2025: The Year We Didn’t Plan (And What It Taught Us)

Sunday, January 18, 2026

Outdoor Adventures & Activities | RV Living, Camping & Travel Tips

RV living challenges come in all forms—and 2025 threw us more curveballs than we ever expected. When the year started, we thought we had it all figured out. We had plans, we had a route, and honestly, we thought 2025 would be one of our smoother years on the road. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.

This year, we learned powerful lessons about dealing with setbacks—a Jeep accident, rerouted travel plans, wildfires, job loss, and more pivots than we can count. But somehow, through all the chaos, 2025 ended up being one of the most grounding years we’ve had in the RV. It taught us about resilience, faith, and what really matters when everything else falls apart.

If you’re dealing with setbacks of your own—whether on the road or in life—this one’s for you. Because sometimes the best lessons come from the years that didn’t go according to plan.

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Starting Strong in Yuma

The year kicked off in Yuma, Arizona. We spent January through early April soaking up the sunshine, and my parents joined us for February, March, and the first week of April. It felt like we had all the time in the world.

Before they headed back to Michigan, we took a family road trip from Yuma to Tombstone, then to Carlsbad Caverns. It was good weather, great company, and memories we’ll hang onto forever.

Once my parents left, we thought we’d continue on our planned route. Roswell, Farmington, and then… well, that’s where “normal” stopped being part of 2025.

Dealing With Setbacks: When Plans Started to Shift

After Roswell, we headed to Farmington, and that’s when things took a hard turn—literally. We were involved in a Jeep accident. No one was seriously hurt, but the stress, logistics, and ripple effects turned our carefully planned year into a game of constant adjustments. We had to reroute plans and try to keep our heads above water. Thankfully, it was drivable (or we made it drivable) while we waited for parts and the mechanic to have time to do the work.

From there, we moved on to Flagstaff, where we attended our first outdoor expo. It was a bright spot in an otherwise chaotic stretch, and it reminded me why we do this life. We chase adventure even when the road gets rough.

Next up was Dolores, Colorado, where we spent the 4th of July. The area surprised us with great trails, a strong small-town vibe, and our first new national park of 2025—Mesa Verde National Park. (And yes, we just realized we haven’t done a post or podcast on it yet. We’ll get on that!)

Mesa Verde was incredible. The cliff dwellings, the history, the sweeping canyon views. We spent time exploring the ancient Puebloan sites and learning about the people who lived there nearly 750 years ago. It was a powerful reminder of how much history is woven into these landscapes.

While we were in Dolores, we boondocked with some unexpected neighbors—cows. Lots of them. They were curious, friendly, and made for some pretty entertaining company. For the 4th of July, we headed into nearby Cortez to catch the small-town celebration. A different night, we set up our projector and watched Last Rodeo outside under the stars. Nothing says “Colorado summer” quite like a movie night with cows wandering in the background. HAHA

Then we headed to Gunnison, but just as we were settling in, wildfires broke out at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. At the same time, fires erupted near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We had planned to spend time at Black Canyon and then head south to the Grand Canyon, so suddenly our entire route was up in smoke.

Then, almost out of nowhere, Tony got offered a campground job in Gunnison. It was one of those moments where everything just clicked into place. We stayed, and eventually, Black Canyon reopened, giving us the chance to finally explore it.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison is not as famous as the Grand Canyon, but it’s pretty dramatic. The sheer 2,000-foot canyon walls plunge straight down to the Gunnison River below, carved over millions of years into some of the oldest rock in North America. We hiked along the rim, stood at overlooks that made our stomachs drop, and soaked in views that felt almost too big to process. It was our second (and last new) national park of the year, and it was worth the wait.

Staying in Gunnison much longer than we’d planned turned out to be exactly what we needed. We found a new routine, caught our breath, and started to feel grounded again. However, the time allowed us to dive deep into some of Colorado’s most iconic off-road trails and scenic byways. We explored the Alpine Loop, tackled Cinnamon Pass and Engineer Pass, drove the stunning San Juan County Road 2, and discovered hidden dirt roads near Crested Butte.

How to Deal With Setbacks: Finding Strength Through Faith

In September, I started reading the Bible every day. It came shortly after hearing the news about Charlie Kirk being killed, and something in me shifted. I felt this pull to do something different, something intentional.

At first, it was just a habit. But as the days turned into weeks, I started to notice changes. They were subtle at first, then undeniable. My stress levels started to drop. My mental state felt clearer. My perspective on the chaos around me shifted from panic to peace.

