One of the Best Investments You Can Make

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I hope this finds you well.

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To say I enjoy time outside of New York City is an understatement.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate and am grateful for living in and working in the “city that never sleeps.”

But, I try to escape as often as possible, especially on the weekends.

I am considering purchasing an RV to enhance my weekend escapes (and cross-country road trips).

How did this consideration come about?

Here’s the interesting two-part story:

A few years ago, I spent the weekend camping in the snow.

Unfortunately, I awoke to a blizzard on my last day.

When I realized it was snowing, I smiled and was about to fall back asleep when it hit me, “I am off-grid without any cell signal.”

My plan to sleep in was utterly destroyed. I was in the middle of nowhere, and if I could not drive out of that excellent camping spot, I would be SOL without a cell signal. I decided to get up and pack it all in.

Despite the blizzard (and the inability to sleep in), it was one of my favorite weekend escapes.

I returned from that weekend completely refreshed.

The one negative about that weekend was that my camping gear was wet from the snow.

I can’t store wet camping gear because of mold and mildew.

So, when I arrived home, I had to open my tent in the living room of my tiny Brooklyn apartment and transform the bathroom into a drying area for the rest of my gear.

It’s a bit of an inconvenience.

This is why, if there’s any chance of precipitation in any area I like to camp in, I tend to play it safe and not go.

I missed out on a few weekend escapes because of rain and snow.

Now, hold that thought as I transition to the second part:

One of our goals is to buy real estate within New York City.

But NYC real estate is incredibly expensive.

To add insult to injury, real estate outside of the city is just as expensive as it is within.

So, what’s the solution?

We could consider buying real estate somewhere 2 - 3 hours outside the city for weekend escapes.

However, whether we decide to buy a place for ~$150,000 or a fixer-upper for $70,000 and then invest another $80,000 to renovate, we will have a mortgage in place that funnels money away from the true goal of buying real estate within NYC.

So, an RV would be the next best thing to address both of these concerns.

I can get away on the weekends as often as possible without worrying about rain or snow for a fraction of the cost of a house.

And, because we take cross-country road trips every year, an RV is the perfect investment, especially when we are off-grid in Utah or Wyoming.

I believe I found the perfect RV: small enough to be towed comfortably by my beast, completely off-grid capable with solar panels to power all its appliances, and off-road capable.

The best part is that the RV comes with a 7-year tip-to-tail warranty.

I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I checked out the model I am interested in and it is a bit smaller than I anticipated.

But, I can stand up inside and I won’t have to go outside to use the bathroom like tent camping (and I could avoid what happened to me in the Pacific Northwest when I came face-to-face with a strange beast. A story for perhaps another article).

Now, the financial angle: is buying an RV a good investment?

Logically speaking, it’s not, and I’ll be the first to admit it.

It’s a depreciable asset with additional costs, e.g., insurance, storage, etc.

But, one thing I’m adamant about is that one of the best investments you can make is an investment in life experiences.

Those are the words I live by and why I go camping on weekends, take cross-country road trips, and spend my summers in Europe.

And if buying an RV allows me to achieve my dream of spending two weeks in one of my favorite places on the planet: the Valley of the Gods, Utah, I won’t think twice about it.

I’ll keep you posted.

Until next time, I encourage you to plan a trip somewhere you’ve never been.

Go to that dream destination you’ve been wanting to go to (and can reasonably afford to travel to).

Go for a month or, better yet, go for 6 months.

I promise you: the memories you’ll make will be completely worth it.

Interesting reads:

Speaking of Utah, the happiest state in the U.S. 

Connecting with nature is important for your mental health, no matter where you live.

You can find the collection of my favorite financial tools & resources by clicking here.

Thanks for reading!

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