Alone on the road!

[lonerglide]

<P>Im planning on selling everything i cant carry an hit the road in converted van an cargo trailer this winter,,my question is how do those of u who travel full time cope with so much solitude when on the road?,,Im a hell of a mechanic,, not to worried about making an extra dollar on the road,,great cook etc!, but worried about all that time alone,,,anybody feel like sharing what they do to cope?</P>

 

[Wild_E]

Well I do not travel around as I live in my rig 24/7 and work in the area. Since this is my 3rd divorce.. I really do not care to look for anyone and am getting right&nbsp;perturbed&nbsp;with people trying to set me up.. enough is enough.. 3rd wasted marriage and a mountain of debt because of her; I just write the number of $$ that she cost me, and how much I have to pay out in CC and other debt..&nbsp;voilà.. not alone anymore... LOL I also do the following<div>* Sometimes I will work in the evening</div><div>* I go to the gym now 3-4 times a week, make it the evening if that is the time you get lonely</div><div>Read a good book</div><div>Tinker around with your setup</div><div>Take up a time consuming hobby; for me it was carving Spirit Faces in Walking sticks and misc round wood</div><div>Go to a movie</div><div>Start Writing a blog, it is time consuming</div><div>Go for long walks and appreciate Nature and the fact some loser is not tagging along checking their e-mail every 10 min or every 5 min</div><div>Learn about Solar setups, so your will be better (maybe just me on that one!)</div><div>Take up Tie Chi it is time consuming, and O so good for you!</div><div><br></div><div>The next one is important; I am planning on getting a Dog for companionship, they offer a world of&nbsp;difference&nbsp;in your life and actually thank you for doing nice things for them. They also take the lonely out of your life, and get you moving and walking around. Who knows you might meet another VanDweller who has a Dog, and things might move along from there. If they have a Dog, they trully like Dogs and are not just yanking your chain.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

 

[cyndi]

<FONT size=3>There's a huuuuuuuuuuuuuge network of people living in their cars, vans and Rv's. Start reading blogs (and commenting), and posting on forums, like this one.&nbsp; Seems to me, there is usually someone pretty close by.</FONT><BR><FONT size=3></FONT>&nbsp;<BR><FONT size=3>Is your user ID,&nbsp;lonerglide, indicative of&nbsp;a bike?&nbsp; I read more than a couple of blogs of people that ride.&nbsp; &nbsp;</FONT><BR><FONT size=3></FONT>&nbsp;<BR><FONT size=3>I think, too, that a lot of people that choose this life enjoy the solitude.</FONT>&nbsp; <BR><BR><BR>

 

[blars]

This is one thing that I don't think will change much for me when I finaly hit the road -- dispite living in a big city, I don't have much meaningful human contact other than on the internet.&nbsp; <br><br>You can attend gatherings and conventions of people with like interests.&nbsp; I've got a list of events on my blog, but have not made it to any lately because of money.&nbsp; I'm going to one seen though.<br><br><br>

 

[Bear]

I don't fulltime, but am solo a lot in my van for some long stretches. Helps to read, and to write - am an old fashioned letter writer. You'd be shocked how much people love getting personal letters and even postcards&nbsp;(I have a list of addresses of family and friends). I hit libraries to get on line when I can, which also allows for some other important items ranging from newspapers to to A/C (nonop in the van), to quick washclothe baths in the restrooms etc. Libraries also have local events of all kinds&nbsp;listed, where I've met some very kind and some slightly kooky folks.&nbsp;None kookier than me though <IMG border=0 align=absMiddle src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/crazy.gif"><br><br>With your skills, I'd be surprised if meeting folks wasn't easy. You have the potential to be a hero to many on the road and could find work in a variety of places I'd imagine.<br><br>Good luck, Bear<br>

 

[sl1966]

Get a dog! It won't be able to take turns driving or ask you questions but they do make for great company.

 

[lonerglide]

<P>

<FONT size=3>There's a huuuuuuuuuuuuuge network of people living in their cars, vans and Rv's. Start reading blogs (and commenting), and posting on forums, like this one.&nbsp; Seems to me, there is usually someone pretty close by.</FONT><BR><FONT size=3></FONT>&nbsp;<BR><FONT size=3>Is your user ID,&nbsp;lonerglide, indicative of&nbsp;a bike?&nbsp; I read more than a couple of blogs of people that ride.&nbsp; &nbsp;</FONT><BR><FONT size=3></FONT>&nbsp;<BR><FONT size=3>I think, too, that a lot of people that choose this life enjoy the solitude.</FONT>&nbsp; <BR><BR>Yes cyndi,, between my id an pic u picked up on that,,lOL!!,Ive rode an old Harley for many years,,infact my first wife stole ir from me and it took me six yrs to find it and get it back,her names gypsy breeze an shes goin on the adventure with me,,and thx for info bout mc blogs,,hadnt thought of that!</P><P><BR>

