rv travel

when the universe shouts

Black typewriter with white paper and a white background
| jamiefeinberg

I’ve been intrigued by the idea of writing a book about our travels across the US for a while now. For more years than I can remember, I’ve periodically had friends or family members or strangers ask if we were going to write a book about our adventures, or strongly suggest that we do so. In addition, I’ve long recognized that keeping this blog means that when I was ready to write that book, I’d have an assortment of stories to draw from.

Meanwhile, after putting my focus elsewhere (hello, operation: get to Canada!), for many months, in January I shifted my focus back to building my coaching business and other creative freelance work, both online and here in Canada.

I’ve got a giant to-do list, but I wasn’t feeling a lot of certainty about where my priorities should be as I relaunch things. Should I get more active on social media? Hop back into podcasting? Launch a course?

The universe, apparently, had other plans.

That Wednesday, I took Squeak, our cat, to the vet. Over the phone due to COVID, the veterinarian I had never met told me she’d “read the book about us traveling the US with a cat and having kittens”. I told her I’d probably have it written in 2-3 years – she seemed a little surprised. 🙂

Saturday, during a local (Zoom) book club meeting, after I’d introduced myself, a new friend said she’d “read the book of me traveling the US, coaching”.

Sunday, during a different Zoom book club, an acquaintance commented it looked like I was writing a novel – I was taking notes as we chatted. At the end of the session, she called out something like “Jamie, I want to read your book when it’s done!”.

So, yeah. Message heard loud and clear, universe!

The next day, I began writing my book.

Has the universe ever spoken to you? Or yelled at you?

Comment and let me know if I’m alone in this, please!

P.S. If you haven’t subscribed to this blog yet, that’s a great way to make sure you hear about my book when it’s available for pre-order! There’s a subscribe button – on your mobile, it should be the bottom right and say Follow, or look for a box on the right hand side if you’re on a computer etc. Thanks for your interest!

______________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help further by doing any or all of the following:

  • Purchase one of Ross’ albums! 
  • Take Ross’ online ukulele course!
  • Become a patron of our work!
  • Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
  • Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com. 

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

| jamiefeinberg

It’s been coming up for me a lot this week: the eagerness to move forward, to take a few more steps on the journey toward a better and more fulfilling life. Oh, but what’s that right behind us? The fear, of course! Right behind the desire to take another step or two is the fear sweeping in, to say wait, what if you lose all of your work, what if it doesn’t turn out the way you’re planning, what if there’s an emergency and won’t be available for your loved ones?

Hello again, fear. You’re always there, waiting in the wings, when we take a step forward in our business or elsewhere in our life. I’m sure you can relate. For me in my life, here are some of the times it’s made sure to pay a visit:

  • When we decided to buy a used RV and travel the US
  • When we decided to start a theater company
  • When we decided to stop workcamping and focus 100% on building our own businesses
  • When we decided to spend the summer touring the Pacific Northwest
  • When I decided to be a tour manager for a trip to Slovenia, even though I’d never flown internationally
  • When we decided to return to NH and do a fully staged musical (even though we hadn’t done so in 4 or so years)
  • When we decided to slow down our travel and focus on next steps

Every time we choose something awesome and bold to do, surprise! In comes the fear.

  • Sometimes it’s a voice in our head telling us “can you really do this? What if ____”
  • Sometimes it’s a well-meaning family member or friend concerned about our security or our safety
  • Sometimes it’s a well-meaning person reminding us of how four or five years ago, x didn’t work

Our lives have been a series of calculated risks. We can never know if a particularly project or life choice will work out for us in the long run. Instead, we can carefully weigh our options, consider the level of risk vs. level of reward, and consider if the worst-case scenario is something we’re willing to handle and capable of handling. (And that worst-case scenario? It’s always useful to think about all the things we’ve been able to handle before, that we wouldn’t have predicted we could handle. We can get through almost anything, honestly. )

So if you’re considering a new step, whether it’s a career break, a new job, a kid, a hobby, going back to school or a big move, I’m here to tell you: feel the fear and do it anyway! If you’ve done your own version of a risk analysis, whether it’s a pros and cons list, a heart to heart with your loved ones or a gut check, and you’ve got whatever runway you need, it’s time to go for it.

After all life isn’t guaranteed, and we aren’t getting younger. What’s one step you can take toward your dream today?

______________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

  • Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
  • Become a patron of our work!
  • Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
  • Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com. 

What if your success was inevitable?

| jamiefeinberg

Self-doubt is so, so common, and when you’re a business owner and/or a creator (or aspiring to be either), it’s common to find yourself plagued with doubts. What if this investment doesn’t pay off? What if I lose my clients? What if the economy goes south? What if I’m not as good at doing __ as I think I am?

