Homeschooling parents Darla and Kendall refused to submit thier dreams to confinement. They traded in their spacious home for a close-knit RV, and together this couple made a decision to take their life within their own hands, and to show and teach their children about the many verizons of our atmosphere though travelling. From hilly mountains, to a New Mexico's sunrise, to the flat plains of Oklahoma, this family has seen so much and can forever share the beauty of living beyond the box for the rest of their lives. Darla and her daughter Payton share their experiences with us and gives us a few pointers on travelling while home-schooling!

ymib.com: So, one minute you are living in a spacious home in Georgia and the next you are traveling the country with your family of five in an RV! Did you have to sell your home, & what was the transition like...what were some of the biggest challenges with downsizing to an RV?

Darla: We wanted to experience extended travel with our children. However, we realized it would be impossible to do with our current lifestyle. With the house and bills, we couldn’t afford to be away from home for more than a week. Our resolution was to get rid of the house, most of the contents (except small storage). We decided on a fifth wheel as it gave us the most space of all the classes. The biggest challenge sometimes is space. When we feel we need space, we go outside, as the world is our playground, kids will put up tent for extra “my space”. We have a two-bedroom RV so it helps with separate of spaces.

ymib.com: Do you remember what you were doing or what you were experiencing in your life to make you and your husband decide that the time was right to pursue this dream?

Darla: I was on a 30-day hiatus from my life in Fox Lake, IL for my 35th birthday. It was Kendall’s present to me as it was something I had wanted for years. It was our daily bedtime, late night conversations that brought us to what we really wanted. We really wanted each other again. The way it used to be. The only regret we would have in life was the time that we didn’t spend together soaking in the wealth of simply “being” together. It was like talking on the phone at night when we were dating…just me and him…missing each other something terrible. We wanted that time back again and now to experience this time with just us and our kids. Yes. That is what we wanted. What happen to all of our youthful exuberance and dreams? Were they ever going to come true? If so, when? How? We realized at that point that we needed to schedule our dreams because “one day” isn’t a date. Yes. We would set our dreams coming true into motion!

ymib.com: What were the reactions from your kids & family when you delivered the concept of traveling the country by RV for a year...how did you handle those “special” holidays?

Darla: Our children handled it extremely well, except for Kayla. She wanted to live in GA for the rest of her life. The other two understood the decision they were making since we had rented several classes of RV over the past five years. They willing let go of the stuff for more time with their Dad. He spent most of his time at work so they were grateful for the opportunity to spend quality and quantity time with him. We have VERY few supportive friends. Many friends didn’t think that this was something that “black” people did. To date, we don’t have most of the friends we started with before we embarked on our journey. It is interesting how when you change, which we definitely have, you change the dynamics of the relationship. In turn, it changes how others relate to you. All of sudden you no longer possess those things that you had in common. Therefore, you realize how truly superficial many relationships were. Basically, we became peculiar to those who once knew us so well.

Family on the other hand, was used to us being strange. They thought more like, “Here they go again.” First, home schooling. Second, they move to the country on two acres from Chicago. Third, they drop religion for spirituality. Oh, well…that’s Kendall and Darla. My mom and sister were the most supportive and who truly understood the why of what we were doing and cheered us one. We are grateful for cheerleaders. Even when you are resolute in your decision, it can get really hard at times; people in your corner really help to get you to your goal. Special day? Holidays? We would spend at friend or families house. Or, if on the road, we would rent a “home”. We rented a condo in Daytona Beach, Florida for Thanksgiving. Super cool! It was on of the best thanksgiving’s we ever had. We spent moonlit evenings walking on the beach together. Afternoons relaxing in the hot tub, while watching the waves crash against the shore. Mornings, we enjoyed the luxury of full sized kitchen to cook breakfast. We have a very small kitchen in the RV. We also enjoyed the luxury of overall space and everyone having a room, a washer and dryer, cable TV (which we don’t get that often). However, by the fourth day, everyone was really ready to go “home”.

It was fun, but we enjoyed the benefits that our new lifestyle provided us more. For instance, because we had washer and dryer, we now had loads of laundry because we had a laundry room and plenty of space to store the clothes. Also, everyone watched TV more, due to having cable television. So, we therefore, hardly spent time just talking because everyone had their own space. It was amazing how quickly we started to revert to our old family. Returning to the RV gave a sense of peace, togetherness, family and home.

ymib.com: What interesting & creating ways did you find that you and your husband were able to incorporate learning while traveling into your uncshooling environment?

