From the pan to the fire.

[SoulRaven]

I just can't seem to wrap my brain around the idea of why anyone would give up a comfortable stick and brick house to live in a vehicle such as a car, cargo trailer, or van. I can see living full time in a motor home because it does have some semblance of a house with all the amenities.
And yes I can understand wanting to get out from under rent or house payments. And of course all the work involved in upkeep of a house is.....well.....work!!! And I have heard about where most people that are going to start living the mobile life go crazy getting rid of all their stuff and clear things out of their house in preparation for their new nomadic lives.

Now, let me counter that with the other side of the coin or fire. To begin with, if you are able to keep up now with your rent or house payment what's the problem? Yeah you are going to be paying less I would imagine if you can find free places to live in your vehicle. But, how does that kind of life compare to living in a comfortable house or apt with living in a vehicle? You are more crowded now than when you were living in a house or apt. Let's face it after you set up a bed, some cabinets, cooler, and all the other things you need to just survive you don't have hardly any room to move around in there.

As far as the freedom of the road goes, if you live in a house or apt you are just as free to load up your vehicle of choice and hit the road for a few days on the weekends or vacations, and if you are retired just about whenever you want (within reason). You can visit and go to the same places that the people that live full time in their vehicles do. The difference is you return to a comfortable house or apt when you are ready to go back.
There is also work that has to be done on things living in a vehicle as well as a house. And if you compare that to an apt you may have more to do on the vehicle than the apt. You are using that vehicle a lot more when full timing. So there will be more maintenance and breakdowns.

Just because a person lives in a vehicle doesn't make things easier. Some things can even be harder. Living in a very small area with all your worldly possessions will keep you busy trying to keep things organized and out of your way. You do have to work at that.

This post in no way is a put down on anyone living in or out of a vehicle, it is just some thoughts that I want to throw out there to get some feed back on my thinking.

 

[cyndi]

I think of all that room in a house as a hardship. I have to clean it, maintain it. I'm not crowded in my van. I have everything I need and nothing I don't.

I downsized from a Class C. I can't remember if it was 26 or 28 feet. It was still too big. Do i miss a couple of the amenities. Maybe when there's a couple of days of bad weather, in a row. But, I could always move it was that bad.

 

[SoulRaven]

Sounds like the opposite of what this site is all about.

Guy

No it's not the opposite. I am just putting out some observations and giving another viewpoint. It makes for a good healthy exchange of ideas.

 

[SoulRaven]

I think of all that room in a house as a hardship. I have to clean it, maintain it. I'm not crowded in my van. I have everything I need and nothing I don't.

I downsized from a Class C. I can't remember if it was 26 or 28 feet. It was still too big. Do i miss a couple of the amenities. Maybe when there's a couple of days of bad weather, in a row. But, I could always move it was that bad.

Thank you for your honesty.

 

[Almost There]

Not everyone is suited for life on the road. Some people adapt well to it and others, well, they need more of a conventional type of stability than others.

I have a friend who can not possibly imagine life without having all their stuff surrounding them. It makes them mentally comfortable. OTOH, I have no need for stuff other than what I use from day to day. Even when I had a S&B I had less than 10% of the 'stuff' that they had.

Some need to wake up each morning, not only in the same bed (which I do) but also looking out at the same view. Others thrive on looking at something new each day or week.

I'm going to take parts of your post and respond to each separately

To begin with, if you are able to keep up now with your rent or house payment what's the problem?

I could have kept my apartment but when I figured out what it would cost me to house my stuff when I wasn't going to be there for months at a time, the cost was more than the value of all that stuff I had. And that was just for one winter. It would be like paying for a storage unit at a high monthly rate to house low value goods...didn't make any economic sense at all to me. Besides that money that isn't going in to paying rent, utilities etc can either be used to enjoy my lifestyle more or go in to the savings account for my future needs or be inherited by my kids, whichever comes first. I live on a relatively easy budget but it only stretches so far.

