Today we want to introduce you to the Pallotta family! Comprised of Ty, Robyn and their two sons, Ty and Carson, they are a New Jersey family that has embraced the Live Riveted lifestyle wholeheartedly! Ty is an award-winning tattoo artist who has owned his own studio since 2004. Robyn helps manage the tattoo studio but also owns her own business, an organic juice bar and cafe.
The family loves to travel and loves the concept of adventure, so they started thinking of how they could embark on a family adventure to experience all the U.S. has to offer. We recently caught up with the Pallotta family to learn more about their journey. Keep reading to learn more about this family’s plan to Live Riveted!
“We love to travel, like most people. Exploring new places and seeing new and different sights is always exciting. But the thought of flying somewhere and staying in a hotel was never that appealing to us. We have always wanted to learn more and stay longer in the places that we don’t call home. Every time we visited a new location, we imagined our life there and what it would be like to start over. That is always what it was though, just a thought.
One day while cleaning out the attic in our garage, we came across old photos from the previous owners, who had lived to the ages of 99 and 104. There were tons of photos of them traveling all over the country in the 1960s. They collected Holiday Inn and Howard Johnson postcards from the places visited. We were so jealous of how much they had seen and done, so we decided right then and there that we wanted that life. We wanted to see everything, so naturally traveling in a camper seemed to be the obvious decision. We started our research: hours and hours of looking at new ones, used ones, fiberglass ones, and ones that had ridiculous names that made no sense what-so-ever. We were just confused. Then we came across a used Airstream.
Now, we have always loved Airstreams. They were everywhere, and were the epitome of awesomeness, but we knew nothing about them, besides that they were a symbol of adventure for the free-spirited. Ty had decided to drive to the nearest Airstream dealer. We were fortunate enough to have one close by and to see them in all of their glory. He called me at work and said if we were going to do this, the only way would be in an Airstream trailer! We decided that the 19’ International Signature was perfect for us and our adventure. We signed the papers and booked our first trip
We went to Jersey Shore Haven, an all Airstream campground not too far from home. We were amazed at all of the different styles of Airstreams. When we got home I started following other Airstream owners on Instagram. I was surprised to learn that some of these people were full-timers. The thought had never crossed my mind that people could live and work in their Airstreams. And then it dawned on us, WE could do that too! Traveling for work was definitely a possibility, just not with 4 people in a 19’ trailer. So we upgraded to our 2014 25’ International Signature.
We are now in the process of selling our house and established businesses to live the life that we’ve only dreamed of. With buyers in place for both businesses, we are closer than we could have ever imagined. This year in mid-July we will be doing 14 Tattoo Conventions in 9 states and Canada in a short 5 months. Unlike other full-timers who travel in a circle, we will have to go where the shows are. We’ve estimated it will be around 20k miles in less than a year. We will be in NYC, Tampa, Asheville, Baltimore, Toronto, Asbury Park, Nashville, Wildwood, Boston, Phoenix, Tampa, Austin, Portland and back to Atlantic City. We even managed to sneak a trip to the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque somehow! We are so fortunate that there is an opportunity for us to travel across the country and back in this career.
We are really looking forward to being able to spend important years with our children away from the daily grind that is associated with being rooted in one place. We will be homeschooling (or road schooling as full-timers have coined it) with an online program. We are excited for our kids to see what they are learning about with their own eyes, rather than in textbooks in a classroom. We are incredibly close as a family already and we plan on making memories for our kids that they would not experience with a traditional school schedule.
We are looking forward to what the next few years holds for us. We will be learning as we go and hopefully making new friends along the way. Living Riveted for us is the opportunity to live a life free of specific plans. While we have certain places that we need to be at specific times, the journey is the true reward for us. We are expecting to encounter unforeseen circumstances, but that's all part of the experience. We choose a riveting life because monotony is more of a fear for us than the unexpected!”
What an exciting adventure the Pallottas have in store! We can’t wait to follow along on their experience as they pursue full time Airstreaming and a riveted life with their family. To follow the Pallotta family on their adventures, you can follow them on Instagram.
