Finding Time

[toxicity_27]

I did a bit of searching and this is something that has been bugging me for the last while. I'm trying to make more time for trips be it weekends, or week long trips. How are you finding the time to go on a trip?

Life and work gets in the way for all of us, so I'm curious as to what everyone does to "force" themselves to go on a trip. What tips, tricks, or ideas do you have for me so I can get out more often?

 

[Laud]

Commitment has made my life easier in this lifestyle.
Planning and preparing pay off in the short and long run.
Everybody’s work schedule is not always easy to work around, so start there.
What’s available to your schedule. Build long weekends for yourself. Add a day on the end or in front when possible. Pack a couple of days before ya leave. Beat the weekend rush by leaving early, or coming back late.
We have changed our home life, to revolve around our travel.
Find what works and then practice, practice, practice.

 

[rzims]

I think for us, the most important thing when planning is to get it on the calendar. I've always been one to say, "yep, we need to plan that".
My SO on the other hand says, "I've picked these dates, what works for you", even if it's way out in the future. The funny thing is time goes so fast now that if it's not planned way in advance, it doesn't usually happen.
Very rarely do we have a weekend where we're sitting around saying, "what should we do this weekend"

 

[RedRob]

Given the nature of this forum I would guess that you keep yourselves as ready as possible, but to me that is really one of the keys. I can’t keep my rig ready to go all the time, but I can get it ready quickly and that really helps me mentally.

 

[toxicity_27]

I'm really liking these tips, and most are what I already do, so I'm glad to see I'm not alone.

How do you accomplish spur of the moment trips, or is it mostly planning for a weekend/week long trip?

 

[rzims]

Again, just my experience, but most of our camping stuff is in bins and on the shelf in the garage. That way if we do have a last minute opportunity to get away, it's just a matter of tossing the bins on the roof and going.
After each trip, I try to make sure everything is cleaned, restocked and put away.
Of course food items are bought on the way, but mantles for the lanterns, gas for the stove, spices, paper products, etc are usually checked and restocked at the end of every trip.
I also have a checklist on my tablet which I run through quickly as we're loading.....because I usually forget stuff if I don't have a list to work from.

 

[[DO]Ron]

My camping stuff isn't the problem at all, because all camping stuff (even food for a few days) sits at the ready. Just grab a bag of clothes and we can be out the door. It’s all the other engagements we have in the weekends that’s the biggest problem. Both have a bunch of brothers and sisters and big families with loads of cousins that we have a good connection with. But that means a lot of birthdays or just general other get togethers. And that’s not even counting our friends..

Guess we should plan holidays ahead, and I mean a year ahead.. without looking at the dates and who’s birthday or whatever we might miss.

 

[Northernlady]

My camping stuff isn't the problem at all, because all camping stuff (even food for a few days) sits at the ready. Just grab a bag of clothes and we can be out the door. It’s all the other engagements we have in the weekends that’s the biggest problem. Both have a bunch of brothers and sisters and big families with loads of cousins that we have a good connection with. But that means a lot of birthdays or just general other get togethers. And that’s not even counting our friends..

Guess we should plan holidays ahead, and I mean a year ahead.. without looking at the dates and who’s birthday or whatever we might miss.

How about suggesting outings that combine family events with your desire to travel...even if it is celebrating birthdays at a lake or other favorite spot. Otherwise it is just a matter of priorities, miss a few family events to get out more. It can be a tough balancing act for sure.

 

[[DO]Ron]

How about suggesting outings that combine family events with your desire to travel...even if it is celebrating birthdays at a lake or other favorite spot. Otherwise it is just a matter of priorities, miss a few family events to get out more. It can be a tough balancing act for sure.

Could work.. But traveling around isn't the same where I live.. if people have to drive 30 minutes longer to get somewhere it is considered long haha. The grandparents of my GF sometimes do their birthdays at the trailer park where they have a trailer but it is almost a 2 hour drive, a lot of people don't attent then.

