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Full-Time RV Life with Kids: The Reality of Family Travel on the Road · Inspired Travels With Patti

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever wondered what it's really like to be on the road with two young kids full-time in an RV?
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Well, today we're going to talk about the good, the bad, the ugly, and the amazing of living full-time on the road.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Now, Dean, you are 10 years old, but I want to know what is the one thing about growing up in an RV, being on the road, that you think kids would be surprised to learn?
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_03: I think that they would really enjoy it going to a lot of different places because when we were in the old condo, we didn't really go to a lot of places, but now we get to go all over the place.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Gurdy, do you have do you have something you think kids would be surprised about?
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, all the other kids.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: I want to thank you all for joining me either on the podcast on a podcast platform or on YouTube.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: I created this channel to inspire people to live life more fully.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: And for me, that's through adventure, whether it's a new, exciting place, an incredible experience, or meeting new people, as Gertie talked about, all those new people.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: So let me introduce you to this incredible bunch.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: Today I'm hanging out with two young kids.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Well, they're not so young, nine and ten, and that is Dean and Gertie of Dean and Gertie Explores the World.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: And they have their grown-ups with them, Monica and Jeffrey, and they have been on the road for five years, full-time adventuring across the country.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: And we're going to talk about what it's really like to grow up on the road.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: I think I said five years.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: Was it four years?
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: Did I say it wrong?
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: It's five years.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: How many years?
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Five years.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I got it right.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_01: Surface, yep.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, fifth year.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: So let's talk to the parents first.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: What made you wake up one day with a four and five-year-old and say, hey, let's get on the road full time and let's put them in an RV?
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: What what was the thinking?
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: What was the conversation?
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: Whose idea was it?
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think there was thinking.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: I'm kidding.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_02: I'm kidding.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: We do we don't do much thinking.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_02: Um it's frowned upon in the circle.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: No, really.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um it started out of a necessity for for both of us really to spend more time with our kids.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um the j the jobs and the positions that Monica and I were working were extremely long hours and early morning hours, late night hours for me, lots of weekends.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_01: And there were months that went by that I quite literally saw our kids maybe maybe twice in in the in an entire month.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, so I told Monica, you know, we're okay, so here we are, you know, we're in the condo, we're making the money that we've always wanted to make.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_01: We've got the cars, the guide moaner of on the white picket fence, all of the things, right?
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I saw our kids like three times last month, and it it was only gonna get worse from there as as far as the amount of hours that we were having to work and the drive in and out.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I was, you know, I would leave for work before they would go to school, and oftentimes I'd be home after they were already in bed.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: So it was it was tough.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: And so her and I kind of decided what do we want to do?
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: Where do we um where do we go from here?
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_01: And so both of us just kind of started seeing all these other full-time RVers, and you know, I was I kind of poked and prodded Monty a little bit, and it took me a uh how long did it take?
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: A couple years?
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: About three years.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, so this conversation started when they were like two and three?
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: From getting the numbers right?
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I mean it's we were chasing our tails.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_02: It was groundhog day.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you get up, you go to work, and then you come home and you make dinner and you go to bed.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um and we were chasing the stuff, the things, the toys, the cars and all of that, but we realized we are missing out on just the time, you know?
