Hello from College Park, Maryland

[panelanela]

I'm Daniela.

Full-time student at the University and accompanied by a 1 year old German Shepherd. I've been hoping around living spaces but I'm having difficulty keeping up with rent (Especially near the Washington D.C. area). I've considered van life for a while, for both traveling and throughout the semester. I love being outside - kayaking, hiking, biking. I want to try new things, have the flexibility to see beautiful landscapes. I'm having some trouble for two reasons.. first, it seems like most van conversions are super expensive. Once i get past getting the van itself, the conversion seems costly and as a full-time student, I lack the money and experience to make it work on my own. Second, the van life on the east coast seems a little harder to come by. The lack of community for van dwellers on this side of the country makes it even harder to maneuver around. Anyway, I've joined this community to hopefully gain some insightfulness in what it really means to be a part of the van life and how I can get over my two minor setbacks and make it happen.

I know life is short and I don't plan on taking my time for granted.

 

[lenny flank]

Urban camping is a lot easier than the rural camping that most of us do here (though I am an urban camper who moves around the country from city to city--I am in Florida right now and will be in Georgia next month).

As for expense, all you REALLY need to start is a sleeping bag on a cot, and a camping stove to cook with. Everything else you need is always just a Walmart away. Add it as you need it.

There are just as many van-dwellers in the east as there are in the west, though this particular forum is made up mostly of southwesterners and is heavily skewed in that direction. (I spent a few months in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico, and liked it there, but I am mostly an Easterner.) EDIT: you may wanna check out the reddit Vandwellers sub, which has a number of East Coast vandwellers.)

 

[user 423]

You can live in a van without having an elaborate conversion. Check the forums and see what people have done for bed platforms and how they use plastic storage bins, milk crates,etc. It depends on how much convenience and comfort you need.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[user 13531]

Welcome to the CRVL forums Daniela..

I think the van dwelling community grows on the east coast as the weather warms. Nomadic van dwellers are all over the southwest currently but as summer temperatures rise they'll move to higher altitudes, go north and or to the east coast...

Good luck on your new adventure!

 

[Riverman]

Welcome to the forum

 

[RepublicOfTXPatriot]

Everyone may have diff opinions on one vandweller youtuber. But she is young like you and inspriational. Look up Hobo Ahle vids. Feel free to PM me with questions if you can't find them on the forum. "Whatever It Takes" David

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Daniela to the CRVL forums! 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. highdesertranger

 

[jojo]

Hi Daniella,

I was in a similar spot, and have decided to live in my SUV, work during the day and urban camp at night.  I do not have any rig, per se, just foam mattress, blankets, clothing, toiletries and a PF membership.  I am in the Columbia, MD area.  Feel free to message me!  Good luck and much happiness!

JoJo

 

[Weight]

I travel the East of Mississippi. I make my base in South Jersey as well as Raleigh. Building a van is one step at a time. Check out other's builds and plan what you would need.

 

[DonnyHacker]

I'm Daniela.

Full-time student at the University and accompanied by a 1 year old German Shepherd. I've been hoping around living spaces but I'm having difficulty keeping up with rent (Especially near the Washington D.C. area). I've considered van life for a while, for both traveling and throughout the semester. I love being outside - kayaking, hiking, biking. I want to try new things, have the flexibility to see beautiful landscapes. I'm having some trouble for two reasons.. first, it seems like most van conversions are super expensive. Once i get past getting the van itself, the conversion seems costly and as a full-time student, I lack the money and experience to make it work on my own. Second, the van life on the east coast seems a little harder to come by. The lack of community for van dwellers on this side of the country makes it even harder to maneuver around. Anyway, I've joined this community to hopefully gain some insightfulness in what it really means to be a part of the van life and how I can get over my two minor setbacks and make it happen.

I know life is short and I don't plan on taking my time for granted.

I used to work for PG County Police (left a few years ago) and had the University of Maryland in my beat for quite a while.  While I will not discourage you from doing this, I will urge you to use extreme caution in that area (PG County and outlying areas in general) given the absurdly high crime rate (yes, even in College Park).  You're right about the cost of living out there and it was one of the reasons why I got out of the D.C. area, but I'm now having the same problem here in Texas.  Good luck in whatever you choose to do and let me know if I can help you.  I really cannot suggest any "good" spots around the University of Maryland to camp, stealth or otherwise, but I could probably come up with some ideas if you give me an idea as to what you want to do.

 

[A Savage Adventure]

Welcome, Daniela! Good luck on your journey!