Can I go now?

[Ariel]

I discovered this site several months ago by noticing a link on Amazon to Bob's book. I was looking for RV purchase advice books, I think? Anyway... I truly never knew that this lifestyle was an option. I love the road. I love new places. I love reading quietly with the sun in my face knowing I have absolutely nothing to do. I love the wild. I hate soul-crushing work for other people. In fact, I hate (almost all) people. [Dostoevsky said that he loves humanity and hates men individually? Yeah, that.] But what I especially hate is the dog and pony show known as modern day life comprised almost exclusively of stressor upon stressor. I'm only in my early thirties and I'm over it.

I've always known I needed something else, but I never could quite put my finger on what form that something else would take. Homesteading seemed like an appealing option, but I know myself enough to realize that it would be a terrible fit. I'm lazy. I don't like dealing with the nasty bits of animal husbandry. I've killed nearly everything I've tried to grow. I also like the option of escaping situations or people I don't like... but, a homestead is pretty much an all in or nothing bet. Additionally, my husband and son are NOT the homesteading types. They are city boys 95% (more on that later).

Enter the discovery of Vandwelling. Wow. Did that ever suck me in immediately. I read Bob's blog from the beginning in a long weekend. Each entry was a revelation - the realization that there's another way. And people, normal people - not such hippies touring festival circuits selling bead jewelry or wealthy retirees in wheeled mansions - but real people doing this fully, intentionally, permanently, and loving it. I read more blogs - people who post on this site or others I could find. RVSue and Crew read like a novel I couldn't put down. This was it. This was what I needed to do. Lightning struck.

I had a professor who once told me, based on his study of the lives of saints, that if you're going to have a life changing epiphany, it's most likely to happen in your early thirties. I had been patiently awaiting it. Well, let's just say that I didn't need this as confirmation of his genius.

Anyhow... now the good and the maybe not so good. The thing is, I want to leave tomorrow. I want to leave tonight. But, I need to cool my jets. You see, I have this pretty cool guy in my life that just happens to be 10 years old. I also have a pretty cool guy in my life that happens to be my husband. I can't leave for my adventure until my son is comfortably settled out of high school - so we're talking 9-10 years. Oy, 9-10 years you say!? Well, why even think about what you are going to do that far out? Well, it's clear that while 9-10 years will be an excruciating wait... I'll need at least that long to a) clear all my student debt and b) save enough to buy the IDEAL rig and to travel for 6 months to a year before needing to find work on the road [all without putting my family through deprivation in the here and now]. I also plan to buy my rig at least a year before setting out full-time in order to get a real feel for what I do and don't need and to make the appropriate modifications while I have the income to do it. Let's call this my early 40's retirement plan.

And what about the husband? He's cool with it. No, really, he is. We've had several long conversations about it, and he knows me enough to know that this is what I need. I love my husband, but we're not in some mystical "can't live without you" love. We love our son, we are the best of friends, but flexibility is the name of our game. He likes the idea of living on the road, but he has needs and desires that will always keep him in our Pacific Northwest city. And he wants to live on a boat, anyway.... see, we're not too different after all. We're sure to hook up once or twice a year.

Anyhow, this has become obscenely long. I hope to interact with the really lovely group of people her more as my plans evolve, grow, solidify, real-ify.

In short: Hello, everyone.

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome, welcome to the CRVL forums! I love your post because I was in the same spot as you are now - wanting to leave but with too many important obligations to just go. Keep planning, saving and dreaming. Enjoy this time with your son. The years will pass faster than you think and when it is time to go you'll be ready.

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[sephson]

You could get a small taste of the lifestyle now by trying to take the occasional solo or family road trip now. Get some camping gear, pack up the car, truck, whatever you're driving, and explore when you have some free time.

 

[Theadyn]

Hi, and welcome!!

 

[Van-Tramp]

Welcome!

I second the idea of using this time to take shorter trips out on your own. You may find that your husband and son want to come with you once or twice and those are always the best of memories for any child.

 

[caseyc]

Welcome to the club! I always appreciate reading a post that is articulate and thoughtful. I too second the advice of doing short weekend trips first. That's what I did in the past before becoming full time. That helped make the transition easier learning from trial and error earlier on.

Casey

 

[Patrick46]

So....what's wrong with being a "hippy touring festival circuits selling bead jewelry"???

Hahaha....welcome to the asylum!!

sounds like you've already noticed that we have a great crew on here, and we welcome your questions, as the folks on this forum have many, many years of accumulated experience to draw on.


Hello from down in Oregon!

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

Welcome from a hippy touring and selling greeting cards.

 

[Ariel]

Okay, so I just realized how disparaging the touring hippy comment sounded. My apologies! My very wonderful sister-in-law was one as well and I’m the first to admit that I’ve been envious of the lifestyle. I’m just not gregarious or creative enough to blend in that community and, well… it’s just not me. Great people to visit with, though!

Thank you all for the pleasant welcomes, I really appreciate it. One of the things that drew me to this site was how polite, thoughtful, supportive, and real so many of you seem.

