Have you ever had that last day of vacation feeling? The car is packed with dirty clothes and empty coolers and you’re thinking about how fast it went by compared with how long you spent planning it. There’s a pile of unanswered emails in your inbox waiting for you and you really, really wish you could stay another day. Or forever.
Three months into an extended family vacation, Dan and Susie Kellogg had the same dream. Luckily for them and for viewers of their blog, Kellogg Show, they made it come true.
As far as full-time RVers go, the Colorado-based Kelloggs stand out amongst what is already a pretty unique cross section of society. Like other RVers, they work, travel, explore and learn from the road. Dan is a software engineer who works remotely from their rig.They’ve seen almost every state and plenty of Canada as well.
Here’s the kicker: There are 14 of them, plus a dog. That’s right, 14 people sharing a 300 square foot space. Their 36 foot 1999 Georgie Boy Cruisemaster is their home. Believe it or not, it fits all of them, and together they eat, sleep and see new places every single day. The kids, aged 3 to 21 are homeschooled (though Susie prefers to say “roadschooled”) and they have been roaming the country (50,000 miles and counting) officially since 2012. This form of homeschooling, often called unschooling, allows Susie to make their RV into a one room schoolhouse where the kids are encouraged to learn and explore the subjects that inspire them rather than just sticking with a curriculum. They have the chance to learn the same things that students in traditional schools learn, but they also work on BMX bikes outside of the RV, experience nature firsthand and develop skills to become the entrepreneurs of the future. Not to mention, living with 13 other people on the road sounds like a pretty great college admissions essay.
While some people might be daunted by the close quarters that living in an RV requires, the family is tight knit and thrives on the endless possibilities for companionship and adventure that they find in each other. They try to use the RV itself as their bedroom and the world as their living room. The self described adventure junkies love to kayak, snowboard, cave, raft, climb, surf and try new things all the time. Like most RVers, they live on a tight budget, but they always set aside money for new gear. Their main passion is kayaking, and it’s not uncommon to see the elder Kelloggs charging through rapids while the younger members of their clan learn to paddle in calmer waters.
White water kayaking is hard, and so is raising a family. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing it in a house or with a 14 people in an RV. Take a look around their blog, watch a few videos of them kayaking and see for yourself. The Kelloggs make it look easy.
