World Travellers: Desirée from The Long Way Home Travels

The latest to feature in my ongoing World Travellers series is yet another writer and adventurer! Welcome to Desirée from TheLongWayHomeTravels.com!

Who are you?

My name is Desirée van Welsum, and I have just published my first two travel books: “The Long Way Home – An American Adventure, parts 1 and 2: The Eastern United States.”

I am Dutch, but now live in the United States. Today I write travel books, but I am a PhD economist by training. Prior to becoming a “most-time” road-trip traveler with my husband and four rescued Beagles, I worked and lived in six countries in my roles as a senior economist and economic policy adviser for the United Nations, World Bank, OECD, and other organizations. I speak four languages.

After my husband and I both nearly died from serious health incidents, we drastically changed our lifestyle. We bought a boat and moved from New York to Washington, D.C., and then to Florida. In 2020, we bought an RV as a COVID-safe hurricane evacuation escape with 4 dogs and 2 rabbits. After trying it out to make sure everything worked, and discovering YouTube videos by people traveling the country in an RV, we decided we might as well use it. So in 2021, we set off on our first extended road trip to explore the United States with our Beagles. We have now completed three 8-month road trips, have been to all the Lower 48 states, and we are getting ready to get out and hit the road again.

Where are you from?

I was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Today, I live in Southeast Florida in the United States.

Where have you been?

I have traveled to all the “Lower 48” states in the United States. In the past, I traveled extensively both for work and leisure and have been to many different countries.

Where are you now?

I am currently at my home base in Southeast Florida, but I am getting ready to hit the road again for another trip through the Lower 48 states for a new travel book project.

What are the top 3 places you’ve visited?

This is always such a difficult question to answer. Often I end up choosing whatever places we have visited most recently, just because they are still on my mind. I am going to choose favorites from my US travels.

1. “The tourist traps”: Niagara Falls, Mount Rushmore and Graceland: I was worried they would be tourist traps, but they were actually really nice places to visit.
2. The unexpected: the Oregon Coast and the South Dakota Black Hills were a complete revelation to us. So beautiful, and very pleasant. I don’t know why we had never traveled there before.
3. The hidden gems: The Kitch-iti-kipi spring in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Painted Desert and Petrified Wood National Park in Arizona (I had never seen or heard of petrified wood), and “small town America” (there are so many charming small towns everywhere, they always make me wonder what it would be like to live there, checking out homes on a real estate app).

What is the best travel experience you’ve had?

We have been to 48 states and over 40 National Parks. We discovered many incredible places and have met awesome people. But I think what stands out the most as a “travel experience” is driving all of Route 66, from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California. Following in the footsteps (tracks) of all those who traveled the road before us, from the economic migrants who traveled West in search of a better life, to road-trippers from all over the world through the years, there is something moving about experiencing this (slowly disappearing) piece of history.

What is the worst travel experience you’ve had?

Probably on our last road trip when the tow bar use to tow our pickup truck behind our RV broke while we were underway and caused a messy accident. Thankfully, nobody was injured, but there was a lot of material damage and it was a huge pain to deal with everything, especially being on the road and very far away from home.

What is the funniest travel experience you’ve had?

You know that saying, “when pigs fly”? Well, pigs flew, and I was on board when we attended the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. I was lucky enough to get to fly on board a “special shape” balloon, a giant pink pig with white wings and a curly tail. It was awesome.

What is the scariest travel experience you’ve had?

Nearly dying (from a massive double-sided pulmonary embolism, with complications) while visiting the San Juan Islands in Washington State.

What is the most random job you have had on your travels?

I work full time on my books on the road.

How do you fund your travels?

I recently published my first two travel books, but we won’t go far from that. My husband still works fulltime on the road and that’s what pays for our trips.

What 3 tips would you give a new traveller before they set off on their adventure?

1. Be flexible. Expect things to go wrong and plan to change.
2. Don’t expect traveling to fix all your problems. Whatever problems you had at home, you will bring with you on the road.
3. Live in the moment. Don’t always be in a hurry to chase the next thing, enjoy the place you are at and the people you are with now. When traveling it’s easy to get caught up in planning and always thinking about the next place you are going, making it easy to forget to enjoy the present.
4. Don’t wait. Tomorrow is not promised.

What are your future travel plans?

We’re about to hit the road again for a new book project, traveling the U.S. Scenic Byways.

Biography

Desirée van Welsum is Dutch but lives in the United States. She published her first two travel books in 2023. She is a PhD economist by training, and has worked and lived in six countries in her roles as a senior economist and economic policy adviser for the United Nations, World Bank, OECD, and other organizations. She speaks four languages.

After both nearly dying from serious health incidents, Desirée and her husband Jonathan drastically changed their lifestyle, buying a boat and moving from New York to Washington D.C. and then to Florida. After COVID hit, they bought an RV and, together with their four rescued Beagles, headed out on their first extended road trip to explore the United States. They have now completed three 8-month road trips and have been to all the Lower 48 states.

Links

Website: https://thelongwayhometravels.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rvcruising/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/desiree.vanwelsum

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG195KPRx5zmufcloiASQrg

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desireevanwelsum

 

Thanks to Desiree for being the latest in my series of World Travellers! If you travel the world and run a travel blog or are a travel writer, please get in touch, you can be featured , either e-mail jonny (at) dontstopliving (dot) net or head to my contacts page and get connected! You can also subscribe to Don’t Stop Living by filling in the form below! Safe travels!