We'll find time sooner or later.. my GF is finishing up her college, but she's been having internships, in hotels, working almost all weekends. So that doesn't really help either.

 

[BeastModeABM]

Camping/Over-landing has always been our primary form of recreation. Since we both work from home we make it a point to go on a trip at LEAST every month or so. The way we see it, there's time but we just got to make it. We usually take a Friday off or just work remote on that Friday close to our final destination. Luckily California has many off-road routes and destinations.

 

[Jrahn0822]

I find the easiest way to get out and do things is to figure out where you want to go. Research it and see if there is a local event that interests you or a phenomenon that will occur at a given time that intrigues you. Then set your travel for that date. I find I am much more apt to make time and make a trip happen if I have something specific I want to get out of it. It helps to keep you hyped up to want to go.

 

[toxicity_27]

I'm loving the discussion. It reminds me of the video @Michael

How do you decide where to go? I like @Jrahn0822 's idea of going somewhere you've researched already, or if there's an event, etc.

Does the area need to be within a certain distance (mileage or time) of your home?

 

[Jrahn0822]

As far as distance of home I think that really depends on what you want to get out of it and how much you can really devote to it. I think far too often people are dead set on going to far away places and miss so much that's right in their backyard or close to home. Obviously not everyone can do multiple week long trips. Long weekend trips obviously limit you due to time constraints so those you have to decide if you're going to a place just for the destination to say you have been there or if you want to get there and truly explore.

 

[Eric Neal]

Toxicity, my bride and I used to have the same problems... b'days, holidays, work, yada... So we began to look more strategically at our goals. We initially planned spur of the moment or a couple of weeks out and, like you, along came a stumbling point or conflicting need or urgency and our plans got dashed.

So we switched to making a goal of 1 big trip per year (multi week) with one shorter trip (3-4 nights +) per year so that gave us two trips during each 6 month period that we would commit to and plan for and get stoked about. For me, half of the fun is doing the planning & research on where we'll go, what we want to see/do and also the need to take in to account that we'll need alternate plans or routes if roads are closed or weather conditions don't "go as planned". It's sort of exciting to look at all the maps and resources plus the input from all the internet chatter about options and plans.

As time gets closer to departure then we start to look at meals plans and packing up our kitchen and pantry bins. The bins are already set up but I refine the contents based on past experience and our future plans. By the way, I find that I do best (more efficient) if I make a list of everything we took and when we get home my wife and I sit down to go over the list - marking what we didn't use or need, what we wanted or needed and didn't take, what didn't work and needs a "re-think", etc.

Then we share our dates and plans with family and friends - months in advance so they can get excited for-with us. They look forward to the adventure stories and picture, etc. That way if there is a "conflict" in ours and their schedules - they already know it and it sits better that we aren't going to show up.

Then throughout the remainder of the year we take spur of the moment overnight or two night camping trips pretty local to our home as time and conditions permit. The short term trips helps us "scratch the itch" but not burn us out from all the other planning commitments.

 

[Hourless Life]

Wow, I have a lot to say here. Hope it is taken the right way. Please know that I want to encourage everyone to get out and explore as often as possible. I do realize that not everyone wants to do what we do or has the ability due to life commitments or other obligations.

But I want to encourage you that whether it is an extended weekend, or a month long trip, or even more, the key to success IMO is:

1. Dream
2. Decide
3. Plan
4. Take Action
5. Execute

This is how it worked for us.

1. Dream: We dreamt of fulltime travel. We knew we wanted to see the world.

2. Decide: We decided to do it. My father (RIP) told me a riddle when I was young. "There are three frogs on a log, 2 make a decision to jump off. How many frogs are on the log?" As a child I would answer "One" and he'd simply shake his head and say, "No, figure it out." Eventually of course I realized that there were still 3 frogs on the log, they had made a decision but it had gone no further. They never took any action to make their decision a reality. As I got older, he'd tell me. "Don't be a frog on a log son."

