February 7, 2024 • 41 mins
Jenell Jones has everything she owns with her at all times, and can travel wherever she chooses (as long as the destination is on this continent!). Jenell is a full-time RV (recreational vehicle) traveler. She spends her life on the road, but Jenell isn't lonely: she runs an RV club for other solo travelers, so they travel "alone, together." In this episode Jenell recounts her transition to the RV life (she didn't even know how to drive an RV when she decided to buy one!), paring down her "stuff" to what she actually needs (one swimsuit and a few highball glasses made the cut), and talks about how she now spends her days: hiking in Alaska, biking in the Grand Canyon, and eating fresh $10 lobster in Maine. "I love this lifestyle," says Jenell. "I feel sorry for my old self"--the person who worked a "regular" job and packed in as much as possible during her all-too-short vacations. Now her work, her life, and travel are all packed into one--one very long vehicle.
Jenell is offering a $10 discount to "What It's Like To..." listeners who join the Wandering Individuals Network RV Club. Go to winsrvclub.com, and use this code: WHATITSLIKETO.
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In this episode:
01:33--How and why Jenell got started RV'ing
03:47--A day in the life of Jenell in her RV
07:13--Exploring: biking, hiking, visiting museums with other solo travelers
09:24--Paring down her belongings to fit in an RV
13:37--Key items to live the RV lifestyle
16:03--Jenell's thoughts on the idea of "home"
18:18--Safety while RV'ing
18:54--Personal and logistical challenges she has encountered along the way
24:42--Some of Jenell's favorite destinations
31:58--The Wandering Individuals Network: what it is, how it works
36:36--What Jenell has learned about the US after traveling around it so much
Want to know more about Jenell and the Wandering Individuals Network RV Club?
Find her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/winrvsingles
Connect with her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/winsrvclub/
Check out her website: www.winsrvclub.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jenell (00:08):
Anybody can drive.
Anybody can learn to drive 60feet of vehicle going down the
road.
The mindset is the tough part.
You got to be open.
You got to be ready to roll withthe punches.
You got to be patient.
This taught me patient.
I've never been a patientperson.
RVing will teach you patiencebecause you go nowhere fast.
Elizabeth (00:29):
Hello, and welcome to "What It's Like To..." The
podcast that lets you walk insomeone else's shoes and live
vicariously through their uniqueexperiences.
I'm your host, formerjournalist, Elizabeth Pearson
Garr.
And each episode, I'll be askinga new interviewee all the what,
why, when, and wheres of howthey do what they do.
(00:49):
If they can do it, so can you.
If you've ever been sitting atyour desk or stuck in commute
traffic and thought, man, I'dlove to trade all this in and
just travel for the rest of mylife.
Well, listen up.
My guest, Janelle Jones, isdoing just that.
Since 2015, she's traveled allover North America in a 36 foot
(01:14):
RV.
She's been to 49 states and muchof Canada and Mexico and the
majority of the national parks.
She also owns the oldest RV clubfor people traveling on their
own.
And she's here to tell us allabout it.
Janelle, welcome to the podcast.
Jenell (01:28):
Thank you, Elizabeth.
It's interesting that you didthat introduction because that's
how it got started for me.
I sat and looked out my windowof my office at a dealership
across the street.
It was like, wow, I wonder whatthat's like.
I would see people moving theirstuff in and think what that's
like to drive off in the wildblue yonder.
Elizabeth (01:47):
Wow.
Had you ever even been in an RV?
Jenell (01:50):
Nope, I had never even been in an RV, much less go out
and drive one.
And across the street was aPrevost dealer, which are like
the million dollar buses.
So I thought that's what RVswere.
They were these big buses, causeI didn't really notice them on
the road.
I even stopped one day and tooka little tour through there and
quickly realized, okay, Iprobably should look at another
(02:11):
RV if I want to actually havethis life.
Elizabeth (02:15):
So that was really adventurous of you.
Jenell (02:17):
It really was.
I worked for the government inSouth Florida and I knew when I
retired, I did not want to sitaround at the house and watch TV
and I don't know, garden, whichI like gardening and sewing and
all that, but I knew that thatwas not what my life was.
I knew I wanted more out of mylast 30 years, if you will, of
my life.
Elizabeth (02:35):
So I'd like to get to your day to day.
I know there's no two days thesame because you live a life of
adventure and so they don't haveto be the same, but typically,
what would you be doing in aday, if you are on the road?
Jenell (02:48):
Well, remember, I'm always on the road.
Now, that doesn't mean that Itravel every day.
I don't.
I go a week or 10 days and thenI may stay somewhere a month.
But for right now in theCanadian Maritimes, today I got
up and with the group that I'mwith, we went to bike ride
around the ocean in PrinceEdward Island.
Then, you know, I had thispodcast and then tonight we're
(03:10):
going to this restaurant to eatlobster.
All you can eat lobsters for$49Canadian.
That come from right here andthat we'll be looking out in the
ocean.
Yesterday we went to...
yeah, it was great.
Yesterday, the typical day waswe went to see the home and a
birthplace of, the lady whowrote Anne of Green Gables.
(03:30):
And then we did a fireplace lastnight.
We all sit around did afireplace and told stories.
Elizabeth (03:34):
So let's say you're driving from a place to a place,
how do you kind of get yourselfgoing in the morning?
Do you have a little kitchen inyour RV and you're stocked with
all your food and Walk methrough a day there.
Jenell (03:46):
Yes, absolutely.
Just like everybody else or inmy retired life.
I get up when I get up around7:00, 7:30, 8 o'clock.
Today I got up at 8:04.
Love it.
No, alarm is in this entirehouse, and I had coffee.
My coffee maker was going.
The question that you're askingis kind of like what most people
do, Elizabeth, they think, well,are you camping?
(04:06):
You know, are you out in theopen field?
No, no, I'm in an airconditioned.
I put my fireplace on in themorning to kind of get the chill
out of the air, or I could turnmy heater on.
There's no camping involved inmy life.
There's none of that.
I want to live a comfortablelife.
I just want to see the country.
So in the morning, I get up, Ihave coffee and then get started
(04:28):
around 9-ish, our group, weusually leave around 10 because
we're all retired, living thegood life.
Nobody gets up at the crack ofdawn and goes anywhere and does
anything.
People can't believe it, we justhave a simple, easy life, a
fulfilling life is what I liketo say, and one filled with as
much adventure as you want it tobe filled with.
Elizabeth (04:49):
Small practical question.
How do you do laundry?
Jenell (04:52):
I have a washer and dryer.
Elizabeth (04:53):
You do in your rV?
Jenell (04:55):
Uh Wow!
Elizabeth (04:56):
I didn't know they were so far equipped.
Jenell (04:58):
Oh, yeah.
I got a fireplace, a centralvac.
Yes, but this is not my starterRV now.
My starter RV had nothing in it,okay?
But right now I can look overI'm in Prince Edward Island and,
I can see the laundromat fromover there.
But, nah, I haven't gone to alaundromat in a while.
Elizabeth (05:15):
So when you're driving for long periods of time
by yourself.
Does it ever get lonely or areyou bored or are you listening
to music a lot?
What do you do when you're inyour vehicle for a long time by
yourself?
Jenell (05:28):
Well, first of all, I don't drive a long time.
In my early days, yes, I didn'tknow any better.
I was so used to how real worldis.
If you gotta get there, gottago, gotta go.
I got nothing.
I have to be nowhere, usually.
So, I have the three rule of Idrive three hours, or 300 miles,
and I stay three days.
Sometimes it's two hours.
(05:49):
Sometimes it's four hours, butnah, I don't kill myself at all.
And I listen to podcasts.
I love podcasts.
I listen to podcasts, yoursincluded.
Elizabeth (05:58):
Oh, thank you.
Well, that's a great way to keepyourself entertained and...
Jenell (06:02):
and learn.
Podcasts teach so much as youknow.
Elizabeth (06:05):
And like you say, if most of your group is retired
it's not like you have a week ofvacation time and you have to
cover as much ground aspossible.
You guys have flexibility.
Jenell (06:15):
That is the greatest freedom is being able to have
flexibility.
You know, it's not all sunshineand roses and unicorns out here,
but it's 90 percent better forme, Than sticks and bricks, we
call it.
Elizabeth (06:27):
And you mentioned, like, you went bicycling.
Do you have a bike on your RV?
Or do you just rent that?
No, no, we all have bikes we allhave bikes.
Jenell (06:35):
Not like all.
A bulk of us have bikes andkayaks.
Oh yeah.
We're ready for anything.
We do have some that just, youknow, want to sit most of the
time or go once a week, but themajority of us want to be out
biking and hiking and going outto eat you know, the local lunch
places and going on a kayak.
We just went kayaking in the Bayof fundy last week.
(06:56):
Oh, so great.
So wonderful.
It was hard.
Let me tell you, but it wasgreat.
I'm glad I did it.
I don't need to do it again, butI'm so glad I did it.
Elizabeth (07:05):
So you're up for a bunch of, adventures and really
physical activities and gettingout and exploring.
Jenell (07:12):
Yes, I am.
Exploring is a good word,Elizabeth.
That's good because most of usthat will join a group like this
want to explore, not necessarilyby their self all the time, but
are okay being alone, but wantto explore.
That may be in museums.
We've got an older lady herethat she's not really into the
biking and all that, but she'sinto museums.
(07:32):
And so every day when we meet,we're like, who wants to go
biking tomorrow?
Who wants to go hiking?
Who wants to go to a museum?
Who wants to, you know, go toWalmart and get groceries?
And so we may go together.
We may not.
It just depends, but we all goexploring in our own way every
day.
Elizabeth (07:48):
So were you a big traveler before?
Had you seen a lot of the worldand seen a lot of the country
already?
Or was this just sort of a pentup desire of yours to just get
out and do things?
I guess what I'm asking is, DIdyou surprise yourself?
that all of a sudden you becamethis adventurer?
Jenell (08:05):
No.
I'd say I've always been anadventurer, and I've always had
wanderlust and itchy feet, ifyou will.
I've traveled through Europequite a bit, flew there, hotels,
flew back, like everybody.
Right when I retired, I hikedthe Amalfi Coast.
I did a canoe trip through theLewis and Clark trail.
Fabulous if no one's done that.
So I've always had that kind ofin me and I've always had this
(08:27):
also go big or go home.
I'm either all in or all out and
Elizabeth (08:31):
I can tell.
Jenell (08:33):
Yes.
And RV travel represented thatnext big step for me of you
know, now what?
What's this big thing going tobe?
I traveled first of all, in mystarter RV, I call it, it was a
little RV that I wrecked and didall kinds of stuff to.
Didn't know what I was doing.
Didn't know how to tow a car,but I traveled in that a couple
of years and kept my house.
