WalkaboutTed
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2016
- Messages
- 910
- Reaction score
- 3
Three years ago, early July of 2016, I decided that the full time mobile life was for me. I've been a lifelong camper and boater and lived on a boat for five years. I had had four vans between the 80s to 2010 in which I did some extensive camping. But, much as I liked the idea of fulltime van/RV living, it didn't quite sit as I was under the impression that as a rule, I needed to PAY for the pleasure of camping, while camping at large/boondocking permanently wasn't something realistically doable. Plus, the idea of giving up sticks & bricks wasn't on my radar. Paying for a home while paying for living on the road wasn't going to work as there isn't enough money for both.
But then, as someone here charmingly put it, I fell down into the rabbit hole of vandwelling, CRVL as my first, primary source of info.
First, though, I had to sell the house and get a van. Little did I realize that getting rid of "stuff" was the first and most difficult part of this journey. Previously, I would jokingly call myself a "Stuff Queen ". I couldn't even get the house on the market without thorough decluttering. Meanwhile, we bought the first van and started converting it as a side project while getting the house on the market. As soon as the van was done, I bailed, leaving Hubby to finish up the house sale. After that, he spent a very long weekend with me in the van and we both realized that living together full time as vandwellers WAS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!
So, I was on my way, Hubby was still working on the house and we had a quandary. We ended up getting him his own van so we could travel together and separately. Throughout our 20+ years together, we would spend months apart from each other each year during vacations and such. So being apart was no big deal.
Things moved really slowly. It was like swimming in molasses. Hubby finally got the house sold December of 2017. Since I had already taken off on my own, and I was going to be alone much of the time, I decided that I needed a dog. So I got a puppy. Now my van wasn't big enough with the dog, so I took my half of the house sale proceeds and bought a trailer. Now we had two vans and a trailer. Crazy and a bit of overkill, but it works. I spend most of my time in New Mexico, he's still a Zonie. I drag the trailer around with me and he lives in his van. Sometimes we go off together and travel in his van (we would kill each other if we traveled in mine). We are very lucky that we're retired with medical insurance.
So now, we look at each other and marvel at how incredibly fun this life is, both separately and together. Neither of us can foresee abandoning this lifestyle for anything except poor health. There are no regrets except that we should have done this earlier. This is just too darn good, I keep wondering when the ax will fall. But I just can't see where that ax is. Maybe it doesn't exist? In the meantime, the freedom to go wherever I want and do whatever I please, whenever I want in the last couple years has been nothing but a dream realized.
Negatives? [size=medium]Many things that a lot of people might have problems with aren't problems for me with my extensive boating and camping history. But initially it was disconcerting and I had a strong sense of unease once I no longer had a home base. That passed after a few months. Getting packages requires forethought. Dealing with shit (the real stuff) is a pain. Trash while boondocking is a hassle-depackaging stuff after buying is necessary. Not having a place to do projects on the vehicles can be problematic. Living without daily (or even weekly) showers has been an adjustment. No cellular or internet access for weeks at a time can be disturbing. No real social milieu isn't the best, but I have my kids. Having to pack up and move my home every 14 days gets old. Loneliness happens, but I was already somewhat of a loner and am an introvert. I have to pay storage fees monthly as I can't make myself get rid of all of my stuff. The biggest issue? Having to return to the lower desert during hot season for my medical care, which is based in both Tucson and Phoenix. There have been workarounds for all the above problems-so far.[/size]
So I guess that I have to say is that it's a horrible life, but someone has to live it, eh? It's better than I had hoped it to be three years ago, when I realized that this lifestyle was possible for me. It won't last forever, but I'm sure enjoying it while it lasts.
Ted
But then, as someone here charmingly put it, I fell down into the rabbit hole of vandwelling, CRVL as my first, primary source of info.
First, though, I had to sell the house and get a van. Little did I realize that getting rid of "stuff" was the first and most difficult part of this journey. Previously, I would jokingly call myself a "Stuff Queen ". I couldn't even get the house on the market without thorough decluttering. Meanwhile, we bought the first van and started converting it as a side project while getting the house on the market. As soon as the van was done, I bailed, leaving Hubby to finish up the house sale. After that, he spent a very long weekend with me in the van and we both realized that living together full time as vandwellers WAS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!
So, I was on my way, Hubby was still working on the house and we had a quandary. We ended up getting him his own van so we could travel together and separately. Throughout our 20+ years together, we would spend months apart from each other each year during vacations and such. So being apart was no big deal.
Things moved really slowly. It was like swimming in molasses. Hubby finally got the house sold December of 2017. Since I had already taken off on my own, and I was going to be alone much of the time, I decided that I needed a dog. So I got a puppy. Now my van wasn't big enough with the dog, so I took my half of the house sale proceeds and bought a trailer. Now we had two vans and a trailer. Crazy and a bit of overkill, but it works. I spend most of my time in New Mexico, he's still a Zonie. I drag the trailer around with me and he lives in his van. Sometimes we go off together and travel in his van (we would kill each other if we traveled in mine). We are very lucky that we're retired with medical insurance.
So now, we look at each other and marvel at how incredibly fun this life is, both separately and together. Neither of us can foresee abandoning this lifestyle for anything except poor health. There are no regrets except that we should have done this earlier. This is just too darn good, I keep wondering when the ax will fall. But I just can't see where that ax is. Maybe it doesn't exist? In the meantime, the freedom to go wherever I want and do whatever I please, whenever I want in the last couple years has been nothing but a dream realized.
Negatives? [size=medium]Many things that a lot of people might have problems with aren't problems for me with my extensive boating and camping history. But initially it was disconcerting and I had a strong sense of unease once I no longer had a home base. That passed after a few months. Getting packages requires forethought. Dealing with shit (the real stuff) is a pain. Trash while boondocking is a hassle-depackaging stuff after buying is necessary. Not having a place to do projects on the vehicles can be problematic. Living without daily (or even weekly) showers has been an adjustment. No cellular or internet access for weeks at a time can be disturbing. No real social milieu isn't the best, but I have my kids. Having to pack up and move my home every 14 days gets old. Loneliness happens, but I was already somewhat of a loner and am an introvert. I have to pay storage fees monthly as I can't make myself get rid of all of my stuff. The biggest issue? Having to return to the lower desert during hot season for my medical care, which is based in both Tucson and Phoenix. There have been workarounds for all the above problems-so far.[/size]
So I guess that I have to say is that it's a horrible life, but someone has to live it, eh? It's better than I had hoped it to be three years ago, when I realized that this lifestyle was possible for me. It won't last forever, but I'm sure enjoying it while it lasts.
Ted
