Greetings with absurd question/premise

[X3Jane]

Greetings!

My name is Su and I'm probably the least likely person in the world to do what you’re doing. Why? I have a phobia of driving on highways, zero mechanical abilities and a lousy sense of direction. Nevertheless, I can’t get your stories out of my mind. I spend hours looking at vans online, watching your videos (especially Bob, Carolyn, Crystal Vanner and My Life Now) and dreaming of being free. I’m a freelance writer/editor and could probably easily adjust to working on the road. But I’ve stayed in one small town for the past 30 years—driving my tiny Miata and staying cozy and “safe” from adventure. I want to make a change! Have any of you overcome driving phobias/mild agoraphobia and managed this lifestyle? I’d love to hear your stories.

 

[lenny flank]

Set your GPS to "no highways", get an AAA membership, and have fun.

 

[waldenbound]

Another thing you can do is study a route before you get on it. Look at it on Google maps, turn on the terrain feature to see the steepness of the slope on a mountain road for example.

 

[bigsallysmom]

My wife had a phobia about tall bridges and narrow flyovers. I would take over driving at those times. But as we travel over more unknowns she started to grit it out and do it herself. She's still nervous but she can now cross over without me. Said she reminds herself what great thing is on the other side.

 

[Riverman]

Welcome to the forum.... You might start with close by trips first, then branch out on the longer one's after a few months.

A AAA travel membership is a great idea, there's comfort in knowing you can get help, should you ever need it.

Keep your cell phone charged and enjoy traveling...

 

[karriea]

Also, many stretches of highway once outside of major cities in the West are wide open. I'm not living the vanlife currently, but from previous cross country travel, I remember having the road pretty much to myself for long stretches of time. If it's being trapped in with a lot of other vehicles traveling together at high speeds in multiple lanes that bothers you about highway driving, you can probably do quite a bit to limit your exposure.

I'm not wild about crowded highways either. Even less now that I have monocular vision. One thing I'm considering is flying out West and starting near where I'd like to be instead of driving out from the East Coast. Same with a slow travel pace, and not driving at night, unless there was an emergency. Maybe those strategies might help you as well? Your adventure, your rules, right?

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums Su! Very good advice - take the back roads and don't rush. Try some short trips to start. Hope to see you out on the road someday!

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.