It’s so easy to get on the doubt train, and when you get started, it can be so, so challenging to get off. And yet we know that those negative thoughts feed on themselves and sabotage our progress. What we focus on tends to be what we bring forth, or manifest.

So what if, instead, we make a conscious effort to change the conversation. When those worries and fears creep in, can we give ourselves a reset? Let’s try a mantra, or an affirmation – a phrase that you will repeat over and over again, in your mind and, if you dare and ideally, outlead.

Your success is inevitable.

Try it again.

Your success is inevitable.

So the big question: what would you do differently (in your business, in any area of your life) if your success were inevitable?

Ex. If you struggle with relationships, and you’ve been holding out on getting back in the dating game out of fear. What would you do if your success were inevitable? You’d keep trying, right? And maybe you wouldn’t put so much weight on a given date or interaction, laughing off the awkward coffee conversations knowing that sooner or later, you’d find the person of your dreams, and it would all work out.

Ex. If you knew investing $2,000 in your business now would translate to making $100,000 in your business next year, would you do it? I certainly hope you would! The cost/benefit analysis is clear.

So much of our success or failure, ultimately, stems from our confidence. If we believe with 100% confidence that we will be successful, that confidence is contagious. Our clients and potential clients see the way we ooze confidence and go yes, I want some of what she’s having! The people we date sense our charisma and our detachment from the outcome of a given moment and want to spend time with us. And while failure is really common, the sooner we show up and give it all, the sooner we take the next steps in our business and our life’s growth, the sooner we will get there. Instead of this do I or don’t I, will it work or will it not, we move on to the next step in our journey. If this particular venture is going to fail, wouldn’t you rather know now? I would!

I recently invested about $2,000 in a coaching mentorship. I’ve been loving coaching, feeling an incredible passion for helping people to achieve the life of their dreams, and I wanted some extra confidence to help me in building my business. I could have kept going it solo, but I knew that this calculated investment felt truly aligned for me – I was a little fearful, of course, as we often are before we commit to something or purchase something. But it was all I could think about, and I was super excited about it.

So I went for it. And I was so passionate about it, showing up with enthusiasm each week for my studying, my business and my clients. I know that investment will pay off in dividends as I’m now a more confident and skilled coach ready to work with more clients, create new offers and help people achieve their goals.

So I challenge you today: what would you do if your success were inevitable?

Leave me a comment, write about it in your journal or send me a message and share. Don’t let fear hold you back- there is so much you’re capable of. The world needs you.

______________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

  • Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
  • Become a patron of our work!
  • Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
  • Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com. 

Top Tips For Facing Your Fear

| jamiefeinberg

What a wild time to be alive, friends! I hope you’re prioritizing your own health and well-being. There’s so much stress and vitriol in the world, and if we let it consume us, it really will.

I read this quote this week and it really resonated with me. It can be really helpful to stop and articulate, with words (out loud or in writing, or even with imagery) how we’re feeling and what we’re fearing. Putting a name to it can make it easier to face. 

Here are some of the things I’m fearing right now: 

  • I won’t build my business to the level I dream about
  • I won’t be able to visit family and friends for a long time
  • I won’t be able to attend my friend’s wedding
  • I won’t be able to safely share my views & background and be my authentic self under our next administration
  • I’m not doing enough to help the causes I care about
  • My BIPOC and LGBTQIAA+ friends and those with disabilities (basically anyone that isn’t a white male, TBH) won’t be safe in the near future

Putting it down makes it clear that that’s a lot to navigate! No wonder I feel stressed sometimes, despite my healthy habits. 

Here are some of the things I’m pursuing to clear my fears: 

  • Daily work on my business & accountability checks with my mastermind & mentors
  • Weekly calls and video calls with friends and family, plus emails and text check-ins
  • Daily and weekly work to encourage voting, educate those around me and assist anyone with questions
  • Supporting the causes I care about, financially and with my time and energy

It’s so, so important to not only articulate what’s on our minds, but, when we’re in the right headspace, make a plan with concrete steps to feel better. If we’re feeling scared of the unknown, what’s one thing that’s within our control that we can make progress on? If we’re frightened that x might happen, what’s one step we can take that will listen the blow if it comes true? 

For instance, if we’re afraid that a wildfire could burn our house down, we should pack an emergency bag & create a plan. 

If we’re afraid of the outcome of an election, we should vote and encourage our friends to do the same, and lend our support to the causes and people we care about if we’re able to do so. 

We can’t eliminate the possibility of the things we fear, in many cases, but we can eliminate the fear by tackling it head on with the pursuit of new things, as Susie Moore says. Taking concrete steps feels good, mentally, physically, and emotionally. 

