Opting Out of Normal, Part 2: Break Free and Find Real Fulfillment

First Class RV Adventures

Some friendships start in the strangest places. The hosts of First Class RV Adventures met this episode’s guests, Justin and Stacy of “Opting Out of Normal,” purely by accident — the two rigs parked next to each other while boondocking in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It was the phrase painted on the back of Justin and Stacy’s trailer that stuck with the hosts long enough to bring them on the show.

From the Dream House to the Open Road

Justin spent 20 years with the Navy Seabees before retiring in 2010 and working six more years as a forklift technician in the material handling industry. Stacy spent 30 years in business, following Justin through roughly 10 to 15 military moves across states and overseas. When their youngest daughter left for college, the couple found themselves empty-nesting in the house they’d assumed would be their forever home — the one they thought they’d never have to leave again.

Instead, that quiet house became the tipping point. Full-time jobs, 40-plus-hour weeks, and weekends consumed by chores left them, in their own words, unable to give time to anything that mattered. The real turning point came during a July 2016 trip — Watkins Glen, Letchworth State Park, and the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon — when they realized they were enjoying the trip far more than they enjoyed the house waiting for them at home. Over a bottle of wine (Justin admits there was more than one), they started rethinking their whole career trajectory.

What sealed the decision was something darker: story after story of people who spent their working lives promising themselves a retirement of travel, only to run out of time before they got the chance. That’s the origin of the line on their trailer — “tomorrow is never promised, so we’re living our dreams today.” They hit the road full-time this past March.

The Family Reaction — and the Stuff Problem

Friends and family initially thought they were “a little nuts,” especially given that Justin and Stacy had spent 20 years saying all they wanted was to finally settle down. But as they talked to more people, they realized they weren’t outliers — they were living out a fantasy plenty of people quietly hold onto for “someday.” Their daughters have been supportive too. Neither wants their parents’ belongings, which pushed Justin and Stacy to a simple conclusion: everything they own now fits in one small space, sparing their kids the burden of clearing out a house full of things nobody wants — the way Justin and Stacy once had to clear out a four-bedroom house after his parents passed.

Volunteering on the Road

At the time of this conversation, the couple was stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas, volunteering with RV Disaster Corps (RV DC), an organization that mobilizes RVers — who are already mobile and flexible — to help after disasters. They were helping run a volunteer center coordinating cleanup efforts following Hurricane Harvey, with a project on deck to assemble donated toys for kids who’d lost everything. Justin and Stacy explained that they’d struggled in the past to find charities where they trusted their monetary donations were actually reaching people in need. Now, without full-time paychecks but with time and energy to spare, they’ve shifted to giving physically instead — something they said feels more certain and more fulfilling.

The Bumps (and the Boondocking Life)

Asked for a funny mishap, Justin described a recent dump-site mistake at a nearly-full hookup area — a clogged pipe that ended with him holding a hose in the air while Stacy drove the truck for the first time. Beyond that, they said their biggest recurring challenge has honestly just been finding a place to get a haircut.

The couple detailed their boondocking approach: keeping travel days to 250–300 miles, always having a Plan A, B, and C for where to park (with Walmart parking lots as a reliable fallback), and never arriving somewhere unfamiliar after dark. They’ve recently completed a 1,400-watt rooftop solar installation with a smart inverter and sizable battery bank, alongside 56 gallons of fresh-water capacity — enough to stay off-grid in national forests and public land rather than paying for hookups. Stacy noted her two non-negotiable requirements going into full-time RV life: staying in cell contact with their kids, and being able to blow-dry her hair every morning. Both, she confirmed, have been met.

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By the end of the conversation, one thing was clear: Justin and Stacy’s version of “opting out of normal” isn’t about escaping responsibility — it’s about choosing, deliberately, where their time and energy go each day.