If you could leave everything you’ve become accustomed to (your job, your house, your car) behind in order to travel the world, would you? For most people, this idea rarely even entertains their thoughts because it’s not an option. We’re tied to our jobs, whether we love what we do or not, for a steady stream of income and these lives we’ve built for ourselves can become such impenetrable fortifications that the thought of starting over in favor of a new way of life just seems impossible.
I’m always fascinated by stories of lifestyles different from my own. In the case of the Holcombe family from Boulder, Colorado, I can relate to their desire to see the world. Sometimes I feel like there’s this unquenchable fire in me- a desire to break away and see as much of the world as I can, while I still can. But unfortunately I am a prisoner of my own life, the life that I’ve chosen for myself, and while I’m fortunate enough to have visited all the continents but Alaska, there is still so much I want to see. The idea of leaving it all behind to travel is an attractive one, but unfathomable.
The Holcombe’s didn’t let societal constraints stop them from pursuing the lives they wanted to live. Three years ago, Kathy and Peter Holcombe sold their home in Colorado, and (along with their daughter Abby) they’ve been on the road ever since. They’ve covered 49 states and a total of 120,000 miles in their RV, and they have no intentions of throwing in the towel just yet. “We are at our best outside in the wild. That’s where we love to be as a family,” said Kathy.
In the time that they’ve been traveling together, the family has had some incredible experiences. For instance, Abby was the youngest person ever, at 12 years old, to kayak the entire 280-mile stretch of the Grand Canyon on her own. I think we can all learn something from Kathy’s advice: “Sometimes life gets in the way of living—so make sure to get out and live and do incredible things together.”
To learn more about the Holcombe family and their nomadic lifestyle, read more here, and watch the video below.