</P>

 

[cyndi]

<P><FONT size=3>Ha! I try to make it a habit to make no assumptions... </FONT></P>

 

[Elseanno]

Not boondocking myself but...<br><br>When I travel by motorcycle, I often stop in coffee houses if I'm lonely. Many have WiFi, local &amp; maybe even national news papers etc. You can plant yourself until some one who has something obvious in common with you comes in. <br><br>Examples:<br><br>If I'm on the bike and someone rides in on their bike, "Hey, nice bike..."<br><br>If you have a dog and someone comes in with their dog, "How old is your dog?"<br><br>Enjoy your new life!<br><br>Elseanno<br><br>

 

[vonu]

Not boondocking myself but...<br><br>When I travel by motorcycle, I often stop in coffee houses if I'm lonely. Many have WiFi, local &amp; maybe even national news papers etc. You can plant yourself until some one who has something obvious in common with you comes in. <br><br>Examples:<br><br>If I'm on the bike and someone rides in on their bike, "Hey, nice bike..."<br><br>If you have a dog and someone comes in with their dog, "How old is your dog?"<br><br>Enjoy your new life!<br><br>Elseanno<br><br>

<div><br></div><div>Does arriving on a motorcycle automatically mean they have something in common? &nbsp;I've encountered a number of bikers who don't regard anyone on anything but a Harley as deserving human respect.</div>

 

[freenez2]

I have considerable downtime in my van and fill it by reading, internet (At a coffee shop), a little TV, walking my dog, etc. Sometimes I go to public places and people watch. I wouldn't be concerned as we always find something to do.&nbsp; &nbsp; <br>

 

[Imladris]

Dude, I have found that simply being outdoors helps immensely. Haven't figured out what it is. Maybe it's just that when I'm indoors I feel closed off from everything.

 

[Guest]

<P>All great suggestions above. Depending on what you're referring to about being alone, that could mean human contact (which there are plenty of ways to strike up conversations with strangers), or romantic contact, which is a bit more difficult, but can be do-able, it just takes more time to find someone. I, myself, have to work in one area, so I was always visiting friends, which was great.</P>

 

[triumph]

Having an Internet addiction helps. &nbsp;<div><br></div><div><img src="http://asset.soup.io/asset/0384/9233_01f2.jpeg"></div><div><br></div><div><img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></div><div><br></div><div>Seriously though just because you live in a van does not mean you have to be bored. &nbsp;If excitement is what you crave you can put yourself in the right places at the right time to party way more than the average person. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>As an example lets say there's a particular rock band you like. &nbsp;Why not see if you can get a job doing security or being the on-call mechanic for their tour ? &nbsp;This way you end up meeting a ridiculous number of women and you get to hang out with them in a casual low pressure scenario where everyone is already having fun and there's great music. &nbsp;Just an idea.. don't be afraid to think outside the box <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

 

[Butternut]

<font size="3"><font face="Georgia">I'm a pretty solitary person, so I like the solitude and don't often go out of my way to find people. Despite this I find myself meeting people all the time when I go to galleries or concerts. Even just being at a camp site. There's a huge community out there and plenty of people if that's what you're looking for. </font></font><br>

 

[vonu]

Having an Internet addiction helps. &nbsp;<div><br></div><div><img src="http://asset.soup.io/asset/0384/9233_01f2.jpeg"></div><div><br></div><div><img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></div><div><br></div><div>Seriously though just because you live in a van does not mean you have to be bored. &nbsp;If excitement is what you crave you can put yourself in the right places at the right time to party way more than the average person. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>As an example lets say there's a particular rock band you like. &nbsp;Why not see if you can get a job doing security or being the on-call mechanic for their tour ? &nbsp;This way you end up meeting a ridiculous number of women and you get to hang out with them in a casual low pressure scenario where everyone is already having fun and there's great music. &nbsp;Just an idea.. don't be afraid to think outside the box <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

<div><br></div><div>Eliminate civilization and what would the Internet accomplish?</div>

 

[Guest]

<DIV>Seriously though just because you live in a van does not mean you have to be bored. &nbsp;If excitement is what you crave you can put yourself in the right places at the right time to party way more than the average person. &nbsp;&nbsp;</DIV><DIV>

</DIV><DIV>&nbsp;</DIV><DIV>This, I can attest to. I had way more time (and money) to enjoy myself. While I enjoy solitude as well, I could get out whenever I wanted.</DIV>