Here's why they've embarked upon this ultimate adventure.

In our "Families Off the Grid" series, meet Joleen, 35, Dave, 38, and their three kids -- Justice, 14, Adriane, 10, and Jayden, 8. Along with their dog, Kirby, they've hit the road for a year in search of adventure, education, and life experience. Here's why they've gone off the grid.

momlogic: Whose idea was it to sell the house and live on the road?
Joleen: Knowing my husband wasn't happy with his stressful VP job, I had this wild thought: "Let's just sell everything and travel. We could live on my salary." He thought it was just another crazy idea. Funny enough, a few months later, after the job loss, he mentions: "So you remember that idea you had? Let's do it." I was skeptical and nervous; it was a crazy thought, after all. We discussed our options with the kids; we could stay in Vancouver; move to Logan, where we own our second home; or travel for a few years in an RV around North America. Enthusiastically, the kids chose to travel.

ML: What was the reaction from friends and family?
Joleen: My two closest friends' reactions sum up a wide range of comments; one stated, "What a beautiful thing to do with your kids -- they will learn so much," and my other friend's comment was, "What! You'll be homeless!" For the most part, the support has been amazing. Older generations think we are on vacation and wonder when we will be done. It's tough for some to understand that this is a lifestyle.

ML: What was your life like before selling the house and getting on the road? Did you feel overloaded? Stressed? Over-scheduled?
Joleen: Wow, I think my blood pressure just went up remembering our life before hitting the road! We were a typical family. My husband worked long hours; we were active in the community. I worked part-time, volunteered at church, school, and with various non-profits. The kids were busy with school, friends, music, and sports. You name it. We all ran from morning till night. My teenager would go to school, come home, study, then leave for the night's activity. I realized one day that I have 4 years left before he moves out, and yet, it felt like he'd already moved out. The social norm of suburbia equals the overtaxed/over-scheduled mom. We are expected to do more, yet most of it's just fluff.

ML: Once you made the decision to go on the road, how long did it take you to prepare?
Joleen: From the time we had our family meeting to when we embarked on the trip, it took about 9 months of preparation. We had to sell the house, put our things in storage, arrange for mail, etc. Even the small details had wrinkles to iron out. For instance, our Voter's Registrar wouldn't accept the fact that we are in our 30s and RV-ing around the country. (She wanted a residential address and not a UPS box number.) We finally left the day after Thanksgiving and headed for warmer weather: Arizona.

ML: As a mother, did you have any fears or concerns regarding living on the road with your children?
Joleen: Definitely! Safety was a big concern. However, now, if we don't feel safe or like our neighbors or the neighborhood, we can just pack up and move on.

I wasn't worried about missing out on school. We were having some difficulty with the school my son attended and were thinking about homeschooling anyway. Traveling just made the decision easier. But imagine how much the kids will see ... they actually get to see history where it happened. Living on the West Coast, we don't have much American history to explore hands-on. I can't wait to get to the East Coast and dive into our country's heritage. How can sitting in a classroom beat that?

Leaving friends was hardest on my little social bug, Jayden. She had two close friends that lived in the neighborhood, and watching her say goodbye broke my heart. However, since then, she and her sister have developed a close friendship, whereas before, they tended to fight. What I didn't take into account are all the friends they will meet along the way. Justice still stays in contact with his friends through texting, Facebook, and e-mail, just like the average teenager.

ML: Please describe a typical day-in-your-life on the road.
Joleen: That's just it -- every day is different. One week I am on the beach in Mexico and the next we are deep in the Santa Ynez National Forest. Some mornings I wake up and have to think about which city we are currently in! There is so much variety in life, and we are just sampling a small part of it. A rough schedule for the week includes about 20 hours of school and work, usually done in the mornings. The afternoons we like to spend going to museums, local historic places, science centers, zoos, or just plain relaxing at home. And we do relax, since our house takes about an hour to clean, top to bottom, laundry is all done in a few hours, and absolutely no yard care required!

ML: What was the first place you visited while on the road? And then please take us through some of your favorite places you visited ...
Joleen: Our first stop was parking outside a friend's house on our way to Arizona, searching for a warm winter! In Arizona, we visited many State/National Parks, but Kartchner Caverns was my favorite. But our goal was Mexico! So next, we were lounging on the beach with 70-degree weather, working on my laptop, happily working away, in January, no less! Until recently, Mexico was our favorite, but the kids fell in love with Yellowstone and Mexico fell to second place. In all, we have been to 8 Western states. Here's a random sampling, from our kids, of our favorites in each state:

• Utah: State capitol, National Parks
• Arizona: Kartchner Caverns, Tombstone area
• California: Hollywood, Hearst Castle, tide pools
• Oregon: BEACH! And Grandma's house
• Washington: Olympic rain forest, friends
• Idaho: Visited aunt (still have lots to explore)
• Montana: State capitol (haven't spent much time here)
• Wyoming: Yellowstone!