(08:54):
And I realized towards themiddle of the second year, I'm
only going home to check on myhouse.
I'm very much enjoyingtraveling.
Why don't I get rid of thathouse, all the bills and the
issues and the responsibilitiesassociated with that.
So, I did that, got a bigger RV,and then really, really started
traveling.
Elizabeth (09:12):
That was going to be my next question.
If you have a house or, which Iguess you don't any longer, or
do you have a storage unitsomewhere where you keep a lot
of things or is everything youown with you?
Jenell (09:24):
Everything I own is with me.
I was going to do the storage, Ithought about it for maybe one
day, but that's not my nature.
I'm all in, all out, which Ijust said.
So, I'm like, I'm not going tobe beholden to a$60,$80,$100
storage unit every month that Ihave to go check on that is full
of just stuff.
It's just stuff I have.
I can always get more stuff andI love it.
(09:46):
And I love not having a bunch ofstuff.
If you would have told me even,six, seven years ago now that I
would eventually end up withlike six dresses, four or five
pair of shoes, one bathing suit,I'd have said, that's not going
to ever happen in my life.
And that's exactly where I am.
Elizabeth (10:02):
You know, about a year ago on the podcast, I had a
decluttering expert on and shetalked about all this.
You know, we don't need tons ofstuff.
We don't need tons of Christmasdecorations.
So you're the ultimatedeclutterer at this point.
You've really pared it down.
Jenell (10:16):
That's so true, Elizabeth.
And it's so freeing because Istill wander through shops and
look at stuff, but I have apretty strict rule, that I'm
pretty 100 percent on, okay 98%.
If I buy something, somethinggoes out.
So everything that's in my RV, Ilove it.
It's not just a cute littlesomething.
I love it.
My one tray I have is fromItaly.
(10:38):
I found it in a secondhand shopin Italy.
The one chair I have, I found ina secondhand shop when I was in
Montana that I had recovered.
So everything means something tome that's in this RV and it's
just such a great way to live.
It's a freeing way to live.
I wrote an article that Rootlessmagazine is going to publish,
(10:58):
and it was about the anxiety ofonly having one bathing suit.
Elizabeth, I was able to get ridof my house with no problem.
All my furniture, no problem.
My dishes that I loved, all theChristmas ornaments, you know,
so I could have four trees withthemes.
But when it came to my clothes,I had a real issue with my
clothes.
And it was my mom who helped merealize my clothes represented
(11:20):
that I had made it in society.
I had suits, I had nice shoes, Ihad bags, and I can walk in a
room and not be that poor kidfrom Texas that I am.
And once I kind of was able torealize those clothes are
nothing.
They're just clothes, and Icried over a couple of expensive
pieces that I bought that didn'tfit me anymore.
You know, we all have those, butI paid a lot of money, so I'm
(11:41):
keeping those, but once Istarted getting rid of those, it
was nothing.
Which led me down to the onebathing suit.
I have one bathing suit.
When that wears out, I buy onemore.
And how freeing is that?
Let me tell you.
It is very freeing.
Elizabeth (11:55):
I think so many of the things we own like you say,
they're memories and they'realso memories of experiences or
of prior selves and we don'tneed the actual thing.
We could just have a photo ofit.
I remember when my husband and Imoved together for the first
time I said, we've got--youhave, I said to him, you have to
get rid of so much of yourstuff.
I had to get rid of a lot of mystuff too.
(12:16):
But you know, t shirts fromcollege and trophies from our
childhood.
And someone had told me, unlessyou're going to display them,
say a trophy from, you know,high school, if you're going to
display it in your home office,okay, but otherwise take a photo
of it.
That can be the memory.
You don't have to bring theclutter with you.
The old t shirt from yourcollege intramural championship.
(12:38):
Take a photo of it.
And so that's a better clutterfree way to live.
Jenell (12:43):
It really is.
And I don't have to move at allanymore.
And of all my clothes and shoesand everything that I was so
anxiety ridden, stressed outover getting rid of, I miss one
thing, which was a bluefascinator, blue hat I bought to
wear to a wedding.
And then I didn't even wear itbecause I looked ridiculous
trying to be, you know, QueenPrincess Kate.
(13:04):
And so I was trying to hold tothis thing that I never even
used.
So if you would ask me fiveyears ago, trade that fascinator
hat for biking through the grandcanyon for 13 miles.
You can have it.
You can have the fascinator.
Elizabeth (13:19):
For the experiences that you're getting to have.
Jenell (13:21):
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Elizabeth (13:24):
You mentioned, you've got a bike and a kayak.
What else do you have on thatRV?
What are the essential items?
You're very pared down with yourclothing and I'm sure the number
of dishes and all that.
So what are the key items thatyou need to have to live an RV
life?
Jenell (13:37):
Well, the key thing to live an RV life, number one, is
a mindset.
It really is.
It's the mindset.
Anybody can drive.
Anybody can learn to drive 60feet of vehicle going down the
road.
And that's what I am between myRV and my car behind is 60 feet.
Anybody can learn that.
The mindset is the tough part.
You got to be open.
You got to be ready to roll withthe punches.
(13:59):
You got to be patient.
This taught me patient.
I've never been a patientperson.
RVing will teach you patiencebecause you go nowhere fast.
But the essential items, is tohave things to not break down,
or if you do break down, to makeyour life more comfortable,
until you get help.
For instance, a tire monitor.
that's a so nothing, unsexy, funthing.
(14:22):
But.
That tire monitor beepin willlet you know that one of your
ten tires is low or has a flat.
So, there's a bunch of thingslike that.
I have a portable charger, thatI can hook to my own battery of
either RV or car if on the sideof the road if my battery won't
start.
I have a number 2 squarescrewdriver.
(14:45):
That 1 thing fits almost everyscrew inside the RV.
There's a thousand screws, and Iam not exaggerating, in this RV
that rattle and sometimes theyfall out or you realize
something over here is loose andthat one screwdriver is all you
need.
So, there's a bunch of stufflike that to make your life
easier on the road.
(15:06):
And then, my dishes, I have oneglass, two coffee cups, one
small highball, or cocktail, forwhen I drink a little whiskey, I
have two plates, two saladplates, two bowls, three mixing
bowls, three pots..
That's it.
Elizabeth (15:24):
Do you cook much or is it mostly eating out?
Jenell (15:26):
Oh, no, I cook almost every day.
have a Propane stove.
It's like a regular house stove.
I have a residentialrefrigerator that's as big as
the refrigerator at your house.
I cook all the time.
This is not camping Elizabeth atall.
I don't use the word camping.
I use solo RVing, solo travel,because we're not camping.
Elizabeth (15:45):
Yeah, you're driving around an apartment is what it
looks like.
Jenell (15:48):
A tiny house.
It is literally a tiny house.
Yes.
Elizabeth (15:52):
You know, there's that old phrase.
I think from the Wizard of Oz.
I guess (15:54):
there's no place like home.
There's no place like home.
Do you ever feel like, oh, Ilost that sense of home.
Or do you feel like you'recarrying home with you
everywhere you go?
Jenell (16:03):
No Elizabeth.
I don't and people ask that allthe time.
Don't you miss home?
I'm like, no, I am home.
Or when we go see somebody,they're like, Do you want to
come in and spend the night in abedroom?
I'm like, no I want to spend thenight in my own bed.
No.
And it's funny you bring that upbecause I am very much a
wanderer and the itchy feet andall that, but I always miss my
stuff.
I always way over packedbecause, you know, I need
(16:26):
options.
I need nine pair of shoesbecause I don't know, I may work
out nine times.
I don't work out at home, but,you know, you bring nine workout
outfits in case in Italy, I'mgoing to learn to work out.
So now I bring it all with meand I have so much more comfort
now.
I can pull over in a rest stop.
If I'm going a long distance andwant to just pull over in rest
stop and I can pull my shadedown in the front and I'm done
(16:49):
for the night, I'm completelyhome.
I can make dinner, I can watchTV, I can take a shower,
everything.
Right there in a rest stop onthe side of the highway.
Elizabeth (16:59):
Yeah.
So I was curious about that too,where you would park, where you
can stay.
I hear sometimes about, Oh, RVsor people with big buses can
stay like in Walmart orsomething, but are there set
places that you're allowed topull over a large vehicle?
And stay other than a rest stop.
Jenell (17:16):
Yes, there is.
Definitely RV parks like inCanada, we're in RV parks every
one of the stops, but there'sBureau of land management.
There's free places all over thestate, or for a small fee.
I've only stayed in a Walmartonce.
I don't care to do that.
I will.
I don't have nothing againstWalmarts.
It's nice to be able to go inand shop, but that's not
something that I generally dobecause I don't have to, I have
(17:38):
other places that I can go.
You learn the tricks.
The more you RV, you learn thetricks of where you can stay,
where you can't stay.
You learn the tricks.
Elizabeth (17:47):
And there's enough places that you never felt like,
Oh, I'm driving.
I need to stop.
And there's no place to stay.
Jenell (17:54):
Nope.
I have before been going topoint A to B and it was raining
so hard.
I just pulled off on an exit andthere was a abandoned building
Umm, wasn't a business anymoreold furniture shop and I just
pulled in there and stayed thenight and the cops came by and I
said it was just raining and isit okay if I stay and they're
like, yeah, we just making sureyou're okay.
(18:15):
I'm like, I'm in here watchingTV eating popcorn.
Elizabeth (18:18):
Do you ever feel unsafe?
Jenell (18:20):
No, I don't take dumb chances either.
My dad was a truck driver.
And my dad always said, If youget in trouble, if you have
problems, go to a truck stop.
Try not to get the one serialkiller.
But otherwise, people that drivetrucks are so helpful and kind
so when I get there, I'm notafraid.
I pull my shade down on my frontbig windshield and I never go
outside.
(18:40):
So no one knows if there's aman, 2 men, 4 men, whoever's in
here.
Elizabeth (18:45):
Have you had any major challenges?
That you've found over time,either personal or logistically
with the vehicle?
Jenell (18:53):
All of that.
Yes.
The first challenge I had waspeople think you're crazy for
going off and do it.
My mom sat me down and was like,is everything all right with
your money, honey?
Are you having to do this?
You know, I can give you money.
Mother, I'm fine.
My sister was so worried about,Oh my God, these things are
going to happen on the side ofthe road.
Girls get kidnapped.
And my stepfather with theserial killer, I'm like, what am
(19:16):
I doing?
So there was that challenge oftelling everybody it's fine.
I want to do this life.
I want this.
Then the second challengeimmediately was I don't know how
to drive an RV.
I don't know how to do all this.
Elizabeth (19:28):
That's a big obstacle.
Jenell (19:30):
Yeah.
But me, you know, I'm all in.