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_02: And you can get more stuff, but you'll never get time back.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_02: So we just took that leap one day and it was like, we'll see if it if we can do this, if it falls into place, if we can make those decisions and not have some big catastrophe that we would stop us from being able to do this, then maybe it's the path that we're supposed to take.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_02: And lo and behold, every domino that we needed to fall into place to make this life work, the kids' school, um, my I was already working remote, Jeff finding a remote job, um the truck, the trailer, and and all of that just literally fell into place.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_02: So if we didn't go, it would be like we were making the wrong decision.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_02: And that decision was to choose stuff over each other, so we just chose each other.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I think that's a big part of is teaching them is teaching them the the minimalistic lifestyle, but also being able to really embrace the things that we do over the things that they put in their closet.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's yeah, that that for us is a big part of um what we do.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I think when it comes to thinking about minimalist, I think that for me, yeah, you know, it was the stuff that you accumulated, the new car, all these things, but I think there's so much more in the experiences that I've had, the things that I've seen, the memories, that it's just been, I mean, I can't describe it really.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna talk more about that.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, you decide you're gonna go out on the road with two young kids, a four and a five-year-old.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Most people that have kids are already cringing.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: So we are gonna talk about not just all the fun stuff and the great stuff, but it had to be a challenge.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: Now, before we do that, let's just share the fact that the two of you have full-time jobs, the kids are homeschooled, and you're traveling.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: So there's all of that together.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: But that's not enough.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: You also decided that creating content was also something to add to your plate.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: So let's talk about how that started.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's Dean and Gertie Explores the World, which I love.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I will be honest, most people think that Dean and Gertie are the adults, but they're not, they're the children.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: So most people call the adults Dean and Gertie's mom and dad because we never know what their names are.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: So I've learned their names.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: So, Monica or Jeff, what why and what got you to that point where you said, let's create some content, some great content.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: Well, thank you.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate that.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, it really started out as um kind of a necessity to be able to share our travels and what we're doing with our friends and family.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: And um because grandma and grandpa and everybody wants to see what Dean and Gertie are doing.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: So the channel and the content actually started before we even went on the road.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you can see some really, really old videos that kids when they're very, very small.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um don't watch them.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_01: She's don't watch them.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_03: It's embarrassing, right?
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_01: She would say they're cringed at their cranes.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_03: No, it's the way how I could.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: But um, it started back then because we had moved, we had relocated from central Illinois down to South Carolina, so all of our family was still in central Illinois at that time.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: And so it was a way for us to share what we were doing and how the kids were growing up with everybody.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um We still have a lot of family that live back in Illinois, and the only real way that they get to see the kids, apart from those, you know, few times that we stop in and see them, is to log on to the channel and watch.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_02: And it's a way for the grandmas and the grandpas and the aunts and the uncles to follow us and watch these two as they grow and explore.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, it's like any family.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_02: You don't have the ability to be there all the time, but they can always go back and ro watch a video and catch up with whatever they're doing.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's a great idea, even if you're not on the road traveling.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: Get your phone out and create a place to put those videos.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people do it on Facebook or Instagram or those kinds of things.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: So there wasn't necessarily a plan in the beginning that you were gonna start creating content.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: No, and now, okay, but now you create content.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: You've actually created content.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: The company I work for is Happy Grounds, and as some people probably know by now, we have now 19 campgrounds.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: I think I'm allowed to share that.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um we keep growing, and you guys have had the opportunity to stay in some of those campgrounds.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: And what I love about the content is how real it is.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: It shows the real you guys, and it shows you guys out having fun, and we'll talk a little more about that, but I want each of you to tell me about the day or the time that things just don't go well.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: I think we see a lot on social media all the beautiful places we visit and the great things that happen.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: You actually stayed in the campground, the water was out, there was no water, and you totally made the best of it.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: What is one of those things from each of you that you'd say, wow, that wasn't so fun, a tough time?
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: Anyone have one that comes to mind?
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you're absolutely right.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, just to kind of uh preface this, we we don't show a lot of negative and we try not to put out any any of that stuff, but like everyone, we have bad days and we've had bad hikes, and we've had talk off the the side of the cliff type of things in the middle of you know, quite literally, where we're hiking.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_01: Uh one of the ones was uh we were up in the cascades and we did a 12-mile hike that took us about 4,000 forty five hundred feet of elevation gain within a short, you know, within that time frame.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_02: Um I think we all were running for the cliff at some point.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: And um we had a we had some panic attempts, panic attacks, and some I don't want to do this anymore, and you know, how what are we gonna are we there yet?
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: Are we there yet?
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: Are we there yet?