Can you relate to any of these? What is one thing you can do today to face your fear?

Today’s the day – don’t miss the chance to join us!

| jamiefeinberg

It’s already Day # 1 of the Make Money & RV Summit! Ross and I are speaking on October 4th, but you won’t want to miss today’s speakers & actionable tips and advice on how you can make money and RV full-time, part-time or seasonally!

We’re presenting Making the Life You Want: Crafting Your Life Adventure, and we’re thrilled to be in such amazing company.

Each session is FREE to attend for the first 24 hours, but I totally understand not being available to catch all the sessions- after all there’s seminars, interviews and bonus sessions!

If that’s the case, right now the best thing you can do for yourself would be to grab a VIP pass and lock in your behind the scenes access to this powerful information, regardless of if you can attend live or just want to watch them later.

Here’s why most people end up upgrading to VIP:
*They didn’t get to watch all the sessions.
*They want to re-watch some of the session
*They aren’t ready to use the info, and want to refer back once they are ready for action!
*They also want all the freebies our speakers are offering! (Free courses, eBooks, one-on-one coaching sessions, printables and more!)
*The VIP passes are currently on sale with an early bird discounted price!

Grab one now and get yours for the lowest price available. Just head here to check them out and choose the one that’s best for you!

Happy Friday, and we can’t wait to hear what you thought of the presentations!

______________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

  • Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
  • Become a patron of our work!
  • Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
  • Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com. 


Your Personal Invitation from Ross and Jamie!

| jamiefeinberg

If you’re reading this, you’re probably interested in at least one of the following:

a) Creating the life of your dreams

b) Traveling across the U.S.

c) Following the adventures of Ross and Jamie

So if any of those are true, we think you’ll want to reserve your spot at the free Make Money and RV Virtual Summit on October 1-5th!

Ross and I were honored to be asked to be a part of the summit (we’re in incredible company), and we know there’s tons of value for you here if you make a little time for it!

We get asked all the time how we make money on the road, and while we’re happy to coach you through what worked for us, wouldn’t it be even better for you to hear from dozens of RVers crafting their own dream lives, on their own terms?

With a variety of lifestyle speakers and industry experts diving into topics including how to get a job at a national park, how to create digital products, affiliate marketing to monetize your blog, how to really make money from blogging, starting a subscription box service, podcasting and more, I’m sure you’ll find something that you’re interested in!

Here’s what you’ll find at the summit:
*40 Speakers: Enjoy seminars, interviews & bonus content specifically aimed at helping you find ways to make noney and RV
*Practical Tips & Advice: Learn from lifestyle speakers about ways to make money on the road. Grab practical steps and advice to implement now or whenever you need it!
*Freebies: Grab a variety of freebies offered by our speakers, to help you achieve a quick win now and get started sooner than you imagined! In addition to great presenters, the summit has some amazing sponsors like Escapees RV Club, Harvest Hosts and even the The RVers TV series on Discovery Channel.

To get started, just register for our FREE event ticket and watch each of the live sessions for a full 24 hours!

You’ll also have a chance to connect with speakers inside the event Facebook Community and grab a variety of free resources related to each session.

If you can’t make it to all of the sessions, or if you just need more time to really dig into the material and take notes, I suggest you upgrade your ticket to the VIP pass and gain access for as long as you want. For the low cost of the upgrade, you’ll get a ton of added value with all the freebies included in the VIP Passes.

VIP Passes Include:
*Create Space from Thin Air: Ideas for Adding Storage to Your RV (or Other Tiny Home)
*Resume Writer’s Guidebook
*30 Minute Travel Therapy Questions & Answer Session
*$10 off mobile RV internet membership
*7 Day Workamping Course
*Grow to 10K Instagram Followers eBook
& many other great products & services by our speakers!

In fact, VIP Passes also come with a free ukulele lesson with Ross or a free coaching session with Jamie!

Whatever you decide, I really hope we’ll see you there – it’s hard to beat free, and there are some incredible speakers. Here’s the link to sign up. Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful week!

______________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

  • Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
  • Become a patron of our work!
  • Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
  • Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com. 


Using Frustration as Fuel for the Future

| jamiefeinberg

I’ve been dealing with some challenging situations in my work lately. One of my clients has been particularly disorganized, and for the first time in a long time I’m finding it hard not to carry their own stress into my life.

It’s not the scenario I hoped for when I took on this client, but it’s a scenario that many aspiring adventurers know well.

Do you find yourself carrying the stress of your 9 to 5 into your nights and weekends?

Do you find it tough to turn off the worry when you turn off the laptop?

Is it hard for you to devote time to working on your goals and dreams because you’re too stressed about the here and now?

I can certainly relate, and my best piece of advice is this: use your frustration as fuel for the future.