So I'm like, how hard could itbe?
Everybody else does it.
I didn't see many women do it,but I'm like, how hard could it
be?
Well, it turns out it's easy,but there are some tips and
tricks.
That first RV, my starter RV, Ihit a McDonald's building.
I jackknifed, my car I pulled sotight around a gas pump trying
(19:50):
to get gas that my car and my RVwere at a, like an L angle and I
had to unhook everything to movethe RV off of the pumps.
I was shut down the gas stationcause nobody could move around
me.
Elizabeth (20:02):
Oh no.
Jenell (20:03):
And this is all in six months.
I went down a dirt road becauseI believed the GPS.
I went down a dirt road that Icouldn't turn around back up and
then I had to drive over thisrickety wooden bridge and I mean
it had wood slats Ooh!
Elizabeth (20:17):
Sounds scary.
Jenell (20:19):
Yes, so yes, there have been challenges, but you know
what Elizabeth?
Every one of those I livedthrough.
It's a funny, great story now.
It made me realize you're fine.
You're okay.
Calm down.
There's a way through this.
There's a way around it.
I've had a blowout on this bigrig I have, and there's no tire.
These tires aren't on theshelves.
(20:39):
So I'm like, okay, well now whatI'm blocking winding small
county road.
I'm blocking it totally.
You know what?
Nothing happened.
I have the philosophy as long asI don't die or get hurt or I
don't cause someone else to dieor get hurt.
We'll be fine.
It's gonna be an experience.
It'll be funny tomorrow or nextmonth.
Go with the flow.
I like the challenge of it.
(21:00):
I don't want a lot ofchallenges, but I enjoy the
challenge along with thefulfillment of this life.
Elizabeth (21:07):
That's a great attitude.
I feel like you're really,embracing each day with that.
A lot of people spend a lot oftime worrying about the future
and about, well, this might meanthat, and what about this?
There's a lot of kind of anxietyand people make fear-based
decisions.
And I think it sounds likeyou're really in a place of I'm
doing this because this soundsgood.
(21:29):
If there's a problem, I'llovercome it.
It sounds like it's a veryhealthy, approach to life.
Jenell (21:34):
You know, Elizabeth, it took me a while to get here, and
I appreciate you saying that,that it comes across.
The thing about living in an RV,things are going to happen.
It's not probably, no, they aregonna happen.
And at first, I was very fearbased.
What if this, what if I have a,well, you're going to.
Once somebody told me that, andI'm like, well, no, my RV is
brand new.
They're like, no, you're goingto, and they're right.
(21:54):
And so I give that advice now.
You are going to have troubles.
It's how you deal with it, backto that mindset.
Do you deal with it like (22:01):
that's it.
I'm done.
I can't take this.
Or do you be like, well, we'regoing to have to find a tire in
the state of Maine, even thoughthey don't have one on the
shelves, we're going to have tofigure this out.
And when I say we, I mean, me.
I'm not going to live my last,however, I'm 63.
So 30 years, I'm not going tolive my last 30 years how I
lived my last 30 years ofworrying about work, worried
(22:22):
about the kid, worrying aboutthis, anxiety this, what if this
happened?
I'm not doing that anymore.
I have 10 tires, one of thesetires are going to blow out.
So I'm not going to worry aboutit because one of them are going
to go.
And you know what, when I didhave that one that I told you
about that went, it was fine, itwas all right.
It was fun.
Elizabeth (22:38):
And the funny thing is what you're saying about on
the RV, something will go wrong.
That's true at home, too! That'strue in an apartment, too.
That's true in a dorm room also.
That's life, It's just thatwhere you are is that you're
accepting it and I think a lotof us live in this like, Oh, no,
we have so much control over ourlives.
We can make these things nothappen.
And then we're sort of shockedwhen, Oh, there's a problem in
(23:00):
my life.
How am I ever going to confrontit?
You're just in reality and thenenjoying the journey, literally.
it's
Jenell (23:06):
really
Elizabeth (23:06):
wonderful.
Jenell (23:08):
Enjoying the journey.
I wish, like my daughter, I wishI could tell her cause I see her
worrying about what if, what if,what if.
She's of course, you know, haschildren.
different whole life than me.
But I just see the stuff thatthat generation worries about
that you can't do anythingabout, but it took me a long
time to get here too, I just, Ithrive.
(23:29):
I'm not surviving.
I am thriving.
And I like to say that the otherpeople that are with me on this,
not all of them, but you candefinitely see the ones that are
worried and the ones that arethriving and accepting this
lifestyle.
Elizabeth (23:41):
Hmm.
That's wonderful.
So back to some of the nuts andbolts when you're talking about
your first RV.
What does a starter RV costroughly?
Jenell (23:49):
Um, let's see.
I want to say I paid$35-$40-$50,000.
You know.
I don't know I don't know whatit was.
Not much than a car.
That's like a car.
it was a lower end of RV, youknow, you can buy a million
dollar RV.
But I knew that that RV.
I didn't know what I was doing.
It was going to be my starterRV.
And I knew with that smaller RV,I wanted to go to Alaska while I
(24:12):
had that small one.
I wanted to really get somemiles under my belt and knock
some things off.
Just like everybody.
I started out with a bucket listthat I got to do right now.
Which I did, but I knew thatthere was going to be a steep
learning curve.
And there was, I mean, I floodedthat RV.
Uh, please, we could do a wholepodcast on my starter RV.
Elizabeth (24:33):
What are some of the most amazing places you've gone?
Like if people only had a fewplaces they could travel to, if
they weren't going to make ittheir lifestyle, what would you
recommend?
Jenell (24:42):
I gosh, everybody always asks me, what's your favorite
place?
It's so hard because right nowthis week, Prince Edward
Island's my favorite place.
The weather is beautiful.
Ocean's great.
But some of the standouts arethe Grand Canyon, we've all been
to the Grand Canyon.
It's a long time to get there.
You park, you walk up and youlook over that rim, that fence,
and you see the Grand Canyon.
(25:03):
You may walk down to the giftshop and you may walk down to a
interpretive center.
But, in the Grand Canyon,there's 13 miles of bike paths
and walking paths that no carscan go down.
Before, when I went to the GrandCanyon, I didn't know that.
So, this last time I went, weall got our bikes out and rode
13 miles through the GrandCanyon.
fabulous.
(25:23):
That was fabulous.
Another time we were in BarHarbor, Maine, and one of the
members of our club knew about aplace that you can go and buy
lobsters straight from thefishermen.
They may have them, they maynot.
So we all went.
Got lobsters.
He had them that day.
We all bought two or threebecause he was like, Hey, give
me ten dollars, twelve dollarsfor all of them.
So we all bought a bunch oflobsters and we came back and
(25:46):
started a fire and grilled abunch of lobsters and ate with
our hands and butter runningdown our hands I looked around
Elizabeth and I was like, youknow what, this is life right
here.
I'm in Bar Harbor, Maine in thesummer.
It's cool.
It's beautiful here.
I'm eating a$10 lobster withbutter running down my hands
with people I consider myfriends.
Elizabeth (26:05):
that there.
Jenell (26:06):
That's living, that is living.
That stands out to me.
There's been so much I have tokeep a journal.
Oh, I hike d the wave in Utah.
Ooh yes.
That's a lottery-based hike,200,000 tries are made a year,
and one of the guys in our groupwon the lottery.
And so we got to hike in threemiles, pretty tough hike at
three miles out in the heat andhad an incredible, one of a kind
(26:29):
experience at the wave.
That is a highlight as well.
Elizabeth (26:33):
And you get to just keep having these.
Cause you're on
Jenell (26:37):
the go.
Yes.
right.
I mean the bike ride today alongPrince Edward Island, that's
pretty tough to beat too.
Elizabeth (26:42):
I like this, you posted a quote, from the author
Nora Roberts, which I thinkreally kind of summarizes a lot
of what you're talking about,which was,"If you don't go after
what you want, you'll never haveit.
If you don't ask, the answer isalways no.
If you don't step forward,you're always in the same
place."
Jenell (26:58):
Isn't that true?
Isn't that so true?
I don't know about men, but Ifind with women, that sticks us
right there.
it is scary at the beginning.
You are literally driving offinto the wild blue yonder.
I mean, literally driving off.
So I want people to realize thisis doable, especially women.
This is so doable.
Once you get past that firstweek of, Oh my God, what have I
(27:20):
done?
It's a great life.
It's a wonderful life.
And I want them to see all yougot to do is take that first
step.
Just take a step.
Don't be standing there.
I'm always asked, what would youtell people that get in this
life?
My two things are be quiet.
Stop talking it to death.
And my other one is stop talkingto everybody because at most 90
percent of people are gonna godon't do it.
(27:42):
You're crazy.
You're 60 years old.
You can't drive a 60 foot RVdown the road.
Oh, where are you going?
Stop talking about it becauseyou know what you want to do.
You're wanting other people totell you it's okay, and they're
not going to.
Most people are not going totell you it's okay.
Then after you do it for a year,and they realize what you've
been doing, by posting onInstagram and Facebook, they're
like, wow, I wish I could dothat.
(28:03):
Go buy an RV, and you can.
In a day, you can change yourwhole life.
So, yes, for Nora Roberts.
if you don't ask, the answer isalways no.
Don't ask, just go do it.
Elizabeth (28:14):
I have noticed you are very supportive of women and
encouraging of women to do thisand to do whatever their passion
is, which is very, in line withmy whole podcast.
I always interview people who goafter a passion and, you know.
everyone encounters a hard time.
Everyone encounters a roadblock,so to speak.
But you keep going because it'swhat you want to do.
And so it's very inspiring, Ithink, that you lift other
(28:34):
people up too.
Jenell (28:36):
Oh, that's very nice.
But I'll, tell you Elizabeth,some of the ladies that are on
this trip, the lady that'sparked right behind me, I bet
she's, if I had to guess 70 andone of my good girlfriends
that's on this trip that I'vecome to know through the club,
she's 74 and drives an RV thatmakes mine look like a little
minivan.
That she does all by herself,hooks up and doesn't even bat an
(28:57):
eye.
This lifestyle tends to keep youyounger.
I don't know if that's the wayto say it, but it keeps you
moving.
You're not sitting in front of aTV every night.
I mean you can if you want, butthat's not what this life is
about.
We don't sit and watch TV allday and garden and sew.
And again, nothing wrong withthat.
It's just I would much rathertoday have gone on a 10 mile
(29:18):
bike ride.
Than set in my house doing a...
wondering what to do.
Yeah.
A sedentary lifestyle.
We don't want that.
And you see the older peoplethat travel around like this,
they can hike right with you.
The guy that won the wave, he's76.
And he out hiked me all daylong.
So I love that.
(29:40):
So to your thought ofencouragement, when I see them,
I see encouragement, that'swhere I get my motivation.