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, it's it's um, and that was from all of us.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: It wasn't just one of them in particular, Dean.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um it was all of us kind of they like to throw each other under the bus.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um but no, we you know, we um we have those instances.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: We had one this past weekend where we were um hiking and the all trails map led us off into a path that turned out to not be a path, and so we it was about two miles out of our way.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, it wasn't it wasn't the most fun situation, but we all kind of you know, we came together.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_01: We there was some anger, there was some stuff that couldn't be on video.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_02: And our batteries had already died.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the phone batteries had already died.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_01: So we were, you know, we kind of just pulled ourselves together and said, hey, look, this is not the worst case scenario we've ever been in.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, we kind of put on our big boy pants and we hiked out, hike, hike back out.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, was it it was much, much longer and arduous than we had originally planned, but just like anything with RV life, you know, you kind of always have a plan B.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: And when we go on hikes, we are always prepared for plan B, C, and D.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_01: So it's yeah, and more.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, it's just one of those things that I think after being on the road this long, we're now set for that because we weren't, you know, we wouldn't have done that when we first started, but now that we've you know we've done many, many, many of those, so if we now we're you live and learn.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and it's really easy to like make this lifestyle seem like it is always a vacation.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_02: But our life is no different than anyone else's.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_02: The only difference is that we're on wheels and we actually use them, you know.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we do travel to m a lot of different places, but to do that, there's the responsibility to to move the trailer, to be your own plumber, to be your own electrician, to be your own carpenter.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and our kids are still in school.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_02: It's a it's a school that's very regimented and they have responsibilities.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_02: They're not um uh in a homeschool program where they don't have to attend classes and live lessons.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_02: So sometimes motivating them to get their schoolwork done and to do that side of things is a struggle.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_02: But again, I mean it's teaching them that down the road that's gonna be a responsibility and setting them up to succeed later on.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, it's right now is a lot of fun, but when they're 16, 17, 18, what if they want a job?
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I need to set them up to be able to go and do that.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_02: So that's what we're doing.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: And do you guys have anything that you would share, either of you, Dean or Gertie, that's like that was not fun kind of thing.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_03: Um, yeah.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_03: Us getting pulled over in Mount Rainier for having to wait and line for 13 hours.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: Being pulled over in Mount Rainier for 13 hours.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I gotta hear the rest of the story.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: This does not sound like the fun things we see on video.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_01: So we did get pulled over in Mount Rainier.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, well, I mean, it started, we and it was a very long day.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_01: We we sat in line to even get in the park for like four hours, five hours in the car.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: And then when we got in the park, it was literally bumper to bumper to bumper through the whole entire national park.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: And Monica and I allowed the kids to take off their seat belts.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, because we were like it was stop and go, stop and go, but you would stop for five minutes and then you'd go for 30 seconds, a minute, and then you'd stop again for five minutes.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_03: So our bodies weren't out of the car, it was just our heads.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so they were hanging their head out the the window, and a police officer drove by, and or Ranger parked Ranger.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_03: But there was somebody else that was literally just hanging out of their car, just sitting on the roof, and like why don't you pull them over?
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_03: They go out of their car when the traffic was moving, take it on ear.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so yeah, so we got pulled over, we got a ticket for no seat belts, and it kind of put a damper on our day.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_01: And so after that, instead of hanging out, we just left the park and we came back and did video another time.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: And these are the things, again, not to make fun or whatever, but these are the things that sometimes people think about RV life or just travel in general, and nobody talks about that, you know, stuff happens and that's frustrating.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: And it's frustrating, Gertie, when somebody else was doing the same thing and you're the one that got pulled over.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: That's really frustrating.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: But, you know, that's just part of this RV life.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: So now let's talk about the other side of it.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: Things happen when you're on the road.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: Certainly, as RVers, we know that repairs are a thing, as you talked about in the beginning.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: You better know how to take care of RV repairs, you've got to dump tanks, you've got to attach the vehicle and clean and pack everything up and all of that.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: So, why do it?
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: What are some of the amazing things that keep you doing this every day for the last five years?
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_03: Going to all the places and making chocolate in the Hershey Chocolate Museum.
• 16:37
  unknown: Okay.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: Now you're talking by language.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: That sounds amazing.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't get to make my own chocolate, but that sounds awesome.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_00: So we were all just at the Hershey RV show, and that was a highlight for you making your own chocolate.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: Was it milk chocolate or dark chocolate or white chocolate?
