Danger's on the road

[Tony's Dream]

As I ponder as to whether or not I want to travel the USA in a van, I am trying to understand all of this.  I am naive and thought I could travel without issue throughout this great country.  Sure, there are places where one must be concerned, but I thought generally state and national parks were relatively safe.  From the posts here, it sounds like it's a very scary venture. I have stayed in many state parks in tents and never really thought about crime or being attacked.  In fact, I thought upgrading to a van was a wiser choice for safety
:huh:
Is it because people think VanDwellers are homeless people and they don't like that?  Is it because they think you are an easy target?

 

[Weight]

I have not had problems. Traveled the country in a van off and on since 1970.

 

[RoamerRV428]

no troubles here either except for the odd crap that goes down in life.
state parks all the way. truck stops. rest stops. parking lots, we've done it all and feel safe and have a blast doing 'our thing'. Just know your surroundings and if the hair on the back of your neck goes up, make the wheels turn and fly down the road Location of your travels means a lot also....go looking for trouble in troubled areas you will find it

 

[WanderingRose]

Me neither, per both of these previous posts.

Traveled 200,000 miles with my late husband, now 60,000 or so miles by myself, all since 2002.

We/I have never been accosted, nor in a situation where we felt in danger.

It can happen, but anywhere.

Most people mean you no harm.

 

[cyndi]

Never had a problem. I've been on and off the road since 2011.

The real danger is living a sedentary, joyless life

 

[highdesertranger]

the biggest danger is the evening news. highdesertranger

 

[ped]

After watching the doc missing 411 im astounded by the volume of disappearances in national parls/forests. Seems like taking an emergency alert gps device is probably the best security.

Id say get a pistol but thats probably invites more problems in and of itself. But I do carry personally just cause i already had it.

 

[rvwandering]

No problems here either. We've been traveling fulltime since 1993, boondocking on public land, staying at Walmarts in big cities, camping in public parks and have never had a bad incident, except for a case of petty theft when we parked on a city street and neglected to lock our doors.
Don't give up your dream due to worry about something that is very unlikely to happen.

 

[ByeBye]

What HDR and Cyndi said

 

[ckelly78z]

Sometimes fear of the unknown can be stronger than the actual threat. Being afraid to try new things because of what might happen, is what keeps many people on the sidelines, and miserable for their whole lives...it's your choice !

 

[lenny flank]

Four years for me. No trouble at all.

By far, the most dangerous part of living in a vehicle is ...... driving it. You are far more likely to be killed in a simple traffic accident than by serial killers or whatever else everyone worries about.

It reminds me of newbie backpackers, who all pee their pants over bears!! and snakes!! despite the fact that there are virtually no incidents involving them.

 

[Weight]

there are incidents with bears. and big cats.

 

[highdesertranger]

"there are incidents with bears. and big cats."

yes, yes they're, but you are much more likely to be struck by lightning. highdesertranger

 

[Tony's Dream]

Wonderful feedback

 

[Seminole Wind]

you can also shift the odds in your favor with some common sense, be aware of your surroundings. danger can be waiting anyware. just as you might avoid walking down a dark alley or a bad part of town. think about where you are and act/react accordingly.

situational awareness goes a long way to keep you safe from thugs, bears and lightning bolts.

have fun out there, there are plenty of very safe places to go and see

 

[Almost There]

14 years of full timing in all up and down the eastern seaboard and now 3+ years of full time in the west and the absolute worst danger I've had is other @#$%^ drivers on the roads.

I've had a 1/2 gallon of water taken off a picnic table and a small less than useful table taken in 2 separate incidences while camping/boondocking. The table was taken and hundreds of dollars of other outdoor equipment was left in place - obviously someone needed the table more than I did. I didn't like the darn think anyways and was glad to replace if for $35.00 the next day with one I did.

Most of those miles I travelled alone, parked alone.

I've only ever been woken up and forced to move twice, once by a verynoisy street cleaning truck in a Sams' Club parking lot  (he wanted us out of there so he could clean the lot). 5 vehicles moved to the W/M parking lot next door. The second time was in a rest area where another vehicle pulled in with an engine fire. I drove to the next rest area and went back to sleep.

I use anything from National Forests, BLM, rest areas, truck stops, parking lots, casinos etc. etc. BUT I never stay where I'm not supposed to be.

As to bears, all I've ever seen in all my canoe/backpacking trips is the back side of them, usually while driving to and from the access/trailhead. I'll let you know when I get to see my first Arizona rattlesnake!!

 

[Gr8ful]

Somewhere the truth is in between these two.

We have nothing to fear but fear itself.
Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

 

[maki2]

Boring looking van, boring looking clothes, boring hairstyle, boring body type, boring just by being over 50, nothing rich or flashy about you. ... it all helps because you just blend into the social background as if you were covered in camouflage....and indeed you are. It is a magic trick, you are no longer desirable to most predators. Just think of it as being an actor in a play, you are playing a role, it is not the real inner you

If you are as quiet as a little mouse no one will see you sitting there. If you don't want to talk to strangersbe a bore in what you have to say when they try to start up a conversation.

Save being vibrant and interesting for the right situations at the right time with the right people.

 

[Weight]

I have many visits with Arizona rattlesnakes. they are much smaller than the ones in South Jersey. Snakes are least dangerous wildlife in random encounters. Now, if you are being foolish, like reaching under stuff, it's on you. I was chased by a Great Horned Owl once. It didn't like me resting under a certain tree on a very hot day.

 

[lenny flank]

there are incidents with bears. and big cats.

There are incidents with meteors and tsunamis and airliner crashes, too.

I don't spend much time worrying about those either.