If she can hook that up anddrive that big thing and back
that thing in by herself, shegot 15 years on me.
I can certainly do it as well.
Elizabeth (29:55):
How far down the road, so to speak, do you plan?
Do you know where you're goingfor the next 8 months or
something?
Or are you a little spontaneous?
Jenell (30:03):
We're all spontaneous.
Now, right now we're on a trip,a travel itinerary, we're in
Canada for two months.
But then after this, I'm goingto go to my daughter's and hang
out there And then I'm going togo to Arizona.
But that could change tomorrow.
But yes, we have an itinerarybeing part of my club that I
own, the Wandering IndividualsNetwork.
the RV club.
If you want an itinerary, Isupply it for you.
(30:26):
If you want to travel withfriends, I'll give you some
friends to travel with.
Otherwise, nah, we kind of gowherever we want, when we want,
we may not see a member for twoyears and then they're on every
single trip for a year.
Cause you know, daughter had ababy and they want to go help.
So it's a spontaneous life.
But yeah, there are some plans,I guess.
Elizabeth (30:46):
It sounds like you can be as planned as you want to
be, or as spontaneous as youwant to be.
kind of up to
Jenell (30:52):
Yes.
There's nothing you have to dofor most of us.
Although we do have some workingfolks.
Some forest rangers, forestfirefighter or something.
They work two or three monthsand then they're off two or
three months.
And when they're off, they cometravel with us.
We're like, you sure you want totravel with your grandparents?
And they're like, yes.
We love it.
We love it.
(31:12):
We've got a couple of Uberdrivers.
We've got a couple ofaccountants, CPAs semi retired
work out of the house.
I work I have business ofrunning the club, but for the
most part we're all pretty muchretired.
Elizabeth (31:25):
And do you plan all these itineraries?
For the groups?
Jenell (31:28):
Yes, because I'm the owner of the group, They're
usually 6 weeks.
They can be 2 months, 3 or 4months going.
Elizabeth (31:35):
The company that you run-- you didn't found it, but
you took it over in 2015.
I like you to describe itbecause it took me a minute to
get my head around it becauseit's for solo travelers,
individual travelers, but youget together.
So you each drive your ownvehicle.
But you travel together, right?
So you're independent and yetyou have camaraderie.
(31:56):
Is that right?
Jenell (31:57):
That's it.
I'll start at the beginning.
In 1988, seven people, soloRVers, they all happened to be
divorced or widowed, they weresitting around a campfire and
wanted a group to travel with.
Back then, first of all, soloingin an RV was weird.
Living in an RV was weird.
You know, they thought somethingwas wrong with you, your money,
your poor, something.
So they made their own littlegroup.
(32:19):
And it started with those sevenpeople and it grew and grew and
grew to become now a smallbusiness that I bought in this
year, earlier this year, I'vebeen traveling with them on and
off since 2015 and then I'vebeen full time since 2019.
So we travel alone together, Soif you choose like to go to
Canada, like right now, we allmet in Bangor, Maine.
(32:41):
And from there, we all had theitinerary and knew that our next
stop was St.
Andrews.
So we knew the exact address,the exact place, and so,
whatever time you get there iswhen you get there.
That's for the people that liketo get up at 6 am and get
started.
So you go when you're ready, andthen every day we meet at 5,
have an adult beverage, talkabout life, what we did today,
(33:03):
what we want to do tomorrow.
So other than that you dowhatever you want, whenever you
want.
We travel solo together.
Elizabeth (33:10):
And so do you end up being with a lot of the same
people?
Some of the same people come onthe trips?
Or do you meet new people allthe time?
Jenell (33:17):
Yes and no.
Yes to all that, no to all that.
For now in Canada.
There's about 15 of us here.
One lady has already left.
She only wanted to do the first2 or 3 stops.
One person is going to leaveafter this stop.
The beauty of this club is youcome and go as you please.
You don't have to stay.
You're not paying for this tripper se.
You pay a membership, but youdon't pay for the trip.
(33:38):
So if you want to show up, showup, you want to leave, you
leave.
not losing any money to do iteither way.
If you are new to RVing and wantto try this lifestyle, join an
RV club.
If you need to get your feetwet, join an RV club.
I'd like you to join mine, butjoin any RV club.
My RV club is different in thatit is for the solo traveler.
(34:00):
You can be married, but we wantyou to be solo traveler.
We've got a couple that thesignificant other, for whatever
reason, doesn't want to travelor can't, and so they can
travel, but we don't likemarried couples traveling
because all of us have been atthat table at a wedding where
there's eight spaces and there'sthe one beside you that's always
empty and I've been single many,many, many years, so I'm tired
(34:24):
of that one seat beside mealways being empty.
I'm fine with it.
Everybody else around me hastrouble.
so this is a place for you tocome to have friends, a
community, a tribe, if you will.
Once you start traveling withus, you'll realize, you're not
crazy for wanting to do this.
This is a complete otherculture.
Just a different way of lifethan we're all supposed to have.
(34:45):
We can help you with theanxiety, the loneliness of
sometimes travel.
It's fun to go off by yourself,but you know, you do want every
once in a while to have dinnerwith somebody.
And you know, let's go to themuseum together.
And.
then also we have trips planned.
We have, for instance, Alaskacoming up in 2025.
If you've always wanted to go toAlaska, but too afraid to go on
(35:07):
your own, or don't want to makethat long trip on your own, come
with us.
We're going to do it.
You can take one of the tripsthat I put together and do it
all by yourself.
Tells you where to go when tostay how long to stay and stuff
to do in the area.
It's a great way to travel.
We've got several fun tripscoming up.
We've got a solar eclipse partyalready planned We've got a
drive down to Cabo.
That'll be with a lady thatspeaks Spanish and she's done it
(35:30):
a bunch of times.
So, lots more adventures tocome.
All they have to do is just joinup, and especially women, if you
are afraid of what's down theroad, if you will, join us, and
we'll show you everything youneed to know.
Then, if you've been traveling,you've been an RVier for a long
time, being with us willhopefully get you out of your
comfort zone a little bit, andmaybe you're not a big hiker,
(35:51):
but maybe you will be if you hadpeople to hike with.
When I'm not traveling with thegroup, I don't get up and go
hike.
But when I'm with the group andI'm the first one to go, yes,
let's go on a five mile hiketoday.
Elizabeth (36:01):
I can see that.
Yeah, it's maybe hard tomotivate yourself alone to do
certain things.
And then when you're with otherpeople, you feel a little more
social, a little more energizedto do other things.
New things Exactly.
Exactly.
And you're not too old.
If you see a 70, 74, 76 year oldthat is hiking up a side of the
mountain, we try to keep up withthem.
(36:21):
it's very inspiring to seepeople of different generations,
out doing things.
I think being active keeps youyoung.
Jenell (36:28):
And healthier.
It's a little community.
It really is.
Elizabeth (36:31):
What have you learned about the US from traveling all
across it several times?
Jenell (36:36):
I have learned that the US is beautiful, so much to
learn.
People are, by far, very, verynice, very kind.
Quit watching TV because it'snot as divisive as it seems to
be on TV.
In my club, we're not allowed totalk about politics or religion.
(36:56):
And boy, once you take that offthe table, we have wonderful
conversations.
We talk about what we've seen.
What would I say about America?
I would say that there's so muchto see and do.
I haven't been to Europe since2014 and I probably won't go
back.
There's so much here and I'velooped the US four times already
(37:16):
and I still haven't seen, aneighth of what's there is to see
in this country.
Elizabeth (37:21):
How many miles have you driven?
Do you know?
Jenell (37:23):
Uh, I don't know.
I would say 70,000.
I don't know.
I started from South Florida andwent to Maine.
I started from South Florida andwent to Skagway, Alaska.
I started from Texas and loopedthe US twice.
I started from South Florida andwent the other way around the US
twice.
So.
I don't know.
I couldn't even tell you and Idon't want my insurance to know
(37:45):
either.
So,
Elizabeth (37:46):
Yeah.
Yeah, Let's just say it's a lot.
Jenell (37:50):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a lot, it's a lot, but like I
said, I don't travel far and ifI see the world's biggest yarn
on the side of the road, if Ican pull over, I pull over and
see the world's biggest yarn orwhatever it is, I make a point
to stop and see it.
I Eat at every little diner Ican see on the side of the road.
If I can, if it looks safe andthere's a place to park.
(38:12):
There's just so much that I feelsorry for my old self that had
one week to go somewhere and Idrove like a maniac or did
airports for two days to getthere and, run around like a
crazy girl and then, fly back ordrive back for two days and then
go back to work.
I mean, what kind of vacation isthat?
So for all y'all still doingthat, I'm so sorry, but.
The day comes when you don'thave to.
Elizabeth (38:34):
I'm so glad that you have found this lifestyle that
is so fulfilling and reallyresonates with who you are.
Jenell (38:41):
Yes.
Thank you.
And it does.
And my mom and stepdad andsister, they're all fine now.
Now that they've seen me,they're fine that, I haven't
been got at the truck stop orkidnapped on the side of the
road.
It's fine.
Elizabeth (38:53):
You're doing great.
You're doing great.
Jenell (38:56):
Yes, it's fine.
Elizabeth (38:57):
Well, thanks for sharing all of this with me.
It really has been wonderful tohear about it.
Jenell (39:02):
Thank you, Elizabeth.
Thank you for having me.
I'm passionate about this.
I love this lifestyle.
So anytime somebody lets me talkabout it I can gush about it for
an hour or two,
Elizabeth (39:11):
if you let me keep
Jenell (39:12):
going.
Elizabeth (39:15):
Well, you have some great dinner to get to, don't
you?
Jenell (39:17):
I do.
I do.
I do.
Yes.
Going to eat lobster, Canadalobster.
Yes.
Elizabeth (39:26):
So, Janelle went off to eat some fresh lobster.
Sounds like a pretty nice life,doesn't it?
Here are some of my takeawaysfrom our conversation.
Number one.
If you really want to dosomething, find a way to do it.
Janelle didn't even know how todrive an RV when she decided to
become a full time RVer.
Two.
Experiences are the essentialcomponents to life.
(39:46):
Not things.
Three.
The most important item to bringon an RV trip, or anywhere
frankly, is patience.
Four.
We're all going to havetroubles, whether on the road in
an RV or elsewhere.
So, what then?
Do you give up, or do you solvethe issue and move forward?
Five.
The lovely quote from NoraRoberts is a takeaway in itself.
(40:09):
"If you don't go after what youwant, you'll never have it.
If you don't ask, the answer isalways no.
If you don't step forward,you're always in the same
place." And finally, number six.
Enjoy the journey.
My big thanks to Janelle Jonesfor sharing about her RV life
and her very centered approachto living.
