Two years ago today, Kim and I returned to Portland after fifteen months traveling the United States in an RV. Believe it or not, I've never published an article about the trip and how much it cost. Although we kept a travel blog for most of the adventure (including a page that documented our expenses), I've never gathered everything into one place. Until now.

Today, I want to share just how much we spent on the journey — and some of our favorite stops along the way. It seems like the perfect post to celebrate the start of summer, don't you think?

The Lure of Adventure

All my life, I've wanted to take a roadtrip across the United States.

When I was young, I was lured by the adventure. I wanted to climb mountains, swim rivers, and explore canyons. The older I got, the more fascinated I became by the country's regional differences. The U.S. is huge, a fact that most foreign visitors forget. Most American citizens don't even realize how big the country is. I wanted to see and experience it all.

Although I've dreamed of a cross-country roadtrip, it's never been practical. As a boy, my family was poor. My parents didn't have money for something like this. As a young adult, I couldn't afford it either. For a long time, I was deep in debt. Besides, where would I find the time? I had to work! To top things off, my wife had zero interest in driving cross country.

But in my forties, a curious set of circumstances came together to move my epic roadtrip from dream to reality.

• I sold Get Rich Slowly, which meant I suddenly had a surplus of both time and money.
• My wife and I got a divorce. When I began dating again, I chose a partner whose adventurous spirit surpassed my own.

One day in early 2014, my girlfriend Kim asked me out of the blue, “What do you think about taking a cross-country roadtrip?”

What did I think? “Hell yeah!” is what I thought… [Read more…]