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_03: Well, they gave you milk chocolate and they gave you three different options.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_03: They gave you cinnamon toppings, red pepper flakes, or dark chocolate nubs.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_03: They weren't ground-up dark chocolate, they were just the nubs.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_03: And they told you to try the dark chocolate nubs because they're really, really like dark.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_03: So I tried it and my mouth was like.
• 17:38
  unknown: Yeah.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe like that big.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_03: It's not it's not a Hershey bar.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, we did the we did the RV show, and then Monica and I, you know, we decided that we were gonna stick around Hershey for another week, week and a half.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_01: And um we were fortunate enough to um connect with the city of Hershey there, and uh, they shared some some passes for us to go to the Hershey Gardens and check out the butterfly atrium and experience the chocolate tasting and the chocolate candy bar making uh thing there at the Hershey Um Museum.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, so that was very cool and um definitely a highlight for us there in Hershey.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, obviously the show was awesome, but to be able to do all that in Hershey was cool too.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_00: The show is awesome.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yep, it's exhausting, and it's nice that you got to experience the things right there.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: So for anybody that's going to the Hershey RV show, it's the the Hershey Park and all of that is right there on the same parking lot.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: So it is a great opportunity.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: Now, you guys have literally crossed back and forth across the country, right?
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_00: What other amazing experiences?
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: And we talked about, I think, before we started, that sometimes the experiences you do the big things, and sometimes there are a lot of little things along the way.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: But let me ask this: how do you guys find the things that you want to do while you're traveling?
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_02: It's just some homework, you know, when we are going to different places, especially when we don't know about it, it's you know, googling the different areas, what what history is in that area, uh, what do we want to focus on for the kids, what do we think the kids would be interested in?
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um, what's something new or interesting about an area that makes it unique from another area?
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think one of the beautiful parts about this lifestyle is that you do get to see how regionally this country is a little different, um, but you also get to highlight how we're all the same and everybody is, you know, still good people living and wanting to kind of tell their story, where they came from, what brought them there, um, and kind of what sets them apart.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_02: So it's allowing everybody to tell their own story.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_02: I know, you know, in Florida we've done something just like as simple as the LB Brown house, talking about a gentleman who was a slave and was um came up and ended up being one of the most influential people of the century, I would say.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um building houses and being a landowner and uh building his own business empire and having no education, all the way to the national parks and showing the kids Mount St.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_02: Helens and that history.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, it's just being s in intentional about where we go and what we want to teach the kids.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: So we do and we do focus a lot on history, that's a big part of our channel.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um we when we're exploring these areas, we like to see what not just culturally, but what historically those communities have done.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: Uh this whole summer has been um kind of we celebrated the 250th anniversary of our country, and so we wanted to see what some of this small town American small town America did, and um we stumbled on some really cool things.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_01: Uh you know, for example, up in Maine, we um met with the historical society, which we try to do.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'll go back to your question real quick.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_01: So, for us to what we kind of do is we talk to you know historical societies, museums, farmers markets, things like that, those folks will always tell you what you need to find, what you need to see, and and where to go.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_01: And so that happened to us in Maine.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_01: We ended up at the Historical Society in Wells, Maine, and stumbled on uh the artifacts from a gentleman who had been to the Boston Tea Party and was part of Paul Rabier's ride and was at Fort Ticonderoga in the Battle of Saratoga, and like all of these just trossal.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: Historical events that this gentleman was at and documented his entire life.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_01: And the book was in a house that burned down.