Janelle very kindly offered adiscount to her club for any of
(40:30):
my listeners.
So if this conversation piquedyour interest in RVing, go to
her website (40:34):
winsrvclub.com.
Membership usually costs$120 ayear, and she's offering$10 off
for my listeners.
Just use the code WHATITSLIKETO.
It's good until March 7th.
I'll put more information in theshow notes.
If you like interviews withpeople who've had amazing
adventures, you might want tolisten to episode 49 with Cal
Currier, who set a world recordat age 16 as the youngest person
(40:58):
to sail solo across theAtlantic.
And episode 64 with AndrewBacker, who was the first
American to cross the finishline in last summer's 4,200 mile
long Trans Am bike race.
If you haven't alreadysubscribed to this podcast,
please do.
And please tell a few friendsabout it too.
I'm Elizabeth Pearson Garr.
Thanks for being curious aboutwhat it's like.
Anybody can drive.
Anybody can learn to drive 60feet of vehicle going down the
road.
The mindset is the tough part.
You got to be open.
You got to be ready to roll withthe punches.
You got to be patient.
This taught me patient.
I've never been a patientperson.
RVing will teach you patiencebecause you go nowhere fast.
Elizabeth (00:29):
Hello, and welcome to "What It's Like To..." The
podcast that lets you walk insomeone else's shoes and live
vicariously through their uniqueexperiences.
I'm your host, formerjournalist, Elizabeth Pearson
Garr.
And each episode, I'll be askinga new interviewee all the what,
why, when, and wheres of howthey do what they do.
(00:49):
If they can do it, so can you.
If you've ever been sitting atyour desk or stuck in commute
traffic and thought, man, I'dlove to trade all this in and
just travel for the rest of mylife.
Well, listen up.
My guest, Janelle Jones, isdoing just that.
Since 2015, she's traveled allover North America in a 36 foot
(01:14):
RV.
She's been to 49 states and muchof Canada and Mexico and the
majority of the national parks.
She also owns the oldest RV clubfor people traveling on their
own.
And she's here to tell us allabout it.
Janelle, welcome to the podcast.
Jenell (01:28):
Thank you, Elizabeth.
It's interesting that you didthat introduction because that's
how it got started for me.
I sat and looked out my windowof my office at a dealership
across the street.
It was like, wow, I wonder whatthat's like.
I would see people moving theirstuff in and think what that's
like to drive off in the wildblue yonder.
Elizabeth (01:47):
Wow.
Had you ever even been in an RV?
Jenell (01:50):
Nope, I had never even been in an RV, much less go out
and drive one.
And across the street was aPrevost dealer, which are like
the million dollar buses.
So I thought that's what RVswere.
They were these big buses, causeI didn't really notice them on
the road.
I even stopped one day and tooka little tour through there and
quickly realized, okay, Iprobably should look at another
(02:11):
RV if I want to actually havethis life.
Elizabeth (02:15):
So that was really adventurous of you.
Jenell (02:17):
It really was.
I worked for the government inSouth Florida and I knew when I
retired, I did not want to sitaround at the house and watch TV
and I don't know, garden, whichI like gardening and sewing and
all that, but I knew that thatwas not what my life was.
I knew I wanted more out of mylast 30 years, if you will, of
my life.
Elizabeth (02:35):
So I'd like to get to your day to day.
I know there's no two days thesame because you live a life of
adventure and so they don't haveto be the same, but typically,
what would you be doing in aday, if you are on the road?
Jenell (02:48):
Well, remember, I'm always on the road.
Now, that doesn't mean that Itravel every day.
I don't.
I go a week or 10 days and thenI may stay somewhere a month.
But for right now in theCanadian Maritimes, today I got
up and with the group that I'mwith, we went to bike ride
around the ocean in PrinceEdward Island.
Then, you know, I had thispodcast and then tonight we're
(03:10):
going to this restaurant to eatlobster.
All you can eat lobsters for$49Canadian.
That come from right here andthat we'll be looking out in the
ocean.
Yesterday we went to...
yeah, it was great.
Yesterday, the typical day waswe went to see the home and a
birthplace of, the lady whowrote Anne of Green Gables.
(03:30):
And then we did a fireplace lastnight.
We all sit around did afireplace and told stories.
Elizabeth (03:34):
So let's say you're driving from a place to a place,
how do you kind of get yourselfgoing in the morning?
Do you have a little kitchen inyour RV and you're stocked with
all your food and Walk methrough a day there.
Jenell (03:46):
Yes, absolutely.
Just like everybody else or inmy retired life.
I get up when I get up around7:00, 7:30, 8 o'clock.
Today I got up at 8:04.
Love it.
No, alarm is in this entirehouse, and I had coffee.
My coffee maker was going.
The question that you're askingis kind of like what most people
do, Elizabeth, they think, well,are you camping?
(04:06):
You know, are you out in theopen field?
No, no, I'm in an airconditioned.
I put my fireplace on in themorning to kind of get the chill
out of the air, or I could turnmy heater on.
There's no camping involved inmy life.
There's none of that.
I want to live a comfortablelife.
I just want to see the country.
So in the morning, I get up, Ihave coffee and then get started
(04:28):
around 9-ish, our group, weusually leave around 10 because
we're all retired, living thegood life.
Nobody gets up at the crack ofdawn and goes anywhere and does
anything.
People can't believe it, we justhave a simple, easy life, a
fulfilling life is what I liketo say, and one filled with as
much adventure as you want it tobe filled with.
Elizabeth (04:49):
Small practical question.
How do you do laundry?
Jenell (04:52):
I have a washer and dryer.
Elizabeth (04:53):
You do in your rV?
Jenell (04:55):
Uh Wow!
Elizabeth (04:56):
I didn't know they were so far equipped.
Jenell (04:58):
Oh, yeah.
I got a fireplace, a centralvac.
Yes, but this is not my starterRV now.
My starter RV had nothing in it,okay?
But right now I can look overI'm in Prince Edward Island and,
I can see the laundromat fromover there.
But, nah, I haven't gone to alaundromat in a while.
Elizabeth (05:15):
So when you're driving for long periods of time
by yourself.
Does it ever get lonely or areyou bored or are you listening
to music a lot?
What do you do when you're inyour vehicle for a long time by
yourself?
Jenell (05:28):
Well, first of all, I don't drive a long time.
In my early days, yes, I didn'tknow any better.
I was so used to how real worldis.
If you gotta get there, gottago, gotta go.
I got nothing.
I have to be nowhere, usually.
So, I have the three rule of Idrive three hours, or 300 miles,
and I stay three days.
Sometimes it's two hours.
(05:49):
Sometimes it's four hours, butnah, I don't kill myself at all.
And I listen to podcasts.
I love podcasts.
I listen to podcasts, yoursincluded.
Elizabeth (05:58):
Oh, thank you.
Well, that's a great way to keepyourself entertained and...
Jenell (06:02):
and learn.
Podcasts teach so much as youknow.
Elizabeth (06:05):
And like you say, if most of your group is retired
it's not like you have a week ofvacation time and you have to
cover as much ground aspossible.
You guys have flexibility.
Jenell (06:15):
That is the greatest freedom is being able to have
flexibility.
You know, it's not all sunshineand roses and unicorns out here,
but it's 90 percent better forme, Than sticks and bricks, we
call it.
Elizabeth (06:27):
And you mentioned, like, you went bicycling.
Do you have a bike on your RV?
Or do you just rent that?
No, no, we all have bikes we allhave bikes.
Jenell (06:35):
Not like all.
A bulk of us have bikes andkayaks.
Oh yeah.
We're ready for anything.
We do have some that just, youknow, want to sit most of the
time or go once a week, but themajority of us want to be out
biking and hiking and going outto eat you know, the local lunch
places and going on a kayak.
We just went kayaking in the Bayof fundy last week.
(06:56):
Oh, so great.
So wonderful.
It was hard.
Let me tell you, but it wasgreat.
I'm glad I did it.
I don't need to do it again, butI'm so glad I did it.
Elizabeth (07:05):
So you're up for a bunch of, adventures and really
physical activities and gettingout and exploring.
Jenell (07:12):
Yes, I am.
Exploring is a good word,Elizabeth.
That's good because most of usthat will join a group like this
want to explore, not necessarilyby their self all the time, but
are okay being alone, but wantto explore.
That may be in museums.
We've got an older lady herethat she's not really into the
biking and all that, but she'sinto museums.
(07:32):
And so every day when we meet,we're like, who wants to go
biking tomorrow?
Who wants to go hiking?
Who wants to go to a museum?
Who wants to, you know, go toWalmart and get groceries?
And so we may go together.
We may not.
It just depends, but we all goexploring in our own way every
day.
Elizabeth (07:48):
So were you a big traveler before?
Had you seen a lot of the worldand seen a lot of the country
already?
Or was this just sort of a pentup desire of yours to just get
out and do things?
I guess what I'm asking is, DIdyou surprise yourself?
that all of a sudden you becamethis adventurer?
Jenell (08:05):
No.
I'd say I've always been anadventurer, and I've always had
wanderlust and itchy feet, ifyou will.
I've traveled through Europequite a bit, flew there, hotels,
flew back, like everybody.
Right when I retired, I hikedthe Amalfi Coast.
I did a canoe trip through theLewis and Clark trail.
Fabulous if no one's done that.
So I've always had that kind ofin me and I've always had this
(08:27):
also go big or go home.
I'm either all in or all out and
Elizabeth (08:31):
I can tell.
Jenell (08:33):
Yes.
And RV travel represented thatnext big step for me of you
know, now what?
What's this big thing going tobe?
I traveled first of all, in mystarter RV, I call it, it was a
little RV that I wrecked and didall kinds of stuff to.
Didn't know what I was doing.
Didn't know how to tow a car,but I traveled in that a couple
of years and kept my house.
(08:54):
And I realized towards themiddle of the second year, I'm
only going home to check on myhouse.
I'm very much enjoyingtraveling.
Why don't I get rid of thathouse, all the bills and the
issues and the responsibilitiesassociated with that.
So, I did that, got a bigger RV,and then really, really started
traveling.
Elizabeth (09:12):
That was going to be my next question.
If you have a house or, which Iguess you don't any longer, or
do you have a storage unitsomewhere where you keep a lot
of things or is everything youown with you?
Jenell (09:24):
Everything I own is with me.
I was going to do the storage, Ithought about it for maybe one
day, but that's not my nature.
I'm all in, all out, which Ijust said.
So, I'm like, I'm not going tobe beholden to a$60,$80,$100
storage unit every month that Ihave to go check on that is full
of just stuff.
It's just stuff I have.
I can always get more stuff andI love it.
(09:46):
And I love not having a bunch ofstuff.
