"Tis A Gift To Be Simple

I was reminded today of the deep longing that many of us have for simplicity in the midst of our ever more complex and rushed lives. Why is it that so many retirees spend a lot of their time traveling in RV's? I used to own a large 5th wheel trailer. It was 37 feet long and with all three slide outs it was just shy of 400 square feet. Now mind you, this was "street legal" so it was only 8 feet wide.....think about it the next time you see a motorhome or trailer on the road.
Many people become "full timers" and sell their homes and most of their possessions for the pleasure of living in a home on wheel that they can take with them wherever the feel they want to live at the moment. They can go where they want and never leave home. The average motorhome or travel trailer, even for a full timer, tends to be 8 feet wide and 28 to 30 feet long. With multiple slide outs the square footage can get up to between 300 to 350 square feet. The largest one are 40 feet long. That is still going to keep you at 400 square feet or less. If you have ever looked closely at these vehicles, you know that have great design and an amazing amont of storage for their size...but it is still very limited.
While one may be skeptical about the fuel required to move them from place to place, you have to admit that once there, they are very efficient. Many fulltimers only move two or three times a year anyway, prefering to stay in one place for several months and explore the area by car or to work so they can travel to a spot they want to be able to go to and NOT work.
In comparison to most homes, they are very small. Second, since many use propane and have their own generators, their useres tend to be frugal. If you look closely, you will see that some have solar panels.
My question is how we translate this ethos into homes that are NOT mobile? Check out the link to NPR's All Things Considered for some interesting thoughts and examples of really small homes!