Vagabonding through the foreclosure crisis

I was watching the news the other week and there was a segment featuring a family, two parents and two children, who had to give up their home because of foreclosure.  Also, the father was recently laid off from his job and now works as a freelance consultant.  Because of this, they now live in a mobile home.  A horrible situation for a family used to living in a house with three floors and a pool.

A little research shows that there are other families going through this.  While being forced out of one’s home is never a good thing, it can certainly become less painful with a little shift in one’s mindset.

The family I saw on the news mostly voiced concerns about what their friends and neighbors would think about their mobile home.  Right now, they are focusing all their efforts, energy, and prayer into buying another three-storey home so that the kids won’t be embarrassed to bring their friends home from school.  If this family just took the time to see their situation in another way, defining themselves as vagabond travelers rather than homeless, then they’ll see the new opportunities that their situation presents.

Since the father provides consultancy services anyway, why not offer them remotely and work online?  This will allow them to maximize their mobility so they can drive around the country, exploring it state by state.  Why not homeschool their children and allow them to experience America firsthand rather than just show them pictures in books?

Some people dream about traveling like this with their families, but never have the courage to take the leap.  In the travel community, we know that many families live in trailers, mobile homes, and RVs and just spend years or even their entire lifetimes roaming – and they feel blessed.

The difference, of course, lies in the attitude.