If you would have told me even,six, seven years ago now that I
would eventually end up withlike six dresses, four or five
pair of shoes, one bathing suit,I'd have said, that's not going
to ever happen in my life.
And that's exactly where I am.
Elizabeth (10:02):
You know, about a year ago on the podcast, I had a
decluttering expert on and shetalked about all this.
You know, we don't need tons ofstuff.
We don't need tons of Christmasdecorations.
So you're the ultimatedeclutterer at this point.
You've really pared it down.
Jenell (10:16):
That's so true, Elizabeth.
And it's so freeing because Istill wander through shops and
look at stuff, but I have apretty strict rule, that I'm
pretty 100 percent on, okay 98%.
If I buy something, somethinggoes out.
So everything that's in my RV, Ilove it.
It's not just a cute littlesomething.
I love it.
My one tray I have is fromItaly.
(10:38):
I found it in a secondhand shopin Italy.
The one chair I have, I found ina secondhand shop when I was in
Montana that I had recovered.
So everything means something tome that's in this RV and it's
just such a great way to live.
It's a freeing way to live.
I wrote an article that Rootlessmagazine is going to publish,
(10:58):
and it was about the anxiety ofonly having one bathing suit.
Elizabeth, I was able to get ridof my house with no problem.
All my furniture, no problem.
My dishes that I loved, all theChristmas ornaments, you know,
so I could have four trees withthemes.
But when it came to my clothes,I had a real issue with my
clothes.
And it was my mom who helped merealize my clothes represented
(11:20):
that I had made it in society.
I had suits, I had nice shoes, Ihad bags, and I can walk in a
room and not be that poor kidfrom Texas that I am.
And once I kind of was able torealize those clothes are
nothing.
They're just clothes, and Icried over a couple of expensive
pieces that I bought that didn'tfit me anymore.
You know, we all have those, butI paid a lot of money, so I'm
(11:41):
keeping those, but once Istarted getting rid of those, it
was nothing.
Which led me down to the onebathing suit.
I have one bathing suit.
When that wears out, I buy onemore.
And how freeing is that?
Let me tell you.
It is very freeing.
Elizabeth (11:55):
I think so many of the things we own like you say,
they're memories and they'realso memories of experiences or
of prior selves and we don'tneed the actual thing.
We could just have a photo ofit.
I remember when my husband and Imoved together for the first
time I said, we've got--youhave, I said to him, you have to
get rid of so much of yourstuff.
I had to get rid of a lot of mystuff too.
(12:16):
But you know, t shirts fromcollege and trophies from our
childhood.
And someone had told me, unlessyou're going to display them,
say a trophy from, you know,high school, if you're going to
display it in your home office,okay, but otherwise take a photo
of it.
That can be the memory.
You don't have to bring theclutter with you.
The old t shirt from yourcollege intramural championship.
(12:38):
Take a photo of it.
And so that's a better clutterfree way to live.
Jenell (12:43):
It really is.
And I don't have to move at allanymore.
And of all my clothes and shoesand everything that I was so
anxiety ridden, stressed outover getting rid of, I miss one
thing, which was a bluefascinator, blue hat I bought to
wear to a wedding.
And then I didn't even wear itbecause I looked ridiculous
trying to be, you know, QueenPrincess Kate.
(13:04):
And so I was trying to hold tothis thing that I never even
used.
So if you would ask me fiveyears ago, trade that fascinator
hat for biking through the grandcanyon for 13 miles.
You can have it.
You can have the fascinator.
Elizabeth (13:19):
For the experiences that you're getting to have.
Jenell (13:21):
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Elizabeth (13:24):
You mentioned, you've got a bike and a kayak.
What else do you have on thatRV?
What are the essential items?
You're very pared down with yourclothing and I'm sure the number
of dishes and all that.
So what are the key items thatyou need to have to live an RV
life?
Jenell (13:37):
Well, the key thing to live an RV life, number one, is
a mindset.
It really is.
It's the mindset.
Anybody can drive.
Anybody can learn to drive 60feet of vehicle going down the
road.
And that's what I am between myRV and my car behind is 60 feet.
Anybody can learn that.
The mindset is the tough part.
You got to be open.
You got to be ready to roll withthe punches.
(13:59):
You got to be patient.
This taught me patient.
I've never been a patientperson.
RVing will teach you patiencebecause you go nowhere fast.
But the essential items, is tohave things to not break down,
or if you do break down, to makeyour life more comfortable,
until you get help.
For instance, a tire monitor.
that's a so nothing, unsexy, funthing.
(14:22):
But.
That tire monitor beepin willlet you know that one of your
ten tires is low or has a flat.
So, there's a bunch of thingslike that.
I have a portable charger, thatI can hook to my own battery of
either RV or car if on the sideof the road if my battery won't
start.
I have a number 2 squarescrewdriver.
(14:45):
That 1 thing fits almost everyscrew inside the RV.
There's a thousand screws, and Iam not exaggerating, in this RV
that rattle and sometimes theyfall out or you realize
something over here is loose andthat one screwdriver is all you
need.
So, there's a bunch of stufflike that to make your life
easier on the road.
(15:06):
And then, my dishes, I have oneglass, two coffee cups, one
small highball, or cocktail, forwhen I drink a little whiskey, I
have two plates, two saladplates, two bowls, three mixing
bowls, three pots..
That's it.
Elizabeth (15:24):
Do you cook much or is it mostly eating out?
Jenell (15:26):
Oh, no, I cook almost every day.
have a Propane stove.
It's like a regular house stove.
I have a residentialrefrigerator that's as big as
the refrigerator at your house.
I cook all the time.
This is not camping Elizabeth atall.
I don't use the word camping.
I use solo RVing, solo travel,because we're not camping.
Elizabeth (15:45):
Yeah, you're driving around an apartment is what it
looks like.
Jenell (15:48):
A tiny house.
It is literally a tiny house.
Yes.
Elizabeth (15:52):
You know, there's that old phrase.
I think from the Wizard of Oz.
I guess (15:54):
there's no place like home.
There's no place like home.
Do you ever feel like, oh, Ilost that sense of home.
Or do you feel like you'recarrying home with you
everywhere you go?
Jenell (16:03):
No Elizabeth.
I don't and people ask that allthe time.
Don't you miss home?
I'm like, no, I am home.
Or when we go see somebody,they're like, Do you want to
come in and spend the night in abedroom?
I'm like, no I want to spend thenight in my own bed.
No.
And it's funny you bring that upbecause I am very much a
wanderer and the itchy feet andall that, but I always miss my
stuff.
I always way over packedbecause, you know, I need
(16:26):
options.
I need nine pair of shoesbecause I don't know, I may work
out nine times.
I don't work out at home, but,you know, you bring nine workout
outfits in case in Italy, I'mgoing to learn to work out.
So now I bring it all with meand I have so much more comfort
now.
I can pull over in a rest stop.
If I'm going a long distance andwant to just pull over in rest
stop and I can pull my shadedown in the front and I'm done
(16:49):
for the night, I'm completelyhome.
I can make dinner, I can watchTV, I can take a shower,
everything.
Right there in a rest stop onthe side of the highway.
Elizabeth (16:59):
Yeah.
So I was curious about that too,where you would park, where you
can stay.
I hear sometimes about, Oh, RVsor people with big buses can
stay like in Walmart orsomething, but are there set
places that you're allowed topull over a large vehicle?
And stay other than a rest stop.
Jenell (17:16):
Yes, there is.
Definitely RV parks like inCanada, we're in RV parks every
one of the stops, but there'sBureau of land management.
There's free places all over thestate, or for a small fee.
I've only stayed in a Walmartonce.
I don't care to do that.
I will.
I don't have nothing againstWalmarts.
It's nice to be able to go inand shop, but that's not
something that I generally dobecause I don't have to, I have
(17:38):
other places that I can go.
You learn the tricks.
The more you RV, you learn thetricks of where you can stay,
where you can't stay.
You learn the tricks.
Elizabeth (17:47):
And there's enough places that you never felt like,
Oh, I'm driving.
I need to stop.
And there's no place to stay.
Jenell (17:54):
Nope.
I have before been going topoint A to B and it was raining
so hard.
I just pulled off on an exit andthere was a abandoned building
Umm, wasn't a business anymoreold furniture shop and I just
pulled in there and stayed thenight and the cops came by and I
said it was just raining and isit okay if I stay and they're
like, yeah, we just making sureyou're okay.
(18:15):
I'm like, I'm in here watchingTV eating popcorn.
Elizabeth (18:18):
Do you ever feel unsafe?
Jenell (18:20):
No, I don't take dumb chances either.
My dad was a truck driver.
And my dad always said, If youget in trouble, if you have
problems, go to a truck stop.
Try not to get the one serialkiller.
But otherwise, people that drivetrucks are so helpful and kind
so when I get there, I'm notafraid.
I pull my shade down on my frontbig windshield and I never go
outside.
(18:40):
So no one knows if there's aman, 2 men, 4 men, whoever's in
here.
Elizabeth (18:45):
Have you had any major challenges?
That you've found over time,either personal or logistically
with the vehicle?
Jenell (18:53):
All of that.
Yes.
The first challenge I had waspeople think you're crazy for
going off and do it.
My mom sat me down and was like,is everything all right with
your money, honey?
Are you having to do this?
You know, I can give you money.
Mother, I'm fine.
My sister was so worried about,Oh my God, these things are
going to happen on the side ofthe road.
Girls get kidnapped.
And my stepfather with theserial killer, I'm like, what am
(19:16):
I doing?
So there was that challenge oftelling everybody it's fine.
I want to do this life.
I want this.
Then the second challengeimmediately was I don't know how
to drive an RV.
I don't know how to do all this.
Elizabeth (19:28):
That's a big obstacle.
Jenell (19:30):
Yeah.
But me, you know, I'm all in.
So I'm like, how hard could itbe?
Everybody else does it.
I didn't see many women do it,but I'm like, how hard could it
be?
Well, it turns out it's easy,but there are some tips and
tricks.
That first RV, my starter RV, Ihit a McDonald's building.
I jackknifed, my car I pulled sotight around a gas pump trying
(19:50):
to get gas that my car and my RVwere at a, like an L angle and I
had to unhook everything to movethe RV off of the pumps.
I was shut down the gas stationcause nobody could move around
me.
Elizabeth (20:02):
Oh no.
Jenell (20:03):
And this is all in six months.
I went down a dirt road becauseI believed the GPS.
I went down a dirt road that Icouldn't turn around back up and
then I had to drive over thisrickety wooden bridge and I mean
it had wood slats Ooh!
Elizabeth (20:17):
Sounds scary.
Jenell (20:19):
Yes, so yes, there have been challenges, but you know
what Elizabeth?
Every one of those I livedthrough.