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_01: But the only part of the house that didn't burn down was the this little part of the root the attic, and that book was found in that area, and in that little so just amazing that they found the book.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but now it's it's it's historical prominence uh for all of those events.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_01: And had we not been kind of on a mission to explore what small town America could bring, we would have never seen something like that.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_01: And um so so those are the kind of things that we're looking for, and you know, like Monica said, the cake, you know, the national park stuff and those hidden gem things like the sea lion caves in Florence, Oregon, where all the sea lions do their thing, and like it was um just those small type types of things that we were really just kind of cool, you know.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: And some of the things you're saying for people when you're looking in an area, Googling it is great, also looking at those different like visitor centers, talking to the locals.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to go in a store and talk to locals.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_00: When I was in um Lake George, I wanted to go eat, and Lake George is a very touristy area, and I asked where the locals go, and they led me to a restaurant, best hamburger that I've had.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: So those are great suggestions, historical society type places.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: So those are all really great ways to find those things that you know you don't just easily see what to do, where to go.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I've always loved those hidden gems, those out-of-the-way places.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_01: We find a lot of those that like the farmers markets and stuff like that.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_01: We'll talk to those folks because at the farmers markets, you find all of the city, the park districts, and all of those groups are all there trying to promote what's going on.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_01: We found rail, rail bike trails, and we've been invited to private uh bee farms and like all kinds of crazy stuff, just from meeting people at the farmers market and telling them you know that we're not from the area and they want to show the kids garlic uh in Washington and uh you know just all of the crazy things that we've that you you you don't you're not really looking for it, but when you when when they say it, you're like, yes, we need to learn about garlic.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: And so we spent an entire day with these folks learning about garlic, which um you know, mind-blown kind of stuff that I had no idea.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_03: Some guy gave us a giant, like kind of like one thingy, it's like it's show it.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_01: Garlic, it's a garlic clove uh flower and all the all the other stuff with it, and all the things that they can make with garlic and they do with garlic, and you know, so those are the things the the little kind of out-of-the-way things that you just you you kind of stumble on as you're out and about.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_01: So we look for some intentional things that we know, but we know that we're gonna be um you know, we typically try to stay in each location for 21 days uh or three weeks.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_01: That's our that's kind of our rule of thumb.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_01: And so that gives us enough time to because we work full-time, we go to school, uh, we don't get to explore during the week every day, and I think that's a misconception.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody thinks that our life is like some crazy um extravagant lifestyle, but no, or we're working in it's yeah, and if you go into this, if you go into this lifestyle thinking that every stop that you can make is a vacation destination, you're you're you're not gonna last very long on the road.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: It's just not you know, unless you're retired and you have that kind of money flow.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, there you go.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, we're we're kind of intentional where we go, but then we have three weeks to to do things in the afternoons and those type of things, um, you know, libraries and all that stuff.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_01: We've we've found some really good stuff.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it's taking it slower so you could enjoy where you are.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_00: I know for me when I started out, I would go into an area and I think, well, I'm never gonna be back here.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_00: Let me make the most of it.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I'd try and shove all this stuff into, you know, the three or four or five days.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_00: And then I thought to myself, this is not definitely not going to work.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_00: And it was more about taking time, being present where I was, enjoying the journey in between because there's a lot there, you know, just on the way in the travel.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a big thing.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so we talked a lot about history that you see when you're out and about.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: What's homeschooling like for you guys?
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_00: Tell me about homeschooling.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_02: Uh it's basically like herding cats.