When you catch yourself dwelling on anger or frustration, reframe the situation by saying (out loud, in a journal or in your head) “I’m so thankful for work that allows me to pay my bills. I’m so thankful for work that allows me to save for my future goals. This situation is helping me to build my future dream life.”

Remember that this frustration is fueling your future in multiple ways:

  • Financially – this money supports you while you dream and scheme and plan, and it may let you save enough for funding future too.
  • Emotionally – this experience is giving you visceral lessons that will stick with you moving forward. You’ll remember this feeling and when you lose momentum or focus on the work of dream life creation, remembering how much you don’t want to experience this again will get you that fire under your butt that’s needed for change.

Rewriting our stories is truly important for growth. It’s essential that I keep rewriting my frustration so that instead of a thing that’s happening to me, I put myself in a position of power.

I choose to do this job to support my future life.

I do this work to feed my family.

I’m learning lessons that will help me in the future.

Choose a story of empowerment. Choose to use your frustration as future fuel.

Have you been in this situation?

How did you handle it?

How are you rewriting your story today?

______________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

  • Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
  • Become a patron of our work!
  • Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
  • Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com

A Forced Pause – Quarantine Life

| jamiefeinberg

How things change for full-time RVers during COVID-19!

Before leaving Florida, we spent several weeks stocking up on supplies (all via delivery), not just for our journey across the country, but also for when we arrived in New Mexico. It was fun – we didn’t just buy supplies for meals, but we also bought car snacks and treats so that we could avoid gas station runs or Walmart stops to minimize our risk.

Our Misfits Market subscription was also an excellent source for this, from oat milk to nuts and granola. In addition, we decided to top off our produce and proteins with a delivery from Sprouts (new to us) while we were in Oklahoma City.

Our planning was extremely helpful. We could have gotten through a month in the RV if we needed to! As it stands, we’re currently more than halfway through our two week quarantine in New Mexico, and we’ve got all we need for sustenance and fun, including several bottles of wine and fancy cheese for a once a week treat. Our planning has made our adventuring fun instead of feeling like a burden.

So, what do we do for fun when we can’t leave the campground? In addition to our work (which has run the gamut from music teaching and music making to virtual assistant work and coaching), we’ve done the following:

  • Completed a mystery box from Deadbolt Mystery Society
  • Enjoyed wine and cheese after a night of (virtual) yoga and a (virtual) ukulele jam
  • Watched the entire series Space Force on Netflix (it’s so funny and sweet!)
  • Watched several Youtube videos about the history of Disney parks and properties
  • Taken daily walks around the campground (well, Jamie has anyway)
  • Enjoyed mountain views
  • Had Zoom meetups with family and friends
  • Made tacos and guacamole, caramel popcorn, fancy pasta and s’mores

I’m sure we’ve done much more too, but those are the first eight things that come to mind. And since most of those are things that I imagine most all of us can do from home, maybe it will give you some inspiration to create an adventure at home this weekend or any time.

What’s your favorite fun activity when you can’t leave home?

______________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

  • Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
  • Become a patron of our work!
  • Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
  • Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com. 

Our First Blowout – And How We Prepared

| jamiefeinberg

Well, we’ve lived in our RV for four years, traveling for almost four, and it finally happened – we had a blowout!

Ross was about forty minutes away from our destination (staying at a winery, where I was already waiting for him) when he felt an immediate change while driving, realizing there was a ton of resistance. He immediately pulled over to the side of the highway. Turns out he’d blown two tires.

It was scary, of course, but thankfully it happened during daylight on a clear day, Good Sam got there before dark and while the cost wasn’t cheap, we had plenty of space on our credit card for it. Not to mention that Ross, Squeak (our cat) and our house/RV were all okay!

It’s been interesting traveling during COVID-19. Where normally we’d be getting coffee or ice cream along the way, instead there’s a much more serious cost/benefit analysis happening before we consider takeout of any kind, and we certainly aren’t dining in anywhere! Getting out of Florida means less virus exposure, but we’re also traveling through areas that don’t have mask mandates or even potentially norms around mask-wearing, so we are treading carefully. We also don’t want to potentially infect the people that we bump into!

I think the big lesson learned for us was that doing the work pays off when you hit a time of crisis. If I hadn’t been so well-read on tires, I wouldn’t have known to tell Ross to get all four of the back tires replaced when two of them went, and financially getting them all replaced turned out to be the best decision (they only added another $100 when they added 2 tires to our order!) by far.

For Ross, all of his prior work learning to drive the RV like a pro with great care meant he knew exactly what to do, and trusted his gut, when the tires blew out.

How are you doing the work now to set yourself up for success later?

______________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

  • Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
  • Become a patron of our work!
  • Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
  • Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.