We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris & Suzannah Hinton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris & Suzannah, how do you think about risk?
Risk is the opportunity to make a change. Risk isn’t something to be afraid of. It’s a chance to get away from the “norm” and choose your path. We both spent 20+ years in the military in a very stable environment with a steady paycheck, healthcare, housing, etc. We couldn’t take a lot of risks because of our obligations and the possibility of being deployed, although as leaders we learned risk management. Part of that risk management is weighing the pros and cons when making risky decisions. When it was time for us to transition from the military to civilian lifestyle, the timing was right for us to make that leap. We didn’t have a house to sell or too many things that would hold us back. We decided that we could live where we wanted, how we wanted, and help other people do the same. Choosing to live life as full-time travelers was a huge risk. We left family and friends and sold almost everything we owned. We chose risk and opportunity over stability.

In life, you need to ask yourself what you want and what you’re willing to do to make it happen. If they don’t match up then something has to change. In the case of living our lives exploring and seeking adventure, we were willing to step away from the traditional to find our extraordinary. That isn’t the right path for everyone, but it was the right one for us.

We do not regret this decision. The experiences we have and make, open us up to a better understanding of the world around us. We wanted our children to see more than what’s in their hometown…there’s a whole world out there waiting for us. Different people with different stories that they want to share and we want to hear.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Hinton the Trail is a travel vlog and blog brand. Our mission is to inspire others to travel by giving them tips, recommendations, and by showing them that it is possible to explore whether you have a day, a week, or years.

We’re unique because of our military employment. Our duty stations and deployments gave us the opportunities to learn about other cultures and helped develop our need to explore the world and what it has to offer.

The most exciting thing for us is when someone reaches out and says “thank you for helping us plan a trip” or “you inspired us to travel”.

Being a small YouTube channel and Website means that we’re constantly a work in progress. Just like we’re always trying to find the next destination, we’re continually trying to grow as creators. Our journey has just begun and we know that the best is yet to come.

We’ve learned some valuable lessons about being creators. There are a LOT of people trying to make their way on YouTube and with travel blogs. We started off wanting to be like them and realized that you start to lose yourselves. The best thing you can do is to be yourself and so we’re developing our brand to work for us. This means number one, we’re happy with what we’re doing and our content. If you’re not passionate about what you do, it becomes a job, and checking boxes is not inspirational.

The biggest takeaway that we want people to get from us is that anyone can travel. Anyone can choose to take the next step and find what inspires them.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We travel full-time so we’re always finding new locations that we love. When friends and family visit us we only get to see them for a short time so we tailor it to what they like, but in a way that shows them what we enjoy so, they can better understand why we choose to live the way we do. There are specific areas in Colorado that we think are beautiful and enjoy exploring (i.e. Rocky Mountain & Mesa Verde National Parks) and some restaurants that stick with us (Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Boulder, Penelope’s Old Time Burgers in Estes Park, La Casita de Cortez in Cortez). We love Mexican food and there’s just something about sharing a conversation over a delicious margarita! If we were to build a general itinerary for a visit though it would look something like the below.

1. A visit to a National Park: 2-3 days of exploring, getting out into nature, and seeing some of our Country’s beauty.

2. Finding a small local museum that tells the story of the area and its people. There is no better way to appreciate a
town than to learn its history and what shaped it.

3. We’re always on the hunt for Mexican, Greek, and Indian Food, and when we find good restaurants we love sharing them with others. Sometimes it’s better to try something new with friends and family than it is alone. If it’s terrible then it’s a shared experience that you can laugh over. If it’s delicious then it’s a wonderful memory that you can talk about again and again.

4. Ask a local. Chat with a few locals and ask “where do you go?”. Find out what they do and where they go that’s a bit different than where Tripadvisor tells all the tourists to go. There’s an adventure in everything and sharing a new experience with others builds that relationship. For us, it helps our family and friends relate to us because they see why we’re into learning and seeing new things. They get to see what motivates us, and we get to share an adventure with them.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Two families helped us believe that anything was possible and that it’s okay to be a little different.

The first is World Travel Family (https://worldtravelfamily.com/). Alyson Long and her family do an amazing job of sharing their experiences with travel, world schooling, finances, and also the resources to make it happen. Even when they’re not traveling they’re creating, planning, and inspiring others. They’ve been to 26+ countries and done it on a budget. In short, they’re all about sharing “places, cultures, food, practicalities, and how-tos”.

The second is Keep Your Daydream (https://www.keepyourdaydream.com/). Marc & Trish Leach have been full-time RVing for over 6-years now. Their “start small – start now” motto has captured the attention of over 440,000 YouTube subscribers and helped get countless families on the road to experience their dreams. We’ve had the pleasure of meeting them twice and they’re genuine, positive, and super inspirational. Marc’s “How to Start a YouTube” program got us started on YouTube and introduced us to many like-minded people.

Last but not least is our families. When we told them we wanted to travel full time they were all supportive. We’ve heard stories from friends about how their families disagreed with their decision and even distanced themselves because of it. For us, travel has brought us closer together. Being from Washington (Chris) & Maine (Suzannah) creates challenges with seeing family, but our lifestyle has allowed us to spend more time with everyone.

 

Website: https://www.hintonthetrail.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hintonthetrail/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hintonthetrail/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hintonthetrail/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/hintonthetrail

Image Credits
All photographs were taken by Christopher & Suzannah Hinton

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.