K Shawtree

I have pursued the "American Dream" by having the job, the house, and all that we are told we are supposed to have from the time we are little. However, I found myself feeling terribly empty inside, longing for something more "real."

My better-half and I decided to do a radical downsize and hit the road. We sold everything and became nomads.

We bought a 28-foot toy hauler travel trailer which we later sold to buy a fifth wheel toy hauler. After we were on the road for a year and had traveled throughout the U.S., we decided to spend nearly 5 months going across Canada -- hitting 9 of the 10 provinces (sadly, we didn't make it to Newfoundland/Labrador).

Before setting out on our travels we thought that we'd be the "young" ones (we were 48 and 52). Much to our surprise, there were many younger people (under 40 years old) who were pursuing what we have come to realize is the "New American Dream." Finding this terribly fascinating, I set out to learn why. What are these travelers seeking, and how did they structure their lives to make this possible?

That is the origins of a book I wrote called "The New American Dream: Finding Lifestyle Freedom on the Road."

After writing this book, we continued our travels. We've now been on the road for 3 years and have made a lot of mistakes and learned a lot along the way. I want to save others from our mistakes... that's the origins of this course!