A Trucker thinking about becoming a Van lifer

[Abershawe]

So I'm an OTR trucker, I've been one for about five years and I've absolutely loved it. It has really enabled me to connect with so many friends from my military days and my distant youth that most likely I would have never seen again. I love the open road and simply exploring. However, I find myself yearning for the days of simply being in a place. Exploring it unhindered by have a gigantic vehicle that no one wants to see going down the road much less parked. 

After watching several youtube videos I've fallen in love with the idea of Van life. Bob Well's video on truly living life really touched a nerve. I'm 45. I've never lived the van life but I've traveled. 48 States and 57 countries under my belt. I've backpacked Europe and spent much of my youth bouncing around working when I wanted to and exploring when I wanted to. Somewhere along the way I got lost and bought into the idea that I was unprepared for retirement and started hammering down hard on trying to get to that point. 

I'm not sure I plan to truly give up trucking. I'm considering simply doing it for three to six months a year and then just exploring the rest of the time. (I have a friend who does a similar thing, he drives for about 8 months then goes to the South Pacific for about 8 months) 

Anyways, I look forward to learning for all of you in the forum. I'd like to thank all of you for sharing your wisdom and knowledge ahead of time.

 

[izifaddag]

Lots of ex truckers here. I retired April 2019. I have been struggling to get my rig on the road ever since. Welcome.
I used to work 10 months and go to Thailand for 2. That quit me in 2017. Couldn't face it anymore.
Your description of staying in one spot is very appealing. We truckers see everything and see nothing. I do not know how many times I have been past the arch in St Louis. Or right by the Grand Canyon or even that darn bridge museum halfway across Nebraska. Always got to be somewhere, often an unpleasant somewhere. At an unpleasant time dealing with unpleasant people. I am so looking forward to making some new friends and enjoying America properly before I die.

 

[bullfrog]

The nice thing about the truck was mine always had plenty of power to run an inverter/microwave and automatic climate control. I later added a porta potty. Every thing I needed in a bag for truck stop showers and a soap bucket for washing easy dry clothing. Getting everything in a van requires a lot of planning as well as trail and error testing. Start looking and asking questions, the answers are all here.

 

[eDJ_]

Welcome to the CRVL Forums  

I've met numerous Truckers come RV Nomads.   Their stories are similar to those of this thread.   I've even met a few airline pilots with nearly the same story.  (so much that they have seen from the air and wished they could see on the ground.  One told me it start for him when he had a lay over and had seen something interesting on a final approach to the runway.  So he got a rental car and went out to actually see the place on the ground.  That he said started it for him and he promised himself that when he retired he would get some kind of rig and take his list of places he wanted to see along and go see those places.......while he was still above the grass) 

Good luck in your "Me Time" travels

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Abershawe to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

highdesertranger