One Year Try

Pepperoni wrote:
If you just want to travel and visit old friends, fly and use rental cars for sightseeing. You will avoid thousands of miles of tedious and expensive driving.
RVing is not for everyone. RVing alone is for those who are comfortable in their own company; another rarity.

Used has reliability unknowns as a real and constant risk.

I don't want to just "travel", as the problem is, I always end up having to come back before I am ready due to the costs.

I didn't think I was being negative, just emphasizing my worries :)

My last trip to California, even using Priceline some, in one month I spent $3,000 on motels, $1000 on eating out, and $1,300 on a car rental, $300 round trip airfare, plus gas for the rental to get around.

I spent $6000 for one month of travel... Even if I could do it 20% cheaper, over 12 months that would be $60,000, not to mention that I would have to take the entire trip all at once, because I am still paying $2500 to $3000 living expenses in Texas. Hence, if I did the 3-month motel thing, then I would have to keep my residence, so add another $2000 month.

So a 3-month trip at motels would cost me $21,000 staying in motels and renting a car.

There is no way that a used SUV is going to depreciate that much over 15,000 miles of driving in one year (maybe $3000), and as far as the travel trailer, well if I get into a decent used one under $20,000, then doubt that would depreciate more than 20% unless something bad happens to it.

15,000 miles of Gas at 10mpg is only about $6000, and that covers my entire year. I might not even drive that much. 20% of that gas cost is there regardless, or at the very least some airfare costs and car rentals will exceed that anyhow.

I've seen plenty of people happy that bought used in here when they did it correctly. Though I suppose there are some new travel trailers that are in my budget anyhow.