You are more crowded now than when you were living in a house or apt. Let's face it after you set up a bed, some cabinets, cooler, and all the other things you need to just survive you don't have hardly any room to move around in there.

That depends entirely on the layout you have. I have seen some interiors that were terribly crowded. I'm not sure how the person could even find their way to bed at night. BUT a well designed and executed interior doesn't have to be crowded. That's one thing I dislike about most Class Bs - they've got so much crammed in there that there's little room to move. No, I couldn't dance a polka in my van, but if I want to polka, I can do it outside...

The difference is you return to a comfortable house or apt when you are ready to go back.

The problem with this statement is that you're assuming that everyone wants to 'go back'. Not all of us want or need to 'go back' to anything. Some of us are quite content, nay thrilled to not have a home base. Again, some flowers need a deep root system to survive and some do just quite fine blooming wherever their seed lands.

You are using that vehicle a lot more when full timing. So there will be more maintenance and breakdowns.

Again, an assumption that the vehicle is being mechanically overused by full timing. I actually put less miles on my vehicle now that I'm living in it than I put on my other vehicle when I lived in an apartment. I don't go from point A to B and back again only to leave out and go from Point A to C etc. I go from Point A to B and then to C. Parts of the interior do get more wear on them than comparable furniture in the apartment. I use the bed as a sofa as well as a bed so theoretically I will wear it out twice as fast. BUT I only have to replace one of them when they wear out, not both and at a considerable savings too!!

Just because a person lives in a vehicle doesn't make things easier. Some things can even be harder. Living in a very small area with all your worldly possessions will keep you busy trying to keep things organized and out of your way. You do have to work at that.

That depends entirely on how organized you are to start with. I've seen some 'van dwellers' who must spend much of their day hunting for things and/or moving things around to get to other items. But they are the ones who haven't taken the time to get organized in the first place. Their S&B homes more than likely looked exactly the same as the inside of their vehicle....cluttered and messy. I spend little to no time organizing because everything has a place to start with and I keep everything in it's place when it's not being used. I'm by no means a neat freak but I employ the same organizational techniques in the van as I did when I organized an office or my home.

And I sure don't spend nearly as much time on housework as I did when I lived in an apartment. It takes me the same amount of time to wash and dry dishes but less than 10% of the time it used to take me to clean  the apartment. All that time I save gets to be spent on doing what I like to do rather than housework. I can use it for reading or just sitting around enjoying life rather than working.

No one ever said that this life was meant for the all of the people of the world. BUT there are those of us who really, really love to live this way. I, for one, cringe at the very thought of ever having to go back to a stationary life style.

 

[masterplumber]

Steve, while I have a sticks and bricks, and probably always will as my wife doesn't have the same gypsy genes as me. I definitely see the appeal of downsizing and living nomadic. I'm very comfortable in my 6x12 cargo trailer, and have everything I need in there. I would never want to loose my wife, as I've grown kind of fond of her over the 34 years we've been together, but reality is, life happens. A good friend of mine just lost his wife to cancer and she was only 47. If I were to find myself in that situation, now that the kids are grown and pretty self sufficient, I would probably sell this place and hit the road with my truck full of tools and my trailer. About the only thing I think I'd miss is my shop. After a while I'd probably buy a small plot on the western slope of Colorado where it's cheaper to live, and build a shop. Then I'd just spend summers there so I'd still live in my trailer or maybe a small cabin. I used to want a big house etc... but the older I get the more it seems the upkeep and expense isn't a good return on investment, both time and money.

