TOP

Why we are Downsizing

We have gotten floods of emails, comments and questions as to why we are selling Windy and why we are downsizing.  We have 2 reasons.  One is a personal challenge and the other is sharing the experience of buying a coach.

1.  As Americans and especially as Texans we have come from a world where more is more and we want to get to a place where less is more.  Sure our 32ft coach isn’t huge but it is still more storage than we really truly need which means we carry around more than we need.  We have challenged ourselves to live in and with what we really truly need.  Also, we want to eventually travel beyond the U.S.A. and to do that we are going to need to start downsizing now.  We have some other interesting ways we want to travel and those ways won’t allow for excess.  Let’s just say we won’t be backpacking but we will be exploring the world like its 1492!

2.  We get so many questions from newbie’s wanting to start RV’ing and need help through the process.  We figure going through the process, writing helpful articles and creating videos along the way will provide the best information.  The process can be overwhelming and we hope that by bringing you along for the journey you will be armed with knowledge bombs waiting to be dropped on that sharky salesman.

So what will be our next home on the road you ask…we don’t know 100%.  We are still shopping around and weighing our options.  The new home will not be a travel trailer but it will be something under 30ft (hopefully around 25ish).  We don’t have a truck to pull a trailer and we don’t want to purchase one right now.

If you still have questions and want to know more, post a comment below and we will fill you in on as much as you want to know.

Famous for my "how-not-to" videos, and typically the man behind the camera, sometimes I’m forced to be here in the “spotlight”. When you see my face you’re probably reading something more technical than adventurous, but either way I do my best to tell it like it is and infuse my opinions into the commentary…after all this is a blog and not MSN.

Comments (18)

  • Kristin

    Your blog is great! Did you guys bring your two cats to motorhome Europe? Where did you keep the litter box?

    reply
  • dannydiprima

    so enjoy your information . we are going to be first time buyers of a rv. we are retirement age. in great health. selling our home. two adults and two bernese mountain dogs. going to live in it next to our business. we need any help or direction you can spare!!!! hoping to hear from you.

    reply
  • Carey Jacobs

    If you had a truck would you consider a travel trailer and if so what kind of TT?

    reply
    • we don’t spend a lot of time looking at travel trailers so I don’t really know what my favorites would be. If I didn’t mind (or liked) driving a truck I would definitely consider a trailer. There isn’t anything bad about trailers and they are a great option, just not for us. We would rather have our small car for everyday driving.

      reply
  • Bill Jones

    Given your desire to live off grid, travel internationally and like well designed, well built campers, have you looked at the http://www.tonkecampers.nl/us/travel? Specifically the field sleeper international? It is designed to even run an air conditioner some off grid and will fit in a shipping container. Also has a great looking interior. I haven’t seen one personally yet but being a sailor looking for an RV, they are the only company I have run across that seems to be built with a similar quality and stye as well built boats which is why I am considering them. Unfortunately they are priced like boats as well.

    Thanks for the videos and blog posts on your adventures and what you have learned along the way!

    reply
  • Lindalee

    We love the Serenity and Dean from Leisure Travel. My question is is another car (especially with a smaller RV) something you could live without? We keep going back and forth! Thanks!

    reply
    • We still think a car is a good idea. there are some cities you wont want to drive your home around.

      reply
  • Kelly

    We, too, are Texans and like to go off the beaten path. We’ve been driving our ’96 Rialta for a couple of years now and enjoy all the things Meg mentioned, but have the same storage issues, and more importantly, aren’t wild about the indoor bathroom (it ends up being more of a storage compartment than anything else).

    Our current dilemma, as we consider upgrading but staying small, is on-location side trips. We often wish we could have a second vehicle that we could use to get around once we get where we’re going. Tried renting a second vehicle once, but the cost was prohibitive.

    We’ve thought about going truck and trailer mode, but our three Bernese mountain dogs would be cramped in the truck cab and we’re not willing to leave them in the trailer.

    Have you come up with any good options in this regard? The Rialta isn’t powerful enough to tow a second vehicle. Did any of your small choices have enough oomph to tow, say, a SmartCar?

    reply
    • Hey Kelly, sounds like you are definitely ready for a little more space. All of the options we looked at were all capable of towing the smart car! That was one of our top priorities when looking. We couldn’t imagine not having our little car for running around town and exploring.

      reply
  • Meg

    We have a rialta, it’s compact , gets great mileage but not great storage. We’ve been thinking of something larger. Do you have any ballpark number for windy?
    It’s hard to give up the 22mpg with the rialta…

    reply
  • Lori Gill

    Have you thought about an earth cruiser? It would be a great option if you wanted to do more off the grid/outback camping.

    reply
  • Conor

    look into the winnebago via yet? it’s a small class A with superb gas mileage from a benz 3.0l diesel. talking: up to 20 mpg! and they can easily tow a smartcar still. goodluck!

    reply
  • Gavin in Indy (from Cork)

    Setting sail on the high seas! The 1492 comment was a dead giveaway … but you knew that already; ) A friend of mine has sailed around Ireland. He loved it. I know of others that sail around the Caribbean and Mediterranean full time (obscure, high demand professions allow them to do that). I will also be very curious to see how you get on with that.

    Coming from living in Ireland, where there are very few motorhomes at all, let alone any large ones, to seeing all of huge motorhomes here in the US was an eye-opener. Still, I love looking at, and reading about, them. I don’t regard the likes of your Monaco as huge anymore!! Best of luck in your downsizing and in your adventures.

    reply
  • We picked up an LTV IB in June from the factory in Winkler, BC. Would be happy to share any info with you or answer any questions.

    Best,
    Kimo & Christy
    Portland OR

    reply
    • Thanks Kimo & Christy! We do love them but I think we are going with a different coach, we were a little worried about fitting everything in the LTV…even though its our favorite as far as style goes! If we start leaning that direction again, I might pick your brains a bit.

      reply

Post a Comment