Darla: Wow! When you are not limited to the school building for education it is freeing. However, to experience education while traveling is limitless. All of the subjects come alive. You truly realize that the Creator is not at all separate from HIS creation. School attempts to extrapolate HIS creation into these neat little subjects or boxes. However, when you begin to see school beyond the box, you realize that it is all interconnected and to try and separate learning by subjects destroys the true untainted beauty and purity of learning. Unschooling on the Road replaces the regiment of learning facts, figures, and dates for touching, feeling, seeing and being. It is one thing to read about Billy the Kid in a textbook. However, it is rich to actually experience being in the dessert of New Mexico near the cave where Billy the Kid’s hide out remains. We really haven’t done anything to incorporate learning per se. It truly has happen naturally. From the places, regions, people, time zones, cultures, and food it has been impossible not to learn. We don’t know who has had more fun learning them or us!

ymib.com: How did you go about planning your destinations?

Darla: Because we have an electrical contracting business in GA, we decided we would start with the SE as there is so much we have seen so close to home, Also, it would give us an opportunity to make sure our business could run without us being physically present. However, we ended up getting a job at a RV Park in New Mexico and then finding work on the road that we enjoyed so our travel destinations became work and fun mixed together.

ymib.com: What are 3 of your most memorable moments thus far from this experience?

Darla: Our maiden voyage as we left GA and stayed overnight in Chattanooga. It was such a feeling of euphoria! It was amazing that we were really doing it. It was challenging to rid ourselves of the feeling that we had left something at home. Our home is with us! It was great not have to pack every time we moved. The second, having the ability to hang out with friends in OK that had RV’s on their 60 acres of property with the kids being free to explore, ride bikes, four-wheeling, target shooting, etc…That was our first experience of not having to wake up by alarm clock. It was something to be in a place were you are awakening by cockle doodle do!

Third, would be New Mexico and Arizona. I think hands down we LOVED the experience of the SW. The Carlsbad Caverns was amazing. Especially, the bat flight. The White Sands National Monument in Alamogordo. The miles and miles of white gypsum were breathtaking. And of course, there is nothing like seeing the Grand Canyon in person vs. in books or television. Sitting together outside the around the campfire watching the beautiful hues of the SW sunsets were incredible. I do not have words to describe the beauty of the moment of simply being together and sharing the experience.

ymib.com: We know that there are many rewards that come with a journey such as yours, but what are some of the challenges that should be considered by a family who wants to do what you and your family have done?

Darla: It is important to consider if you like each other. This is quite different from loving your family. They are two different things. To downsize to such a small space with people you don’t like, would be misery. Some husband and wives love each other, but don’t truly enjoy being together. KendallandI could be together every single day and enjoy it because we know how to respect each other and our time and space. Also, it is equally important to enjoy being with your children. We are truly friends with them and enjoy hanging out. They are seriously our free entertainment! If you have a miserable life in your house and RV will make it more miserable!

ymib.com: For those families who are dying to try this, what suggestions could you give to them as far as ways to finance their travels, what is the average weekly fuel & food, etc. cost like?

Darla: We found out quickly that there are MANY ways to make money on the road. The most important thing is having an entrepreneur mindset. We were surprised that there are other families out there that live on the road as a lifestyle with no plans to ever stop. The absolute best way that we have found to finance your travels is by having some type of residual income. We learned this and are currently working on building a business that gives us just that. We enjoy travel so much that we want to continue with having to be concerned with the daily operations of business.

The average of cost of travel is challenging to pin point. The great thing is that it is more controllable than home bills. We have stayed at really nice RV parks, but they cost more money. Typically, if we are just doing an overnight and need to be frugal we have stayed at Flying J or Wal-Mart for free. The most economical way to stay at least a week or even a month as the rates go down for weekly or monthly rentals. Fuel is also controllable. You can travel the distance that your wallet will allow. However, even with the fuel prices, it is a little bit easier to afford when you don’t have the high gas bill to heat your house, or power bill. We pay a flat fee for all our utilities. Except for propane, which costs us about $25 a month in the winter and about half that in the summer.

Food can be very costly if you are actually eating on the road. We spent more money on food traveling than living in a house in the beginning because of the constant gas stations stops for snacks and fast food. However, we learned to discipline ourselves to not eat on the road. We have an entire kitchen. Equipped with fridge and all. When traveling a long distance, we simply get out the cooler and pack our lunch, snacks, etc…we really do not spend anymore on food. Actually, we spend a little less because we NEVER have food go bad because the fridge is small we are more selective in choosing what to buy. We buy what we need and can actually eat. A lot more thought goes into our choice because we don’t have much space to waste.

ymib.com: You and your husband also run an electrical company were you both still able to run the business while traveling, what were the challenges with that?

