Hello from Ontario Canada!

[xTheCanadian]

Hello, my name is Hugh! I am planning to convert my newly acquired 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan into a small camper for my dog and I. I have been fighting severe depression, social anxiety and a few other issues both physical and psychological, since my late teens and I am now 33 years old. I've lived with my dad for most of my life because I am on ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program) and I can't afford to live anywhere else... Plus dad worries about me a lot. 

I was sitting here one day a few weeks ago thinking of how much I'd like to travel and see my country and then I started looking at train and plane tickets and the costs made me sad. Even the "cheap" tickets were too expensive after you factor in hotels and food and all that stuff too so I started thinking of alternatives. I remembered when my friend and I shared ownership of a early 2000's Ford Freestar minivan. We decided we'd bring his girlfriend camping with us and we loaded our van with our camping gear (tents, kayaks and such) and we arrived just after dark. Originally we planned to head out in the dark (We had gone kayaking in the dark many times) but it was too windy for us to want to risk it so we slept in the van. My friend and his girlfriend slept in the back of the minivan while I slept in the passenger seat. The next morning we set out on our camping adventure.

I figured if I could sleep in the passenger seat of that Ford Minivan and I could live out of a tiny two man tent for pretty much as long as the weather was good then I'd be able to do great things if I had a whole van to myself. 

Unfortunately I couldn't afford to buy a minivan but I had a 14ft tracker boat with a 40hp outboard on it so I figured I'd sell my boat. I put an ad on the internet and the same day a lady messaged me and offered to trade me a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan for my boat in a straight trade. I accepted the deal and we met yesterday to make sure we would both be happy with what we were getting. As of next weekend I'll be the proud owner of a dark blue 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan.

I don't plan to live full time in my van but I do intend to spend a lot of time in it when the weather is good (And I'm hoping a once a year month long trip to the US so I can visit different historic places.) so I am going to sacrifice storage for comfort and only take with me what I need.

Well, thanks for reading!

Hugh/xTheCanadian.

 

[SheketEchad]

Welcome, Hugh! Sounds like you made a deal you are pleased with Lots to learn here, so have a go at the reading and the videos on the CRVL YouTube channel are chock full of ideas for you. Happy trails!

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums Hugh! Congratulations! Many of us have found that being out in nature is very healing so I hope you find some relief from your depression and anxiety as you begin your adventures. Keep us updated!

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[xTheCanadian]

I'm definitely going to miss my boat but I'll be able to go more places in the van, I've been watching Bob's videos on youtube and I've learned a fair bit. Being in nature with my dog and my tent is one of my favorite things in the world!