Vince Padilla ’95 and Amy Padilla ’95 take their lives on the road

After becoming bored with their daily routines, listening to podcasts about RV living and contemplating the decision for a few years, Vince Padilla ’95 and Amy Padilla ’95 decided to sell their house in exchange for a life of full-time travel in their RV. They took the leap in late 2019 and have been on the road traveling ever since.

Both come from families who are separated by long distances, so the two decided that RV living would be a suitable lifestyle for them. “We had traditionally used most of our vacation time to visit family as we had lived away from both of our families for a long time,” Vince Padilla says. “It occurred to us that RV living would allow us to visit more people more often, and now we see friends and family all over the country more than ever before.”

The Padillas say their favorite spot to visit is an RV resort in Port Aransas, Texas, an island in the Gulf of Mexico. They have to drive their RV onto a ferry in order to get to it, “which is not as scary as it sounds,” Vince says.

Their most memorable story from traveling was going through the massive Texas winter storm in February 2021. “We were with members of our RV club, and the way that everybody banded together to take care of one another was just a reminder of how good people can be,” Vince says. “The actual weather was no biggie by Wisconsin standards, but the poor Texans were not equipped to handle it. It was awful, but you really saw the best in people.”

Amy Padilla adds that another memorable moment was when their propane tank became detached while they were driving. “We ran it over and dragged it down the road, and by some miracle, it didn’t spark and explode,” she says.

More of their traveling adventures can be found on their Facebook and Instagram pages We Could Be Lost.

The two don’t plan to stop their travels anytime soon. “We have so many things we’d still like to see,” Amy says. “We feel like we haven’t even gotten started.”

The Padillas advice for anyone interested in an RV lifestyle: “If you’ve thought of doing it, just take the plunge,” they say. “So many people are able to work remotely now, and if you have the ability, do it! If you put it off too long, you may never get there. Take a risk and live!”

At Ripon College, both Padillas majored in history and politics and government.

Amanda Barlow ’23
Appleton, Wisconsin