While there are many popular companies that advertise houseboats, there doesn’t seem to be such a huge push for barges. While they are available for sale, they are mostly found on realty sites like Zillow, or combined with houseboat sales like on the Houseboats and Barges website.
Barges are a good idea for those who want to travel but want to do so slowly, and have a long stretch of locks, canals, rivers, and the like on which to travel. You can also anchor them somewhere warm during the cooler months and then hightail it to somewhere nice and cool once the hot weather hits. There’s a lot more to do aboard a barge because of the navigation required, but if you’re interested in slowing life down and taking a breath, it might be the best option for you.
Along with the barge, it is probably a good idea to consider what you’ll be hauling it with, or where it will be anchored. If you’re wanting to move overseas with it (to Europe, for example), you’ll need to be sure that you are following all the rules and regulations of the country in which you’ll be residing, and that you have all the proper paperwork. Some countries are more lax than others, so if you need help navigating, hiring someone who can walk you through the ins and outs is worth its weight in gold.