What’s Next? Here are the Options

In my last blog post, I talked about experiencing an increasing sense of travel fatigue and a growing desire to bring more stability into my life – at least temporarily. If you missed it, you can read it here.

The good news is, I have options. From the very beginning, it was always important to me that living in a van would be a choice, not something I have to do. That’s why I’ve worked hard during the winters, saved up as much as possible, and bought an investment property. Thanks to that, as well as a bit of luck, I can stop living in a van any time I want to.

However, there are a few challenges.

The biggest one: I just don’t know where I want to be long-term.

If I knew where I wanted to live, I probably would just buy a small house or land and be done with it. But, I just can’t make up my mind. There are SOOOO many beautiful parts of New Zealand, and they all have their pros and cons.

The other challenge is that, while I can afford to settle down when I want to, I’m certainly no millionaire. Most of the options I’m considering require a significant investment, which would mean a mortgage or loan. Over the last four years, I’ve needed very little money, and I’ve gotten used to that. It’s very liberating not to have to worry much about money. The idea of that changing, for example, because I have to cover mortgage or loan payments, scares me a bit.

Work is also a consideration. I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve been able to find remote work for the last four years. However, that luck could run out. I’m pretty confident that I will find a job when I need it – but it might not always be one that can be done remotely. So, if I settle down, I should probably base myself somewhere that is commuting distance from a bigger city.

And last but not least, there are too many good options. I can’t decide which one is best. For the last few months, I’ve circled through these on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis changing my plans all the time.

So, I figured maybe writing about it will help me figure it out. And maybe sharing it with all of you will give me ideas and suggestions I haven’t considered yet. :)

What am I looking for?

I want more stability, less change and less need to make so many small decisions every day. However, I also want to keep a certain level of flexibility and freedom and still have the opportunity to travel when I want to. I don’t want to be burdened with a massive mortgage. I love that I can be picky about what work I do and that I don’t have to worry if work is slow for a while. I don’t want to give that up.
I want more space. A permanent bed, a work area, a kitchen with an oven, and ideally, a shower that I can stand upright under (and where I don’t have to worry about running out of water). However, I still want a home that’s low maintenance and cosy. I can’t see myself living in a big traditional home (I certainly can’t see myself enjoying cleaning and maintaining it).
I want peace and quiet! This is super important to me. And yes, I know it makes me sound like a grumpy old lady, but what can you do. I want to know that I have somewhere to get away from it all. Somewhere I know will be quiet and peaceful. However, I also want to be close to a community. Somewhere that has a café or two, maybe a library, opportunities to get involved with community activities, etc.
If I settle somewhere permanently, it would have to be a place where I can do my favourite activities: kitesurfing, paddleboarding, hiking, cycling, etc. Ideally, I also want to be close(ish) to friends, most of which are around the top half of the North Island.

Yes, I know it sounds like I’m searching for a unicorn. But, I am willing to make compromises.

So, here are the five options I’m currently considering.

1. Full-time housesitting

One option would be to become a full-time housesitter. This would most likely only be a mid-term solution. However, with the borders opening up now and people hungry to travel, there will probably be lots of demand and options for longer sits (6 weeks+).

Pros:

Great way to ‘live’ in different parts of the country, which might help me figure out where I want to be long-term.
It would mean more space without the hassle of owning a property.
While I would still have to move ever so often, it would mean more stability than what I have now (especially if I find long-term sits).
Great way to save money!
I love pets, and housesitting usually comes with some.

Cons:

Really only a mid-term solution. I would probably get tired of not having my own home after a while.
Relies on getting housesitting gigs which can be risky. All it takes is another pandemic…
As much as I love pets, they are also a responsibility. I wouldn’t be able to go away spontaneously and would have to plan my days around the pets.

2. Swap the van for a caravan

I have thought about selling the van and getting a caravan instead and slowing down my travels. I could spend weeks or even months in one spot before moving on.

Pros:

If I get a big enough caravan, it would give me the space and designated areas in a home that I want.
By staying in one spot much longer (several weeks), I would get more stability.
It would be a great way to ‘trial’ living in different parts of New Zealand without committing permanently.
Having a separate car would give me more flexibility. I could leave the caravan parked up and get around by car.
It would be easy to travel when I want to.
While I would have to sort some kind of financing to buy the type of caravan I would want, I could have that paid off fairly quickly.

Cons:

I would still be living in ‘public spaces’ (most likely campgrounds a lot of the time), which means there is no guarantee for peace and quiet (quite the opposite, actually). Though I could try and find private properties to park up on long-term.
I struggle to find a caravan I like. Somehow, they don’t seem to fit my style. They seem too modern and lacking character.
It takes me a long time to warm up to people and places, so I’m not sure how much more stability being in one place for several weeks would give me.
To get the space I want, it would have to be a decent size caravan, and I’m not sure how I feel about towing it.
I’m not sure if it would be enough stability and certainty for me right now as I still wouldn’t have my own space.

3. Buy a ‘traditional’ house

I could buy a fairly traditional house. It would be a small one and somewhere fairly remote with some land around it.

