Fear of the Unknown

[Solitary Spell]

Hey all you lovely people, just decided to join and hopefully get some deeper insights from the pros on all things vandweller. I have been scouring CheapRVLiving, Youtube, van conversion site(s), and Bob's book is more dog-eared than my dog and has asterisks and lines and circles on almost every page, yet I still have so many questions! I'll find the correct categories to ask them, just wanted to say hello!

My biggest challenges are: 

1. Leaving an already simple but comfy life: I rent a 750 sf "cottage," am in zero debt, drive an old reliable Toyota, live happily alone, and never shop recreationally. I live very frugally, but took a huge pay cut early this year when I was laid off and now work a total of 2 p/t jobs with more than half my take-home pay going to rent and utilities. Still, I get 3 days off in a row every week by working 4 days and 2 nights the rest of the week. So I still get a good amount of leisure time every week...and I hike, camp, kayak, go to cheap or free local music venues, cook, watch movies at home, hang out with friends .... pretty much what I'd do if I lived in a van instead of a house. Yet, fear of giving up a known for an unknown is holding me back. I am a 50-ish year old woman and have lived most of my adult life as a happy single. I know how to take care of myself, and Bob's suggestion of workamping is extremely appealing. But that damned fear of the unknown...

2. Which freaking van to get, and lordy, you have to practically be standing in the seller's driveway the minute they put it on Craigslist to get a good one! I know, i know, it's all about patience....even if I chicken out on f/t vandwelling, I WILL have a camper van! My budget is down to $3,000 but I would think I could get something older and decent for that, and be frugal on the build-out.  Then if I stopped paying rent and utilities I could actually afford to have an emergency van fund! I'm leaning toward hi-top cargo van, and will research this forum for tips on the various makes/models/years. It makes me dizzy every time I look online!

Without Bound (watched 3 times so far) and Bob's book, and the many youtube interviews with vandwellers have me captivated. Maybe once I get the van, I'll pull the trigger on living in it! Thanks for listening to my whining, and thanks for being there!

 

[rvpopeye]

Welcome aboard Solitary !

I know the unknown and it is very knowable......
Don"t worry , be happy.

 

[Almost There]

Welcome to the CRVL forums Solitary! Yes, fear of the unknown is what holds a lot of people back from embracing more fully the nomadic life. I think one of the best ways to conquer that fear is by doing small trips first. It's not something that is either or, it can be whatever you want to make it!

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.

 

[eDJ_]

Welcome to the CRVL Forum    


There are bunches of people here trying to get over their fears too.  You'll get to know some of them.

But while you are here remember,  "Life starts where Fear ends". 

You may want to look through my sites below to see how I started out with my first Van. 

The site below it is a Trip Planner,  helpful information portal, and aid to when you go on the road.
I call it a Swiss Army Knife of helpful info. 

So all the best and remember to ask questions when you're stumped or confused.

 

[highdesertranger]

welcome Solitary Spell. I am going to let you in on a secret. beg, borrow, rent your way to RTR. once there you can see many many different vehicles. vans of all kinds, cars, suv's, motor homes(A,B,C), trailers, truck campers, trucks with shells, tents, military vehicles, some nut in an old chevy 1 ton truck, cargo trailers, buses, if I forgot something it will be there. then you can get a first hand look at the menagerie. highdesertranger

 

[PathofAsha]

Hey welcome! No need for fear. You already have a reliable car so start off in that and continue to look for a van while saving money. You got this. 

Have fun. It's an adventure.

 

[DrJean]

I agree, begin with what you have.  It's like needing a job, it's easier to find one if you already have one.  Begin you're minimizing the rest of your life now, you can always stay a night in a motel if you need to, and will have the money to do so once you cut the other costs....

As for the fear, well, I couldn't do any of this without God.  "Perfect Love casts out fear"  that Love is Christ for me.  God knows where I am all the time (and you and everyone else too!)  He can protect me and guide me no matter where I am and what decisions I make, He can work them out for good.

