One of my concerns before getting on the road was wondering about a sense of community. Living in the same place for 30 years afforded lifelong friendships. Even though I didn’t have daily conversations with my friends, we would always pick up where we took off the last time we talked. There was someone nearby in case we needed something and vice versa. Would we have friendships like that on the road? Could we form meaningful friendships in such as short time? Our first week answered those questions with a resounding yes.
As I mentioned in a previous post, we had watched Patrick of The Paddy Wagon and many other YouTube channels before embarking on our trip. Vloggers like Patrick have a way of bringing viewers into their lives and forging a sense of a personal connection. He was interested in the same dreams we had, he was open and honest with his perspective, and he exhibited a personal integrity that drew us to him. While we loved watching his adventures, we realized the relationship was only one way. We knew who he was, but he didn’t have a clue about us. That changed over our stay at the Hilltop RV Park.
Patrick was warm and inviting and we had many conversations that deepened our friendship. It was clear that it wasn’t just a “fly-by-night, hello-how-are-you-goodbye kind of friendship. He was someone we would keep in touch with wherever we ended up in this beautiful country.
The video below is Patrick’s interview of Mike and me. I was self-conscious throughout the filming–not a comfortable undertaking for a shy introvert. As the interview progressed, I gradually relaxed. There may be a couple, family, or individual out there contemplating doing the same thing and they were at the exact point we were just three short years ago. If we could give advice to help someone along the way, it would definitely be worth it. It wasn’t about us, it was about extending our experience.
I look back and see everything we have accomplished over the last three years and still haven’t fully realized that we are finally living our dream. What is even more amazing is the sense of community is even stronger than ever via in-person meetings, watching YouTube, and reading blogs. I am looking forward to meeting more people on the road–sharing stories, experiences, advice, and forging deeper friendships. It was a blessing for us to meet Patrick right out of the gate. He eased us into this new world, and we are grateful to him.
We can’t wait to meet you during our travels. Even if we can’t meet in person right now, we can build the community virtually until our paths do cross. Keep in touch and know we are only a keyboard click away. Until then, safe travels wherever the road may take you.
Reblogged this on The Paddy Wagon.
What delightful experiences you are having.
you have such a good attitude and you’ll have no problem making connections with this attitude.
Thank you! 🙂
Continued safe travels. Glad you are building new friendships.
How wonderful to be in your first weeks on the road. Are you guys members at RVillage? Would enjoy following you on the map. And if you come through or near Kansas City Karen and I would enjoy taking you to diner and picking your brains about getting ready for the move.
Yes, we are on RVillage. My username is DawnG and Mike is Aqua-Holics (we are also scuba divers). We would love meeting up if at all possible. We are headed to MO (Springfield/Branson area) in a few months to see my daughter. We are definitely not pros, but always happy to share our personal experiences. Dawn
Dawn, sent you a friends request on RVillage.
I’ll keep a look out for you guys in case you are near Kansas City at some point.
I’ve accepted and also made a long comment on your blog (got a little wordy–LOL). Would love to meet you when we are in the Kansas City area!
Thanks for the blog post. They are never too long. I appreciate the advise! I’ll jump on RVillage to see where you guys are at.
How exciting! I’m looking forward to writing about our first trip! Wishing you many more years of traveling!
Hi guys! I enjoyed your videos and getting to know you a little. Also, I had never heard of the Paddy Wagon series so I appreciate you mentioning that. Congratulations on early retirement Dawn ~ you guys keep on having fun and meeting new friends out there!
We are loving it. I need to do a 6-month followup. I love Paddywagon–he’s the most genuine and caring guy–we were honored to meet him. Thank you so much for stopping by and reading/commenting. I love to make new friends! Dawn
Nothing better than good friendships!!
That is true! Thank you for coming by and commenting. I love making new friends!