3. Plan: We made a plan. We knew we needed a sustainable income that would allow us to work from anywhere in the world. (Yes, we still work fulltime) So we created a business that was Internet dependent, one that would allow us to work from anywhere in the world as long as we had connectivity. (no we're not porn stars). We decided to create an online marketing company that assists small businesses with their social media. It has worked well for us. It was 3 years of hard work sometimes 7am to 11pm to make this business a reality that was sustainable. People look at us now and say, "You have the best life, you travel fulltime. I wish I could do that." I mean it looks good on Instagram and Facebook. But the reality is that there were a LOT of very long nights and weeks over 3 years to make our current lifestyle a reality.

We also decided to not buy anything that wasn't going with us on our journey, and to start selling and donating things that weren't going either.

4. Take Action: In January 2014 we purchased a used 40' diesel RV and this was the start of our fulltime travel life. In short we were the frog that jumped off the log. Not one that had made a decision to.

5. Execute: We began traveling in our RV fulltime with no other home in February of 2014. In January of 2019 we sold our 40' RV after 5 years of fulltime travel around the USA and decided to overland travel fulltime internationally in our Jeep. (We are currently deep in the Interior of Mexico, I'm writing this from San Luis Potosi)

I say all of this because the steps are the same whether it is a weekend trip or a lifestyle change. The bottom line is it can be done if you really want it badly enough. Dream, Decide, Plan, Take Action, Execute.

I firmly believe that there are two types of people in this world. People who talk about doing things, and people who do them. I hope to always be in the latter group. I have found that most Overland Bound members are also in the latter group. This has been a refreshing community of like-minded adventurers and we're so glad to be part of it.

Happy to answer any questions that folks may have. The most important thing is get out and explore.

Eric AKA Jeepsies
#OB14045

 

[toxicity_27]

Wow, I have a lot to say here. Hope it is taken the right way. Please know that I want to encourage everyone to get out and explore as often as possible. I do realize that not everyone wants to do what we do or has the ability due to life commitments or other obligations.

But I want to encourage you that whether it is an extended weekend, or a month long trip, or even more, the key to success IMO is:

1. Dream
2. Decide
3. Plan
4. Take Action
5. Execute

This is how it worked for us.

1. Dream: We dreamt of fulltime travel. We knew we wanted to see the world.

2. Decide: We decided to do it. My father (RIP) told me a riddle when I was young. "There are three frogs on a log, 2 make a decision to jump off. How many frogs are on the log?" As a child I would answer "One" and he'd simply shake his head and say, "No, figure it out." Eventually of course I realized that there were still 3 frogs on the log, they had made a decision but it had gone no further. They never took any action to make their decision a reality. As I got older, he'd tell me. "Don't be a frog on a log son."

3. Plan: We made a plan. We knew we needed a sustainable income that would allow us to work from anywhere in the world. (Yes, we still work fulltime) So we created a business that was Internet dependent, one that would allow us to work from anywhere in the world as long as we had connectivity. (no we're not porn stars). We decided to create an online marketing company that assists small businesses with their social media. It has worked well for us. It was 3 years of hard work sometimes 7am to 11pm to make this business a reality that was sustainable. People look at us now and say, "You have the best life, you travel fulltime. I wish I could do that." I mean it looks good on Instagram and Facebook. But the reality is that there were a LOT of very long nights and weeks over 3 years to make our current lifestyle a reality.

We also decided to not buy anything that wasn't going with us on our journey, and to start selling and donating things that weren't going either.

4. Take Action: In January 2014 we purchased a used 40' diesel RV and this was the start of our fulltime travel life. In short we were the frog that jumped off the log. Not one that had made a decision to.

