curious...

[livesimply5]

hi. im new to the idea of vandwelling. I have been looking for a van for about a month. where was the first journey or place you guys have gone when first got a van? what type of jobs do u do? i cant wait to start a new adventure! any other info is welcome. :-/

 

[sisterearth]

welcome! My first trip was 1996+/- in a tow behind camper out in Silver City then Truth or Consequences New Mexico from Michigan where I lived boondocking in the desert for about 6 months, then after finding a job in a nearby small town got the truck fixed, traveled on to live in a tent for a few months all around Arizona and New Mexico very primitive camping, then back into an rv to West Virginia there another month rural woods camping living in a car and tent, then on down to Florida, that was in a campground (only time I stayed in an official one) got a job lived in an rv there awhile. Now I am waiting to be able to get in my groovy van and get back on the road. Been off the road way too long. Happy to meet you!! Good luck on your van hunt! Peace! O I am currently working for family which is why I am not on the road, but in my younger days I did odd jobs. Me and then travel partner had cards made up, he roofed, I painted, lawn care, errands, odd jobs. Cleaned mom and pop motel rooms. In Florida I got a great job passing out flyers for a bar on Ft Meyers beach....that was a sweet gig! Now my body is a bit older after back surgery and good old fashioned age, so I will be a bit more prepared financially before heading off this time.

 

[cyndi]

Welcome to the CRVL forums, livesimply5!

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.

My first trip was in 1986. I was recovering from a divorce. My 1-1/2 year old son, dog and I traveled all over the south and north west. It was a great way to rebuild my confidence and rediscover my independence.

I took to stix and brix while y son was in school. I always knew that I'd get back out on the road when he was grown.

 

[Almost There]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

I bought my first van in 1975 and had several of them over the coming years. As a single parent of 3 boys it was a wonderful way for us to get out of town both for camping and travel vacations. We ventured as far as Colorado and Texas on our trips from our home in Ontario.

Once the kids were all grown and gone I grabbed the van, bought a trailer and moved stateside to run my own craft business. I travelled with the weather, spending my winters where it was warm (Florida), my springs in AL, GA and southern TN and my summers anywhere from Cape Cod 1 year to the Midwest, drifting back south as the summer became fall.

After 14 years of doing that I returned to Canada for family reasons. Now that I'm overdue for retirement, I'm busy outfitting a new to me van for full-time living and will become an official snowbird come fall. I can't wait to get on the road again....

Goodness, 37 years compressed into 3 paragraphs....

 

[sisterearth]

Welcome livesimply5,

My first road trip was in 1975 in a 1962 VW Bus. I traveled from SW Florida (Ft. MYERS) to the Jersey shore, to Canada, to Maine, to Jersey, two places in New York, Canada again, Colorado, Arizona and then back to Florida. Very simple setup, like camping in a box. A wonderful three months.

I love that... like camping in a box! I had 3 vw buses, and I always described it as driving a shoebox down the road!

 

[ttpadilla]

I'm about to begin my own adventure (starting next week). For work, I will be a camp host for 4-5 months in the Sequoia National Forest. I like this option because I'm not leaving my dog alone during the day, while I work somewhere else. At this particular campground, I will have Full Hook-ups which is a relief, because I still don't have my solar panel hooked up, and recently discovered that the built-in generator doesn't work. I'm in a 1996 Class A, which is very comfortable (I've been living in it for the past year), but at 28' long it feels REALLY big, and I'm a bit terrified to drive it, especially while towing my car behind. It was free, though, so until I find something suitable to trade it for, I will gratefully deal with the size.

 

[rvwandering]

Interesting answers - it looks like a lot of us old ones :-D started van dwelling young. Whether we stayed with it for the long term or settled into a stationary life it got into our blood. The road never stops calling!

