Reader Profile: Adena Kling- Life on the Road

I love having this blog. I get to meet the most amazing people, and the readers that come and go through The Greenest Dollar are truly inspiring!

I’d like to introduce you to Adena Kling, a reader here at The Greenest Dollar who is about to leave everything behind and live a life on the road out of her eco-friendly RV.

Adena has long dreamed of selling all of her things and having the freedom to just travel. No, she’s not rich. She has a job and a house just like all of us.

But this was her dream. And, she decided to just go for it, no matter how impossible it seemed.

And, she did it! She’s quitting her job. She sold her house. Her furniture is going out the door. And, she’s leaving for her year on the road this August.

I’m so happy to share her inspiring story with all of you!

1. What inspired you to go on the road like this?

I think it’s everyone’s (or almost everyone’s) secret fantasy to pack everything up, move into a travel trailor and travel around the country, “on the road” Jack Kerouac style so to speak. I knew a few years ago that I had no plans to stay in MI past this year but the true inspiration for “being on the road” came from my best friend, Rae who is doing the exact same thing with her partner/husband, JC and their two dogs.

2. How have you handled the planning logistics? Did you sell all your possessions, or are they going into storage?

This has been a great process for me of evaluating the value and meaning of “things” vs. what do we really need to survive and be happy.

I am currently in the process of selling many things. I’ll be storing a few items that don’t make sense to replace like my living room furniture and a set of some really great pottery dishes/plates that I purchased over time at the Ann Arbor Art Fair as well as some art work.

3. You mentioned you lived very frugally last year in order to save up for this trip. Since The Greenest Dollar focuses on frugality AND going green, can you offer up any tips on how you did this? What was your biggest challenge when it came to saving money for this?

My biggest challenge was NOT eating out or eating out very little. I also really honed my cooking skills, big time. I stopped buying prepared sauces, dressings, desserts, etc. and really concentrated on eating primarily whole foods (I’m vegan) and locally as much as possible.

I also learned to do things around the house that I normally would have paid others to do. I also rode my bike, and/or took mass transit whenever possible (although this has always been true for me).

I don’t purchase ANYTHING (besides good healthy food) without forcing myself to wait a day and to think, “do I really need this?”, “how will this really enhance my life and impact the planet?” And, I bought anything that I could second hand: clothes, supplies for the house, etc. This saved ALOT of money and it falls into the re-use, recycle principle for sustainable living.

4. What are you most looking forward to about this trip?

Not getting up for work every day :), the freedom and adventure of it all, and spending time in beautiful wild space as much as possible for me and my dogs. I so want them to experience being able to have more freedom…something they can’t really have living in the city.

My biggest passion in life is the activism I’ve done for several years related to compassionate living for the animals, health and the enviroment and I look forward to having more time and space to expand this and dedicate more time to it.

5. What did your friends and family think of your decision to go on the road?

Actually, this has been one of the most amazing things. Everyone has responded not only positively, but with an extremely supportive attitude. The biggest shocker was when my 74 year old mother said to me, “go and do this. It’s what I wanted to do at your age and didn’t do because I was afraid.” wow.

6. What, if any, steps have you made to make this an eco-friendly trip?

I purchased a small motor home called a Rialta which is known as the “green” RV because of it’s VW engine design and great gas mileage. And I’ve always tried to live as eco friendly as possible at home, and will continue this practice on the road; i.e., non toxic cleaning materials and personal hygiene items. I also consume a plant based diet which not only keeps me healthy but also has the lowest impact on the environment in terms of water, land and fossil fuel utilization.

I’m also planning to find a way to use as much solar power as possible as well as re-use water supplies whenever possible. I’ll also be researching other “off the grid” ideas along the way and plan to implement as much as I can.

7. How long are you planning on being away?

My plan is to travel for about a year or less if “home” resonates for me sooner than that.

8. Are you going to drive wherever you feel like driving, or are there specific places/things you want to see?

Probably a little of both.

9. Looking at the money aspect again, will you have a daily budget you’re sticking to? How much have you budgeted for this trip?

I haven’t figured out a daily budget but I do know what I can spend monthly. I’ll be able to live “on the road” for about 3 years if I choose but I know it won’t be that long. I also would like to pick up some type of interesting work along the way to learn some new skills, i.e, organic gardening, carpentry (granted I know very little about either of these things) but I’m just open to learning.

10. What is most appealing to you about living a life on the road?

Oh, the freedom and adventure for sure. Spending more time with my dogs, having the literal time and brain space to think creatively and out of the box for what’s possible in this next phase of life, finding ways to practice activism on the road.

I’m also really looking forward to traveling with my two wonderful and inspiring friends, Rae and JC. Both of them are amazing activists for compassionate living on this planet and live with as little impact as possible on the environment.

11. Have you had to get rid of anything that you really regretted?

Not yet!

12. As a woman traveling alone, are you at all concerned for your safety? Have you taken any steps to protect yourself?

It’s possible that I’ll be traveling much of the time with friends. When I am traveling alone, as much as I don’t want to have to do this, I’ll let someone know where I’ll be hunkering down for the night and stay in less desolate areas than I might otherwise if I were with others.

13. Are you planning on working or volunteering at all while you’re on your trip?

Most definintely. I’ll for sure continue finding ways to practice activism related to compassionate living and I’m excited about learning some new skills on the road in terms of work here and there.

14. I know this is quite a ways into the future, but have you thought about what you’re going to after you’re done traveling?

I’d like to be settled in a place where there is more sun than MI for sure, with beautiful wild space for me and my dogs to hike and clear streams for us to swim (these do still exist). AND the hope is that we’ll find some land and/or settle in a space where other like minded individuals i.e., folks committed to living a compassionate, sustainable life on this planet will want to settle as well.

15. Please feel free to add anything else you think people might be interested to know!

I think it’s important for people to have a dream and a goal and to know that anything is possible. To live your life, as my friend Rae has said, with “no limits” and to think outside of the box.

Granted, I’m not there yet, but every ball that could be in motion for this plan is moving, and it’s just a matter of (short) time before it all comes together. We’re on this planet for such a short time and as we all know, time passes in the blink of an eye, so why not live of our lives the way we want, as compassionately as possible.

Last Word…

My thanks go out to Adena for sharing her story with all of us! Needless to say I was super inspired hearing her story. My heart is so glad that’s she’s stepping out on a limb to follow her dreams. Who knows what amazing experiences await her!

“Why not go out on a limb? Isn’t that where the fruit is?”

-Frank Scully

Tagged as: Dreams, Happy News