They had hiked more than three kilometers to reach the spot. Vu carries their one-year-old daughter in a baby carrier while their older daughters, Zoey, nine, and Evee, six, skip ahead.

After a two-hour trek the bridge appeared, suspended above a deep canyon like a hammock with crimson mountains glowing in the sunset. Despite their apprehensions the couple held their children’s hands and crossed together, pausing to take a family photo.

“This is why we chose this life,” Vu, 34, says. “To explore the world as a family, free from bills, deadlines and morning alarms.”

Until a few years earlier their life had followed a conventional path. He worked in the auto industry, earning US$20,000-30,000 a month. By 2019 the couple had bought a 300-square-meter home and owned three cars.

But the comfortable life came at a cost: He spent hours in traffic each day, returning home to cold dinners and a sleeping family. He had only one day off for his wedding, and one for each child’s birth. “I was helping my company succeed, but I was not helping my family succeed,” he says. The Covid pandemic prompted reflection, especially on his wife Ngoc’s long-held dream of a simpler life, a small home with a vegetable garden and surrounded by her husband and children.

In May 2022 he quit his job and she closed her nail salon. They sold their house and most of their belongings, packed their lives into three suitcases, and set off with one thought: “Now is our chance. We will go until the money runs out.” Ignoring warnings and doubts from others, they embraced a nomadic life, choosing Vietnam as their first destination.

He was born in Kien Giang Province in southern Vietnam and moved to the U.S. at age five. She was nine when her family left Dong Nai Province, also in the south. They wanted their children to connect with their heritage. From the Mekong Delta to the northern mountains, the family explored much of the country, spending the most time in Da Lat in the Central Highlands. Zoey and Evee quickly made friends and picked up Vietnamese.

They returned to the U.S. after six months, only to return to Vietnam when Ngoc, pregnant with their third child, craved Tet celebrations and Vietnamese food. “These trips taught us that living our dream was not as expensive as we thought,” she says.

The couple and their children during their initial stay in Vietnam in 2022. Photo from the family

Back in the U.S. they bought a six-meter trailer first before upgrading to a 10-meter model. At the end of 2024 they invested in a 13-meter RV worth $100,000 to better accommodate their family of five and a pet dog.

The U.S. has excellent infrastructure for living in an RV. With $8,000, they secured a lifetime membership to a network of over 200 campgrounds across the U.S. and Canada. For an annual fee of $700, they can stay for up to three weeks at a location, many of which have pools, playgrounds, security, waste stations, and community spaces. They also joined another program for $100 a year that allows parking at farms, vineyards, and private homes. On several occasions, the family camped beside ripe vineyards, learning how to ferment grapes and enjoying wine tastings with local farmers.

According to the North American Camping Report, there were 13 million RV-owning households in the U.S. by 2020, with 22% aged between 18 and 34. The numbers have continued to rise since the pandemic.

On the road she works remotely as a travel agent while he manages financial investments and takes on odd jobs. Their daughters follow an online learning program and submit schoolwork via the internet. Curious and eager to learn, they always have their parents nearby to answer their questions.

In mid-2024 the couple welcomed their third daughter. This time he was present throughout. One month after the birth the family resumed its travels, moving from the southern heat to the northern cold as their newborn grew up on the road.

They have since met other nomadic families. One family with five sons included a father who worked just three hours a day in IT, earning $100,000 a year. Another man worked in the oil industry, flying to job sites for two weeks before returning to life on the road. Financially secure, these families choose a life of freedom for their children over luxury homes and cars.

Four months ago Vu’s family camped with two others on a remote beach with no electricity or running water. Over two days and nights the adults swapped stories around the fire while the children played freely in the sand. “One of the joys of nomadic life is constantly meeting new people and hearing their incredible stories,” Ngoc says.

Vu’s family camp with other nomadic families by the coast in March 2025. Photo courtesy of the family

Life on the road does come with some challenges, however. Vu learned to handle basic RV maintenance, but while driving from Canada to Alaska, they ran out of fuel on a 200-kilometer stretch without a gas station. Stranded in the forest for three hours, they were eventually helped by a passerby. Vu says: “Our kids have fallen during hikes, gotten cuts and bruises. But every wound healed. What remains is courage, and lessons no school can teach.”

Last weekend the family reached California, the 32nd state on their journey. It was their first visit to the U.S. state with the largest Vietnamese population, and excitement filled the RV. “Our goal is to visit all 50 states, then keep exploring the world,” the couple say.

When asked about her dreams, Zoey tells her parents, “When I grow up, I will buy my own RV and drive behind you.” Evee often asks, “Are we sleeping near a mountain or the ocean tonight?” As the RV rolled on, the couple burst into laughter, realizing they truly had a home wherever they went.