How We Live: Road Rules

 

Their story started typically, with a serendipitous Tinder swipe to the right, but when it came time to plot the course of their lives together, Danny and Britty Murawinski, ages 32 and 27, opted for a far less ordinary route.

They connected over a shared desire to live nomadically from that very first date at Hopworks Urban Brewery in 2014, Britty Murawinski recalls: “I said, ‘I want to live in an RV, travel around the country and raise a family on the road. And Danny said, ‘Are you serious? That’s my dream, too!’”

From there, things moved fast. Within three years, they had moved into an RV with their German shepherd, Wy’East, gotten engaged, and become unexpectedly pregnant.

A surprise baby only deepened their wanderlust, and they knew from dealings with the online RV community that other parents cultivated similarly nomadic ambitions. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re gonna be one of those families!’” says Britty Murawinski. “[Having Jude] actually gave us more of a drive to keep up the traveling.”

And so, four days after Jude’s birth last spring, they set out on their maiden voyage as a family of three: a six-week, cross-country adventure from Portland to the East Coast to visit family.

By Jude’s one-week birthday, they were halfway across the United States; by two months of age, Jude had visited 25 states.

Now they’re back in Oregon, parked on a two-acre farm in Boring. Britty’s blogging about their lifestyle, plus working as a doula, lactation consultant and nanny in Portland; Danny is a Lyft driver, digital marketer and occasional snowboard coach. And they explore the Pacific Northwest whenever the desire strikes, which is pretty much weekly.

The Murawinskis call it “Adventure Parenting,” and the ethos is attracting a ballooning audience of curious parents, with whom they eagerly exchange ideas and encouragement online, especially on Instagram.

They’re still perfecting their approach. It costs around $900 a month to park their RV, pay utilities and cover the loan payment — cheap but not negligible; laundry is a perpetual puzzle, especially when you cloth-diaper; and things in an RV tend to break.

“Every time we drive, it’s the equivalent of putting a house through an earthquake,” says Danny Murawinski, who’s learned to fix generators, fridges, faucets and pipes.

But mobile living also encourages simplicity, with an active lifestyle standing in for an overflowing toybox. Jude first slept through the night while the family was camping under the stars at the Painted Hills.

Their ultimate Adventure Parenting goal: to travel full-time, working completely remotely. They’re making inroads on that dream with a nascent e-commerce baby clothing venture, Jude Bug. Its flagship product: a smarter, simpler onesie, easier to put on and remove.

Where to next? They’re considering a 12-cities-in-12-months expedition that would begin in the Bay Area before winding through through Texas, Florida, Maine, Illinois and Montana. They also dream of eventually trading asphalt for ocean and moving into a sailboat.

Wherever this journey leads, the Murawinskis are out to prove that parenthood is just the beginning of the adventure, regardless of whether your home has wheels.

“We’ve talked to so many parents who just had a baby and said, ‘I’m too scared to go camping,’ but sure enough they went and did it and came back, and it wasn’t terrible!” says Britty Murawinski. “Our ultimate message is: You can do it — and it can be really fun.”

Connect with the Murawinski Family!

Instagram: @newfamilydream

Youtube: New Family Dream

Erin J Bernard
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