Breathe.  You aren't alone. You can get through this.

 

[Solitary Spell]

welcome Solitary Spell.  I am going to let you in on a secret.  beg,  borrow,  rent your way to RTR.  once there you can see many many different vehicles.  vans of all kinds,  cars,  suv's,  motor homes(A,B,C),  trailers,  truck campers,  trucks with shells,  tents,  military vehicles,  some nut in an old chevy 1 ton truck,  cargo trailers,  buses,  if I forgot something it will be there.  then you can get a first hand look at the menagerie.  highdesertranger

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]"some nut in an old chevy 1 ton truck" that cracked me up![/font]


[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]The RTR does sound like a blast! I love the spirit of the folks here.  [/font]

 

[rvpopeye]

Me too , I wonder who HDR was talking about?
Me thinks you will find him looking for gold !

 

[highdesertranger]

"some nut in an old chevy 1 ton truck" that cracked me up!
that would be me. highdesertranger

 

[rvpopeye]

And I'll be the old nut going skuh kuh kuh kuh kuh!
(Well , actually I won't be there in person but I'll send Eugene)

 

[wagoneer]

DuH, Honey where is the nut cracker? You sound like you are ready already and have found a new home, welcome

 

[MrNoodly]

Living in a vehicle rather than a building sounds like some crazy, wildly different thing. It's not, really. Once having made the shift, it's pretty much the same, only minus a couple of conveniences. You've already made the most difficult changes -- living simply and frugally.

 

[Solitary Spell]

Living in a vehicle rather than a building sounds like some crazy, wildly different thing. It's not, really. Once having made the shift, it's pretty much the same, only minus a couple of conveniences. You've already made the most difficult changes -- living simply and frugally.

Thanks, and I know, it's true ... I can very much relate to the idea of finding ways to NOT purchase rather than blindly buying. I remember being in my 20s (a baby!!) and learning about the Arts and Crafts movement, and immediately adopting Morris's motto to "have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be  beautiful." And when you get to live in the outdoors "out" of a vehicle, the beauty is all around, it's not a bunch or ornaments on your walls.

Every time I go camping I adjust to the inconveniences pretty quickly, so....I bet I can do this. I'm just an annoying over-planner!!

It would be so amazing to meet a whole lot of people who aren't driven by the latest ads and celebrity news. I swear, the folks who appeared in Without Bound were all such genuine people.  :heart:

 

[DrJean]

Okay. Let's look at it from the other side and see if that helps.

What is the worst case scenario for you?

Say you do make these decisions and later realize that it isn't something you want to do, or can't do them the way you first thought.
Where are you at that point?

I, for one, like to have options. In my about-to-embark on this journey I know that I can "always" go back to living in a stationary structure...maybe I'll have to rent first, maybe I'll want to buy again. I will be able to manage to do that...

Nothing is permanent in life, even when we think it is.

I'm giving up these expenses (make a similar list?) house payment, lawn care, electric, water & sewer, cable, home owners association, real estate taxes, school taxes, police & fire referendum taxes, home owner's insurance, maintenance costs for house and mower and yard tools. (and old car upkeep costs).

If I don't spend more than what I'm currently spending on those items, I'm good.
What about you?

I think I said I over estimated on both insurance costs and campsite fees.
Have you found a worksheet on estimating costs for your situation? I'm sure we can find a link or something if you haven't yet.

Extra items I've had to think about: Using a VPN (done---NORDvpn has a 70% off sale right now); a boost for my cell phone (unlimited data already), if I will want hook ups at the camp site even though I don't think I'll have official hook ups yet. Will I need to have the dog groomed more often when he's in the "wild" with me? I'll probably be buying some water at least. Fuel of course, but... I'm driving about 200 miles a week so if I stay in an area longer...that might not be too much more unless I'm trying to get to RTR or such but I computed fuel mileage at 15 mpg HOWEVER I just read where someone with a similar rig I will have drove at 55 mph and got 21 mpg! That would be nice eh? ... I rarely cook but will heat water up. If I use my 20lb propane to fill the 1lb ones that saves even more on propane....