• 27:00
  unknown: Okay.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I mean, yeah, but it's pretty fun.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_03: Like in school, I was learning two plus two.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_03: That's all.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_03: And how to eat biscuits.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_03: That that's basically it.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_03: And then right now I'm learning about Lewis and Clark and like the um transcontinental railroad and the um engineers and all that stuff that I didn't learn in school.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm learning like I'm learning algebra, I'm writing paragraphs, I'm writing stories.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_03: I just actually submitted one of my stories today.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_03: I'm waiting for feedback.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_03: I think you're really good, so I'm learning a lot more things than I did in an actual store.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_02: What's nice about homeschool for us is we have a program that sends us all the curriculum, all the books, and they get the same school that they would get if they went to the brick and mortar school.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but we get to add to it and we get to work with them, and instead of just having like 10 minutes to do whatever they're doing, what whatever learning they're doing, we can take as much time as we need to allow them to kind of comprehend.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_02: We have the teachers that we can call on for extra instruction when we need it, um, but we don't have to worry about them missing anything.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_02: And like he said, he's still getting a really comprehensive school.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so we use uh we use Connecton or Connections Academy, which is through Pearsons, and it is a state-run um virtual public school.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_01: So South Carolina has that virtual public school which allows us to be able to continue to have them in enrolled into um uh state school, and so that that's helpful.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, they do have some online courses that they have to do every every morning, they have to go into two live lessons, sometimes three live lessons a day.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: Each one is only about 30 minutes, and so it's it's really easy for them to kind of, you know, part of that was at the beginning, Monty and I had that discussion about school, and that was one of the things that we had to make sure was happening was you know, we wanted to have the right school because I'm not a teacher, she's not a teacher, and there's so many homeschool programs out there that her and I had to do a lot of homework to figure out which one we wanted to do and which one was going to fit our lifestyle and our needs, and accomplish our our the goals that we had set for our kids' education, and so it works out nicely, and it's been really cool to kind of see how some of the things that we're doing in school have connected in a real life scenario.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_01: We were in Beaufort, North Carolina, um discussing Blackbeard, uh searching for Blackbeard's treasure, and talking about all that stuff as we were there in North Carolina, and so Dean opens his class the very next day, and lo and behold, they're talking about Beaufort, North Carolina, uh Blackbeard, the pirates, the whole thing, right?
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_01: And so you just saw it click there.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, for for Monty and I, that was one of the pivotal moments, uh, pivotal moments for us to say, I think we're doing the right thing, because you're gonna you're gonna remember being there and discussing it much more than you're gonna if they would have just read it in a book one time and and kind of moved on.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_01: So that and then you know they're in the class and the teachers are talking and Dean's like, hey yo, we were there, we were there.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_01: And um, so that's been really cool to kind of see all of that happen in real life.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_03: Kara interject one thing to that has to be super cool.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_00: Go ahead, Dean.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_03: And also on the road when I was in Oregon, I was learning about this creature, it's called a vanilla valilla.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_03: And I'll explain it right after.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_03: And when I was talking in my science class last year, my science teacher was like, What is that?
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm like, Oh, it's from Oregon.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_03: I was there, she's like, What?
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like, Oh, it's a vanilla vanilla.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_03: It's like, um, it has like a giant fin on its back and it's like flat so it looks like this, and then it just sails on the top of the waves like a sailboat.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_03: And I told her about that, and she's like, Okay, I'll have to look it up.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_03: And then she looked it up and she was like, Dean, you're right.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_03: I never even learned about that.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_03: You just taught me something new, okay?
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um and then I passed that year too.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_01: Well, we had we had a couple of monumental moments last year.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Gertie, um, and so we were we were logging into East Coast school time while we were on the Pacific Northwest, so the time difference, she was clocked for school at 5 a.m.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_01: And so the teachers were just like, okay, we won't really expect you guys to be there every day, but try to be there in the best you can.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_01: We were there every morning, every day.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and not only that, but she was um she was given the award of the South Carolina Elementary School Student of the Year for the entire state of South Carolina.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um while being while being homeschooled, while doing it remotely, and while doing it at 5 a.m.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_01: in the morning.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_01: And um, so we were super proud.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_01: And then that was you know, again, another moment for Monty and I when we knew that we were doing the right thing.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_03: We also both got honor roll that year too.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_01: And honor roll, and yeah.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_01: So um I feel like we were doing we're we're doing right by them.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_01: And either later they'll either hate us or we'll end up in lots of therapy.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_03: And at least in therapy will have something to talk about.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_00: So, right, while you're in therapy, it'll give you something to talk about.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um I I just want people that are listening to know the type of schooling, homeschooling you're doing.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_00: There are so many, and I've had people on before that talked about different types of homeschooling.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_00: So we do not have time to go through different types.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_00: This is the kind of homeschooling that works for you guys, but to the people listening, go out, do the research, see what works for your kids.