Today we’d like to introduce you to Ariel Sides.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ariel. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Growing up, my family moved around a lot, so I’ve always had a flare for adventure. From a very young age, I developed a desire to see and do everything I could fit into this life. I spent my childhood moving around between California, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. As anyone can imagine, the culture shock of moving to these different parts of the country at such a young age was immense, and I unknowingly developed an interest in cultural anthropology. This further fueled my curiosity and desire to travel.
As an adult, I returned to California and lived in San Diego for several years with my husband and children while working and going to school to obtain a degree in marine biology. When the cost of living became too much, we were forced to return to Mississippi for a short time, before venturing to New Orleans, Louisiana for a year for work. At first, New Orleans seemed like a compromise for us, since I spent the best parts of my childhood in San Diego, and my husband had been born and raised in Memphis, TN. New Orleans seemed to have a bit of everything. Culture, food, music, an aquarium where I could pursue work… this was short-lived, however. After a year there, we decided that it was not where we wanted to raise our children. We packed up and headed back to the west coast.
After spending two more years in San Diego, studying, we again began to feel the effects of the rising cost of living. This, combined with the effect of the 2016 political changes in the U.S., as well as our desire to stay nearby on the west coast, led us to pack up one more time.
Currently, we are living in Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico and we are the happiest we have ever been. We now live ON the beach and pay a third of the rent that we paid in San Diego. We are nearly debt-free, and even have plans to travel in the next year. We are taking a trip in June to the Mexican state of Jalisco, where we will spend a week with friends to celebrate a bull festival there. After that, we have plans to visit Costa Rica and Panamana, where my husband’s family is from.
As a result of these moves, and the pit stops we’ve chosen to make in between, I feel fortunate to say that I have been to 28 states, and thus far, two countries. I have the goal of seeing all 50 U.S. states before my 50th birthday. I have seen a lot of cool things. I’ve experienced the cultural changes from region to region, which many may not know are incredibly variable. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting people from all over the world, all walks of life, backgrounds, ethnicities, and economic status. This has only driven my desire to grow and learn in pursuit of biology and anthropology. Ideally, someday, I’ll be the female version of Josh Gates.
Has it been a smooth road?
Definitely not. The normal struggles that come with marriage; especially young marriage (we were 20 and 24 when we got married), coupled with the struggles of raising a family at a young age (I was 21 when I had my son and 23 when I had my daughter) fueled by the financial burden of trying to make it in SoCal, almost cost us our marriage.
There was a lot of tension and stress. I put a lot of pressure, financially, on my husband so that I could focus on school. Looking back, that wasn’t fair to him, but he loves me and we pulled through. The moves have been costly as well, and family has played a key role in our ability to survive this long. Without their support, there’s no way we would have made it.
Tell us more about your work.
I’m focusing on our YouTube Channel (the kid’s idea, originally). Right now there is very little content because initially, the kids just wanted to play around and have a good time. They’ve seen other families on YouTube, so a lot of it is just our daughter repeating “come on guys…” over and over and over again. That’s all going to change very soon.
We are working to develop quality, family-friendly content for families like us who have a desire for adventure. We want to showcase our travels and give other adventurous parents tips and ideas for traveling with small children. I want other parents to feel like they have options and that they can do things as well. I remember certain times when I would feel discouraged or like I couldn’t leave the house with small children in case they cried, or whined, etc. I’ve heard other parents say that they feel the same way and it shouldn’t have to be like that. I want to show other parents that if we can do it, they can too!
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I ADORE San Diego. It will always be home. The culture, the pace, the lifestyle, the freedom, the carefree feeling you get from walking on the beach….it’s all second to none. The cost of living is just so high, and young families can’t always survive. This is why we are currently living south of the border. Same climate, same carefree feeling; different culture!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgZ9LpdQSfKBpEJK77xFkww
- Email: arielsides@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/bloodsugarbaby
Image Credit:
Kole Lavoy-family picture downtown San Diego
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