What kind of help can we all give you now that you're thinking harder on this?

 

[mdoverl]

Solitary Spell: You won't be 100% prepared on your first day, get the things you need, and get out there. Each day your out there you'll slowly figured out how to upgrade.

Just Do It Already (When your ready)

 

[Solitary Spell]

Thanks for the encouragement, everybody! I love how the advice runs the gamut from ultra-prepping to minimal prepping, lol. I'm a list-maker rather than a spreadsheet kind of person. 

First, I need the vehicle and I already soul-searched and figured out I could only live in my car if I had to. I'm looking for a good van now. Astro, Chevy Venture or Chevy Express are the ones I'm focusing on. I had wanted to apply for a camp host job that would start in April (assuming I get a van by April) but now I find that some of the camp host management ask for a recent picture of yourself and your rig! One even said that your motorhome (ha!) has to be a newer vintage (it was kind of ridiculous, like 2010 or newer). Then, many seem to "pay" you with just a campsite, which isn't going to cut it...as it is now, I've worked 2-3 part-time jobs at once for the past 8 years; but of course my meager salaries go primarily to rent and associated costs of renting a dwelling, hence the idea of vandwelling.... The vandweller job arrangements throw a big variable into this plan, since I need a job to earn the amount I need to save and live on. I am ten years from early social security assuming we still have it by then. And now, no health insurance once Obamacare is dismantled. But that's the same whether I vandwell or don't. 

What I DO have going is the steady purging of unneeded belongings. Craigslist has been awesome for this! I now look at everything left in my little house in terms of how it would fit in a van. And I've thought about how to re-purpose as much as possible, which might soften the "blow" of having to purge some things I really do like. So now, as I purge clothing I repack the keepers into these tote-sized, lidded, fabric lined baskets I've owned forever and don't want to part with. Silly but it's working for me.

Setting an intention is said to be an important part of making this happen. That, and making it happen. Acting "as if" and going through the actual motions seem like headway. I've only told 2 of my closest friends that I'm "thinking" of doing this. One thinks it's crazy (he thinks I should get a sailboat instead, even though I hate sailing) and the other said "life is not a dress rehearsal." YAY! 

Income is the biggest issue right now, so if anyone has suggestions that aren't covered elsewhere, I'd love to hear. I am able and willing to do lots of different work, from hands-on labor to writing. 

In plotting this, I thought I might stay in my current area and do my current jobs next summer/fall, and save like crazy, then move where it's warm for the winter. I put an ad on CL here asking if any private landowners had spots for a camper van to park on, dry camping. I had 3 responses that sounded good within a few days!! I would expect to pay $100-200/month for this. There is a local public spring for pure and delicious water here, it's amazing. And my jobs are perfect for vandwelling in terms of casual dress, privacy (I have one place to myself and could charge up electronics easily). I own all my camping equipment already so starting out wouldn't cost much in the way of equipment. And I can put anything I can't part with in storage here for around $50/month. 

So, I guess I'm somewhere in the middle of the over-planning and the minimal planning spectrum.

 

[Solitary Spell]

Solitary Spell: You won't be 100% prepared on your first day, get the things you need, and get out there. Each day your out there you'll slowly figured out how to upgrade.

Just Do It Already (When your ready)

mdoverl, this seems like sensible advice (and simple!) Thank you.

 

[wagoneer]

Many overthink the transition and get sidelined, Me just having fun because I know I WILL land on my feet. Some of the most exciting times in my life is when confronted with DANGER managed to stay ahead of the game and evolve learn and prosper.

 

[akrvbob]

The key thing about campground hosting is to work in a National Forest Campground for a concessionaire. They almost always pay for every hour worked and give you a free site. I also recommend you go to remote sites without full-hookups. The RVers will NOT go to them so they can't be picky. In fact, where I worked is always begging people to go remote--they will let you camp in a tent in the High Sierras campgrounds.