At age 30, RVers Jason and Rae Miller choose to live untethered.
By John Johnston, Associate Editor
March 2019
Jason and Rae Miller’s RV travels have taken the California natives to many places, including Yellowstone National Park.
A couple of years ago, Jason and Rae Miller, F486241, told friends they had decided to become full-time RVers. Nobody believed them.
After all, neither Jason nor Rae had any RVing experience. What’s more, such a drastic lifestyle change seemed completely out of character for the young, career-driven couple. They seemed destined to make the traditional climb up the corporate ladder. They had worked hard to stay on track with their financial goals. The California natives lived in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, where they had a sweet deal renting a three-bedroom home with a great backyard.
Full-time RVing? “All of our friends were like, ‘No way!’” Jason said.
But Jason and Rae, who are both 30, weren’t kidding. Up to that point, they had devoted every vacation to taking trips, whether in the United States or internationally. They began seriously considering full-time travel after their July 2015 honeymoon, a month-long excursion that included a stay in Italy and a cruise to several Greek islands.
Upon returning home, Rae, especially, felt the need for change. She was working as a business analyst for a financial services company, and “killing myself with that job.” A career switch (to project manager) improved her outlook, but by then she and Jason were inching closer to becoming nomads. Jason’s job in the field of cybersecurity allows him to work remotely.
They intended to go overseas. But then Carmen entered their lives and stole their hearts. Rae’s mother rescued the 65-pound Doberman mix, now 4 years old.
Meanwhile, the Millers had discovered Gone With The Wynns, the website of former FMCA members Jason and Nikki Wynn, who spent six years exploring North America by motorhome before turning their attention to sailing.
Jason and Rae Miller enjoy the spray of Niagara Falls.
“We said, ‘Oh, wow, RVing; that’s a thing,’” Jason said. “So, we started looking into it. And we (realized) we could totally do this, which would allow our dog to come with us.”
In June 2017, the Millers bought a 2018 Grand Design fifth-wheel. They hit the road that July — and got off to an inauspicious start.
Early the first day, Jason learned he shouldn’t tow a 42-foot RV into a busy gas station designed for cars. Hours later, after a stressful day of driving that included their pickup truck straining to pull the fifth-wheel up a one-lane, pothole-laden mountain road, they reached their campground.
After going to bed that night, Rae woke up to a panic attack. “I have to get out of bed!” she shrieked. As Jason and Carmen stared at her, bewildered, Rae declared, “It’s so tiny in here. I’m claustrophobic.”
In fact, she’s not. Looking back on the episode, “I think it was just the stress of the day,” Rae said. Then with a chuckle, she added: “The initial change for anything in life, I don’t handle well.”
Within a couple of weeks, though, they were sharing a magical experience among northern California’s redwoods. Anxiety gradually lessened. “We finally just got a little more comfortable,” Jason said.
The couple have learned plenty since first setting out, although they still experience the occasional glitch or gaffe. Who doesn’t? But what’s refreshing about the Millers is that they’ve been willing to reveal their missteps so that others won’t make the same mistakes.
The Millers’ website, Getaway Couple (www.getawaycouple.com), includes a link to their YouTube channel, where they have posted more than 140 videos. By far the most popular, with more than 550,000 views, is one titled “Top 10 Beginner RV Mistakes.” Putting it out there required some chutzpah.
Initially, “I was really scared of people judging us,” Rae said. “I am so used to trying to be a perfectionist. I was like, ‘We’re really messing this up. We can’t talk about this.’” It didn’t help that when she saw videos and social media posts from other RVers, nothing ever seemed to go wrong.
Jason and Rae Miller decided to travel by RV because they could bring along Carmen, their rescued Doberman mix.
But the Millers decided from the beginning that they would be transparent, highlighting not only the many positives of RVing, but also the occasional anxiety that comes when things don’t quite go according to plan. “Once I got over that fear of people judging me — and people are going to, no matter what — I realized I might as well say what I want to say,” Rae noted.
In addition to showcasing their travel adventures, the Millers’ blogs and videos cover a wide range of other topics, such as reviews of RV gear and campgrounds; tips for traveling with a pet; and solutions to common problems faced by RVers. With 18,000 YouTube subscribers, and thousands more followers on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, Getaway Couple quickly has become a bona fide travel brand.
While Jason works from the road, the Millers earn some additional income from YouTube, their blog, sponsored posts, affiliate links through Amazon.com, and sales of downloadable checklists for RVers.
Rae manages Getaway Couple’s social media accounts, a role that meshes well with her outgoing personality. As for Jason, “I’m shy,” he said. “It took a little while getting used to being in front of the camera.” And as a cybersecurity expert who typically cautions people about sharing too many personal details online, he’s had to adjust to the idea of much of his life being laid bare on the internet.
The Millers say that, for the most part, they have found the online community to be supportive. Even better are the face-to-face encounters.
“Those experiences with people we’ve met in person have been phenomenal,” Jason said. “For both of us, that’s probably our favorite aspect of this whole thing — meeting other RVers or wannabe RVers, and connecting.”
Indeed, it’s a key reason they broke from the norm and chose to travel full-time.
“It’s really easy to get caught up in your own life and to think things have to be a certain way,” Rae said. “Traveling shows you there are so many different ways to live. If you’re not happy, you have options. Connecting with people from different backgrounds and experiences is so eye-opening. You almost get a travel high.”