Life On The Road – A look into the Harteau family’s experiment
- Our Open Road will serve as a modern family portrait, as we shed our robes of comfort to re-examine the American Dream, we hope to inspire others to create, eat well, spend quality time together, and adventure into their own great backyards. (ouropenroad.com)
Life on the road is a pleasant daydream for most of us looking to escape the complexity of modern life. It is something that I’m sure many of us have had a hankering to explore ‘sometime’ in the hazy future, at least ‘for a while’. For me, it is certainly the basis of ‘that trip’ that I have been planning for however many years now. It is a trip that the Harteau family have already done; in three months they drove 14,000 miles circumnavigating North America.
Colette and the Harteau’s VW Westfalia – image from ouropenroad.com
Adam, Emily and their young daughter Colette have been on the road on their most recent adventure for over a year now. It has taken them south from LA down through Mexico, Peru and Chile, to name a few, until they reached the southern-most tip of Argentina. They travel in their VW Westfalia which they describe with great affection in their blog, as after all it is their home, studio and means of transport all at the same time. The posts on their website document their inspiring experiment into simple living and creativity.
Adam is an artist and is using the trip as inspiration for a new collection which will be exhibited upon their return. His website displays some of his work which ranges from photography to mixed media collages. Emily is a fashion designer and the blog frequently mentions her expertise around food. Colette pops up frequently on my Instagram feed and seems to be wholly embracing the adventurous lifestyle. The three of them and their Westy seem to be a dream team in a dream life.
The team in Peru – image from ouropenroad.com
- As this article’s opening quote states, the Harteau’s are looking to inspire others back at home to actually do the simple things that can drastically improve our quality of life, such as eating healthily and spending time with loved ones. Things that are taken for granted but that we, as a whole, often find ourselves choosing not to do. The quote is thought provoking in several ways and for me the part that really resonates is the desire to shed our robes of comfort to re-examine the American Dream. It is very easy when looking through the photos and blog posts on the Our Open Road website to forget the bravery in what they are doing. To step out of your culture, the comforting daily routine that keeps you safe and warm at home, and onto the path of others where you don’t fit in is exciting but also scary. They wrote in March last year that Change is the biggest constant in our lives right now. It is not everyone’s cup of tea. The Harteau’s are travelers, not tourists, and many of their destinations are off the beaten track and indeed they have had to face set backs like a robbery in which a lot of expensive equipment was stolen. In this swapping of routine for constant change they will no doubt gain new perspectives on the every day. They really are re-examining the American Dream, improving their appreciation and quality of life through experience rather than obtaining a larger paycheck. This is a rather bleak view on the American Dream, which when stripped bare essentially advocates the opportunity for everyone to achieve their full potential. An admirable goal. However, there is a risk to confuse this with the pursuit of material prosperity and Our Open Road provides a prime example of other types of prosperity which have the potential to leave us much more satisfied and, at the end of the day, happier. These types of prosperity range from familial prosperity to spiritual prosperity and to creative prosperity.
Emily and Colette Harteau – image from ouropenroad.com
After exploring their blogs, Instagram feed and Adams art I am sure that I am not alone in wanting to leap into the car and just drive. Reality strikes. How easy is it to give up complexity? Well, easy enough if you have the money, patience and the right motivation. Enough money to buy a van like a VW Westfalia, outfitting it so that it is suitable for the journey, the fuel needed to keep the van going and the food to keep the people going. Then there are things like the visas, the emergency money for when things go wrong, because something will go wrong. And anyway, doesn’t throwing money at a trip like this seem to be missing the point somehow? Especially when looking at it from the perspective of some of the arguments above. Adam, Emily and Colette have had to deal with break-downs and robberies. Would you have their strength to carry on with the same vigour after such disasters?
Adam and Colette Harteau – image from ouropenroad.com
So how do you do it then? Well, the Harteau’s seem to have adventure in their blood. With Adam growing up in a reconfigured school bus traveling the West Coast and then in a cabin near the woods without electricity it seems hard to picture him doing anything else or with any less enthusiasm. He has found a balance between inspiration and expression which works with this lifestyle and importantly fits into the guidelines of a kickstarter project. Sponsorship seems to be a big part of Our Open Road, a lot of fundraising has happened to get them on the road and keep them there.
The Qoylloriti festival in Peru – photo from ouropenroad.com
Beginning to see why we’re not all out there living like this? Here lies the magic in such a trip; not everyone can do it. Money is not the only barrier. Character and temperament are others. If you’re not doing it for the right reasons or have a rose-tinted view on the tough realities of life on the road, you just won’t hack it. Motivation I think is the key. If you have the motivation you have been gifted already with some of these essentials and they will help you to find the others.
Sources:
<http://www.kickstarter.com/?ref=nav>
<http://vimeo.com/54162658>
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