But I know others feel differently. That is why the majority will stay in their homes and wonder, what would it be like to hit the road for an extended period. I think the majority of people in this world think they need the space and amenities of a house, or at least a large RV. I find all I really need is a comfortable bed, a place to cook a meal (and I can cook most anything I want to on 2 burners), a little privacy to clean up or go to the bathroom, and the freedom to come and go as I want to. I'm very fortunate that I'm self employed and don't need to earn a ton of money, so I get a taste of it, but a person can definitely live cheaper and with more personal freedom by living a nomadic life without a home base. That's what is great about this country though, for all it's faults we really do have the freedom to choose the life we want. It's just that each choice has costs, like not having a place on a map to call home if you want to live freely with a very low income, or being tied to earning a good living if you want to own a sticks and bricks - especially if you're young and just starting out these days.

 

[rvwandering]

Well stated Almost There!

I, too, can not imagine going back to a stationary life. Granted we do have a small RV with more amenities and more room than a van but even when we were stationary and went on vacations, camping in a simple van or the back of our pickup, I was never ready to come home. I did not miss the extra room and all of the stuff in our house at all.

Now with everything that we own in the RV we are totally free to go anywhere and stay as long as we like without worrying about what might be happening to our sticks and bricks. It's very liberating.

Even though we love living like this it's definitely not for everybody, in fact, it's probably not right for most people so if keeping your apartment feels like the right thing for you that is what you should do. Travel when you can and enjoy coming back home. It's all good.

 

[SoulRaven]

Wow, these are some good answers. I can see now that it is the particular type lifestyle that appeals to people that live full time in their vehicles. And to them it's just another way to live that is no worse to them than living in a house or apt.

I can see now that once you are adjusted to the differences and acclimate to them you would be very comfortable, and going back to live in a house or apt would be the same as a person who is comfortable living in a house or apt to try to adjust to living in a vehicle. It makes sense to me now.
Thanks to everyone for your answers.

 

[rvpopeye]

I haven't lived in a house for over 36 years.......so I look at your post and think ??????????????
Why would I ever want to do THAT !
It is another point of view but it also is the opposite of what this forum is about .
I hope you find happiness doing what you posted but it isn't even an option for my happiness.

 

[GotSmart]

I just can't seem to wrap my brain around the idea of why anyone would give up a comfortable stick and brick house to live in a vehicle such as a car, cargo trailer, or van. I can see living full time in a motor home because it does have some semblance of a house with all the amenities.
And yes I can understand wanting to get out from under rent or house payments. And of course all the work involved in upkeep of a house is.....well.....work!!! And I have heard about where most people that are going to start living the mobile life go crazy getting rid of all their stuff and clear things out of their house in preparation for their new nomadic lives.

Now, let me counter that with the other side of the coin or fire. To begin with, if you are able to keep up now with your rent or house payment what's the problem? Yeah you are going to be paying less I would imagine if you can find free places to live in your vehicle. But, how does that kind of life compare to living in a comfortable house or apt with living in a vehicle? You are more crowded now than when you were living in a house or apt. Let's face it after you set up a bed, some cabinets, cooler, and all the other things you need to just survive you don't have hardly any room to move around in there.

As far as the freedom of the road goes, if you live in a house or apt you are just as free to load up your vehicle of choice and hit the road for a few days on the weekends or vacations, and if you are retired just about whenever you want (within reason). You can visit and go to the same places that the people that live full time in their vehicles do. The difference is you return to a comfortable house or apt when you are ready to go back.
There is also work that has to be done on things living in a vehicle as well as a house. And if you compare that to an apt you may have more to do on the vehicle than the apt. You are using that vehicle a lot more when full timing. So there will be more maintenance and breakdowns.

Just because a person lives in a vehicle doesn't make things easier. Some things can even be harder. Living in a very small area with all your worldly possessions will keep you busy trying to keep things organized and out of your way. You do have to work at that.

This post in no way is a put down on anyone living in or out of a vehicle, it is just some thoughts that I want to throw out there to get some feed back on my thinking.

Steve;

Do I see a recurring theme? (or a hidden message?)

