One of the many things we love about our Airstream community is that we are all filled with dreams. Dreams to travel. Dreams to take in nature’s beauty. Dreams to leave this world a better place.
Our recent Endless Caravan family, the Shinabargers, are a family within our community who also have dreams. Dreams to raise a family, do good and stay in love. From a farm in Chattanooga, Tenn., to a mobile coffee shop that works with refugees in Atlanta, Ga., the Shinabargers embarked on a journey to ask the question: Is it possible to pursue your passions, stay in love, and raise a healthy family?
As their time traveling on the road has come to an end, here are some highlights of their journey, including the moments they didn’t plan for that ended up being some of the best memories.
How has your experience traveling on the road as a family been?
The Airstream Endless Caravan experience has been a wonderful way for our family to reconnect every weekend following busy school and work weeks. From the kids setting up their own bed next to ours to being in a smaller-than-usual space, we have grown closer together. We also loved exploring new places, being outdoors more and slowing down to enjoy beautiful moments with our kids.
What have you learned along the way?
Our weekend adventures caused us to live a bit of a vagabond lifestyle, which opened up our lives to better experiences than we could have ever planned. We posted what we were doing online and people started responding. We stayed in places we never would have dreamed and made friendships in communities that are different than our normal life. We’ve found that when you release control of situations and invite community into your life, opportunities emerge that are greater than you could do on your own.
Not only that, we also learned how to back up a trailer, what it takes to power an Airstream and that almost everyone has an adventure in an Airstream on their bucket list.
Do you have a favorite person you interviewed?
We interviewed many incredible new friends. We learned none of the couples have everything figured out. Tensions will always exist when you combine family, work and purpose, but the more honest you are about those tensions the greater chance you can resolve them.
Why do you think it's important to get out of your comfort zone and explore new places?
Overall, we are a family that loves adventure, loves travel and loves new experiences, yet often we find it difficult to slow down. Endless Caravan helped us do just that. By separating from life in the city, it drew us closer together as a family. It reminded us that slowing down and valuing the connectedness of our time together was the most important aspect to all our adventures. The new places that we experienced only reminded us how much we love to spend time together and how many stories we create when we find a new place.
What have you learned about the balance of love and work?
We are just on the forefront of our learnings on this topic, but here are a couple of our favorite thoughts so far:
1) When one person in a family is pursuing a dream, everyone in the family is part of that dream.
2) In an age of sharing everything, some things are meant to be sacred.
3) If you want a family that will change the world, you must introduce them to the world.
Though their journey on the Endless Caravan has come to an end, follow Jeff and Andre’s continued pursuit of how to balance family, marriage and purpose on Instagram, @LoveorWork.