5. Execute: We began traveling in our RV fulltime with no other home in February of 2014. In January of 2019 we sold our 40' RV after 5 years of fulltime travel around the USA and decided to overland travel fulltime internationally in our Jeep. (We are currently deep in the Interior of Mexico, I'm writing this from San Luis Potosi)

I say all of this because the steps are the same whether it is a weekend trip or a lifestyle change. The bottom line is it can be done if you really want it badly enough. Dream, Decide, Plan, Take Action, Execute.

I firmly believe that there are two types of people in this world. People who talk about doing things, and people who do them. I hope to always be in the latter group. I have found that most Overland Bound members are also in the latter group. This has been a refreshing community of like-minded adventurers and we're so glad to be part of it.

Happy to answer any questions that folks may have. The most important thing is get out and explore.

Eric AKA Jeepsies
#OB14045

I love it. This is actually something I'm working towards as well. That riddle is fantastic as well. I'm going to have to steal it.

I agree, the community here is definitely part of the group of people who do things as opposed to talking about them, which is why I love it, and figured I'd get some great answers to this question. Hopefully others are taking something away as well.

What other inputs do people have?

 

[Ben Cleveland]

As did Eric (@Jeepsies ), I have MANY thoughts about this. I just hope they're not too much.....
The single thing that I'm hearing in what you're saying is a conflict of priorities. You mention a ton of weekend social gatherings, which I assume are important to you. Also a busy work/study schedule for your girlfriend. And a lack of time to go on trips. This is a simple problem, that list simply isn't being accomplished in the time you have, with time left over for your trips. So you need to either limit or change your priorities or expectations to become more realistic, or reduce time commitments and increase time boundaries for all of the different things you listed.

My wife and I have always just sort of let weekends "happen". That stopped last year when we had a baby. We had a metric ton of commitments, I was even for a while basically filling a part time volunteer leadership role at our church, during the beginning of the busy season for my real job. It was horrible, we were stressed and exhausted, and constantly behind on bills, projects, trips we wanted to do, and we didn't even have time to think about things like cleaning our house.

The two big things we did was choose to start prioritizing time for rest, and being super realistic about the time required to do a project. We also started brainstorming and planning out weekends in advance.

Brainstorm list included a list of projects like:
install lift on 4runner
framing for new shop
babyproofing cabinets
installing a shiplap wall as an accent wall in our living room
detail both cars
A few different short weekend trips we wanted to take to surrounding state parks
Listing and selling a vehicle privately
re-organizing a few closets that included guns and a bunch of camping gear of mine
Social gatherings like birthday parties, a planned event with friends etc.
Social or serving commitments like a weekend where I would be working all day at church.
etc etc.
Each item had an estimated amount of time required to complete. We used "half day" units of time. For example, the framing for the shop was 2 full days worth of work. I'm especially horrible at estimating time for projects like this, so I was SUPER pessimistic when imagining how much time would actually be required.

We then started scheduling stuff out for weekends for the next few months. The big thing was, we decided to ONLY schedule 1 full day's worth of work over the entire weekend. That meant if we scheduled a day's worth of framing on the shop over a weekend, I could either spend 1 full weekend day on it, or two half days on it. I literally started setting myself an alarm for the time I had to start cleaning up each day.

We found scheduling only half of the weekend left us valuable time to rest, recharge, and get our life together. I honestly didn't realize how important this was! After a few months of doing this, we found we were knocking out every single project we wanted to do, were spending good time with friends and family, and had done several different short weekend trips. And we were rested, bills were paid, and our house was clean most of that time.


I'm just blurbing about stuff we've learned over the past year. We just found that being intentional about our weekend time and planning in advance, together with being realistic about time requirements for things has just helped us a lot in achieving the things we want and need to do in our personal time. It also lets us catch times where we're going to be busy, or for some reason focusing on a particular kind of commitment or priority over others. Us taking regular camping trips is NOT the only priority for our family and my personal time. But it is totally something we've decided is one of the major priorities for our family. There were weeks and months last year where my wife and I decided that we could afford for us to even go on two or three one night or day trips over the course of a month, and there were other times when we knew there was no time for that, and other things were more important.


