Hello there!

[AsphaltGypsy]

Just wanted to say "hello" and thank everybody for all the blogs/forum articles. I found this site through Pinterest and realize just now that I have spent a little over 4 hours browsing, reading, navigating the site.  lol

I have long dreamed of roaming the wonderful, wild places of the US and Canada, living self sufficiently and debt free. Just me and my doggies. My gypsy soul running free. So many of the articles have spoke to me. =)

I will continue to read and come back often to check in and build on my "courage loan" from the site. Perhaps one day soon I will cut the social ties that hold me down and my post's will be from real experiences learned from my journeys.

Until then, be at peace with the world and your soul.

AsphaltGypsy*  

 

[Theadyn]

Hi and Welcome!

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums AsphaltGypsy! I love your name! Keep reading and dreaming. Hope to see you on the road some day!

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.

 

[wagoneer]

welcome enter at your own risk of freedom.

 

[Milk Hauler]

Welcome to the DARK side [emoji89]
Freedom that is... [emoji41]

 

[AsphaltGypsy]

Welcome to the DARK side [emoji89]
Freedom that is...  [emoji41]

=) thank you! I am looking forward to full transition eventually. Bit by bit, day by day....scary indeed.

Kim

 

[AsphaltGypsy]

welcome  enter at your own risk of freedom.

Thank you. =) I am excited, nervous, anxious about making the transition. little by little.

Kim

 

[rvpopeye]

Hi Asphalt Gypsy
Welcome to the forums , I have been here only a short time but feel like I have found a new family.
With this group spread out all over the country , your quest for courage should get a great boost !
An amazing bunch of people , always willing to lend an encouraging word or deed.

 

[AsphaltGypsy]

Hi Asphalt Gypsy
Welcome to the forums , I have been here only a short time but feel like I have found a new family.
With this group spread out all over the country , your quest for courage should get a great boost !
An amazing bunch of people , always willing to lend an encouraging word or deed.

Thanks so much Popeye! I appreciate your reply and encouragement. I believe I have learned more about the "vandwdelling" community on this website than anywhere else. Its informative, fun, and well thought out. Definitely a confidence booster.

Being a single woman I am most interested in hearing from the solo females and reading about their experiences. The courage meter keeps going up. =)

Kim

 

[rvpopeye]

YW Asphault Gypsy
By the very nature of vandwelling most of those here are solo travelers .
I've been living on wheels since 1981 , enjoying the open roads and deserts , forests , parking lots.....
Home is where you park it !

 

[sillysal54]

Hi AsphaltGypsy....I am in the same situation. Scared to go on the road, but excited at the thought and preparation. I agree with you that this forum is encouraging and informative. Someday we'll just get in our vans and GO and not look back!

 

[GotSmart]

(To all the Girls I loved before!)  

As a single man on the road, I met a lot of ladies solo traveling.  With only a few exceptions they were neat, clean, and intelligent. (We are on the road after all...) I enjoyed meeting them as fellow travelers, and we all respected each other for what we could share around the campfire and what we could add to a conversation. Everyone is treated as an equal.

Many of them had a pet with them, mostly dogs.  The members of this site I met were people I would like to get to know better on a long term basis.  If anyone here wants to have a safe vandwelling experience, go to the annual RTR where everyone is accepted, and the alcohol is extremely limited.    I have noticed that many nice people become jerks after more than a couple drinks.  All kinds of people are there, men, women, vegitablarians, gay not gay, Young, vintage  (PEOPLE!) all just fellow travelers who happen to be at that place at that time seeing what the options are for making their living or traveling space more comfortable.

Dogs are in great abundance, and my cat is POed at the site of so many in "his territory"     I have to keep him in as while friendly to people, he will attack a strange dog while "protecting me and his camp."  

I will be back at RTR in Quartzite next year, and I hope to see my friends there.

 

[sillysal54]

Ok then....this is my goal. So thank you GotSmart. See you at the next annual RTR.

 

[Canine]

It is a bit of a process. A few of us were slammed into the lifestyle for various reasons. I've been fortunate to be able to slowly make decisions and try them out. Some failed, but most were good choices. I've found that being in a hurry and allowing myself to be rushed sometimes caused problems. Getting rid of stuff and being happier with less was/is an interesting journey on the road to freedom. Enjoy the journey.

 

[SoulRaven]

Greetings & Welcome!

One beautiful thing about this lifestyle is you can always start out as a weekend warrior and if you enjoy it build from there. If you don't, no harm, no foul.

 

[WriterMs]

A solo female traveler here. I think if you truly feel frightened (and not just a little anxious) then the advice to start out where you have some company and support is great (like the RTR or one of Bob's campsites where he is welcoming visitors). And weekend "practice" at a local park will help you, too.

Since I had done a lot of camping in the 90s in Montana while having a house to return to, I was already comfortable with the idea of sleeping out in the boonies. But I also take precautions. A few suggestions off the top of my head that may help you feel more secure:

1. Listen to your gut about any place you plan to sleep. Really look at details around you and see if anything seems "off." When I am getting from Point A to Point B (like to NM from the hot, muggy south), I now use Walmart, truck plaza, or Cracker Barrel parking lots to get some sleep and get moving again. There is almost always another option if your first stop just does not feel safe.

2. I like to have 2 cheap and non-lethal means of scaring away trouble beside my bed. The poor person's mace or bear spray is a can of wasp spray (they typically shoot 20 feet out). You can practice with it since it is so cheap, and you can use it for its intended purpose while you do.

The only "defense" I've ever had to actually use (besides moving to a different spot a couple of times) is my manual air-horn. It makes a VERY loud (as in stadiium) honk. If someone rattled a door handle on my rig, I'm sure a blast or two would send them running. Plus it would get a few other people's attention if any were around. I have only used it to send a young elk on his way after he decided my van was the best place to rub his growing antlers and to clear a few grazing cows from just outside my windows. I do have other protection, too, but you'd have to decide what you are comfy with.

3. Always lock up.

I was encouraged that I could assemble everything I needed by reading Bob's ebook and reading the blog's of other women. There are many. If you have specific questions, I or other women on the forum can surely come up with possible answers.
Carla