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_00: Different things work for different kids.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_00: I personally, I was a teacher for 20 years in the classroom the whole time.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_00: And for a lot of kids, homeschooling is even if they're not traveling, it's I believe it's a great way to go.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: So do what works for you, do the research.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I'm gonna put out there.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_00: This obviously works for you guys.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I I think you're right, that hands-on with the learning what's in the books is that's just an incredible way.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: And as Dean said, you know, at some point you'll be in therapy, you'll have something to talk about.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_00: You know, because parents, you know, they we as parents, we we mess up, so then you guys could deal with it later.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_00: Right, right.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_01: Take it out on me later.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, exactly.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_00: I think the message here is the good, the fun, the enjoyment, the experiences outweigh the things that happen while you're traveling, but you know, could happen while you're living in a house.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's just a different kind of things that happen.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_00: So um that's awesome.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_00: We did touch on your channel.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_00: Let's talk a little bit about your social media and YouTube channel.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_00: Let's talk a little bit about that.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_00: You talked about there was some content about a lot of your content is about history.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_00: You also do content on visiting campgrounds.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_00: Tell us, first of all, the name is Dean and Gertie Explore the World, and Dean and Gertie are the kids, and the only reason I remember the parents' name is because I have it in front of me.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_00: Monica and Jeff, you're just a lug for the ride.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, yeah, yeah.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_02: It kind of works out though, because like if you think about it, putting your kids on the internet is kind of a scary thing for a lot of people.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_02: And if people think that me and Jeff are Dean and Gertie, they're more likely to come and talk to us as opposed to them.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_02: So it's kind of a safety net because I would much rather have a stranger come up and talk to me, and I'll deal with that rather than freaking the kids out by going and talking to them.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_02: So it kind of works out.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_02: And I get to act like I'm, you know, the Charlie Brown teacher, you know, wah wah wah.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_00: Right, right.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_00: There you go.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, we could go on for a long time.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_00: There's so much more we could talk about.
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_00: But as we wrap up, each of you, is there something really special that stands out for you being on the road?
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_00: Answer it however you want.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_00: I could see all of you thinking, but something special that you would recommend for other people with families that are like, yeah, do this RVing thing, go travel however people want to travel because what is one of those like amazing things that you're so happy, you know, you're you're doing this, you have this experience.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna say it's uh the community built that's one thing that I wasn't expecting to happen as um naturally as it has for us, but we have met some absolutely amazing, amazing full-time families and um individual travelers like you, Patty.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_01: Like absolutely um dozens and dozens of them that who we now consider to be really, really good and close friends, and um hope that that will uh continue on even if some of us go off the road, and enough most of us will.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_01: And so we feel that we're we're very blessed and that we've met some really truly amazing people, some kids that the kids have met, um I think we'll be lifetime friends.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_01: And that that to me was one of the biggest surprises.
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, for anybody who's who's thinking that that doesn't happen, that's it's couldn't be further from the truth.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_01: But at the same time, you also have to be willing to put yourself out there and not be the hermit that lives inside of his camp or at the campground.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_01: Like, go outside.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_01: There's there's a lot of people that are in the same boat as you that are um out here exploring, and that's uh another place where you can learn what they are doing or where they've been, and and so uh don't be afraid to talk to people.
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, we've we have some neighbors here at the campground that we just met yesterday that I think we'll end up hooking up with again in Florida when we're down there.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um just some really great people, and it's it's that's happening over and over and over again uh for all four of us.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um so it's been really awesome.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_00: Community is incredible.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_00: Dean, you have something?
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_00: Look like you had something.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_03: Again, seeing our places like mom hasn't even seen the red wood.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_03: Well, she's seen it last year, but she was for sh I think she's forty five.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_03: Four she was forty-five, I think, when she saw the first Red Woods.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_02: She's calling me out.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_02: So crazy.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, you have to talk loud though.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not cutting that out.
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_00: You shouldn't leave that out.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_00: I would wish you'd have definitely that in.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_01: He did.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_01: He said it.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_01: Continue your story quick.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_01: Go ahead.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_01: Talk loud.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_03: Uh yeah, it was fun.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_03: I haven't even seen the redwoods, and I just wrote the story about the redwoods.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_03: It's awesome.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_03: I saw my first animal that was none of.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_03: I wanted to eat it, but it was kind of slimy, so I said no.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_02: What do you what are you gonna tell other people who would take their kids out on the road?