Darla: It was challenging. When installer didn’t show up on time or didn’t show up at all. We had no recourse if we weren’t in town. When we were local and someone didn’t show up. Kendall would handle the job himself. When there was nothing we could do about it, it was frustrating to say the least. However, it was worth the challenges for what we received. The experience helped us to learn how to do it better next time. We are currently in GA re-establishing business as the contracts we had are over. We have established new contracts and are a little smarter about the ins and out of traveling while having a business. We look forward to hitting the road again for shorter trips in and out this summer because contracting is extremely busy during the summer so we cannot be gone for long periods of time. We were grateful to have a business to come back to because it beats working for someone else. We tried that while on the road, too.

ymib.com: When does or when did your journey end, & what are some of your future goals & dreams for yourself and your family to experience?

Darla: Well, that is a hard question to answer. Our official one-year journey ended in March this year as far as what we set out to do. However, living in the RV is the bridge to our ultimate dream of purchasing land and building a small mortgage free home within an intentional community were our children can continue growing, learning and loving life. We want to have something to give to them were if they choose to stay they can build home and their families. This will be the landing spot for Kendall and I for our retirement. However, Kendall and I will still enjoy traveling on the road even when the kids are gone. We love it just that much. We plan to always have a RV. Instead of traveling with the kids, we will be taking our grandchildren on the road so that they may experience the joy of travel. That is, if their parents don’t already have them on the road!

ymib.com: What do you think your children have gained and learned from this experience, especially with experiencing it all under an unschooling environment?

Darla: I thought it would only be fair of me to give this question to my oldest daughter Kayla:

Kayla: I feel that this experience has broadened our horizons and definitely brought us closer as a family. It has changed our perspective on life and what school truly is. It has made us more cultured and diverse in understanding how the world works by the people we have been privileged to meet, and the places we have been. Unschooling has allowed us the space and time to work on the inner parts of who we are. This experience has helped us all in having the time to pursue our passions. Having traded a room for the world has freed us from materialism. We value life beyond the house and all the stuff that surrounds it. It has opened a lot more opportunities to learn. If we are interested in something we can actually go and experience it verses being in school and being forced to do a report on the subject.

Unschooling teaches you to be an independent, true learner vs. spending your time memorizing facts for a test that will soon be forgotten. However, while unschooling on the road, the lessons I have learned I will remember for a lifetime. Unschooling has also increased our level of maturity because it takes a mature and intelligent person to pick up a book, write a poem or book, or simply be productive on your own and not because someone forced you to do it. I have learned to be a leader and not a follower as unschooling and living on the road is definitely the road less traveled. This experience has taught me what true friendship is. I am definitely not short changed in the social area of my life. I do enjoy regular things like going to the movies, hanging out with friends, etc…however, my best friends are my family. I do keep in touch with my friends outside my family on a regular basis via telephone, email, and instant message. When I am in their area, we enjoy hanging out.

I must admit that when we first left Atlanta. I had an attitude because I didn’t want to leave my friends, cable TV, and cell phone. I began to realize when I left GA so did my supposed friends because no one really tried to keep in touch with me. It was then that I realized exactly what a friend is and who were my true friends. I used to have many so called friends, but now I have a handful of people that I can truly call friends as well as two best friends. My sister, Payton, has always been my best friend and always will be till death do us part. My other best friend is Jordan. I amazingly met him while traveling on the road. I met him on one of our RV trips two years ago. We had been friends for one year when he asked my Dad if he could court me. So now we are officially courting! He is 16 and has been home schooled all of his life. He is currently in college and this is his first time going to school and he is an A student. He is a phenomenal person who has added so much to my life. If it had not been for my parent’s idea to travel, I would not have met him as he currently lives in Nebraska. I am now glad that we have a lifestyle of travel, as I am able to see him more often that I would if it were not for this lifestyle. I may not have as many people in my life, but I have been blessed with true friendship, which is priceless.

This entire unschooling experience while traveling not only affects us today in the present, but also I believe it has been powerful enough to change generations to come and how we will educate our own children. Overall this past year has been the most incredible and educational year of my life. The best part of it all is that I was able to learn more than I ever have without being buried in boring textbooks and tests.