Something @Eric Neal mentioned is super important. Goals and priorities, and to extend that a little bit, even asking the question "What do we value most in life, and in our weekends, and what do we care most about on that list?" @Jeepsies talked about the same thing. I think all of us are talking about basically the same concept about being intentional with one's time, and approaching things with goal-oriented, planning mindset rather than "letting things happen". I think we're just all sharing versions of that that has become our own life routine or rhythm for achieving that on a regular basis.

And because I don't feel like you can ever talk about being intentional with weekends without also covering this stuff:
Want to be more intentional and "forward thinking" with your finances? Look up YNAB, I know many members here on OverlandBound are fans as well. Its a great tool, and has significantly helped me and my wife become more intentional stewards of our finances.

Want to me more intentional in your relationship? Honestly that one is basically necessary if you have a significant other and you want to be more intentional in your life and plan better. A mentor of mine recently turned me onto a concept of a "marriage journal" with questions you and your significant other ask eachother on a weekly basis.
https://www.aujpoj.com/our-6-questions-for-marriage-lets-beat-the-50-percent/
So, let me preface this by saying, I'm a Christian, and this article is written obviously from a Christian perspective. Those are my beliefs and context, so this is what I have to say on the subject. But there's a principle of weekly coming together with your significant other, and asking intentional questions about each other, and your together and individual goals and priorities that I have found AWESOME. I just feel like anybody could benefit from this type of practice, whether or not they're a Christian. This is not a Christian thing, this is a relationship thing, its just that the best example I've found to reference is one written from a Christian context. My wife and I tried it a few times, and I've found these weekly questions have become a really cool reminder for us about what our weekly priorities and goals are, INCLUDING things like travel, trips, and all the other things we've talked about in this thread. So, if that's something you find speaks to you, then that's really cool.


I really hope my mind dump isn't overboard or overwhelming, simply put though, I totally understand the frustration behind your post @toxicity_27, and everything I've laid out is just things my wife and I have learned as we've started really fighting that tendency for weekends to just get away from us. Hope it helps!

 

[toxicity_27]

As did Eric (@Jeepsies ), I have MANY thoughts about this. I just hope they're not too much.....
The single thing that I'm hearing in what you're saying is a conflict of priorities. You mention a ton of weekend social gatherings, which I assume are important to you. Also a busy work/study schedule for your girlfriend. And a lack of time to go on trips. This is a simple problem, that list simply isn't being accomplished in the time you have, with time left over for your trips. So you need to either limit or change your priorities or expectations to become more realistic, or reduce time commitments and increase time boundaries for all of the different things you listed.

My wife and I have always just sort of let weekends "happen". That stopped last year when we had a baby. We had a metric ton of commitments, I was even for a while basically filling a part time volunteer leadership role at our church, during the beginning of the busy season for my real job. It was horrible, we were stressed and exhausted, and constantly behind on bills, projects, trips we wanted to do, and we didn't even have time to think about things like cleaning our house.

The two big things we did was choose to start prioritizing time for rest, and being super realistic about the time required to do a project. We also started brainstorming and planning out weekends in advance.

Brainstorm list included a list of projects like:
install lift on 4runner
framing for new shop
babyproofing cabinets
installing a shiplap wall as an accent wall in our living room
detail both cars
A few different short weekend trips we wanted to take to surrounding state parks
Listing and selling a vehicle privately
re-organizing a few closets that included guns and a bunch of camping gear of mine
Social gatherings like birthday parties, a planned event with friends etc.
Social or serving commitments like a weekend where I would be working all day at church.
etc etc.
Each item had an estimated amount of time required to complete. We used "half day" units of time. For example, the framing for the shop was 2 full days worth of work. I'm especially horrible at estimating time for projects like this, so I was SUPER pessimistic when imagining how much time would actually be required.

