Okay, maybe touring the country in an RV is not the best way to live. Wait – let me rephrase that… maybe LIVING in an RV and touring the country is not the best way to live. That said, my new plan still entails the addition of an RV. The big difference is in the size (and cost) of the RV in question.
Originally, I was looking at a Class A motorhome (left) with room for full-time living… basically a house on wheels. The new plan calls for a much smaller RV with room to live for a few days on end without going stir crazy. The new plan also calls for a place in the country. This has been the great debate (in my head) over what I really wanted. I’ve always wanted to get back to the country with a nice secluded peaceful refuge. That has constantly clashed with my desire to travel (ala the motorhome.) Not being made of gold – I could not see how to pull of both. But, being well versed in how to live inexpensively, the new plan could include both – sort of…

I had intended to sell my house (~$120K) and buy a big muckin’ motorhome (~$150K.) Now, the plan is to buy a smaller RV (~$35K) AND buy a place in the country (~$120K.) The cool thing is that $120K can go really far in the country.

I am sure that to many, this whole plan still sounds a bit crazy. I mean, I make my money in the city – how can I survive? True, my income is derived from the city, but the fact is that I do the majority of my work from my home and really only need the “city” a couple times a week. If my country place is within a couple hours of Houston, I can still perform all my city stuff. I know of many people who make that commute every single day. I can even schedule things to fit into one or two days a week, thus allowing me to better use my time. Another bonus is that depending on which direction, I go from Houston, it could actually open up new markets that are just as close. Austin, San Antonio, Dallas etc. come to mind.
Here is the interior of the smaller RV… still pretty damn spacious.

I have even narrowed down the area of Texas that I would like for my country home. The blue is the acceptable range – this would still allow the mobility required to reach the major cities. The purple is the preferred area. This centralized location would give me rather quick access to Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Victoria (family.) That means that I can expand business to cover two more large cities, commute to see my family quicker, and most importantly get the hell out of the city .

This give me a very wide range of areas from which to choose. I am determined to be outside of the city even if it is a small city such as Brenham, LaGrange or the like. I want a place where I can go mountain biking on my own property – a place where my dogs can run – a place to sit on the porch and relax. Right now, it doesn’t look like it will happen anytime real soon, but it is a goal and with a goal, I can make and measure progress.