When Barbara Alpher turned 72, she looked around her home in Las Cruces, N.M., and realized she was living among things that no longer mattered.
“I was walking through the living room one day and suddenly thought, ‘My God, I’m the custodian of stuff I don’t even care about anymore,’” Barbara recalled. “It hit me hard. I knew right then something had to change.”
Within months, Barbara sold her house, bought a 25-foot Airstream trailer, and hit the road to begin a new life as a full-time RVer and Workamper. She had never owned an RV, never towed anything, and didn’t know the first thing about living on the road. But, that didn’t stop her.
“I met a woman who was Workamping and thought, wow, that sounds like something I’d love,” Barbara said. “I signed up for a Workamper Rendezvous in Arkansas and, by the end of those three days, I knew this was for me.”
At an age when most people were slowing down, Barbara was learning to back up a trailer, hitch a rig, and navigate interstate highways and small backroads.
“The first time I pulled anything was through Fort Worth traffic,” she said with a laugh. “But, I had a wonderful friend, an 87-year-old woman who had been pulling trailers all her life, and she taught me everything I needed to know.”
A mission to contribute
For Barbara, RVing wasn’t just about travel or freedom. It was about purpose.
“I wanted to be a contribution wherever I went,” she said. “That’s what I put on my Workamper profile.”
Over the next 12 years, Barbara volunteered in places that many travelers never take time to visit, such as state parks, national wildlife refuges, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites and a few private campgrounds. She even worked a holiday season for Amazon, just to see what it was like.
She said the various experiences changed her life in countless ways.
“I learned so much about the goodness of people,” Barbara explained. “There’s so much generosity and kindness in this country that you never hear about. I met so many people who were just giving of themselves.”
Her favorite assignments were in out-of-the-way places. She spent one summer at Custer State Park in South Dakota, where she volunteered at the historic cabin of the state’s first poet laureate, Badger Clark. Another memorable season was at Libby Dam in northwestern Montana, where she enjoyed breathtaking mountain views and peaceful surroundings far from crowds.
“I liked the places that weren’t on the way to anywhere,” Barbara said. “You could really feel the quiet there.”
Other favorites included the Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center, which is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin, as well as the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in southern Arizona. She especially loved the desert.
“I was there when COVID hit,” she said. “Because there was no onsite staff, a small group of us kept coming back because there was no staff. We basically ran the place for two years.”
Life lessons from the open road
Barbara’s travels gave her more than memories. They gave her wisdom, too. Because independence builds confidence, traveling alone helped Barbara to become more self-reliant.
“People kept asking if I was afraid to be on the road alone,” she said. “I wasn’t. I’ve always done well by myself, and I meet more people that way.”
Simple living creates peace, and she discovered that living with less was liberating.
“You don’t need much,” she said. “You just need what fits in your camper and what makes your life meaningful.”
The right people always show up. When things went wrong, like they sometimes did, Barbara said help always appeared at the right moment.
“There’s a synergy in life when you trust it,” she explained.
One of Barbara’s favorite pastimes while traveling was visiting local libraries and independent coffee shops.
“Libraries were wonderful places to meet people and learn about an area,” she said. “I have library cards from all over the country.”
From therapist to traveler
Before becoming a Workamper, Barbara had a long and rewarding career as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. She also worked in domestic violence counseling and, with a group of amazing volunteers, helped launch a children’s program in New Jersey called ELVES, which stands for Empower the Littlest Victims to Emerge Strong.
“That program continued long after I left,” Barbara said. “It funded counseling for children who had witnessed domestic violence. I felt like I had really done something worthwhile.”
When she retired, Barbara built a Shaklee health business that allowed her to continue working on her own terms.
“I’d been using the products since 1980,” she said. “It gave me another way to help people and to stay independent.”
Listening to inner guidance
Throughout her life, Barbara said she learned to rely on what she calls her “inner knowing.”
“The times when things worked out best were when I followed that sense inside that said, this is for me,” she explained. “It’s not about positive thinking or trying to talk something into being. It’s about paying attention to what feels right and going with it.”
That same inner compass guided her through a breast cancer diagnosis, which was one of the biggest challenges of her life.
Choosing a natural path to healing
When doctors recommended chemotherapy and radiation, Barbara refused.
“I asked my surgeon, ‘Why would you want to poison my body before surgery?’” she said. “She was surprised, but agreed to just remove the tumor. After that, I focused completely on healing through food and lifestyle.”
Barbara adopted a whole-food, plant-based diet, following advice from authors such as T. Colin Campbell and cancer survivor Chris Wark. She eliminated animal products, processed foods, refined sugar and unhealthy fats, then focused on eating organic foods whenever possible.
“I thought I was eating healthy before,” she said. “But, when I started reading labels, I was shocked. Sugar was in everything, even mustard.”
The results spoke for themselves. When Barbara finally agreed to a PET scan, doctors found no evidence of cancer anywhere in her body.
“The oncologist said, ‘You are very blessed,’” Barbara recalled. “And I told him, ‘Yes, and I worked hard at it, too.’”
The experience inspired her to become a certified plant-based health coach through the Food Revolution Network, led by John and Ocean Robbins. She now teaches others how to improve their health naturally.
Living with gratitude in her 80s
Now in her mid-80s, Barbara continues to live with passion and purpose. She still runs her Shaklee business, mentors others about plant-based living and spends cherished time with her grandson.
“I was planning to go back on the road, but then I realized I’d miss seeing him grow up,” she said. “I got a condo near my family so I could be part of his life. It’s been wonderful.”
Every morning, Barbara begins her day by reading a small sign on her bedroom wall. It notes, “Start each day with a grateful heart.”
“That says it all for me,” she said. “I feel grateful for everything including the people I’ve met, the places I’ve seen and the good health I’ve enjoyed. Life is still an adventure.”
Barbara’s life offers several lessons for anyone considering a new direction later in life:
Advice for others after turning 50
- Listen to your intuition. “That inner knowing will never lead you wrong,” she said.
- Be willing to start fresh. “You can begin at any age if you’re open to learning.”
- Live simply. “Freedom comes when you let go of things you don’t need.”
- Serve others. “Giving your time and energy makes life meaningful.”
- Be grateful. “No matter what happens, gratitude changes everything.”
A life of contribution
When Barbara looks back, she doesn’t measure her life in possessions or titles. She measures it by the people she’s helped and the experiences she’s had.
“I feel grateful every single day,” she said. “If I had done anything differently, it would be to pay even more attention to that inner voice. When I followed it, everything worked out beautifully.”
Her story is a vivid reminder that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself, live simply and fill your days with purpose.
For more information
People can connect with Barbara by email at balpher.532 @ gmail.com. They can also connect via her Shaklee distributor site at us.shaklee.com/en_US/barbaraalpher.
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