I agree fully with the comments to savor this time with my family, as it will rush by. And boy will it ever – the previous 10 years certainly have. I think the speed with which my son’s early childhood flashed by is one of the reasons I’ve been pondering the “what happens after?” question. Even though my job isn’t particularly onerous, I hate work, but I have something I have to work for right now (my son), so it’s all good. But I don’t want that for my eternity. The thought of continuing to work, living for the piddly weekends and two weeks per year (during which I’m still thinking about work), barely scratching the surface of the places I want to visit, for decades until I’m old enough to drop out in a socially acceptable manner… it makes me shudder. I don’t want to own a home. I don’t want toys. I don’t want unnecessary clothes. I don’t want expensive vacations (not that I would turn my nose at one). I just want quiet. I just want books. I want woods. I want desert. I want night sky. I want to sit outside that building that I’ve read about in that town I’ve yet to visit for as long they’ll let me. I want the next curve in the road. I want it for as long as I can. And I can have it.

But, in the meantime, yes… I definitely explore my love of the road and nature with my son at every possible opportunity. I think that’s why I want this so badly – this is when I’m happiest. We camp, we go on road trips. We have a huge map of Washington on his wall and we put a pin in every state park we visit, working towards seeing them all. It’s your typical family outing sort of things, but we relish it. My husband enjoys going on our trips, too, but he hates camping. More and more lately, we’ve been getting inexpensive motel rooms near the parks or forests we are exploring or otherwise just do day trips (which, as many of you know, is easy to do in spectacular fashion in Western Washington). It’s all pretty far from the vandwelling ethos, but it’s the concession I need to make for us to get out there.

The cost and inconvenience of motels and hotels is what prompted me to look into getting a used Class C – and it’s that internet search that lead me to discover Bob’s stuff! (The used Class C is still likely to happen in the relatively near future so we can be weekend warriors.)

In the meantime, I drool over RV pr0n (pictures of Northern Lite Truck campers… ooh baby), save my money, downsize my junk. Oh! Yeah. That was one tangible positive of this site. It inspired me to get rid of a lot of crap we had been carrying around for years for which we were paying storage unit rent. The storage unit is now gone and that was really liberating. I also am going to take first aide classes, gun safety and shooting classes, and anything else that may be useful not just for the future goal, but in general as well. I haven’t done any solo camping (because if I have that sort of time for recreation, I do it with the guys), but as the kid gets older that becomes more of a possibility (or just he and I going out camping).

Anyhow… yes, yes, and yes!

---

Wow, that 5 minute editing time limit is infuriating. ;p First aid, first aid, damn it!

 

[Wheeldog]

The thing I like about this forum is people are "doing their thing". Few people do that these days. They are caught up in the "keep up with the Jones". Where we live our motto is........the Jones left because nobody cared.

I hope you are able to have "your adventure" like we have been doing for the past 37 years.

 

[Ariel]

ZOMG.

I just got back from the Tacoma RV Show and I was thrilled to find that they had two of the first Northern Lites to come off the line from the newly rebuilt factory (if not the very first two).

Oh man... no amount of photos or videos can compare to actually being inside your dream home. I was in one playing house for 45 minutes all by myself. It is even more perfect for what I want to do than I had previously imagined. I'm just in after-glow right now.

All those mansions on wheels on the main show floor held no appeal.

Can I go now!?

 

[Almost There]

I got my 'itchy feet' mostly scratched while raising the family by taking vacations and doing as much on weekends as I could.

The boys never played organized sports as children because we were always away on weekends from spring to late fall. But, now that they're grown, I find that they have marvelous memories of the trips we took and appreciate those far more than peewee hockey ever would have.

Since your hubby doesn't like camping per se, I'd definitely suggest that you get either a travel trailer or a Class C and plan on using organized campgrounds with full hook ups so that he can live in luxury whilst you build campfires and go hiking. Done with both in mind, it can be a great experience for all while still getting the kid outdoors and into the wild.

I ran away from home within months of my youngest graduating from school but I didn't have a better half to compromise with. I don't regret waiting until he was grown but I sure don't regret packing it all in either!!

Oh, and welcome to the forum.

 

[Theadyn]

I used to be picked on because you could find me out hanging out in my RV's (I've had my share of all kinds) in the backyard or alley. Just me, alone with a book or movie, or cooking dinner or studying. I would often camp in the driveway. I loved being in my own little place. My haven. My escape. It was a running joke when my hubby was alive between him and my daughter, 'if you can't find mom, check the moho'. And many times I would just get a wild hair and take off on my own across town to the local lake that had free electric hookups. Sometimes my hubby and kid would join me, sometimes they wouldn't. Was cool to all of us.

I so feel you on your original post. I am there where you will be in 10 years, so this 40-ish y/o former you would say, what's to stop you now from doing a little bit more of trips now and then to squish that wanderlust? I used to look forward all week, planning and packing and thinking of everything, it kept me going until Friday afternoon until I could hit the road. Alone or not.

Right now my daughter is grown, my hubby has past. I am currently not working. And I can NOT fathom going back to a Mon-Fri mindless grind for useless 'stuff'!! I have a boyfriend now who kind of gets that I have a need to get out, and some of the time, I prefer alone. Outfitting a van now to do just that having decided to sell the bigger Class C. Plan on downloading a lot of free books on my Kindle to keep my company.

Truly, I know where you are coming from. This planning and researching and reading how others are doing it will keep you pacified some, but maybe more trips for now will help more. Hang in there.

 

[akrvbob]

For some reason, many of us are born with "itchy feet" and there just can't be any happiness till we scratch them on the open road. Some people think it's a curse.

I think it's a great blessing!!
Bob