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_03: Sit up sit up and talk loud.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_02: Rachel Ven or pet snake.
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_02: They should bring a pet snake.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_02: No, you shouldn't bring a pet snake.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_02: No.
• 39:15
  SPEAKER_02: What why?
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_02: Pet snake?
• 39:17
  SPEAKER_02: Did you say?
• 39:18
  unknown: Yeah.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_02: No.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_02: She's in that I want a pet phase.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_00: I want a pet.
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_00: You it sounds like you need a trip to a petting farm.
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_00: Petting food.
• 39:29
  SPEAKER_00: You know, yeah, give her a taste of it.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_00: Oh man.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, wow.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 39:40
  SPEAKER_00: Challenges of being on the road.
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 39:42
  SPEAKER_00: How about you, Monica?
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_00: What do you got?
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, I think that if this is something that you're interested in doing, just realize that you're doing the same thing that you would be doing in your regular house.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_02: But you are doing it on the go.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_02: So there's not really a whole lot of downtime.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_02: Like weekends really aren't free, but these are memories that are gonna take your kids through the rest of their lives.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_02: And it's not somebody else raising your kids or you know, spending time outside of your family.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_02: You're taking your family to do these incredible things that kind of stretch you and test you to different realms, and it's it's fun, it's scary, it's mind-blowing, and it's epic in every way possible.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_01: But then you have to do laundry.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_00: You still have to do laundry, right?
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_00: And in addition, you have to dump tanks, right?
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_01: You have to do all you still have to get up and make breakfast for the kids and get them in school and do all the things like Monty said.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_01: I think it it is, you know, we're pretty much doing everything that we did in the condo, but this this house has wheels and it just goes from one location to the next.
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like you said, we get to see so many more things than I ever could have imagined seeing.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, okay, as we start wrapping up, where can people reach out to you?
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's Dean and Gertie, explore the world.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_00: Where can they reach out to you guys?
• 41:08
  SPEAKER_00: How do they see your content?
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_01: So, our primary is YouTube.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_01: That's where everything, all of our long form story uh format videos come from YouTube.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's a it's a family vlog, family blog style uh of us and our adventures and what we're doing.
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but we are on all platforms, quite literally almost all platforms: Snapchat, LinkedIn, Facebook, Patreon, Instagram, TikTok.
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_01: We got it all.
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_01: We're busy.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_00: We are going to put all of your social media in the show notes.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_00: People can watch this.
• 41:46
  SPEAKER_00: If you're listening, you could watch it on YouTube so you could see this beautiful family.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and yeah, all the little fun antics that are going on through this episode, or listen on any podcast platform.
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_00: But I will put all the information to reach out to Monica and Jeff if you have questions.
• 42:06
  SPEAKER_00: They're happy to answer them.
• 42:08
  SPEAKER_00: Please check out their YouTube.
• 42:09
  SPEAKER_00: It is really quality video.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_00: And just I love it because it's just real and natural.
• 42:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's the real this you guys are just the real deal, and it's fun to watch and fun to listen to the back and forths between you and dealing with things like water not working in the campground, stuff like that happens.
• 42:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so absolutely reach out.
• 42:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to thank you guys.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Dean and Gertie and Jeff and Monica of Dean and Gertie Explore the World for being on Inspired Travels with Patty.
• 42:43
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Patty.
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_00: We appreciate you so much.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_01: We appreciate it.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_00: You're welcome.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_00: And anybody that wants to reach out, I'm on Inspired Travels with Patty, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_00: Reach out to me.
• 42:55
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to hear from you.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_00: And for both of us, hitting that subscribe, that follow button really helps our channels a lot.
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's absolutely free, and it's very helpful.
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you guys again.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_00: Have a wonderful time.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_00: I will be keeping track of where you guys are.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_00: Bye, Patty.
• 43:13
  SPEAKER_00: Take care.
• 43:14
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, thank you.