Out and About is a column where we chat with people who currently live abroad, or who lived and worked there. This week we talk to Walter Jackson, who lives with his family in the USA.
- Where do you live and why there?
In 2017 my wife (Maxie) was transferred to Orlando, Florida, by the company she worked for. The boys were 8 and 6 when we came over and it was wonderful to be in close proximity to Disney, NASA, Universal Studios and SeaWorld. Orlando is also close to the ocean.
However, we felt that we wanted to see more of our new country, so now we live in an RV (motorhome), travelling through America – to all 50 states. We have been doing it for a year, first in a class A and now a fifth wheel. It is such a big country and we wanted to spend time in every state. We should be able to complete our tour through the final seven states within the next two to three months.
The idea was to explore the whole country and then decide where we wanted to buy a home. Our favourite states this far were Hawaii, Alaska, South Dakota, California, Arizona, New York and Tennessee. We will most probably settle in Tennessee, as the state offers the most positive factors, which include: the weather, music festivals, flights from SA, tax, time difference with Europe (for work purposes), property prices and its scenery.
- Tell us more about your family
I grew up in George and Springs and met Maxie when we were 14 and 12 respectively. We have known each other for more than 30 years and have been married for 15 years. She is the most wonderful person I know. We moved to England together in 2005 and lived just outside of Cambridge for eight years. Both our sons were born in England. Freddie (12) and Ben (10) have travelled everywhere with us since they were little. We try to show them as much of the world as we can. South Africans are adventurous by nature. We also have a beautiful little beagle (Lucy) that goes everywhere we go.
- How often do you see your family, and how do you keep in contact?
During our three years in Orlando many of our friends and family made use of the opportunity to visit us. There is so much to do in this area with all the entertainment parks, NASA, SpaceX, the ocean, and passenger boats to the Caribbean Islands. We were able to see family and friends very often. Some of our friends also visited us in the RV to see what life on the road was like.
The last time we were in South Africa was in 2019 in order to get our green cards, and since COVID happened nobody from South Africa was able to visit. We keep in touch through telephone calls and social media. We move the RV every Sunday, and it is tradition to chat with our family and friends while we are on the road. It helps us to stay connected with our loved ones in South Africa.
- Do you get the opportunity to travel?
Travel is one of our biggest priorities and I want to try to visit all the countries in the world with my South African passport. I have already been to 164 countries and there are still 29 left. Most of them are small islands in the Pacific Ocean or war-ravaged areas, so there is still some work left to be done. Hopefully I will be able to complete this once all the borders are open.
We like travelling as a family and we enjoy camping. When our time in England came to an end, we toured Europe for a few months in tents and visited most of the countries. The children were both still in nappies, so having to live in a tent for such a long time was quite an experience!
We love watching live sport, especially when a South African team is involved. Some of our highlights include the Rugby World Cup in France; the Cricket World Cup in the West Indies; the 2021 Olympic Games opening ceremony in London; to see Gary and Ernie teeing off at the Bay Hill; UEFA football at Old Trafford; seeing Dale Steyn bowling in India; the Grand Prix in Monaco; and the Wimbledon Tennis Final. Some of my favourite experiences were driving on the Nurburgring in Germany, as well as the Munich Oktoberfest beer festival in the same country.
We also enjoyed travelling through Africa, and a safari at Chobe – on the border of Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia – was our favourite place to see animals. The gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda were also a once in a lifetime experience.
Since we are in America now, we will focus more on this part of the word. The children enjoyed Macchu Picchu in Peru immensely and we cannot recommend it enough. The whole country was a wonderful experience. We hope we can travel to Rio de Janeiro next year for the carnival. We are just holding thumbs that the world will be back to normal by then.
We make short videos for our YouTube channel (5jacksonsjourney) about the places we visit:
- What do you like the most about your life there?
The country is so big, and you have so much freedom here. With the varied climate you can choose where you want to settle, you can find everything in one country. The people here are very easy to talk to and we didn’t have any trouble making new friends.
It is also not difficult to start your own business here, so we feel that our professional lives are much more comfortable here. I have a lot more free time to spend with my family. In England I worked much longer hours.
- Describe a typical day in your life
Life on the road is not always easy in a motor home. The whole bus shakes when you are driving down the road, so there are a lot of repairs that need to be done. I usually get up early and typically prefer to get the repairs out of the way first thing in the morning.
I do all the cooking. and chicken livers with mieliepap is a regular item on the breakfast menu. After breakfast I get the children started with their virtual schoolwork. My wife and I both do distance work – Maxie in medical research and I in financial management (CFP). We each have a work space in the RV, so our work life is relatively normal.
After lunch I usually look for interesting places in the area, so we can explore the area after work/school. Our favourite activities are outdoor adventures such as skiing, hiking, rafting, trying out local foods, pickleball and the shooting range.
During the evenings when we are not out exploring, I will usually braai us something. Sometimes I will try something local, such as elk, bison or lobster. We often make wors, potjiekos, and biltong, and try to share our South African culture with our children.
A stiff Glenmorangie after dinner and we’ll usually be in bed before 23:00. During weekends we normally visit tourist attractions or we move the RV. On Sundays we will typically drive for four to five hours and then set up camp.
At least the RV is way more comfortable than staying in tents in Europe. You simply press a few buttons and the whole bus levels up. The rooms then fold out with the help of hydraulic power from the batteries. Lastly I have to connect the power cables and water and sewerage pipes to the bus. With everyone’s help it takes about an hour to set everything up.
The states are huge and we have driven more than 31 000 km. I am actually exhausted just thinking about it. Enjoy your time abroad and make the most of this one life we have ….
Regards, from the Jackson family