ML: How long have you been on the road? And do you have any regrets?
Joleen: Six months to the day. No regrets, though there are things I miss, like having my own garden. Given the choice to do it again, I would jump at traveling in a heartbeat!

ML: What have you learned from this experience thus far?
Joleen: I used to think that we had to live the traditional life to be considered successful, and that being a "normal fit-in-the-box" family was the only way to raise well-adjusted kids. Meeting other families, seeing how my kids are growing, watching them interacting with a wide range of people -- I couldn't have been more wrong. I learned that my kids don't have to excel in one particular sport to have high self-esteem.

ML: What do you think this has taught your children? Or what do you hope they'll gain from this experience?
Joleen: It's my hope to have my kids relate with people from all walks of life and not feel that they are better than another. Traveling has made us realize that everyone is "weird," as my kids like to say. Nobody's normal and that is what makes us all fit into our own skin more comfortably. America is our backyard ... what a fantastic learning environment. I hope our kids develop a love for our country and a love for adventure!

ML: Financially, what are the benefits to living on the road vs. living in a home?
Joleen: When first talking with others about our travels, we usually get the jibe about how they wish they could be independently wealthy like us. We aren't wealthy financially; our total budget now is basically what our previous mortgage payment was. And since we belong to a camping club, we usually end up paying only $10 a night. So rent and all utilities are about $300 a month. Our cell phone bill is our biggest bill.

Another aspect is our spending habits. When you have a traditional home, one tends to spend more on nonessentials, trinkets and such. In our RV, we don't have room for clutter. It's very freeing to walk into a store and not be tempted to buy the latest gadget.

ML: How are you financially able to support your family while on the road?
Joleen: My job is wonderful. I am a grant chairman for a charitable trust. Traveling actually helps me do my job better, as I can visit non-profit organizations along the way that interest me. To stay connected to the office, an Internet connection is a must. As long as we have cell coverage, we are fine. Same for my husband, the computer programmer, but he does contract work in order to stay flexible.

ML: What are the benefits to living on the road?
Joleen: We are still discovering new benefits every day! Recently we visited our family doctor. She was amazed at our overall improvement in health! Our blood pressure hovers around 100 over 50, whereas before, with all the stress of daily life, it was much higher. Now, we eat healthier meals, since we can't fit processed foods in our tiny refrigerator, and have lost those stubborn 20 pounds. We are able to spend more time with our kids without distractions. We set our own schedule and go wherever the road takes us.

ML: How do you keep your sanity in such tight quarters?
Joleen: I go running. It's my time to escape and enjoy some solitude. One funny story: I was preparing for a long run, and had my husband drop me off 10 miles away from camp on a remote road. After a while, a border patrol agent came flying up the road to question me. But instead, I just got strange looks, like, "Where did this chick come from?" Come to find out, I was running along a well-known immigrant trail and the satellite picked up on my running.

ML: Why did you decide to share your journey online?
Joleen: So many friends and family members wanted us to keep them updated on our travels; I couldn't do it without blogging about our adventures. As we meet people along the way, they also want to read about our lifestyle. Also, we want to share with others that it's possible to escape the norm and do what's best for your family. It does take courage, but it's well worth it.

ML: Please talk about the reactions from other moms.
Joleen: It's just surprising how many others say they love what we are doing, can't dream of continuing down the same path, yet they don't make a move for change. If we nailed them down and asked them why they don't, there are always "barriers" to overcome. In my opinion, if you want a change bad enough, you can find solutions.

ML: Do you have any plans or do you ever think you'll settle down in a more permanent home off the road? Why or why not? And if so, when?
Joleen: Starting out, we thought we would settle down after 2 years, but at the moment we are loving it so much and enjoying the benefits that we don't see stopping anytime soon. But who knows, this life is all about being flexible. We are keeping an eye open for cities we would like to settle down in.

ML: What do you want other moms to know? What message do you have for those moms who wish they could just get away or escape but for whatever reason, are unable to, or for those who don't realize it's even an option?
Joleen: Look outside the box for something that will work for your family and help you accomplish the goals you have for them. It doesn't have to be the hectic lifestyle. Break free from the typical lifestyle and explore new adventures. It doesn't have to be a life on the road, but seek those opportunities that will enhance your family's vision.