Our first long journey was in 1976 in a VW vanagon and like sisterearth says - camping in a box, very simple but so much fun. We were on the road for a year. The highlights were the national parks, especially the ones in the west. The scenery was amazing to a couple of kids from the east. We had saved enough money that we didn't have to work. When the trip was over we bought a small house and stayed put for 17 years while raising our daughter but all the while planning our escape and taking short trips at every opportunity.

 

[Almost There]

Interesting answers - it looks like a lot of us old ones :-D started van dwelling young. Whether we stayed with it for the long term or settled into a stationary life it got into our blood. The road never stops calling!

 

I'm also amazed at how many here took to the road in one form or another way, way back then!

And no, the road never stops calling. It's screaming at me right now. The big baby is in the shop and the Montana isn't trustworthy for anything except bare essentials.... I'm still housebound and the roads are clear of snow....aaaaaccccckkkkk! I want out at least for a long day!!

 

[mconlonx]

When I got my van I immediately... parked locally. Haven't really ventured forth and one of the reasons is my job, the other is a family situation.

Job is a desk job in publishing, production manager. Part of why I got a van was to pare down life and lifestyle to the point where I could venture forth as an itinerant bike mechanic. But an old boss I'd contacted for a reference called up and offered me my old job back, less responsibilities, more pay -- met my "sell out" price. So now I'm still living way cheap, pocketing the difference toward an eventual setting sail in the van. Might even be a completely different van by the time I actually hit the road, but it will be with a pile o' cash instead of barely enough to cover emergencies.

The family situation is my mentally disabled adult son. His mom called saying she needed help with him, and I stepped up to the request. Living in a van made it a lot easier to drop things and move over there, and took care of "where am I going to cook and shower." It also gives me my own space, serving mainly as my bedroom.

Not exciting, not a long journey, but still an adventure, living out of the van. More of a local adventure than anything else. And I like taking my bedroom with me, so I can sleep in familiar environments if/when necessary.

 

[SoulRaven]

My mobile lifestyle basically began when I got my drivers license.  I bought an old van and converted it into a camper.  That was 1962, and I was working full time as well attending high school, so I had money.

In 1963, my family needed to move away, but I wanted to stay and finish school with my classmates, so I moved into my van.  Family wasn't happy, but I was.  Life was good, lots of money and basically no expenses.

Once I graduated, I went to work for U-Haul, retrieving abandonned trucks and trailers, delivering some of them to different outlets.  I drove my van to the pickup, then either pulled a trailer back, or drove a truck back pulling my van behind.  Perfect, and I always had my home with me.

Next I went to work delivering motorhomes to dealers across the country, and again I would tow my home behind.  Perfect job again, good pay, and no expenses.

Finally, I went to work as a truck driver, and spent my time living in a sleeper cab, or whatever camper van or RV I had at the time.  I did that until retirement.

Across the years I had many camper vans and various RV's of every shape, sort, and dimension.  I very rarely ever stayed anywhere I had to pay, that defeated the whole purpose.

Along the way I bought an off grid cabin in New Mexico, but the road kept calling my name, and I continued to spend most of my time on the road, as I still do today.

Now, I'm almost 69, and my health isn't what it used to be, but several days ago I got proposed to by a very beautiful young lady of 30 with 3 kids.  Her, her husband, kids, and a dog have been some of my neighbors when I was in town for several years now.  She lost her husband last winter, and times have been pretty hard for them.  It's an attractive offer, I've loved the family for a while, but it's still a big decision.  I don't think any of us would be happy at my cabin, and I'm not ready to be house bound, so I'm looking at buses and big class A's and trying to decide what to do.  Her, the kids, and even the dog say they'd be happy on the road, so we'll see what happens in the near future.  Maybe if I can give them whatever time I have left, it would be good for everybody... Decisions... Decisions... Decisions...

 

[cyndi]

Great thread. I love hearing these stories.

My first van was a 1976 VW camper. It went up in flames in the middle of Los Angeles. I still get homesick when I see one.