I didn’t realize at the time how much I would need this habit. Looking back, it became the anchor that kept me steady when everything else felt like it was spinning out of control. And here’s the thing—I’m still reading every day. It’s one of the only habits I’ve ever kept this long, and it’s changed me in ways I didn’t expect.

This year, the girls and Tony started reading with me. What began as a quiet, personal practice became something we share as a family. That’s one of the best surprises 2025 gave us.

Beet Harvest and a Job Loss on Halloween

In the fall, we left Gunnison and headed to North Dakota for the beet harvest. It rained a lot this year, which meant we stayed a couple of weeks longer than expected—well into November. And honestly? That timing and extra money turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because on Halloween, I lost my job.

It hit hard. The fear, the uncertainty, the scrambling to figure out what came next. Losing a job is stressful—the job search, updating your resume (especially after 8 years), reaching out to contacts, and wondering how long it will take to find something new. All of it weighs on you in ways you don’t fully appreciate until you’re in it.

But here’s the thing—I had started reading the Bible a little over a month before this happened. And in that moment, it gave me something to hold onto. When everything else felt shaky, it became my stability. I said over and over again that God had a plan, even when I couldn’t see it. That faith didn’t make the fear disappear, but it gave me the strength to keep moving forward.

Looking back, I can see how that quiet habit I started in September became the foundation that carried me through one of the hardest seasons of the year. It didn’t fix everything overnight, but it gave me peace amid the chaos.

I’m so thankful I found a new job within a couple of weeks. God had a plan, and I’m grateful His plan didn’t involve a long, painful job search. When I got the offer with a December 1st start date, it meant I had a few weeks off (not stressful), and that turned out to be a gift.

It gave us space to breathe, time to move back to Yuma without the usual chaos, and a chance to reconnect as a family. We even had something meaningful to be thankful for that Thanksgiving.

Sometimes the pauses we don’t plan for turn out to be exactly what we need.

What 2025 Taught Us About RV Living Challenges

This year wasn’t easy, but it taught us lessons we’ll carry with us for a long time:

1. This lifestyle is crazy, but incredibly flexible. When life throws curveballs—and it will—RV life gives you the ability to pivot, adapt, and find a new path forward. It’s not always comfortable, but it’s always possible.

2. Resilience isn’t about avoiding hard things. It’s about learning how to move through them. We’ve learned to trust ourselves, each other, and ourselves to figure it out, even when we don’t have all the answers. This is becoming easier now that we let God do the planning.

3. Faith in God matters. Having something solid to hold onto and trusting that God has a plan, even when you can’t see it, makes all the difference when everything else feels uncertain.

4. Letting go of plans doesn’t mean giving up. Letting go means making room for something better. Some of our best moments this year came from the detours we didn’t plan for. The things we thought were setbacks often turned out to be the experiences that shaped us the most.

2025 By the Numbers

You can look over and listen to the podcast on our past yearly recaps here: 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

This year, we only visited three national parks, and just two of them were new to us—Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Mesa Verde. We also revisited Carlsbad Caverns with my parents. We didn’t add any new states to our list, but we spent time exploring AZ, ND, CO, WY, SD, UT, NV, and CA.

We share more fun stats in the podcast, but here are a few highlights: we had 295 free-camping days this year and spent only $555.61 total on campgrounds. That included some paid nights while workcamping in Gunnison—you get a discount, but you still pay for part of your stay.

Looking at these numbers, it’s clear 2025 was different. We stayed put more, spending extended time in Yuma, Gunnison, and Grafton. But we still got a ton of off-roading done—maybe even more than 2024—which was wonderful.

Final Thoughts: Sometimes the Best Things Start Quietly

2025 didn’t go the way we planned. But looking back, we wouldn’t change it. The setbacks, the pivots, the hard days—they all shaped us in ways we didn’t expect.

If there’s one thing this year taught us, it’s this: sometimes the best things start as quiet habits in hard seasons. That daily Bible reading I started in September? It became my lifeline. The extra time in Gunnison? It gave us space to reset. The job loss on Halloween? It led to a new opportunity and a few precious weeks with family.

This year reminded us that we don’t have to have it all figured out. We just have to keep showing up, keep trusting in Him, and keep moving forward. Even when the road looks nothing like we expected.

So here’s to 2025—the year we didn’t plan, but the year that taught us the most. And here’s to whatever comes next.

Dealing with setbacks on your own RV journey? We’d like to hear your story and how you’re working through RV living challenges.

Send us an email at hi@thefaiolas.com or leave us a voice message.

Some of our favorite posts and podcasts for the year

Topics: Jeep trails | National Parks | Offroad Trails