A family has described how they quit their jobs and made a very rash decision to put their house up for sale and travel around America in a motorhome.
Jen Omohundro, 42 and her husband JR, decided to travel around the US with their children - Kelsey, 14, and Lane, 10 - and their two English bulldogs after hearing a podcast about a family doing the same.
The family said they've got no regrets after they had £30,000 saved up for the trip, and spent about £260,000 on their 300sqft motorhome.
They packed up their bags in March 2021 after spending nine months renovating it, and said they've saved about £1,600 a month in mortgage bills.
The family visited 36 states and spent two weeks exploring each spot when the kids aren't being home-schooled.
Both Jen and JR home-school their children using an online programme and by viewing experiences on their travels - such as visiting an archaeological dig site or hiking through the mountains.
Jen, who worked in sales and marketing, originally from Richmond, Virgina, said: “It’s not an easy lifestyle but it is rich with experience.
“We were travelling a lot at first, but we’ve now slowed down to spend longer in each place.
“We’ve had so many experiences as a family that we never would have had without doing this.
“We’ve done mountain hikes, swam with whales, and ridden on a pedal railway.
“Homeschooling has been great for the kids as we use an online programme, but back it up with real experiences.
“My son is now a year ahead of where he would be if he was still in school.”
Jen broached the idea to travel around the country with her husband, JR, a business owner, when she listened to a podcast which referenced a family travelling in a van together.
She never believed that he would be up for the idea.
“The family was talking about how incredible it was and what the kids were then experiencing,” she said.
“I thought it sounded so unique and cool, but I never thought my husband would go for it.
“But he surprised me and said he would be up for it.
“We started researching how we’d go about it and a week later we’d put our house up for sale.”
Whilst life on the road is different to their life in Virginia, Jen said she wouldn't trade the experiences her family has got for the world.
“It’s a major difference to what we were used to,” Jen said.
“It’s not a lot of space for four people and two dogs.
“We started out by spending a few nights in each city, but it became very tiring.
“Our kids were really excited as soon as we told them about it, but we promised our daughter that we’d go back to see her friends.”
The family work remotely and home-school Kelsey and Lane using an online programme and do activities to enrich their experiences further.
“We took them to an archaeological site where they were digging up mammoths,” Jen said.
“It was amazing.
“The kids like the flexibility and freedom of home-schooling.”
The family find life on the road much cheaper especially with no mortgage to pay.
They're spending around £650 on fuel a month and an average of £1,200 on-site fees.
“It’s cheaper than our previous lifestyle,” Jen said.
"We save at least a couple of thousand dollars worth in savings every month.
“We spend so much more time together by travelling.
“The dogs love it too because we’re always around.
“But we always keep checking with the kids that they are happy to keep doing this.
“We love this lifestyle, but we’ll always go with the flow and what is best for the family.
“We can buy a house again if we need to, but we can’t get time back.
“It’s unexplainable how travelling has deepened our bond as a family.”
