EAST LONGMEADOW – Have you ever imagine shedding the bulk of your belongings, cashing out your savings and buying a motorhome to hit the open road? A young couple from Missouri has and has the goal of visiting the 49 contiguous states.

Currently in Massachusetts, they came by the Reminder Publications office to discuss their unique lifestyle decision.

After their marriage, Jenny and Michael Justus began to realize they didn’t have much time for themselves, their family and two dogs. Jenny was finishing her degree work at the University of Missouri and Michael was in a data entry job that he didn’t like.

“The work we had to do wouldn’t feed our souls,” Michael said.

They came up with an idea: why not buy a used motor home, fix it up, travel the country and share their story with others? They also would produce videos along the way for clients to help finance the trip.      

Jenny’s family had lived in a motor home for six months during her childhood and remembered the experience fondly.

She said their families reacted to the news with a pause at first, but then were supportive of their alternative lifestyle choice.

After doing some research, they began scouring Craig’sList for a used motor home and found a 1989 28-foot vehicle that had some water damage, but overall was in good shape.

“We knew it had good bones, but it was totally ‘80s,” Jenny said.

The motor home cost them $4,000, but the couple put in thousands of dollars more. First they had to address the leaks that caused some water damage in the interior and then they started to make some significant additions.

A look at their YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIeTn13FYQI1YL4InzvuWuQ) shows step by step what the couple did, which ranged from removing the carpet inside the home to installing wooden floors to painting the interior to prevent dangerous gases from emerging from the paneling to removing the conventional toilet and installing a composting toilet.

See their introductory video here:

“We had no idea of how hard it [the renovation] was going to be,” Jenny said.  Michael added, “We had zero experience coming into it.”

After figuring out how much electricity they would need, the couple installed solar panels and a battery system to provide the necessary amount. Jenny proudly pointed out that with the composting toilet, a tank that can hold five days worth of water and power from the sun, the motor home is very self sufficient.

With a Verizon Hot Spot device they have access to high speed Internet.

Their project started in October 2014 and they got on the road this March. So far they’ve visited 11 states. Their goal is to stay on the road until October 2017 when they will settle in Nashville, TN.

Michael added, “Maybe we’ll go a little longer.”

Despite the romanticism of life on the open road, Jenny said, “It’s definitely not all glamour.”  She pointed out they don’t have air conditioning in the van, as it would be too much of a draw on their power system, so they depend on ventilation from windows to keep as cool as they can in this record-breaking summer heat.

They’ve had repairs to their vehicle along the way as well from a blown fuel pump to a water valve that required replacing.

Michael explained that shedding of possessions and learning to live a different way without “stuff” is essential to their project.

It’s not surprising to learn they are considering when they come off the road they plan to build a “tiny house” to continue their philosophy of living with less.