Living in a van is deciding to forgo things for things sake.  You go for quality instead of fluff.  I got rid of most of what I started with, and bought things I could use, instead of needed. I value open space over a collection.  When I need to land, my kids will let me land.  

The picture below is the reason I go on the road.  It is hard to be stressed, when watching the sun rise over RTR.

 

[jimindenver]

There is a difference between someone forced into the lifestyle with little preparation vs someone that does it as a choice with lots of preparation and forethought. I am downsizing from over 3000 sq ft to under 200. I'll miss some of it but there is a beauty in simplicity. Having little enough stuff that it's easy to keep straight, keep clean and actually be used without digging.

I'll have fall backs, a place to go if I don't like the lifestyle. I also have decided to store some stuff until I return next year. 10 foot RC airplanes are not worth much used but would cost a fortune should I decide to settle again. Other than that I know I miss the longer hot shower after a camping trip, I can deal.

 

[SoulRaven]

The picture below is the reason I go on the road.  It is hard to be stressed, when watching the sun rise over RTR.

Not trying to be difficult but I can see beautiful sunrises and sunsets out my back door, and at different places while road tripping. I have seen some beautiful sunsets and sunrises just about where ever I have been.
I don't have to be living in a vehicle to experience that.
Please don't take what I have said as a put down, I just get tired of hearing that as a reason to go live in a vehicle. That is not a unique reason.

 

[SoulRaven]

There is a difference between someone forced into the lifestyle with little preparation vs someone that does it as a choice with lots of preparation and forethought. I am downsizing from over 3000 sq ft to under 200.  I'll miss some of it but there is a beauty in simplicity. Having little enough stuff that it's easy to keep straight, keep clean and actually be used without digging.

I'll have fall backs, a place to go if I don't like the lifestyle. I also have decided to store some stuff until I return next year. 10 foot RC airplanes are not worth much used but would cost a fortune should I decide to settle again. Other than that I know I miss the longer hot shower after a camping trip, I can deal.

I guess it's called opportunity costs. The important thing is if you really enjoy the different way of living. Which I can tell from the answers here that most everyone does.

 

[ldmccain]

How about this.
I've lived within 50 miles of the hospital where I was born for 47 years.
Now that I work from home I want to travel and experience the country.
While the RV was great to get started, it is simply to big to get me to the places I want to be.

Sent from my HTC6535LVW using Tapatalk

 

[Tussah]

My nomadic life is still in the planning and dreaming phase, but here's what attracts me:

1) As much as I love having stuff, the older I get the more I feel that maybe a lot of my stuff really owns me.  I've spent the past two years helping my parents downsize. It's becoming real clear that I won't be able to take my stuff with me when I die, and nobody else in my family is going to want it.  If I am not getting real enjoyment from my possessions now and on an ongoing basis, I might as well clear them out.  

(I did inherit the packrat gene from both sides, so I'm still in the transition, and am on the 10 year plan for clearing out.  Anybody want an unread copy of the Dallas Morning News on the day after the Kennedy assassination?  My Dad bought an extra copy that day and kept it through a dozen moves throughout the years.  Why, I don't know.  Somehow, I've ended up with it.)

2) Life in my house is very comfortable, often, too comfortable, and too easy.   I always think of all the stuff I want to do, but so often, I just sit in my comfy chair and turn on the TV.   I will NOT take a TV with me on the road.   I want to experience life and get out and do things.

3) Taking camping/vacation trips is entirely different from living life on the road.  I love to travel, and it's fun to be a tourist.  In fact, my van adventure will probably have a lot more sightseeing than many others on this list.  But a vacation is a short lived special event.  I really want to live a real life, and that means dealing with daily tasks, and hanging around other people living their daily lives.  It's clear from this list that there are loads of very interesting people with all different sorts of outlooks for me to meet and learn from.  

4) For me, hitting the road and living in a van is a way for me to grow as a person, and develop myself.   I will have new challenges and experiences, and I want to set some personal goals as well, that somehow I never seem to make time for now.  