We then started scheduling stuff out for weekends for the next few months. The big thing was, we decided to ONLY schedule 1 full day's worth of work over the entire weekend. That meant if we scheduled a day's worth of framing on the shop over a weekend, I could either spend 1 full weekend day on it, or two half days on it. I literally started setting myself an alarm for the time I had to start cleaning up each day.

We found scheduling only half of the weekend left us valuable time to rest, recharge, and get our life together. I honestly didn't realize how important this was! After a few months of doing this, we found we were knocking out every single project we wanted to do, were spending good time with friends and family, and had done several different short weekend trips. And we were rested, bills were paid, and our house was clean most of that time.


I'm just blurbing about stuff we've learned over the past year. We just found that being intentional about our weekend time and planning in advance, together with being realistic about time requirements for things has just helped us a lot in achieving the things we want and need to do in our personal time. It also lets us catch times where we're going to be busy, or for some reason focusing on a particular kind of commitment or priority over others. Us taking regular camping trips is NOT the only priority for our family and my personal time. But it is totally something we've decided is one of the major priorities for our family. There were weeks and months last year where my wife and I decided that we could afford for us to even go on two or three one night or day trips over the course of a month, and there were other times when we knew there was no time for that, and other things were more important.


Something @Eric Neal mentioned is super important. Goals and priorities, and to extend that a little bit, even asking the question "What do we value most in life, and in our weekends, and what do we care most about on that list?" @Jeepsies talked about the same thing. I think all of us are talking about basically the same concept about being intentional with one's time, and approaching things with goal-oriented, planning mindset rather than "letting things happen". I think we're just all sharing versions of that that has become our own life routine or rhythm for achieving that on a regular basis.

And because I don't feel like you can ever talk about being intentional with weekends without also covering this stuff:
Want to be more intentional and "forward thinking" with your finances? Look up YNAB, I know many members here on OverlandBound are fans as well. Its a great tool, and has significantly helped me and my wife become more intentional stewards of our finances.

Want to me more intentional in your relationship? Honestly that one is basically necessary if you have a significant other and you want to be more intentional in your life and plan better. A mentor of mine recently turned me onto a concept of a "marriage journal" with questions you and your significant other ask eachother on a weekly basis.
https://www.aujpoj.com/our-6-questions-for-marriage-lets-beat-the-50-percent/
So, let me preface this by saying, I'm a Christian, and this article is written obviously from a Christian perspective. Those are my beliefs and context, so this is what I have to say on the subject. But there's a principle of weekly coming together with your significant other, and asking intentional questions about each other, and your together and individual goals and priorities that I have found AWESOME. I just feel like anybody could benefit from this type of practice, whether or not they're a Christian. This is not a Christian thing, this is a relationship thing, its just that the best example I've found to reference is one written from a Christian context. My wife and I tried it a few times, and I've found these weekly questions have become a really cool reminder for us about what our weekly priorities and goals are, INCLUDING things like travel, trips, and all the other things we've talked about in this thread. So, if that's something you find speaks to you, then that's really cool.


I really hope my mind dump isn't overboard or overwhelming, simply put though, I totally understand the frustration behind your post @toxicity_27, and everything I've laid out is just things my wife and I have learned as we've started really fighting that tendency for weekends to just get away from us. Hope it helps!

Love it! I mostly started this thread to help give me some ideas for what others do (which sounds very similar to what I do, so that's good...), but also to help other people in the community that might be struggling to find the time, or see people going on all these trips and trying to figure out how they might be able to do something similar.

I truly appreciate all the responses, and hope to keep this going so others like me might have a better understanding as to how others are able to plan their trips, whether that be a spur of the moment, or planning weekends.

 

[CharlieTheRedd]

I think your question about how to you find the time to do trips is a lot like finding the time to go to the gym. One of the things about that is that you don't /FIND/ the time, you make the time. Best advice I'd offer is just commit to a trip, take off time for work if needed, pay for that campsite, start to buy your supplies. It'll help you commit to it.

 

[CSG]

One doesn't "find" the time. One *makes* the time.