Couple & dog getting ready for our journey!

[OrganicDreams]

Hey local community and future friends! 

My fiancé, dog (Sunshine) and I about to start our journey and head out on the open road to soak in life's wonderful energy and see what the universe has in store for us. 


We are currently in the process of looking for a van to purchase and have a few in mind such as a Honda Odyssey, Ford Windstar, or Chrysler Town and Country. Our budget is around $3k for the van then we plan to put a little money in to get it in traveling condition. We should be able to pick up a van next week then we plan to sell the car we currently have and stack up a bit more cash before we hit the road in Oct-Nov. If you have any tips or recommendations, we would love to hear them!

We did bit of a test run last year for a few months with some long term camping away from the apartment and had an amazing time but of course we were in pretty good weather until the fires started and we decided to come back but knew this lifestyle was one to pursue. We will be starting our journey in Oregon and will most likely travel down the coast and head down to southern Oregon while the weather permits then we are going to decide where to go next based on our experiences and intentions. We will be looking for side gigs and part time jobs along the way to fund our journey and I would love to use some of my skills to help other people I meet while traveling.

I would love to know if you guys have any good ideas on places to visit/stay/work during the winter months? We did bit of a test run last year for a few months with some long term camping away from the apartment in the car and tent and had an amazing time but of course we were in pretty good weather until the fires started and we came back.

Over the years I have obtained a variety of different skills from having my own businesses to helping other businesses build their presence and expand their processes. I think some of the things I learned would be useful to others seeking the help which include web design, seo, internet marketing and branding, computer repair, software, and more. However, I don't want to make these things my main focuses as I have spent many years now detaching myself from the these practices to live a much more analog organic approach to life, healing, and my path. On this journey I would love to experience helping more people with a hands on, analog approach. Learning new things each day that expand my awareness and consciousness with the world I am so deeply connected to.

We are excited to meet all of you and hope to see you on the road!  :heart:

 

[MrsBackRoads]

Welcome!! This community is just fantastic for helping and giving personal insights from living or traveling in a mobile (vehicle) home!! Check out all the forum. I have found valuable information on the older posts as well as the newest posts. I do a lot of exploring in my Dodge Caravan. The dodge as well as the Chrysler minivans have stow and go seats. I love that extra space for storage. I hope that you guys find peace in your travels! I am not sure but other minivans may have the stowed seating. If you find one you will appreciate the extra space.

MrsBackRoads

 

[Cammalu]

Quartzsite always needs workers in the winter. I believe there is a quartzsite employment (or something like it) on Facebook. You can camp free in the desert but have to move every two weeks and find a place for trash and water or you can stay in one of the Long Term Visitor Areas (LTVA) for $180 for the whole season (7 months) or $40 every two weeks. On the LTVA you can stay in one spot and also have access to bathrooms, water, dump station and trash bins.

 

[OrganicDreams]

Welcome!! This community is just fantastic for helping and giving personal insights from living or traveling in a mobile (vehicle) home!! Check out all the forum. I have found valuable information on the older posts as well as the newest posts. I do a lot of exploring in my Dodge Caravan. The dodge as well as the Chrysler minivans have stow and go seats. I love that extra space for storage. I hope that you guys find peace in your travels! I am not sure but other minivans may have the stowed seating. If you find one you will appreciate the extra space.

MrsBackRoads

Thanks a lot for the warm welcome MrsBackRoads! Thanks for the tip about the stow and go seats, I think if we don't have the stow and go seats we will just remove the back seats for more room.

Quartzsite always needs workers in the winter. I believe there is a quartzsite employment (or something like it) on Facebook. You can camp free in the desert but have to move every two weeks and find a place for trash and water or you can stay in one of the Long Term Visitor Areas (LTVA) for $180 for the whole season (7 months) or $40 every two weeks. On the LTVA you can stay in one spot and also have access to bathrooms, water, dump station and trash bins.

I had a feeling about checking out more information on Quartzsite as I have seen a few people talking about it. I did not know about the LTVA spots and that's definitely something I will check out. Thank you for these tips <3 very much appreciated. Doing more research now

 

[TravelingZombies]

Welcome to the forums.
Sounds like you're on the right path to being nomads. We are currently on the road and will be back at our home in mid October and leave on the 20th of October, hopefully we'll get to meet you on the road as we're planning on heading south through Oregon to Texas and Arizona for the winter.
We also have 2 dogs that travel with us.
Good luck with your adventures and safe travels.

 

[Cammalu]

There are a ton of us there during the winter. I’ll get there in November. Any earlier it’s still hot.

Quartzsite help wanted is there FB page. Just post what you’d be interested in doing and you’ll be snapped right up

 

[landyachtman]

Welcome 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.

 

[TooFarGone]

Good luck with your new adventure! I hope you'll come back here and update this topic from time to time. I'm always interested to hear about the vehicles that people buy and how they fix them up for nomad life.

 

[maki2]

You might want to join the Facebook group Nomads helping Nomads. That group is all about helping other people get through a short term issue for all kinds of situations. It is a nationwide group.

 

[OrganicDreams]

Thanks for the tips so far guys! We have joined a few facebook groups you recommended and learning more and more by the hour. Really nice to see how helpful the community is around van living and I just arrived, or shall I say, I will be arriving soon!