5) I really want to explore our beautiful country.    In a van, I can get up close and personal with hustle and bustle, or find a quiet, remote beautiful corner and explore nature all by myself.  My dream is to visit all parts of the continental U.S. and Canada, hit lots of festival and maybe a few workshops, spend loads of time outdoors and hanging out.   There are places I've never been, simply because they are too far away for me to drive to and explore in the short amount of time I have available to me for my vacation.

Personally, I don't expect to live in a van forever.  But I'm definitely excited by the prospect of spending at least a year in my van, and can totally see the appeal for those that choose to make it a personal life style choice.

 

[SoulRaven]

Do I see a recurring theme? (or a hidden message?)

I don't know what you are saying. What kind of hidden message or recurring theme are you suggesting? My questions and statements have no hidden meaning. I thought they were pretty straightforward. Or maybe I am trying to find a hidden message or theme in your question? :huh:

 

[rvpopeye]

You'd probably have to do it for quite a long time before the "ah ha" moment will strike you and you see the true beauty of this life.
The stix and brix gene is strong within you.

 

[SoulRaven]

Personally, I don't expect to live in a van forever.  But I'm definitely excited by the prospect of spending at least a year in my van, and can totally see the appeal for those that choose to make it a personal life style choice.

Since you seem like you will probably be trying the lifestyle out for a year or less, maybe you should try to hang on to your house while you are giving it a try. It might make things easier if you decide to take back your present life when you want to have a break from the nomad lifestyle. In other words I wouldn't burn your bridges until you are for certain that you like it.

 

[jimindenver]

Honestly people do need to consider a lot when dreaming about the lifestyle. There is a realistic side in that while it's easy to be idealistic, thinking about the actuality isn't always so dreamy. There are hardships, there are cost, it gets lonely, it gets boring too. Luckily people here talk about those things and how they deal with them.

Why would a person consider it is a good question for a new person to ask themselves.

 

[Tussah]

3) Taking camping/vacation trips is entirely different from living life on the road.  I love to travel, and it's fun to be a tourist.  In fact, my van adventure will probably have a lot more sightseeing than many others on this list.  But a vacation is a short lived special event.  I really want to live a real life, and that means dealing with daily tasks, and hanging around other people living their daily lives.  It's clear from this list that there are loads of very interesting people with all different sorts of outlooks for me to meet and learn from.  

Apologies for quoting myself, but I'm not sure I expressed this very well, so let me give you a couple of examples from my life:
1)  When I was in college, I had a moped, and decided to drive it entirely around the San Francisco Bay area, over Easter week.  That's about a 500 mile ride.  I piled my camping stuff and a gas can on the back and set off.   Sure, I saw fun stuff, and had a good time, but the biggest surprise to me was that I became an honorary member of a community that I never even knew existed.  On this trip, every motorcycle rider I saw, waved and greeted me.  I saw the world differently, and the world saw me differently as well.
2)  In 1999, I moved to China with my 3 year old daughter.  We lived in a small city where I taught Oral English at a college.   All of my friends were Chinese and my life was a very Chinese life.  I lived and absorbed a new culture, and it was real, because it was all ordinary daily stuff, not holidays and festivals.   The most mundane tasks were totally new to me.  So many things that I took completely for granted, such as how to make a bed, were done completely differently there.  I learned so much, and made such deep friendships that I consider these friends to be as close to me as family.  That could never have happened if I were merely on a vacation trip.   That life gave me a chance to get outside of my own cultural box, and look at the world in a totally new way.    I still do many, many things in the Chinese way now, because I like them better.  In other areas, such as soft mattresses and comfy chairs, I still prefer the American way.
I can't wait to become a member of the vandwelling community, and experience things that are impossible to experience without living on the road.  I do plan to make sure that my bed is soft and comfy, but I already know that I won't get stressed out over a lack of plumbing.