Why We Finally Decided to Start a YouTube Channel

Until recently, we could barely find the bandwidth to watch YouTube videos, not to mention make them ourselves. Every time we considered starting a YouTube channel, our first thoughts were reasons to say no.

And so we did say no, for seven years.

But life changes; its chapters close and open.

Today we’re launching a YouTube channel to chronicle our drive around the world and everything we’ve learned from the past seven years of full-time travel.

If you’re short on time, then you can subscribe to the Hourless Life channel now and see our first four videos!

What to Expect From Our YouTube Channel

In response to a survey we recently emailed to our community, more than 30 percent said video was their favorite way to consume content online. Thirty percent said they usually watch online video every day, while another 30 percent said they consume video content at least once a week.

Especially at overlanding events, the first question we’re usually asked upon meeting new people is, “Do you have a YouTube channel?” After years of internally rolling our eyes and explaining why not, it’s funny to me that we’ll finally be saying yes.

You asked for this!

And because of that, we want to match your interests as much as possible. Expect to see:

• Travel logs of the fascinating places we visit and the people there
• Tips for anyone interested in traveling full-time
• Information about working remotely
• Suggestions that empower families to travel and roadschool
• Gear reviews

We ask for your patience over the next few months. We have a lot on our plate as we prepare to leave the United States for 10-15 years.

Once we’re south of the border in August/September, we’ll catch our stride and be able to focus on the content we’re creating for you. But between now and then, I expect you’ll see a lot of experimentation and…instability. Because that’s the reality of our life right now, and we’ve always promised to be transparent with you.

So hang in there with us and give us lots of feedback on what you like and what you’d like to see more of.

Why It Took Us So Long

YouTube isn’t something we’re stumbling into.

When we started traveling full-time in a motorhome, there was one RVing couple we knew with a YouTube channel. Jason and Nikki of Gone With the Wynns were widely recognized for their high production quality, sense of humor, and undeniably useful information for those of us who were living on the road.

Fast-forward to 2021. The RV consumer base has grown like gangbusters, but it feels like everyone has a YouTube channel. The same is true of the overlanding space, which is taking off right now in the United States. There are a lot of YouTube channels out there.

So why has it taken us so long to get started on YouTube?

1. In a saturated market, we didn’t have enough to say that wasn’t already being said. With any type of marketing, it’s important to define your niche. Within that niche, there needs to be more demand for information than supply, or you are going to fight an uphill battle to gain momentum.
2. We’ve been busy. At the start of 2020, we were managing five business projects. We didn’t have bandwidth for another project!
3. We didn’t want to experience life through a lens. We wanted to be present in each moment, not mastered by the demands of creating videos for other people.
4. We didn’t have rose-colored glasses. Many people look at YouTubers and think they’re “living the life.” They’re making money; they have influence; and they’re doing something interesting. But that’s only one side of the coin. Unless you’re careful to protect yourself, being a YouTuber can mean feeling crippled by comparing yourself to the success of others, endless hours of editing, and multiple tries to get the “right shot” that take away from the joy of the moment.
5. Through our years of writing online and managing social media accounts, we’ve learned the importance of consistency. Starting is easy, but maintaining month after month is much harder. We knew ourselves well enough to know we weren’t ready for that commitment.

So yeah, we’ve had some weighty, legitimate reasons to resist starting a YouTube channel.

Why We’re Getting on YouTube Now

The greatest reason for starting a YouTube channel right now is that we’re embarking on a spectacular adventure around the world, as an American family with a young child. We have a story to tell that no one has heard before.

While I love writing, and will always pursue my passion for writing, video has the ability to convey layers of experience that would be lost on a page.

Our family mission statement is Love. Explore. Study. Share. YouTube is a powerful tool to fulfill that last component. We’ve always had a passion for inspiring, empowering, and encouraging others, and now we’ll have an additional platform to accomplish that.

In addition, we’ve experienced a huge shift in our lives, which we carefully chose and engineered.

We are finally hourless.

hourless (adjective): being outside of time : timeless

Hourless is not a word heard much in common language! But when Eric and I use it to describe ourselves, we mean we’re no longer tied to a clock for our work commitments. We work, but on a schedule we determine. We no longer have to design our travel around work. Now we fit work into travel.

Intentionally off-loading work projects was an intentional choice. We’ve freed ourselves up for the next chapter: driving around the world for 10-15 years.

And by freeing ourselves up, we made room for YouTube.

So our decision to launch boils down to three reasons:

1. We have a story to tell.
2. We have a sense of purpose.
3. We have the time.

Shout-out to Eric

You should know Eric is the indefatigable force behind our YouTube channel. He’s learned how to use our camera, studied current best practices for YouTube, filmed our footage so far, spent hours editing, and reached out to successful YouTubers (thank you to everyone who shared from their experience).

He single-handedly made this happen, and he’s committed to creating and releasing fresh content for you every week.

It’s been a big job–in the middle of ordering our Gladiator, designing our build, talking to sponsors, going to doctor appointments, and the million other tasks he’s dealing with right now.

I’m really proud of his first videos and super excited to see what he creates next. I hope you are, too.

-B