Impulsive and determined, Gabe and Rocio, of Our Mixed Journey, go from a paid-off truck and minimal payments on a fifth wheel to more expensive payments and then starting van life, striving to reach their goal of exploring all of the National Parks, and conquering their toughest challenge yet: Alaska.
Our Mixed Journey Story
“No matter the obstacle, with a little bit of hard work and determination, you can turn any situation around and make it work for you.”
Gabe and Rocio are a couple who left Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and have been traveling the US in their RV for the past five years, exploring 44 of the 63 national parks and taking in the breathtaking scenery.
Gabe and Rocio dreamed of RV life and travel, but they had no idea what they were getting into. After buying a fifth wheel and a truck, they quickly realized they were over their weight limit and had to find a new truck. Through hard work and dedication, they sold their fifth wheel and truck and bought a van. Despite the challenges they faced, the couple have been able to explore the US and Canada, experiencing the beauty of 44 national parks while living the dream they had five years ago.
In this episode, you will learn the following:
1. How did Gabe and Rocio go from an apartment to RV life in one month?
2. What is the experience of living and working in an RV like?
3. What is the ultimate goal of Gabe and Rocio’s RV journey?
How to Find Gabe & Rocio:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ourmixedjourney
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OurMixedJourney
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKE3wGkBfDH8Jd89EoErbww
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OurMixedJourney
Website: https://ourmixedjourney.com/
From Our Mixed Journey Socials:
ROCIO & GABE | Adventure Travel
Instagram
Digital creator
Inspiring YOU to have more adventures
🌎Adventure Travel🚐 Van Life 🏔NTL Parks 43/63
After life-changing hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico back in 2017 we chose to sell everything and move to the US to live a nomadic life RVing. We want to share with you the amazing places we get to enjoy thanks to the lifestyle an why to us “Life is all about enjoying the journey!”
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Other episodes you’ll enjoy:
08: Living Life On Their Terms Through God’s Lead with Kristy Janzen
06: Uncover the Story of How Brenda Left Suburbia for Self-Sufficiency
03: The Life-Changing Adventure of Living Full-Time in an RV
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Chapter Summaries:
[00:00:00]
Welcome to the More Sunsets Please podcast. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live debt free, sell it all and live small? These are just some of the stories of those who have jumped outside the box and living life on their terms.
[00:01:04]
This is the 44th national park out of the 63. What’s been your favorite? Glacier National Park. Yellowstone is great, but it’s so big that it is so much to take in. Can you explore all of Puerto Rico in a week?
[00:04:11]
The couple used to live full time in the RV, correct? And we started with a fifth wheel first and then we transitioned into the van. The freedom and the flexibility of the van has just been great because we can up and go.
[00:05:36]
The couple have a home base now, so they’re not living full time in the van. The van is so much easier than. the truck that turning radius. Now they can just go, go. And you have no limitations because you can fit in a parking spot. It’s night and day driving the van and the fifth wheel.
[00:10:26]
It’ll be five years in April. What are some of the highlights of this? The highs are really high, and the lows can be very low. Having your home wherever you go is the biggest highlight.
[00:11:58]
Puerto Rico got hit by Hurricane Maria in September 2017. The couple decided to get an RV van for weekend trips. They stayed stationary in Southern California until the pandemic hit. Within a month, they sold everything, bought the fifth wheel and the journey began.
[00:18:49]
We left our van in Florida, caught a flight back to Southern California, sold and got rid of all of our stuff in the fifth wheel in a week. And we were van lifers from that point on. Talk about putting a fire under your butt.
[00:21:22]
After I quit my job, we decided to take our mixed journey a little bit more seriously. It’s not a permanent vacation, it’s just a different way of life. Like today, before getting on the podcast, we have another meeting after this, and we have work.
[00:24:25]
We’ve been trying to go to Alaska from day one. Canada’s borders were still closed when they first tried to cross in 2021. Now, Canada is wide open. If you want the team to try and make it to Alaska, let us know in a comment below.
[00:27:34]
The couple are planning a trip to Alaska. Alaska has more national parks than any other state. Living in a smaller space allows the couple to explore and see everything with their house, with you.
[00:33:06]
“The bond that we have now, it’s insane. Best decision I ever made in my life right here, ” he says. If you go from so big to so tiny too fast and you don’t have that adjustment period in the middle, I think that’s where most people fail.
[00:35:24]
We bought the truck and the fifth wheel specifically for our budget. The first 5th wheel we had was a lemon. What we didn’t account it was way heavier for the truck that we had. I love that you guys have taken what seemed like lemons and literally turned it into lemonade.
[00:41:15]
But you don’t budget for I bought a truck and a fifth wheel, and I’m going to have to upgrade my truck and the fifth wheel in three months. Pre research is so important. You’re still possibly looking at trading or upgrading or changing within three to six months.
[00:42:23]
How did you know this was the right path for you? For all the reasons that we had stated, your home is there. You get to do it on your terms. Once we felt that freedom of life, like we’re doing life on our terms, we knew that’s something we wanted for the rest of our lives.
[00:49:40]
The goal was still Alaska until we got to Yellowstone in September. For us, being from the Caribbean and the tropics, september is summer. Now we’re actually heading that way right now on this trip to go play in the snow on purpose.
[00:54:09]
Will they succeed? Will they fail? Leave it in the comments below. Pretty much we are pretty much how not to do. Learn from our mistakes. We should name our next channel How not to learn.
[00:54:35]
For us, it is the journey. Most of the time, the journey is more memorable than the actual destination. The highs and the lows are what made us who we are and understand each other. Crater Lake was your first national park together.
[00:57:26]
The ultimate dream is to be able to bring our littles with us to expand the family and keep traveling. Overall, I think we’re going to have probably a couple of trips that are not going to be with the Van this year. But traveling, I mean, that won’t change.
[00:59:18]
Canada is similar to Florida, but it just hits different. There’s nothing like the lakes in Ontario because you can actually swim in them. In the summer, our temperatures sometimes would be hotter than Florida. But again, you have to go through the huge country to make it to Alaska.
[01:02:21]
If someone were to listen and looking to be inspired by you guys, what advice would you give them to jump in and take the leap of living this life outside the box? Just do it. Yes, there’s going to be ups and downs, but that’s life.
[01:05:06]
We probably will never do a travel trailer, especially of this size, again. And we’ll probably go motorized next because we plan to have a home base and motorized. What you want changes as it evolves, as with anything in life. How can people find you? On all social channels.
[01:09:15]
If you’re enjoying these stories, please leave us a review. Until next time, keep taking time to enjoy more sunsets.
