Uncle Traveling Matt

The Great Escape

For almost two years now I have been planning my escape. Planning on moving to Nebraska, or the Caribbean,  or anywhere. I want to live a more uninhibited lifestyle that allows me to enjoy life and hopefully make friends and (possibly) find a husband in the process.

Charlotte is big. It can take 30 minutes to get across town and that is if there is no traffic. There is always traffic. With traffic and big industry comes smog. When it is hot and you look towards the sky scrapers you see that they appear hazy. Ahhh....smog. I am breathing that in. There is a lot to do in Charlotte.  Most things cost a decent amount and the things that don't aren't well advertised hence the low cost. I have lived beside the same neighbors for 10 years now and don't even know their names. 

I work 40 hours a week. I come home, cook dinner, and watch TV.  On weekends I might venture to a park or the Farmer's Market but I honestly don't do much. Life is bland and I work hard to maintain that bland life.

Longmire

I love the show Longmire.  It is set in Wyoming in a little small town that doesn't even have a stop light. Everybody knows everybody and the landscape is beautiful. This interested me. I began collecting visitors guides from the area and started researching.

Editors note: One of the quirky things about me is that I often listen to my gut. I get "feelings" about people, places, things,  and situations that are very rarely wrong. If I allowed my gut to overrule what others say,  I would be much happier.  I am also big into research.  The Web has made it so easy with just a few keystrokes. Everything is out there. You just have to learn to tell the fact from the fluff.

First I fell in love with Montanna. It is absolutely breathtaking!  But it is also cold, has a nonexistent job market and a super high cost of living. Next!

I looked at Wyoming.  It is home to part of Yellowstone.  And that sums up what really attracted me to it.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I looked at one picture of Nebraska and I felt electricity run through me. So the research began.

Nebraska

Nebraska has a decent job market. I also checked and found that my current employer has a big plant in one of the smaller towns. The town of Scottsbluff has about 15,000 residents, a low cost of living, many parks in close proximity,  shopping areas, and many chain restaurants I am familiar with. Crime is relatively low and most is vandalism (that seems to be the theme of smaller towns but it beats the violent crime rates of Charlotte). The arts scene is far more limited and may only include whatever performance the local high school is putting on but it's not like I spend all my time in the theatre now.

House Hunters

I love House Hunters and House Hunters International.  I enjoy seeing how other people live, common expectations,  realities of real estate, and what drives people's decisions in house buying.

House Hunters is based in the USA. I often say that I don't think like others and I belive that this show proves it. Lots of square footage, huge master suites with giant bathrooms and fully updated kitchens. The bigger your house is the more you have to clean. I think I could be happy with about 500sf. Most apartments are bigger than that. What's with the huge bedrooms and bathrooms? Other than sleep and, if your lucky, sex, how much time do you spend in your bedroom? I get wanting a double sink of your significant other gets ready at the same time you do every day. My ex's master bath was bigger than the two guest bedrooms. Ridiculous.  I would love an updated kitchen. I like to cook so it would be functional. 

House Hunters International is everywhere but here. Most other cultures appreciate smaller dwellings. They don't appear to be as materialistic.  I belive I could thrive in an area that A) speaks English B) has a more laid back atmosphere C) does not have a high cost of living and D) is in close proximity to groceries, restaurants,  and a park, lake or beach. I have no idea where this ideal location is so the research is ongoing.

To work in search of life

I have come to a decision.  Although I don't have a clue where I want to settle down, I do know that I don't want to just sit here anymore. I work too hard to have nothing to show for it. So I have come up with a plan.

The Great Master Plan

Pay off credit cards. This is easier said than done. I curretnly owe about $7,000. I don't have a lot of money left after the bills are paid and my cat's diabetes has put me $1000 in the hole. Not to mention his ongoing treatments. So the key here will be to cut expenses. I am going to write up a budget that is doable and stick to it.

Wait for my children to move on. My daughter is currently 20 and in no way ready to support herself. I am trying to push her to get that way. I have three animals that are my babies. The cats are 12 1/2 and 10 and the dog is 7 1/2. I have no desire to get rid of them. But as they are all relatively old, they will be passing on in the next few years. That will save me some expense (especially with the diabetic) but also free me up to not have to worry about finding pet friendly places. It also affords me time to do lots of reaearch, pay off those credit cards, and get things in order.

Find a job that allows me to explore new places while living relatively cheap. Research only gets you so far. You have to experience a place.  Cruise ships and resorts are great ways to do this as your room and board is often free. Many national parks also offer discounted prices to workers in the park. I have also found websites that can help find jobs abroad that cover most or all expenses. Again, research here will be crucial!

Getting the Support You Need

You tell your friends and family your ideas and they try to talk you out of it. They try to convince you that staying in a place you hate is the best thing for you.

I have had people try to talk me into moving to places I have no desire going just because they think that would be best. Well maybe it would be best for them. You go live your dream and I will live mine.

I am amazed at how selfish my own family is. Not just no support,  but negative support. I suppose part of it is because they will miss me but I believe a majority of it is fear of the unknown. To them I say...get over it. If you want me to find the happiness I deserve allow me to go. I may find that happiness was here all along and I just couldn't see it but without me taking the plunge I will never know.

Uncle Traveling Matt

Most kids who grew up in the 80's will recognize the reference.  Uncle Traveling Matt was a character on Fraggle Rock. He would travel around the world and send postcards to his nephew telling of his adventures. He saw far off places through the eyes of a Fraggle.  It's was educational and amusing.