It's a funny, great story now.
It made me realize you're fine.
You're okay.
Calm down.
There's a way through this.
There's a way around it.
I've had a blowout on this bigrig I have, and there's no tire.
These tires aren't on theshelves.
(20:39):
So I'm like, okay, well now whatI'm blocking winding small
county road.
I'm blocking it totally.
You know what?
Nothing happened.
I have the philosophy as long asI don't die or get hurt or I
don't cause someone else to dieor get hurt.
We'll be fine.
It's gonna be an experience.
It'll be funny tomorrow or nextmonth.
Go with the flow.
I like the challenge of it.
(21:00):
I don't want a lot ofchallenges, but I enjoy the
challenge along with thefulfillment of this life.
Elizabeth (21:07):
That's a great attitude.
I feel like you're really,embracing each day with that.
A lot of people spend a lot oftime worrying about the future
and about, well, this might meanthat, and what about this?
There's a lot of kind of anxietyand people make fear-based
decisions.
And I think it sounds likeyou're really in a place of I'm
doing this because this soundsgood.
(21:29):
If there's a problem, I'llovercome it.
It sounds like it's a veryhealthy, approach to life.
Jenell (21:34):
You know, Elizabeth, it took me a while to get here, and
I appreciate you saying that,that it comes across.
The thing about living in an RV,things are going to happen.
It's not probably, no, they aregonna happen.
And at first, I was very fearbased.
What if this, what if I have a,well, you're going to.
Once somebody told me that, andI'm like, well, no, my RV is
brand new.
They're like, no, you're goingto, and they're right.
(21:54):
And so I give that advice now.
You are going to have troubles.
It's how you deal with it, backto that mindset.
Do you deal with it like (22:01):
that's it.
I'm done.
I can't take this.
Or do you be like, well, we'regoing to have to find a tire in
the state of Maine, even thoughthey don't have one on the
shelves, we're going to have tofigure this out.
And when I say we, I mean, me.
I'm not going to live my last,however, I'm 63.
So 30 years, I'm not going tolive my last 30 years how I
lived my last 30 years ofworrying about work, worried
(22:22):
about the kid, worrying aboutthis, anxiety this, what if this
happened?
I'm not doing that anymore.
I have 10 tires, one of thesetires are going to blow out.
So I'm not going to worry aboutit because one of them are going
to go.
And you know what, when I didhave that one that I told you
about that went, it was fine, itwas all right.
It was fun.
Elizabeth (22:38):
And the funny thing is what you're saying about on
the RV, something will go wrong.
That's true at home, too! That'strue in an apartment, too.
That's true in a dorm room also.
That's life, It's just thatwhere you are is that you're
accepting it and I think a lotof us live in this like, Oh, no,
we have so much control over ourlives.
We can make these things nothappen.
And then we're sort of shockedwhen, Oh, there's a problem in
(23:00):
my life.
How am I ever going to confrontit?
You're just in reality and thenenjoying the journey, literally.
it's
Jenell (23:06):
really
Elizabeth (23:06):
wonderful.
Jenell (23:08):
Enjoying the journey.
I wish, like my daughter, I wishI could tell her cause I see her
worrying about what if, what if,what if.
She's of course, you know, haschildren.
different whole life than me.
But I just see the stuff thatthat generation worries about
that you can't do anythingabout, but it took me a long
time to get here too, I just, Ithrive.
(23:29):
I'm not surviving.
I am thriving.
And I like to say that the otherpeople that are with me on this,
not all of them, but you candefinitely see the ones that are
worried and the ones that arethriving and accepting this
lifestyle.
Elizabeth (23:41):
Hmm.
That's wonderful.
So back to some of the nuts andbolts when you're talking about
your first RV.
What does a starter RV costroughly?
Jenell (23:49):
Um, let's see.
I want to say I paid$35-$40-$50,000.
You know.
I don't know I don't know whatit was.
Not much than a car.
That's like a car.
it was a lower end of RV, youknow, you can buy a million
dollar RV.
But I knew that that RV.
I didn't know what I was doing.
It was going to be my starterRV.
And I knew with that smaller RV,I wanted to go to Alaska while I
(24:12):
had that small one.
I wanted to really get somemiles under my belt and knock
some things off.
Just like everybody.
I started out with a bucket listthat I got to do right now.
Which I did, but I knew thatthere was going to be a steep
learning curve.
And there was, I mean, I floodedthat RV.
Uh, please, we could do a wholepodcast on my starter RV.
Elizabeth (24:33):
What are some of the most amazing places you've gone?
Like if people only had a fewplaces they could travel to, if
they weren't going to make ittheir lifestyle, what would you
recommend?
Jenell (24:42):
I gosh, everybody always asks me, what's your favorite
place?
It's so hard because right nowthis week, Prince Edward
Island's my favorite place.
The weather is beautiful.
Ocean's great.
But some of the standouts arethe Grand Canyon, we've all been
to the Grand Canyon.
It's a long time to get there.
You park, you walk up and youlook over that rim, that fence,
and you see the Grand Canyon.
(25:03):
You may walk down to the giftshop and you may walk down to a
interpretive center.
But, in the Grand Canyon,there's 13 miles of bike paths
and walking paths that no carscan go down.
Before, when I went to the GrandCanyon, I didn't know that.
So, this last time I went, weall got our bikes out and rode
13 miles through the GrandCanyon.
fabulous.
(25:23):
That was fabulous.
Another time we were in BarHarbor, Maine, and one of the
members of our club knew about aplace that you can go and buy
lobsters straight from thefishermen.
They may have them, they maynot.
So we all went.
Got lobsters.
He had them that day.
We all bought two or threebecause he was like, Hey, give
me ten dollars, twelve dollarsfor all of them.
So we all bought a bunch oflobsters and we came back and
(25:46):
started a fire and grilled abunch of lobsters and ate with
our hands and butter runningdown our hands I looked around
Elizabeth and I was like, youknow what, this is life right
here.
I'm in Bar Harbor, Maine in thesummer.
It's cool.
It's beautiful here.
I'm eating a$10 lobster withbutter running down my hands
with people I consider myfriends.
Elizabeth (26:05):
that there.
Jenell (26:06):
That's living, that is living.
That stands out to me.
There's been so much I have tokeep a journal.
Oh, I hike d the wave in Utah.
Ooh yes.
That's a lottery-based hike,200,000 tries are made a year,
and one of the guys in our groupwon the lottery.
And so we got to hike in threemiles, pretty tough hike at
three miles out in the heat andhad an incredible, one of a kind
(26:29):
experience at the wave.
That is a highlight as well.
Elizabeth (26:33):
And you get to just keep having these.
Cause you're on
Jenell (26:37):
the go.
Yes.
right.
I mean the bike ride today alongPrince Edward Island, that's
pretty tough to beat too.
Elizabeth (26:42):
I like this, you posted a quote, from the author
Nora Roberts, which I thinkreally kind of summarizes a lot
of what you're talking about,which was,"If you don't go after
what you want, you'll never haveit.
If you don't ask, the answer isalways no.
If you don't step forward,you're always in the same
place."
Jenell (26:58):
Isn't that true?
Isn't that so true?
I don't know about men, but Ifind with women, that sticks us
right there.
it is scary at the beginning.
You are literally driving offinto the wild blue yonder.
I mean, literally driving off.
So I want people to realize thisis doable, especially women.
This is so doable.
Once you get past that firstweek of, Oh my God, what have I
(27:20):
done?
It's a great life.
It's a wonderful life.
And I want them to see all yougot to do is take that first
step.
Just take a step.
Don't be standing there.
I'm always asked, what would youtell people that get in this
life?
My two things are be quiet.
Stop talking it to death.
And my other one is stop talkingto everybody because at most 90
percent of people are gonna godon't do it.
(27:42):
You're crazy.
You're 60 years old.
You can't drive a 60 foot RVdown the road.
Oh, where are you going?
Stop talking about it becauseyou know what you want to do.
You're wanting other people totell you it's okay, and they're
not going to.
Most people are not going totell you it's okay.
Then after you do it for a year,and they realize what you've
been doing, by posting onInstagram and Facebook, they're
like, wow, I wish I could dothat.
(28:03):
Go buy an RV, and you can.
In a day, you can change yourwhole life.
So, yes, for Nora Roberts.
if you don't ask, the answer isalways no.
Don't ask, just go do it.
Elizabeth (28:14):
I have noticed you are very supportive of women and
encouraging of women to do thisand to do whatever their passion
is, which is very, in line withmy whole podcast.
I always interview people who goafter a passion and, you know.
everyone encounters a hard time.
Everyone encounters a roadblock,so to speak.
But you keep going because it'swhat you want to do.
And so it's very inspiring, Ithink, that you lift other
(28:34):
people up too.
Jenell (28:36):
Oh, that's very nice.
But I'll, tell you Elizabeth,some of the ladies that are on
this trip, the lady that'sparked right behind me, I bet
she's, if I had to guess 70 andone of my good girlfriends
that's on this trip that I'vecome to know through the club,
she's 74 and drives an RV thatmakes mine look like a little
minivan.
That she does all by herself,hooks up and doesn't even bat an
(28:57):
eye.
This lifestyle tends to keep youyounger.
I don't know if that's the wayto say it, but it keeps you
moving.
You're not sitting in front of aTV every night.
I mean you can if you want, butthat's not what this life is
about.
We don't sit and watch TV allday and garden and sew.
And again, nothing wrong withthat.
It's just I would much rathertoday have gone on a 10 mile
(29:18):
bike ride.
Than set in my house doing a...
wondering what to do.
Yeah.
A sedentary lifestyle.
We don't want that.
And you see the older peoplethat travel around like this,
they can hike right with you.
The guy that won the wave, he's76.
And he out hiked me all daylong.
So I love that.
(29:40):
So to your thought ofencouragement, when I see them,
I see encouragement, that'swhere I get my motivation.
If she can hook that up anddrive that big thing and back
that thing in by herself, shegot 15 years on me.
I can certainly do it as well.
Elizabeth (29:55):
How far down the road, so to speak, do you plan?
Do you know where you're goingfor the next 8 months or
something?
Or are you a little spontaneous?
Jenell (30:03):
We're all spontaneous.
Now, right now we're on a trip,a travel itinerary, we're in
Canada for two months.
But then after this, I'm goingto go to my daughter's and hang
out there And then I'm going togo to Arizona.
But that could change tomorrow.
But yes, we have an itinerarybeing part of my club that I
own, the Wandering IndividualsNetwork.
the RV club.
If you want an itinerary, Isupply it for you.
(30:26):
If you want to travel withfriends, I'll give you some
friends to travel with.
Otherwise, nah, we kind of gowherever we want, when we want,
we may not see a member for twoyears and then they're on every
single trip for a year.
