Dad lost his job, so this family takes to the road

I found this article about a man named Dave Dudley and his wife and three kids who took to the road after Dave was laid off.

Dave used to be the vice president of a software company and he and his wife, Joleen, and children- Justice, Adraine and Jayden- lived a pretty comfortable life in a sprawling house in Washington state. When Dave lost his job, he and Joleen knew it was only a matter of months before the mortgage and household expenses became unmanageable. So they made a decision. The family sold the house and hit the road in a 41-foot Heartland Cyclone Trailer towed by a GMC Topkick truck.

The Dudleys have been on the road for about a year. The original plan was to travel for about two years, scoping out possible locations to settle later. They say that they haven't made those plans solid yet, considering the ever-changing economy.

While on the road, Dave landed a job that allows him to work from their home on the road and the kids are keeping up with school by doing their assignments online. As for any possible problems with the close quarters, the kids say it's great. They like the togetherness that was sometimes absent in their large former home along with all of the outside activities that kept the family separated for much of the time.


While I don't know if I could handle this lifestyle, it sure seems to work for the Dudleys. I think it's commendable that they took charge of the situation when Dave lost his job. They knew what they could handle financially and made a decision rather than waiting around to eventually be foreclosed on and have to possibly depend on the help of others to turn things around.

The only thing I wish the article had gone into more detail about is the kids' schooling. It just says that they are doing their assignments online. I don't mean to say that homeschooling is not good. I've known plenty of people who were homeschooled and are very intelligent, educated people. I just hope that these kids are in a good program as well. It would definitely be an advantage to have to whole continent as your classroom anyway!

I was glad to read the quotes from the kids. It's good that they're enjoying the togetherness. I think we sometimes lose that in all of our extra activities and things that we find "necessary" to do instead of just spending time together.

I hope this lifestyle continues to work out for the Dudleys as long as they choose to continue on the road. Good luck to them!