Frequntly Asked Questions
Monday, October 30th, 2006Or…the nuts and bolts of living and schooling on the road.
Naturally, before we took off on our year-long journey in a Volkswagen van which doubled as my son’s junior high school year, friends had questions. Here were a few of the most common ones.
1) How much will it cost?
This answer has two parts. The first has to do with setup costs. We chose to travel in a 1987 Westphalia van, fully-equiped for camping. Like the turtle, we carried our home with us: kitchen, beds, tables which doubled for study areas. The one we bought was around $10,000.00, including sale price, taxes, mechanic tuneup and maintenance. Then my husband, Chip, customized it so that we indeed had a Magic Bus: extra battery and lights, ($200) a transformer for my laptop ($130),a superheavy chest bolted to the roof for extra storage (180), bike racks and bikes on top,($700) a small motorcycle ($!800)riding on a specially-designed carrier ($280) at the rear.Although I had been using a desktop computer at home, I bought a new laptop for both of us to use. Chip equipped us with a set of tools ($60), extra lights and storage chests ($70), and a gas grill ($45). I spent a hundred dollar for books, magazines, cds, maps and guides, although we managed to borrow most that we needed. We also spent about $700 for four correspondence courses for Ryan including textbooks–trigonometry, American history( 2 semesters) and earth science.
We were not truly self-contained. We did not have our own bathroom. That meant a lot of stops along the way at service stations and rest areas. It also meant we carried a camping shovel for proper disposal when camped in the woods.
As far as these first expenses go, people can be as elaborate or as simple as they choose. We met other families who were traveling in RVs, some, like us, in vans, and a few here and there were throwing up tents.
The second part includes all the on-road expenses–gas, camping fees or motels, restaurant meals, admissions to museums or roadside attractions, communications costs above what we would be spending at home. We budgeted about $1300 per month for ten months (gas was cheaper back in 2002-2003), which corresponded to Ryan’s tuition costs at a private school. We came close to that, probably spending a few hundred extra each month. We tried to economize day by day, but spent when we found someplace or something extra special. Normal expenses which we would have had at home-clothes, entertainment, food, gifts, etc., I did not include in our costs.
2) What did you do about bathing?
We paid at campgrounds, truck stops and motels to use their showers, even when we were not guests. On a few occasions we swam in lakes, soaping and rinsing ourselves away from the water. When all else failed, we could warm water in the van and take sponge baths. We carried a solar shower with us, but never used it.
3) How did you handle being together so much?
We actually spent a lot of time apart, except when we were making miles. Ryan would take his books to libraries or park benches. We would split up when we got to cities and towns, at least for part of the day, and check things out on our own. Ryan developed a real flair for meeting other kids and spending a few hours with them. No question, though, there were times he wanted to be with his friends back home, and I missed more adult company. Still, we learned to rely on each other for companionship, in ways we hadn’t before.
4) How did you handle Ryan’s schooling?
We had textbooks with us and work he was expected to complete. I put a lot of emphasis upon him writing and keeping a journal. He took a math course through University of Missouri, as well as two semesters in American history. We listened to a lot of books on tape as we drove, and he read a lot. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Scarlet Letter I read aloud. We became museum junkies. We walked city streets and ancient ruins and trails in forests. Ryan studied Spanish for seven hours each day in Mexico and spent his evenings out on the town with new friends. He went snowboarding a few times with a snow and avalanche specialist in Colorado where he learned how to be safe in the mountains. I planned some things and the road took over for the rest.
5) Did this affect his college application?
Ryan was accepted by all five state universities where he applied, and enrolled in the University of Colorado in Boulder. I have to admit I breathed a deep sigh of relief when those acceptance letters came in. Although not required, he sent an essay along with his applications. The subject? His year on the road.
And so it went for the next three and a half months. Grand adventure and high spirits one day, second thoughts the next. We traveled across Canada, from Ontario to Newfoundland, then south through New England to New York, home for thanksgiving and the holidays. History was everywhere and so was science and literature, art and geography, anthropology, archeology. We toured forts and hydroelectric plants and the home of a Canadian patriot who warned the British of the American advance in the war of 1812. In the St. Lawrence, we went whale watching, wandered Quebec City’s artfully lighted streets and walls, stopped to explore waterfalls, villages, battlefields and, in the point farthest north in Newfoundland, Lance Aux Meadows, the Viking Settlement founded a thousand years ago. 
From time to time we stayed with friends, some of long-standing, others met along the way. We camped in RV parks, state and national parks, on islands. We free camped. 
