Go On the Road or ..

[Silver]

I've always dreamed of travelling to Oregon / AZ etc.
I'm in my 50s & work as a cook part time.
It's not an ideal / perfect job but it's income.
*
I use to have a work from home job but 
there was major stress issues with some of the personnel. 
I rather just work solo with minimal intrusions / stress from others.

* I've over nighted in a van a few times.
Sold the van & just have my toyota sedan.

Financially I can go on the road for a few months..
Especially since I try to only eat 1 or 2 x / day..
My Question is should I travel now or find another job?
It may take months to find another job..or a few weeks.
I love to travel to various buffets in Reno / Tahoe / Casinos etc.

* Time is my most precious commodity. 
Time I can never get back but $ I can always make. 
My friend's Dad passed @ age 50. 
He reached his dreams of having a family / Home & engineering job. 


* I use to play chess with him & have amazing chat with the honorable man..

 

[RoamerRV428]

I am so there. Travel all the time but elderly parents and a kid into college soon are delaying my movement forward but every second I got on the road is mine and I take it.
Goal, full time on the road. Will we get there, damn right we will. So close

 

[user 423]

Have you overnighted in the Toyota? Is that what you plan to do in a new location for a while?

You really don't give enough details about your present situation or your living plans in a new location for anyone else to give an opinion.

Moving to a new area and finding a new job can be very stressful. Good luck.

 

[Silver]

I've got elderly parents also but my Dad & Bro got it under control for now.
Yes there's nothin like the Freedom of the road!
"overnighted in the Toyota?"
yes but while parked in my garage. 

I have to work on the bug screen but I got generic screens & some fabric from the store. 
I guess the first step would be to over night in a 24 hr place like super market or a gym..

I live with parents now but its an upscalish neighborhood but with lots of crime & noise that wakes me in the middle of the night.
Gangs patrol here waiting to steal cars or break into homes or worse. 

This was posted in my neighborhood
"My husband was shot and killed. If ANYONE on __ drive and -- has camera footage of a red sedan circling around today, PLEASE send .."

I begged my parents to move but they have dementia & love the weather in Cali..
I don't go out unless I have to buy some food or supplies..

 

[WanderingRose]

I suggest some baby steps, to find out if being on the road in a car full time is what you really want and are able to do.

Work on tricking out your Toyota, and do some couple-day trips to nearby areas you are interested in.

This will give you some experience in the lifestyle, and help you figure out exactly what you need to be comfortable in your car.

It is easy to make wandering full time sound amazing, which it is, but it’s also a lot of effort to keep mind, body and vehicle well-functioning.

Basic activities of daily living are much more involved, and then there’s finances.

You need a good savings account before heading out, lest an accident or major repair leave you stuck somewhere you don’t want to be.

Get your feet wet, see if this will work for you and that will help in making a good decision.

If it is meant to be, you will feel that.

 

[DLTooley]

You should have no problem finding work on the road, seasonal resorts might well be best for both parties.

I’d also not be surprised if in a housing challenged resort you could make significantly more and have much less overhead. You might even like the place enough to stay!

 

[skyl4rk]

Sign up for Doordash and Ubereats. You can make a basic income with your car in most cities.

 

[Cammalu]

There are many, many jobs during the winter season in Quartzsite, AZ and you can camp free

 

[maki2]

As long as you have some references and get the required food handler permit you will certainly be able to find work in the food industry.

 

[MotorVation]

There are many, many jobs during the winter season in Quartzsite, AZ and you can camp free

^^^^This

 

[Silver]

Working @ seasonal resorts sounds hella fun!
Doordash and Ubereats:
I hesitate to put that wear & tear on my car except
if I'm already heading in that direction..
"law stipulates that one training course must be available
at no more than $15
to ensure affordability and prevent hardship on the food handler."
Thanks Guys!
I also just applied for a desk job in Florida.
Maybe they'll let me work from the road..

 

[kklowell]

How can you work a "desk job" from the road?

 

[JDelete]

I suggest you take some test runs. Head out to a safe place with the idea of living in your vehicle for a week. See how it feels, how you get get along, etc. I suspect you are going to find out real fast just what crap you can leave behind and what you should have brought along. Do this a few times to fine tune your setup. These excursions will also help you to, (a) prepare yourself mentally for the major shift in lifestyle, and (b) to create a living situation that works for you.

