How long do we stay in one spot?

Susanne is your driver for this post!

Another question people frequently ask us: How long do we stay in one spot before moving on?

Generally, we try to move no more often than every two or three weeks. The reasons for this are multifold:

• We don't want to burn out. Moving from one site to another - even if it's just an hour or two away or simply across town - is exhausting. It means cleaning out the tanks, unhooking all of the hoses and pipes, straightening up the interior and securing any breakables, pulling in the slideout, getting the cat situated, sometimes backing out of tricky parking spots, and planning our route. That might not sound like that much... and it isn't, if we don't do it too often. But if we were to do all that every few days, we'd be totally exhausted. It might be a good way to vacation for a couple of weeks, but it's not a good way to live over the long haul.

Clark the Freelander, just relaxing in camp

• Gas is expensive. Our Coachmen Freelander has a fuel efficiency of about 9 miles per gallon and a total fuel capacity of 57 gallons. Let's say gas costs $2.80 a gallon. If we were to fill the entire tank (which, granted, we never do), that's almost $160. Thus, driving long distances on a regular basis just isn't practical for us.

• We need time to work as well as play. We certainly go out and see the sights, but we're a working class family with a kid in grade school. That means that more often than not, we spend our days working and homeschooling. Much of our week is dedicated to these tasks, and we couldn't do them properly if we were constantly on the move. For us, it would be too overwhelming.

Office space

• At the same time, we strive to immerse ourselves in the local community. By staying several weeks in one spot, we give ourselves a chance to see the sights, eat local specialties, find good running and hiking trails, and tailor our homeschooling activities to what's available in the area. We've been in Albuquerque since the end of August, and we've become quite familiar with the layout of the city (always a comforting feeling) and the location of area parks and recreation opportunities. Sam and I have made field trips to the local aquarium, the BUGarium, a trampoline gym, a cat cafe (yup, you read that right!), Petroglyph National Monument, and some area volcanoes. We've even identified a favorite Thai place.

Working

Aquarium

Petroglyph National Monument

Volcano hike

Cat cafe! Such a happy place.

What about you? How often do you and your team move from place to place? What's your idea of an ideal amount of time to stay in one spot?