First trip, First night

[Ryan24]

I made an introduction post when I bought the van and was making&nbsp;preparations&nbsp;for a post Thanksgiving trip, didnt really get a chance to post when family came in town for the holiday.&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>Well here I am! Sitting in a cozy Burger King in Mid-Missouri near the Mark Twain forest. I wont try to hide the anxiety is lingering in me right now, but I am out here and there is no going back! I have jumped in, both feet in the water.</div><div><br></div><div>Tonight will be the first night sleeping in the van outside of a few times in my local St. Louis Suburb. I may not get one wink, but I suppose sleeping will come easier with time. Part of me is still surprised I actually did it, part of me feels excited. Thanks for reading!</div>

 

[Wild_E]

Congratulations...<div>yes, knowing you can master your own&nbsp;destiny, is quite nice.</div><div><br></div><div>Burger King has a nice Veggy&nbsp;burger&nbsp;and you can get a salad that is better than McDons as well.&nbsp;</div>

 

[swankiewheels]

<P>Congrads.&nbsp; Yes, sleeping will get easier.&nbsp; Important to make sure you are in a safe spot... the more light the better, busy 24-hr stores... don't park way off on the side in the dark.&nbsp; You will get used to a steady sound of external noises... and anything unusual will wake you up.&nbsp; Or if you are parking in Parks... you will have it a little quieter.&nbsp; Rest, learn to relax, listen to relaxing music with headphones.&nbsp; Welcome to the tribe.</P>

 

[Seraphim]

<p>Good luck, Ryan.&nbsp; Enjoy the journey...</p>

 

[VanFan]

Can't believe you did it either!&nbsp; Makes me giddy just thinking about it.&nbsp; Enjoy!<br>Vickie<br><br>

 

[cyndi]

<P>I'm soooooo excited for you! Are you staying in the Missouri area or heading elsewhere?</P>

 

[stude53]

<p style="margin: 0px;">Ryan,</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Congratulations and Godspeed! <img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif"></p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Your excitement is obvious ... don't worry about missing one nights sleep.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Keep us up on your adventure, please. <img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="/images/boards/smilies/wave.gif"></p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Bob</p>

 

[sl1966]

Excited for you! Can't wait to hear how it went.<div><br></div>

 

[akrvbob]

I remeber my first night in a van just like it was yesterday. I was going through a nasty divorce and couldn't believe how low my life had sunk. I cried myself to sleep that first night. But I steadily improved the van and solved problems as they came up, (how to cook, how to shower, how to go to the bathroom) and before long I fell in love with it. Now I wouldn't live any other way. <br><br>Chances are you will come across problems and things you don't like. There are solutions for every problem! Don't give up until you give it a fair shake. I suspect you will fall in love with it and look back on that first night with nothing but fond memories! Bob <br>

 

[Wild_E]

Bob,<div>that was a great&nbsp;response&nbsp;and greeting all in one.&nbsp;</div>

 

[Journeyman]

Keep talking to us, we all need to hear how your doing. I have a couple of months yet till I leave, it'll be good to hear what I've got coming. Welcome to the family.<div><br></div>

 

[Ryan24]

Hey guys! Thanks for all the responses, it means a lot to know you have a support system that knows the kinds of challenges that may come up. It has been great so far, trying to take everything in stride. The rain kept me in the van most of the day yesterday, but I didnt mind. It was great to just relax and listen to it hit the roof.&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>So far I have learned..<div><br></div><div>1. Until I get a mobile internet service, plan around towns with either mcd's, bk, or starbucks. I was holed up in the rain yesterday in a town with no public wifi. Not the end of the world, but it would have been nice to have.</div><div><br></div><div>2. Keep feet warm during the night. This cost me a good chunk of sleep!</div><div><br></div><div>3. People probably pay far less attention to my van than I think.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Two days in and still lovin it. Going into the forest land today, internet is uncertain.</div></div>

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

Good to hear from you. An old camping trick if you don't know.&nbsp; Sleep with tomorrow mornings clothes in the sleeping bag with you.&nbsp; Then you can get dressed in the sleeping bag or under the covers with warm clothes. Have your coffee ready to brew come morning too. <IMG border=0 align=absMiddle src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif"><br><b><FONT color=#00ff00>Dragonfly</FONT></b><br>

 

[High Plains Drifter]

Welcome fellow Missourian <img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif" align="absmiddle" border="0">, It gets easier as you go along. I also suspect the same thing that akrvbob says that you will love or at least like the road very much.<br>

 

[akrvbob]

Very important to keep your feet warm, here's a trick: before bed put on a fresh, clean pair of heavy boot socks dedicated to be sleep wear. Your feet constantly sweat so put on a dry pair before bed. Another trick is to use your propane stove and heat up a quart of water and put it in a water bottle. Put that into the foot of your bed a few minutes before bedtime. Wearing a hat to bed will also help. Bob<br>

 

[4x4tour]

<span id="post_message_1271184377" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">@Ryan24, I can only guess you have a cell phone, who is the plan with and are you on a contract? I have a Nokia E71 Straight Talk SMART PHONE from Walmart, total cost of my "plan" is $48.47 per month, it operates off of the AT&amp;T 3G net, UNLIMITED everything talk txt and data, you can tether it to your computer (PC or LapTop) and have internet anywhere you have service, it is slower than some wifi but it works!!! Also since it is a 3G phone and it has an unbranded SIM card, I can put the sim in my iPhone and have the same service as I have with the E71 except I cannot send MMS with the iPhone...anyone looking for inexpensive phone service I HIGHLY recommend Straight Talk, they have several smart phones even a DROID although it is a SPRINT based phone so service is spotty, but Straight talk contracts service from all major carriers, &nbsp;verizon, at&amp;t, sprint, but the provider is&nbsp;dependent on the phone you get, but the $45.00 unlimited is the best and you can have the payment automatically taken from your credit card or checking account, no cards to buy to&nbsp;refill, and in my state the total after taxes is $48.46, unlike the big cell phone plans where the service is $45 a month and all the fees make it $90 bucks...try it unlimited everything for $45.00 a month</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">&nbsp;</span>

<div><br></div><div>Good to know, may check it out today at Walmart... Thanks</div>

 

[Ryan24]

Big have you ever run into difficulty with tethering? Most of the places I am seeing say that it is against the contract. Still, it looks like a good deal even if tether isnt allowed, thanks for the heads up!

 

[Seraphim]

I used my iPhone for tethering my iPad - didn't do anything more than usual, the iPad was just easier on my older eyes. I'm not into streaming video, so I don't use a great deal of bandwidth. One time, however, I downloaded a movie for my iPad, and the service caught on that I was tethering. They sent a polite letter saying I could stop, or they'd be happy to charge a larger fee.

Now I use a sprint overdrive pro for my Internet. 4G and 3G unlimited for $47 month. My cell phone bill is separate. The overdrive let's you hook up to 8 wireless devices simultaneously and works with a wireless printer as well.

Best suited for use in city areas where 4G is available, which is blazing fast right now.

 

[oldnjung]

Welcome Ryan,<br>I spent the first 13 years growing up in the Ozarks of southern MO.&nbsp; I also have cold feet. I rub them before putting on at least one pair of wool socks over cotton. Boondocking, I boil about&nbsp;32 oz.&nbsp;of water and put it&nbsp;in a Nalgene bottle. It is heavy duty and has not cracked from the heat. Probably would if not at room temp before adding hot water.&nbsp;It is amazing how many hours that thing stays hot, then warm under the covers! Reheat same water day after day.<br>Good Luck, jb&nbsp;<br>

 

[Seraphim]

Well Ryan - how's it going?