Home on the Road
By O'Kennedy
@OKennedy (1130)
United States
June 5, 2016 11:25am CST
I want to travel but I also want to have a home to call my own. However I am not able to have both I can only have one or the other. I have the option to buy a new place but if I do so that means that I will not be able to travel.
I firstly won't be able to afford to travel if I take on a brand new place with lots of space. Also if I buy a new place I won't be able to afford getting a new car. So I have to decide which of the two I either want or need more.
If I get a new car then I can travel but I am stuck where I am at and in all honesty its okay but not what I want for the long run. Taking on car payments with insurance and all the other lovely fees leaves us broke not being able to afford to travel anywhere unless its local.
Then that leaves the choice of staying put not getting a car and just travel but that causes equal expenses and it is only something that we would be able to do maybe once each year mainly during the summer when the kids are on vacation.
So I was thinking and wondering how I could make a choice that would suit my wants, needs, budget and make us all fairly happy. I know everyone happy isn't possible. I thought that the best way to achieve that was to simply buy a used RV and take it on the road.
This way we have a home, we have a vehicle and we get to travel. I see that as a win-win whos is with me on this? I am not really seeing much of a downside to doing this.
I can make payments while we are on the road because all of my income is direct deposit. We can pick and choose where we want to go and see the whole country. The kids won't have the chance to make many friends because we won't stay put they will be home schooled but its something that not many people get a chance to do in their lifetime.
So I was wanting the opinions of anyone who reads this. Pro's, Con's, ideas ,suggestions anything. Hey if you think it is totally insane that is welcomed as well.
4 people like this
3 responses
@FourWalls (62161)
• United States
5 Jun 16
I think the biggest con to it is the fact that you're talking about less than 300 square feet for a family to live in all the time. I've seriously considered doing this, but I'm single with no kids to worry about. I don't know if full-time life on the road would be advantageous for a family.
The other big "con" is that when something goes wrong with the "vehicle" part you've in essence lost your home until it's repaired. Unlike a car, where there are repair shops on every corner and easy access to roadside assistance (with things like AAA), an RV tow isn't something that everyone has sitting around the repair shop. While Good Sam (the AAA of RVs) does cover towing, in many cases you'd have to be towed much further than you would for a car repair. And, as I said, you're "homeless" (stuck in a hotel room) until it's fixed.
But yeah, it does sound like a good idea, and I've definitely thought of getting a van and converting it to my own little RV and going to the Smokies for three months at a time!
Good luck in your decision.
2 people like this
@OKennedy (1130)
• United States
5 Jun 16
Thanks for the input. I was thinking we would go from state to state. Visit everyone we know and the few states in between where we don't have friends or family just get a hotel from time to time to breathe I guess.
I will have to really give this some more thought and see what everyone wants and feel it out I guess we can start off small visiting neighboring states first and then venture out further in the future.
I guess a part of me wants to break away from the everyday things same old same old. I feel like I am going nowhere and doing nothing and it makes me a little nuts.
2 people like this
@OKennedy (1130)
• United States
6 Jun 16
Thank you I am conflicted all I do know for sure is that I am going crazy because no matter what I choose I will not be completely happy. If I travel we have to stop from time to time friends and family and hotels. Which doesn't bother me much but I am thinking that when we go visit certain people the kids won't want to leave. They have told me a few places they want to go Disney World, Grand Canyon, Great Lakes. This makes me want to be a kid when life was simple you don't know better and you just want.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325815)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Jun 16
If I had my time over again I would be doing what you're suggesting. We're in our late 60s. Last year we went to Ireland, bought a used motor-home and travelled for five months - Ireland France Germany Austria England. We couldn't have afforded to do it using B&Bs or hotels. We had our accommodation, could cook for ourselves if we wanted to, coffee was cheap as chips making our own and we free-camped quite a bit. The experience will be marvellous for the kids too. Go for it! 
1 person likes this
@OKennedy (1130)
• United States
9 Jun 16
That is really great Thanks for the share. I know I will need to save some money up so it won't be anytime in this year but maybe over the next few and I hope that it is a great experience for them. I want to do a small trial for the summer first and see how it goes and how everyone feels and then go from there.
1 person likes this