I would guess you can find work just about anywhere as a cook. I'm also guessing that as a cook, you basically have your meals covered.

The best day to start is today. Tomorrow is always tomorrow.

 

[Silver]

Hello,
"good savings account before heading out"

"Sermon on the Mount.
This verse continues the discussion of worry about material provisions.
In this verse J tells his followers not to be anxious about food,
but to rely on G, as the birds,
who are worth far less than people, are fully provided for.
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither
do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your
Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

The World English B translates the passage as:
See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither
do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your Father
feeds them.

Aren’t you of much more value than they?"
Birds are far from idle,
having to go to a great deal of effort to gather their food.
Creating a world filled with food, and
giving the birds the instincts to collect it.
A call for self-sufficiency or
for a return to a hunter gatherer lifestyle?
Something advocated by the philosopher Seneca."

Thank you all for your words and voting. 
It helps me clearly see what I must do. 

"major repair leave you stuck somewhere you don’t want to be."
I have to check on my AAA.
"Quartzsite, AZ and you can camp free"
Nothing wrong about Free!

"work a "desk job" from the road?"
Depends on the company. 
During pandemic they let me work @ home when I was an Admin.  
The boss got a laptop but they let me take home their desktop.
"test runs." Yes.  Absolutely.

"as a cook, you basically have your meals covered?"
Depends on the company.
McDs use to give out 1 meal / shift.
Where I am now its free soda & 50% off everything else.
I usually just eat eggs/bacon/salad etc.
"The best day to start is today." I love this!

“You are too concerned with what was and what will be.
There is a saying: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery,
but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.”
www.goodreads.com/quotes/search

 

[WanderingRose]

I have had AAA since I first began traveling in 2001, and it provides excellent coverage and benefits.

I have, however, also been stuck once in snow and ice in Missouri for 3 days, when the roads were deemed too bad for AAA to come out.

My late husband and I finally chopped our way out with a folding camp shovel and an axe.

When I talk about being stuck somewhere, that could apply to a breakdown somewhere AAA can’t or won’t go, but I was actually thinking of the high cost of vehicle repairs.

Not unusual for something major to cost a thousand or two thousand dollars or more, and/or for specific work not to be available where one breaks down.

I believe AAA provides one, 100 mile tow a year.

There have been people on here who have had breakdowns they didn’t have the money to pay for, and anyone who has traveled any period of time has had a costly repair on the road.

One can find food in most communities, money for costly vehicle repairs not so much.

Which is why a good savings account, and the means to replenish it, is important if you’re going to travel any distance.

Living in your vehicle in a town is a different ball of wax.

Just things to think about and be aware of, as you are asking for the opinions of others here.

I personally, believe in encouraging others dreams, but also being practical rather than helping newbies throw themselves off a cliff.

 

[user 423]

Which is why a good savings account, and the means to replenish it, is important if you’re going to travel any distance.

I personally, believe in encouraging others dreams, but also being practical rather than helping newbies throw themselves off a cliff.

Good advice. An emergency repair fund is necessary.

AAA won't help much if you have to pay $3000+ for a new transmission.

How old is your Toyota and what kind of shape is it in?

 

[WanderingRose]

I travel in an older ClassB that I love, and is the second of these I have owned.

 

[user 423]

Oh sorry, I was asking about the OP's Toyota sedan he/she wants to travel in.

 

[MotorVation]

Last night I went to Wally World in my car to buy groceries to start stocking up the van for the road. I'm planning on heading out soon. I'm not real big on leaving the van in a Walmart parking lot at night, especially this time of year. Too much stuff to steal. Anyway, I locked my phone in the glove compartment and then I locked all 4 doors of the car. 

When I got back to the car I discovered that I'd locked my keys in it as well as the phone. I also realized I locked my cigarettes in there and that's when the panic started. I stood there for a while clueless until I remembered I did have my cards in my pocket as that's how I paid for the grub.

Anyway, I went back into Wally World and called AAA from their landline, yeah, landline, and told them how stupid I am. They sent a locksmith and I was on my way within 30 minutes. I bought some smokes while I was in there as that was my main concern. 

No way I'd travel without AAA. Last year they pulled me out of some roadside mud in Mississippi.

 

[Sofisintown]

I think that numerous people have faced this dilemma