I will try and keep everyone updated with our progress along the way <3

 

[eDJ_]

Welcome to the CRVL Forums  

Glad to have you with us and those skill sets you mention, to fall back on, may be more valuable than you realize.  But for just getting started I suggest relaxing and enjoy being here and reading and getting to know some folks.  It's really a wonderful place to immerse yourself within.

All the best !

 

[wb8vyn]

Hey local community and future friends!

My fiancé, dog (Sunshine) and I about to start our journey and head out on the open road to soak in life's wonderful energy and see what the universe has in store for us.


We are currently in the process of looking for a van to purchase and have a few in mind such as a Honda Odyssey, Ford Windstar, or Chrysler Town and Country. Our budget is around $3k for the van then we plan to put a little money in to get it in traveling condition. We should be able to pick up a van next week then we plan to sell the car we currently have and stack up a bit more cash before we hit the road in Oct-Nov. If you have any tips or recommendations, we would love to hear them!

We did bit of a test run last year for a few months with some long term camping away from the apartment and had an amazing time but of course we were in pretty good weather until the fires started and we decided to come back but knew this lifestyle was one to pursue. We will be starting our journey in Oregon and will most likely travel down the coast and head down to southern Oregon while the weather permits then we are going to decide where to go next based on our experiences and intentions. We will be looking for side gigs and part time jobs along the way to fund our journey and I would love to use some of my skills to help other people I meet while traveling.

I would love to know if you guys have any good ideas on places to visit/stay/work during the winter months? We did bit of a test run last year for a few months with some long term camping away from the apartment in the car and tent and had an amazing time but of course we were in pretty good weather until the fires started and we came back.

Over the years I have obtained a variety of different skills from having my own businesses to helping other businesses build their presence and expand their processes. I think some of the things I learned would be useful to others seeking the help which include web design, seo, internet marketing and branding, computer repair, software, and more. However, I don't want to make these things my main focuses as I have spent many years now detaching myself from the these practices to live a much more analog organic approach to life, healing, and my path. On this journey I would love to experience helping more people with a hands on, analog approach. Learning new things each day that expand my awareness and consciousness with the world I am so deeply connected to.

We are excited to meet all of you and hope to see you on the road!

Let me assure you that there is no better time to be young than when you're young.
I started being young when I was 15 years old, before that I was even younger.
I stayed young until recently when I grew up. Age now 83.
Like you, there is no reason to remain where you are, doing what your doing. You know, wake, eat, work, eat, sleep, repeat day after day, year after year until you die.
After some false starts I became a commercial nomad and remained so until recently, (age 79).
Your lives, like the land will have hills and valleys. High times and low times. Like a roller-coaster, Lots of thrills on the way down and then chug a chug on the way to the next high.
You will make choices. Some good and some not so good.
Try to remember to think first, take time to think, step back. Consider what will make your life fuller or more empty.
Emotional choices, like anger and disappointment, like joy and laughter will pass. What does your soul tell you? That will remain!
The nomad life is a choice between the comfort of regulated days or freedom. It's not one or the other. How much comfort are you willing to give up in exchange for freedom.
None of these choices are cast in stone. As you go, there are times when a regulated life may be required. The longing for freedom will be put away but will remain intact, just waiting to be set free again, or maybe not. That longing may remain on the shelf or in some closet of your mind.
Since there are two of you, This life's journey will be a song sung together, a duet, stay in tune, Like a dance, stepping on ones toes will happen. Practice to get better.
The nuts and bolts will come and go, wear out, break. Other things need to be nourished to remain healthy, Friendships, companionship, sharing, trust, honesty.
These things can be lost and found again. Time and effort will be required, forgiveness is what you give, Memory is like a guard rail on a road, not every curve has one.
Only your needs will remain in the end. Shelter, food, and air, the basics. Those are physical. Your inner being, your soul needs to be cared for as well.

I'll see you out there what there is left of me

 

[Carla618]

We are currently in the process of looking for a van to purchase and have a few in mind such as a Honda Odyssey, Ford Windstar, or Chrysler Town and Country. Our budget is around $3k for the van...

Welcome OrganicDreams,

My daughter and I have always had minivans. She had several Town & Country vans. I had a Windstar. The Honda Odyssey is rated #1 for minivans, just about anywhere you check. They are also the most expensive. I saw some good deals on them at copart recently. It is an auction place, but you can buy some vehicles outright.

My Windstar had a recall (axle) when I bought it, but didn't know about it until I had it in the shop and was told the axle was shot. That was long ago, but might want to check for recalls on any vehicle.

My daughter loved the Town & Country, but said if she ever bought another minivan it would be the Pacifica. All I know about that is that it has the most interior space of any minivan.

There is a thread at reddit about a remodel of a Toyota Sienna. The guy did an amazing job.

I have never lived in a van, but from what I have seen & read, the stow & go seats are important for the extra storage. And, the van should have two sliding doors. << just my personal preference, I think.

U.S. News and World Report has a good section (rankings) on all used cars & trucks. Here is minivans: https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/used/minivans-1

IIRC, if you click on each, it explains why it is ranked where it is.

Good luck!

 

[Carla618]

Didn't realize this thread was from August 2021. Oops.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Hey, zombie threads need love too!

 

[Carla618]

Hey, zombie threads need love too!

LOL. Good one, tx2sturgis