10 things I learned after one year of traveling in the US full time

1. Americans are, for the most part very friendly (especially outside of big cities).

2. As beautiful as I knew America to be, it is so much more spectacular.

3. Even if you watch a YouTube video 100 times, your own adventure will feel like a completely different experience.

4. You need / can live with / be perfectly happy with so much less possessions than you ever thought possible.

5. No matter how much you travel and where life takes you, coming home will always feel like home.

6. We see much less wildlife than we expected, even out in the wildest places.

7. You can live the life of your dreams if you are bold enough.

8. The most amazing times in life revolve around experiences, with nothing to do with what you own.

9. The squirrels and deer are the true rulers of the forest.

10. Connecting with the natural world connects us to our own souls on the deepest level. There is no greater high than witnessing a magnificent sunset, a sky full of stars, a spectacular waterfall, a momma bear with her cub, an eagle soaring over the mountain or a field full of wildflowers in the spring breeze.