Adapting to RV travel with the Flying Hen Family
2020 has been a year of struggle for many. A struggle with health; a struggle with fear; a struggle with finances; a struggle with moral values; a struggle with politics. 2020 is highlighted by the life-changing and industry-killing effects of COVID-19. I believe that no industry felt the effects of the virus more than the travel industry. Airlines, cruise lines, hotels, and other businesses have taken a big hit as people stay home and restrictions were put in place. Only the RV travel industry seemed to thrive.
Adapting to a year like no other
For an airline family and one that travels a lot, this has hit us hard. While we know that the economy (and air travel) will pick back up eventually, we are seeing the early effects of the downturn in dramatic fashion. Most airlines have parked half their fleets, pilots have barely flown in recent months, and passenger loads have dropped 90-95%. I have only flown once since mid-March. Moreover, in October, I am scheduled to be displaced off my aircraft with no position available. I will be a pilot without an aircraft!
This all sets me up to go on furlough, if the company chooses to do so anytime after October 1st. With the loss of the job comes the loss of easy travel for the whole family and of course our income. Come October 1st, I will either be without a job, or I won’t have an aircraft to fly for awhile (and will be taking a big pay cut). I may also be assigned a new base with either situation.
What now?
Well, what to do then? Adapt or perish. Nothing is more applicable to me and many of my coworkers. So, what is next for The Flying Hens? We can sit around and wait for the future that we have no control over to unfold. Or, we can take hold of our destiny with lots of prayer and petition in order to make the best out of a bad situation.
Adapt or perish
I choose to adapt and survive and LIVE life fully! The Flying Hens will be giving up air travel for awhile. We are giving up the life we previous had to live a new life of adventure!
So we did something crazy. We sold our house. And then we sold everything in our house. Purging 90% of all of our stuff, we only kept some clothing and other essentials.
“Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative.” – H.G. Wells
What will we do now? The Flying Hens are adapting to full-time RV travel! Our new home is a Heartland Cyclone 4007 and we plan to travel the country during this time of uncertainty with my career. This set up made the most sense for us, needing to sell our house but also needing to be flexible with where we live over the next few years.
We will go for at least a year or two and we are open to longer. Who knows, we may just fall in love with the RV travel lifestyle and do it forever. I just know that God has put us in a position for this to happen and we are going to take a leap of faith and see where this all goes.
Join us!
We invite you to be a part of our new journey. Many people have already reached out to us, inspired, wanting to take this leap too. We'll be sharing the things we learn as first-time RVers: our mistakes, our victories, RV products and tips we find valuable especially for those who are interested in this lifestyle. Of course, we will continue to share what we always have- family friendly adventures, campground reviews, hikes, and things to do in all the places we travel to over the next few years!
Be sure to follow along on our adventures here, Instagram, Facebook, as well as YouTube- there’s a lot of content coming soon as we start our travels!
This story first appeared on The Flying Hens on August 09, 2020.
