Jessica and Robert Meinhofer, along with their two children (and two cats) packed up their suburban life in Central Florida to hit the road full-time in 2015, travelling across the country in their self-contained RV. Driven by a desire to spend a greater amount of time with their children, escape the monotony of suburbia and create lasting memories, the Meinhofers are among the growing number of families who have jacked it all in for an adventure on the road.
Robert and Jessica Meinhofer and their two children in front of the RV. Image by Meinhofer family
Jessica, Robert and their two children Daniel, and Nadia have been on the road for three years. The family abandoned their mailing address in suburban Florida and now live in a 2016 Forest River Grey Wolf 26DBH Travel Trailer that’s constantly on the move. Speaking about what inspired them to hit the road, Jessica told Lonely Planet, “We wanted to simplify our lives and spend more time together as a family. We were not satisfied with our Monday-Friday, 9-5, lawn-mowing, shrubbery-trimming existence.”
Jessica works remotely as a government contractor and the couple operate their own lifestyle business, Exploring the Local Life, which has a popular YouTube channel documenting the family’s life on the road. Robert also has an office job, working for an airline in Atlanta, but he has the ability to work four days on and then four days off. When he cannot take time off to travel, he simply arranges to meet the rest of his family at their destination.
The Meinhofers are travelling across the US but they hope to cross borders at some point. They don’t have plans to return to suburbia just yet. They’re part of the growing number of families who are dubbed the ‘modern nomads’. According to the Washington Post, more than one million Americans now live in RVs.
The nomad lifestyle suits the Meinhofers; they homeschool their children, they can earn a living while travelling and they’ve been sharing this big adventure together as a family. They’re getting a lot of joy from the journey. They’re aware that their needs might change, as well as those of their children, so plans could evolve and they might return to bricks and mortar. Everyone gets a say, including the little ones, but for now, they’re happy on the road.
Robert Meinhofer and his two children. Image by Meinhofer
“The best part of our life on the road has been the amount of time we have together,” said Jessica. “We have grown as a family and bonded beyond our wildest dreams. We don’t have to ‘play’ reconnect on the weekends or family vacations, we connect each and every day. It’s beautiful.”
The biggest challenge for the Meinhofer family has been the realisation that life on the road isn’t necessarily simpler. “Sure, we don’t have to mow the lawn or clean a big house, but we have to fix our truck, patch a leaky roof, thaw out our frozen pipes and other unexpected RV related issues,” said Jessica. Their advice to families hoping to follow in their footsteps is to understand that this isn’t a vacation.
The Meinhofer family on a fall stroll. Image by Meinhofer
“You still have laundry, meals, grocery shopping and all these everyday life things you have to do and sometimes being in a smaller space makes these chores and everyday life things more intense.”
The Meinhofers are currently in Acworth, Georgia, 25 minutes north-west of Atlanta. To see more of their adventures, follow their blog here.
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