Hello from the Traveling Trio – Derek, Jillian & Trygg!
We’re about to embark on a grand adventure, and we couldn’t be more excited (or nervous… or exhausted… or all of the above!).
On June 27, we closed a chapter—maybe even an entire book—to begin writing a brand-new one.
The Spark
This past February, while enjoying our annual family vacation down south, soaking up the sunshine and spending time with loved ones, we found ourselves wishing that this could be our everyday life. While hiking in the desert, Derek and I began asking a question we couldn’t ignore: “Could this really be our life?”
We’ve always imagined ourselves traveling someday—someday when we were retired. But sometimes life delivers a wake-up call. A few months ago, Derek lost a relative unexpectedly, and we were reminded just how uncertain life can be. Retirement and growing old together aren’t guaranteed. Life is unpredictable—and incredibly precious.
The Decision
After a lot of soul-searching, we decided it was time to stop waiting. It was finally time to start living the life we’d always dreamed of—one full of travel, adventure, sailing, and, most importantly, time spent together. That meant selling our house, moving aboard our 32-foot catamaran, and buying an RV that we could live, travel, work, and homeschool in.
Sounds simple, right?
Well… let’s just say, we had about 50 unfinished house projects standing in our way—not to mention the enormous task of downsizing our possessions and becoming RV experts overnight. Most people would give themselves at least a year for a transition like this. But if you know me (Jillian), you know once I set my mind to something, there’s no stopping me. So I told Derek, “Let’s have the house listed by June 1”—a goal we missed by just one day.
The Journey So Far
March, April & May Recap
The spring was a whirlwind of change and preparation:
🛠️ Long days (and nights) tackling project after project
📦 Sorting, donating, and major downsizing
⛵ Outfitting our sailboat for full-time life on the water
🚐 And diving head-first into the wild world of RV research
(I now know way too much about RVs!)
June & July Recap
The past two months have been full of adventure and big transitions:
⚓ Countless boat projects
🚐 Touring (so many) RVs
✅ Finally purchasing our RV!
🏡 Adjusting to life in 400 sq. ft. on the boat (goodbye, 1100 sq. ft. house)
⛵ Plenty of sailing
💛 Even more time spent together
It’s been exhausting. But as we stand on the edge of this new life, we know every sacrifice and sleepless night will be worth it.
Thank You
We want to give a huge thank you to both our families for their unwavering support. We couldn’t have done this without you—and we’re so grateful.
Follow Our Adventure
We’ll be updating this blog as often as we can to share the joys (and struggles!) of life on the road in our 35-foot Super C RV and on the water aboard our 32 foot catamaran. We hope you’ll join us for the ride, the lessons, the laughter—and everything in between.
In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.
Let the adventure begin!
– Derek, Jillian & Trygg
Traveling Trio
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