Cause you know, daughter had ababy and they want to go help.
So it's a spontaneous life.
But yeah, there are some plans,I guess.
Elizabeth (30:46):
It sounds like you can be as planned as you want to
be, or as spontaneous as youwant to be.
kind of up to
Jenell (30:52):
Yes.
There's nothing you have to dofor most of us.
Although we do have some workingfolks.
Some forest rangers, forestfirefighter or something.
They work two or three monthsand then they're off two or
three months.
And when they're off, they cometravel with us.
We're like, you sure you want totravel with your grandparents?
And they're like, yes.
We love it.
We love it.
(31:12):
We've got a couple of Uberdrivers.
We've got a couple ofaccountants, CPAs semi retired
work out of the house.
I work I have business ofrunning the club, but for the
most part we're all pretty muchretired.
Elizabeth (31:25):
And do you plan all these itineraries?
For the groups?
Jenell (31:28):
Yes, because I'm the owner of the group, They're
usually 6 weeks.
They can be 2 months, 3 or 4months going.
Elizabeth (31:35):
The company that you run-- you didn't found it, but
you took it over in 2015.
I like you to describe itbecause it took me a minute to
get my head around it becauseit's for solo travelers,
individual travelers, but youget together.
So you each drive your ownvehicle.
But you travel together, right?
So you're independent and yetyou have camaraderie.
(31:56):
Is that right?
Jenell (31:57):
That's it.
I'll start at the beginning.
In 1988, seven people, soloRVers, they all happened to be
divorced or widowed, they weresitting around a campfire and
wanted a group to travel with.
Back then, first of all, soloingin an RV was weird.
Living in an RV was weird.
You know, they thought somethingwas wrong with you, your money,
your poor, something.
So they made their own littlegroup.
(32:19):
And it started with those sevenpeople and it grew and grew and
grew to become now a smallbusiness that I bought in this
year, earlier this year, I'vebeen traveling with them on and
off since 2015 and then I'vebeen full time since 2019.
So we travel alone together, Soif you choose like to go to
Canada, like right now, we allmet in Bangor, Maine.
(32:41):
And from there, we all had theitinerary and knew that our next
stop was St.
Andrews.
So we knew the exact address,the exact place, and so,
whatever time you get there iswhen you get there.
That's for the people that liketo get up at 6 am and get
started.
So you go when you're ready, andthen every day we meet at 5,
have an adult beverage, talkabout life, what we did today,
(33:03):
what we want to do tomorrow.
So other than that you dowhatever you want, whenever you
want.
We travel solo together.
Elizabeth (33:10):
And so do you end up being with a lot of the same
people?
Some of the same people come onthe trips?
Or do you meet new people allthe time?
Jenell (33:17):
Yes and no.
Yes to all that, no to all that.
For now in Canada.
There's about 15 of us here.
One lady has already left.
She only wanted to do the first2 or 3 stops.
One person is going to leaveafter this stop.
The beauty of this club is youcome and go as you please.
You don't have to stay.
You're not paying for this tripper se.
You pay a membership, but youdon't pay for the trip.
(33:38):
So if you want to show up, showup, you want to leave, you
leave.
not losing any money to do iteither way.
If you are new to RVing and wantto try this lifestyle, join an
RV club.
If you need to get your feetwet, join an RV club.
I'd like you to join mine, butjoin any RV club.
My RV club is different in thatit is for the solo traveler.
(34:00):
You can be married, but we wantyou to be solo traveler.
We've got a couple that thesignificant other, for whatever
reason, doesn't want to travelor can't, and so they can
travel, but we don't likemarried couples traveling
because all of us have been atthat table at a wedding where
there's eight spaces and there'sthe one beside you that's always
empty and I've been single many,many, many years, so I'm tired
(34:24):
of that one seat beside mealways being empty.
I'm fine with it.
Everybody else around me hastrouble.
so this is a place for you tocome to have friends, a
community, a tribe, if you will.
Once you start traveling withus, you'll realize, you're not
crazy for wanting to do this.
This is a complete otherculture.
Just a different way of lifethan we're all supposed to have.
(34:45):
We can help you with theanxiety, the loneliness of
sometimes travel.
It's fun to go off by yourself,but you know, you do want every
once in a while to have dinnerwith somebody.
And you know, let's go to themuseum together.
And.
then also we have trips planned.
We have, for instance, Alaskacoming up in 2025.
If you've always wanted to go toAlaska, but too afraid to go on
(35:07):
your own, or don't want to makethat long trip on your own, come
with us.
We're going to do it.
You can take one of the tripsthat I put together and do it
all by yourself.
Tells you where to go when tostay how long to stay and stuff
to do in the area.
It's a great way to travel.
We've got several fun tripscoming up.
We've got a solar eclipse partyalready planned We've got a
drive down to Cabo.
That'll be with a lady thatspeaks Spanish and she's done it
(35:30):
a bunch of times.
So, lots more adventures tocome.
All they have to do is just joinup, and especially women, if you
are afraid of what's down theroad, if you will, join us, and
we'll show you everything youneed to know.
Then, if you've been traveling,you've been an RVier for a long
time, being with us willhopefully get you out of your
comfort zone a little bit, andmaybe you're not a big hiker,
(35:51):
but maybe you will be if you hadpeople to hike with.
When I'm not traveling with thegroup, I don't get up and go
hike.
But when I'm with the group andI'm the first one to go, yes,
let's go on a five mile hiketoday.
Elizabeth (36:01):
I can see that.
Yeah, it's maybe hard tomotivate yourself alone to do
certain things.
And then when you're with otherpeople, you feel a little more
social, a little more energizedto do other things.
New things Exactly.
Exactly.
And you're not too old.
If you see a 70, 74, 76 year oldthat is hiking up a side of the
mountain, we try to keep up withthem.
(36:21):
it's very inspiring to seepeople of different generations,
out doing things.
I think being active keeps youyoung.
Jenell (36:28):
And healthier.
It's a little community.
It really is.
Elizabeth (36:31):
What have you learned about the US from traveling all
across it several times?
Jenell (36:36):
I have learned that the US is beautiful, so much to
learn.
People are, by far, very, verynice, very kind.
Quit watching TV because it'snot as divisive as it seems to
be on TV.
In my club, we're not allowed totalk about politics or religion.
(36:56):
And boy, once you take that offthe table, we have wonderful
conversations.
We talk about what we've seen.
What would I say about America?
I would say that there's so muchto see and do.
I haven't been to Europe since2014 and I probably won't go
back.
There's so much here and I'velooped the US four times already
(37:16):
and I still haven't seen, aneighth of what's there is to see
in this country.
Elizabeth (37:21):
How many miles have you driven?
Do you know?
Jenell (37:23):
Uh, I don't know.
I would say 70,000.
I don't know.
I started from South Florida andwent to Maine.
I started from South Florida andwent to Skagway, Alaska.
I started from Texas and loopedthe US twice.
I started from South Florida andwent the other way around the US
twice.
So.
I don't know.
I couldn't even tell you and Idon't want my insurance to know
(37:45):
either.
So,
Elizabeth (37:46):
Yeah.
Yeah, Let's just say it's a lot.
Jenell (37:50):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a lot, it's a lot, but like I
said, I don't travel far and ifI see the world's biggest yarn
on the side of the road, if Ican pull over, I pull over and
see the world's biggest yarn orwhatever it is, I make a point
to stop and see it.
I Eat at every little diner Ican see on the side of the road.
If I can, if it looks safe andthere's a place to park.
(38:12):
There's just so much that I feelsorry for my old self that had
one week to go somewhere and Idrove like a maniac or did
airports for two days to getthere and, run around like a
crazy girl and then, fly back ordrive back for two days and then
go back to work.
I mean, what kind of vacation isthat?
So for all y'all still doingthat, I'm so sorry, but.
The day comes when you don'thave to.
Elizabeth (38:34):
I'm so glad that you have found this lifestyle that
is so fulfilling and reallyresonates with who you are.
Jenell (38:41):
Yes.
Thank you.
And it does.
And my mom and stepdad andsister, they're all fine now.
Now that they've seen me,they're fine that, I haven't
been got at the truck stop orkidnapped on the side of the
road.
It's fine.
Elizabeth (38:53):
You're doing great.
You're doing great.
Jenell (38:56):
Yes, it's fine.
Elizabeth (38:57):
Well, thanks for sharing all of this with me.
It really has been wonderful tohear about it.
Jenell (39:02):
Thank you, Elizabeth.
Thank you for having me.
I'm passionate about this.
I love this lifestyle.
So anytime somebody lets me talkabout it I can gush about it for
an hour or two,
Elizabeth (39:11):
if you let me keep
Jenell (39:12):
going.
Elizabeth (39:15):
Well, you have some great dinner to get to, don't
you?
Jenell (39:17):
I do.
I do.
I do.
Yes.
Going to eat lobster, Canadalobster.
Yes.
Elizabeth (39:26):
So, Janelle went off to eat some fresh lobster.
Sounds like a pretty nice life,doesn't it?
Here are some of my takeawaysfrom our conversation.
Number one.
If you really want to dosomething, find a way to do it.
Janelle didn't even know how todrive an RV when she decided to
become a full time RVer.
Two.
Experiences are the essentialcomponents to life.
(39:46):
Not things.
Three.
The most important item to bringon an RV trip, or anywhere
frankly, is patience.
Four.
We're all going to havetroubles, whether on the road in
an RV or elsewhere.
So, what then?
Do you give up, or do you solvethe issue and move forward?
Five.
The lovely quote from NoraRoberts is a takeaway in itself.
(40:09):
"If you don't go after what youwant, you'll never have it.
If you don't ask, the answer isalways no.
If you don't step forward,you're always in the same
place." And finally, number six.
Enjoy the journey.
My big thanks to Janelle Jonesfor sharing about her RV life
and her very centered approachto living.
Janelle very kindly offered adiscount to her club for any of
(40:30):
my listeners.
So if this conversation piquedyour interest in RVing, go to
her website (40:34):
winsrvclub.com.
Membership usually costs$120 ayear, and she's offering$10 off
for my listeners.
Just use the code WHATITSLIKETO.
It's good until March 7th.
I'll put more information in theshow notes.
If you like interviews withpeople who've had amazing
adventures, you might want tolisten to episode 49 with Cal
Currier, who set a world recordat age 16 as the youngest person
(40:58):
to sail solo across theAtlantic.
And episode 64 with AndrewBacker, who was the first
American to cross the finishline in last summer's 4,200 mile
long Trans Am bike race.
If you haven't alreadysubscribed to this podcast,
please do.
And please tell a few friendsabout it too.
I'm Elizabeth Pearson Garr.
Thanks for being curious aboutwhat it's like.
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