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To RV or Not To RV
September 20th, 2008 | Stephen Bailey
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The idea of RV living has become more symbolic for me than anything. I don't actually have to live on the move. As far as I know, I'm not being chased by any law enforcement agents or seedy underworld characters. Although that would make this a more interesting story. Forgive me if from time to time I sprinkle a few liberties into the mix for excitement.
OK, I won't actually be doing that.
Hopefully the true tale of a guy in his forties, uprooting himself for the purpose of the betterment of life will be exciting enough. I will however leave the option of fiction open, just in case.
In order to do this right, I have to plan. And plan a lot. People think I'm a good planner because I'm so comfortable doing it for others. Actually, I'm a very poor planner when it comes to my own life. I am, however, a fantastic procrastinator.
If done correctly, the latter can easily be mistaken for the former. This is of course not a good thing. I will now begin a journey to try and differentiate the two and — if all goes as planned — eliminate the latter all together.
Planning – Step 1: A Home Base
When the idea of RV Living first came to me, it was meant in the truest sense. Like Matthew McConaughey before me, I would actually live out of a Class A rig. Full time. Always on the move. But for me, cruising down the road would only account for a fraction of my time spent in the vehicle.
The bulk would involve settling down for a spell somewhere, finding work (probably at a local campground), getting to know the locals, fishing for literary fodder and then moving on to the next place. This would last for a minimum of two or three years. At the time, I felt it was the only way to really benefit from life on the road.
It soon dawned on me that this can be a very lonely existence. constantly moving around, alone with no place to really call home. I was raised to have a home. It never had to be a mansion or anything of such grandeur, but it had to be stable.
A small apartment or studio would suffice (and has many times before). It had to be a place where mail can be sent and family can be easily reached for holidays or some such gathering.
So a new thought; find a small place to call my home base here in New Jersey. Preferably with ample parking for the RV, of course. Yes I realize that all but excludes Hoboken from the mix, but I'm hopeful.
From there I will take my extended journeys to who knows where, always having a place to call home. I'm debating all of the possibilities in my head. It is very possible that my original nomadic plan of action will turn out to be the right choice, but right now the idea of a home base is winning in the polls.
Planning – Step 2: Which RV to Get?
The answer to which type of RV to get depends on the type of journey I decide to take. If, as I suspect will be the case, I take the home base with extended journeys mix, then my choice is a bit more narrowed down.
I would not need such a large vehicle as a Class 'A' tour bus or a giant towed monster. A Class 'B' would suit my needs just fine. I'm leaning towards the Roadtrek line which are essentially comfy RV's fitted neatly into the bodies of full-sized vans.
Street legal (meaning no parking restrictions), easy to handle and (relatively speaking) fuel efficient. Since I have only seen these things in flickering images on the web, my real next step will be to take a tour in person. I have to remember that a great deal of time will be spent in a very small space.
Planning – Step 3: Income
The ideal situation for me would be to keep my current position as a web producer for a major publishing company based in NYC. The trick is to convince them that I don't actually need to be in NYC to do my job. Even in this day and age, convincing traditional publishing that the office-space concept of employment is outdated can be quite difficult.
With a satellite hookup, ever increasing Wi-Fi access and cellular improvements, I really could do my job from anywhere. If however they do not agree to this, my options for income may be lessened, but not gone.
I could, for example work at the various campgrounds run by KOA. And as much as I cringe to think this, I could get back into the dreaded world of freelance design and production. The ultimate hope is the story itself will lead to more opportunities.
So, there we have it for now. I have a lot to think about with just these three points. This is not going to happen over night since many more questions will inevitably be raised thru the course of planning. If nothing else, that fact is something I am sure of.
Related Topics: career, life, rv, travel
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Stephen Bailey | Comments Off
To RV or Not To RV
(via Facebook, MySpace, Digg, email and more)
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