift stores became our secret weapon, letting us outfit the family for a fraction of what many spend — freeing up money for things that matter more to us, like fuel for adventures or investing in our business.

3️⃣ Skipping the “Big” Vacations

Here’s a hot take: the average family vacation is a budget sinkhole.

A single trip to Disneyland can cost the same as three or more months of fuel for our full-time travels.

We realized early on that we didn’t need — or even want — these expensive, packaged experiences. Instead, we wanted the slow, intentional exploration that came with life on the road: chasing sunsets, hiking trails, finding hidden gems, and letting our kids learn through experience.

This wasn’t just a budget choice; it was a lifestyle choice.

We started asking ourselves, “Do we want a one-week highlight reel, or do we want a life filled with small, daily moments of adventure?” For us, the answer was clear.

4️⃣ Investing in a Marketable Skill

This was probably the biggest single step that allowed us to turn a dream into a sustainable lifestyle.

For us, that skill was photography and media production. We spent years learning, practicing, and refining — not just because we wanted to make money, but because we genuinely loved it.

The key takeaway here is find something you enjoy that can be done remotely.

We’ve met countless other full-time travelers who’ve cracked the same code in completely different ways: web designers, freelance writers, consultants, artists, tradespeople, remote customer service agents, digital marketers.

The list is endless — but the underlying principle is the same. If you can detach your income from your physical location, you unlock an entirely new level of freedom.

5️⃣ Grocery Smarts: Discount Stores Are Gold

Food is one of the most constant (and often underestimated) expenses in life on the road.

With two growing boys, our grocery bill could easily spiral out of control — but we learned to shop smart.

Stores like Grocery Outlet and Winco have been lifesavers. They carry many of the same high-quality products you’d find at premium chains, but often at half the cost.

We also learned to shift our habits:

• Cooking simple, hearty meals.

• Buying in bulk when possible.

• Skipping convenience foods in favor of staples.

These strategies stretch our budget and also help us stay grounded. Food becomes less about indulgence and more about nourishment — fuel for the body and fuel for the journey.

6️⃣ The Power of Community and Networking

There’s an old saying: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

We’ve seen this play out time and time again.

Building a close group of supportive friends and professional contacts has been one of the most valuable parts of our journey.

Whether it’s collaborating on vehicle builds, brainstorming business ideas, swapping knowledge, or just offering encouragement on the hard days — community is everything.

Networking isn’t about using people. It’s about showing up, offering value, and building genuine connections. Some of our biggest opportunities have come not from cold outreach, but from relationships we’ve nurtured over time.

7️⃣ Embracing Discomfort and Protecting What Matters Most

Here’s the part that often gets left out in the social media highlight reels:

This lifestyle comes with sacrifice.

We’ve said no to comforts, no to stability, no to predictability.

But here’s something important: we’ve never said no to time with our kids.

This journey has taken thirteen years — not because we couldn’t have fast-tracked it, but because we were unwilling to sacrifice what matters most: being present and intentional parents.

Our boys are the driving force behind why we chose this unconventional path. We wanted them to grow up seeing the world, learning through experience, and knowing firsthand what it means to chase dreams, face challenges, and live with purpose.

For us, there was no room for sacrifice when it came to family. If that meant the road was slower, so be it. We chose to let our boys be part of the journey, not something we “paused” or sidelined to make progress.

Final Thoughts: Freedom Comes from Intentional Choices

If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that freedom isn’t free — but it’s not always bought with money, either.

Freedom comes from intentional choices. From deciding what matters most to you, and then aligning your life (and yes, your finances) around that.

For us, it meant eloping, shopping secondhand, skipping the big vacations, building a skill we could take on the road, being smart about food costs, nurturing community, and — most of all — protecting our time as a family.

Our path isn’t for everyone. But if you’ve been dreaming of breaking out of the mold, of living differently, of chasing a dream — we hope this gives you a starting point, or at least permission to explore what’s possible.

Every big shift starts with one small, brave decision. For us, it started with eloping. For you, it might be something else. But the message is the same: you are allowed to build a life that makes sense to you.

Want to follow more of our journey?

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