Pros:

I would have my own space with lots of peace and quiet (assuming I’m far enough away from neighbours).
I would have all the space I need.
It would probably be the smartest financial move in the long term. Out of all the options I’m considering, this is the one likely to go up in value over time (or at least not lose significant value)
Lots of stability and certainty (as long as I can pay the mortgage…).

Cons:

I would have a significant mortgage which would change everything for me. I would have to work more and would most likely worry a lot more about finding enough work. It would be so easy to get stuck in the rate-race again.
For the above reason, I would probably have to consider work opportunities when I pick the location. I can’t rely on always having enough remote work to cover much higher living expenses. So I would have to be prepared to spend time in one of the bigger cities – which is the opposite of what I want.
Houses, especially the remote property with a bit of land I want, are a lot of work. I would either have to do the work myself or pay someone to do it (which means more financial pressure).
It would be a significant commitment to one part of NZ. Yes, I could sell the house or rent it out and move somewhere else, but it would be a much bigger deal than simply moving a caravan or finding a housesitting job in another part of NZ.

4. A Tiny House

What’s the compromise between a caravan and a ‘traditional’ house? A tiny house! I’ve become quite involved in the tiny house space in New Zealand over the last few years. I know several people living in one and loving it. I’ve become friends with some builders and have generally learned a lot about tiny house living. This is definitely an option I’m considering. And, I could keep the van and still travel when I feel like it.

Pros:

I LOVE tiny houses! They are so beautiful and cleverly designed and built. I love how they are pieces of art in a way. Out of all the options, this one excites me the most. When I picture myself living in a tiny house, it just feels right.
I would lease land initially, but it would be a long-term lease, meaning I would get the stability I crave (without the burden of maintaining land myself). However, there is the option to move the tiny if I wanted to (it’s not cheap to move the kind of tiny I would want, but it’s possible). So if I change my mind about where I want to live, I could take my home with you.
It’s possible to design a tiny house for off-grid living, which means I could live on remote land.
Unlike a caravan, tiny houses are designed for full-time living. They usually have full-sized showers and kitchens, bedrooms separate from the lounge, lots of storage and more.
If I get a tiny, I would go for one that can be consented as a building, so if I wanted to, I could eventually buy land and put my tiny house on it as a consented building.
While more expensive than a caravan (depending on the caravan and tiny house, of course), it’s much cheaper than a house, and I could have it fully paid off in a few years. The repayments would certainly be much less than for a house, even if you add the cost of leasing land.

Cons:

I would have to lease land, so in a way, I’m still at the mercy of other people. However, talking to people who live tiny, most found it fairly easy to find a nice spot. And given I’m flexible in terms of location, I would hope it wouldn’t be too hard to find my haven of peace and quiet.
There is still a lot of uncertainty around the rules and regulations regarding tiny houses. There are no set laws around what you can and can’t do. Right now, every council kind of just does their own thing. This is likely to change over the coming years as tiny houses become more popular. Since no one knows yet if/how/when legislation will cover tiny houses, there is a risk of buying one that won’t meet future requirements or needing to remove the tiny from land, based on council request.
I would want a high-quality professional tiny house designed around my needs and style – which won’t be cheap. And no one really knows yet what happens to the value of tiny houses overtime here in New Zealand. It might be worth a lot less in 10-15 years than what I buy it for. However, eventually buying land and putting a consented tiny house on it would address that problem.
While movable, a tiny house is nowhere near as mobile as a caravan. But, I could simply keep the van and use that to travel.
The best tiny house builders in New Zealand have massive wait times right now. Even if I would commit to getting one build tomorrow, it would be mid-late 2023 before I get it.

5. Rent a place

There also is the option of renting a place for a while. It would probably be a short- to mid-term solution while I figure out what I want to do long-term. It would also have to be mostly furnished as I don’t think I would want to buy furniture until I know what I want to do long-term. But, if the right place comes up, I could be an option.

Pros:

I get the stability of my own place without the commitment of buying a house.
I would get more space.
Unlike housesitting, there would be no pets to care for, so I could travel whenever I wanted.
Easy(ish) to move to another part of NZ if I wanted to.
Great way to test living in a certain part of NZ.

Cons:

It would be a high cost without getting much for it in return in the long-run (i.e. I would pay weekly without owning a house/caravan/tiny house at the end).
Could be hard to find a place I like that’s mostly furnished.

Alright, there we go. These are the options I’m considering right now. They each have their pros and cons, and there really is no clear front-runner, yet.

I’m committed to housesitting jobs in Auckland from May to August anyway, and friends have offered me to stay in their tiny house while they travel in September and October – an excellent opportunity to test tiny house living. In other words, I’ve got a bit of time to figure it all out.

I also have to remind myself that I can change my mind again if I want to. If I play my cards right, I won’t be stuck with whatever I decide now for the rest of my life.

Technically, I could give all five options ago at some point over the next 30-40 years!

I would love to hear any feedback or suggestions you have. Did I miss pros or cons? Are there other options you think I should consider? Let me know!!

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Hi, I’m Lisa. I’m a 40-something on a mission to figure out what life has to offer when you don’t want to follow the traditional path around 9-5 work, marriage and mortgages. Follow my journey.