With their fourth child on the way, Greg and Rachel Denning were living the American dream. They had a nice house with a white-picket fence in a good neighborhood in Utah. Greg had a great job as a high school teacher. They had a couple of cars and even a couple of dogs.
“We were settling in for life,” said Greg.
But the Dennings realized that wasn’t the life they wanted. They had read self-help and motivational books and had been inspired to start dreaming bigger. They asked themselves what they would do if they could live any way they wanted. The answer: take their family to developing countries and serve others.
“We genuinely want to live deliberately,” said Greg. “Obviously, it’s not for everybody — but it was our dream.”
So in 2007, after their fourth child was born, Greg and Rachel packed up their family and drove to Costa Rica in their SUV. That was the start of a nomadic lifestyle that has taken their family — which has grown from six to nine — to more than 30 countries over the past 10 years. Here’s how the Dennings have been able to travel the world and live the life of their dreams.
THEY BUILT SAVINGS
THEY MINIMIZE EXPENSES IN THE U.S.
THEY WORK WHILE ON THE ROAD
THEY USUALLY DRIVE RATHER THAN FLY
THEY DON’T TRAVEL LIKE TOURISTS
THEY RENT RATHER THAN STAY IN HOTELS
THEY EAT LIKE THE LOCALS
THEY ASK FOR DISCOUNTS
THEY HOME SCHOOL THEIR KIDS
THEY’VE MADE SACRIFICES
Tags: American Dream, ask for a discount, eat like locals, family vacation, homeschooling, invest in real estate, learning about cultures, living expenses, nomadic lifestyle, travel with kids, world schooling