HI!

[Stephanie]

Hi, I came accross this site after watching several wonderful and educational youtube videos. Great videos interviewing real people living the life. I have always been an adventurous person and love to travel but have not have the opportunity to do it for many reasons but that is another story. I am looking forward to buying my first rv very soon and in the meantime am doing alot of research before I begin my journey in June. I enjoy camping and love nature and the outdoors. I am used to being alone on my travels but like to socialize too. I am taking notes and making plans but as of now I am not as organized as I should be at all.
I am going to be fulltiming starting in June. I am a little nervous about a few things. While I enjoy spending time alone and have done a fair amount of camping, I have never been on the road full time. This will be my first RV. I am sure I will get lonley and there will be nights I may not find a place to stay. I don't really know where I am going to end up or where I am heading. All I know is I'm going to hit the road and travel. Part of me feels this is insane but the other part of me is excited for the adventure. When you started out fulltiming did you have a plan? How can I find other women or groups to meetup with while I'm on the road? What if I'm tired and can't find a place to stay for the night? Will I be ok to stay parked on the street and sleep in my trailer? I am continuing to study as much as I can before I go but really learning from others who are doing it right now is the most helpful. Thanks for reading my post. If you can offer any guidance or resources that would be great.

 

[Gunny]

Stephanie, I would recommend you introduce yourself in the Womens thread, you'll some gender specific answers from the women there.

Welcome to the forum..

Rob

 

[Wabbit]

Hi Stephanie and welcome to the forum.

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Stephanie 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

 

[eDJ_]

Welcome to the CRVL Forum      

In another thread recently I spoke of my Dad getting me started.  I had many of the same questions
you are asking.

My first plans were built around week end camping trips on the long weekends or overnight Day Trips to larger
Cities where I would sight see, shop,  and hit some specialized restaurants where I could get foods to try there that I can't get where I am now.   German Bakeries & Confectioneries,  Greek Gyros, Smoked Meat/Ribs and Charcuterie shops,  and some wonderful Italian Ice Cream shops.  I would visit my Public Library to use the Yellow Page directory room (Yellow Page Phone Books from all over the USA back in the day before the internet)  and  use a collection of Road Maps I would get from AAA.  Fodor's Travel Books existed in the Collection there too.  So my travels first started around things to see and do,  and then I'd use the Rand McNally Campground Atlas to look for campgrounds to make use of along the way.

Now,  I was using an old Ford Econoline Van with a bed across the back end,  a kitchenette with cook top and sink,  a couple 5 gallon Jerry Jugs for water, and an old Coleman type Ice Chest for refrigeration.  It served me remarkably well.   I found many campgrounds had shower houses,  restrooms, and some were with Laundry facilities.  Most surprising,  some had amphitheaters with some form of entertainment.  It may have been basic
astronomy with first magnitude stars/constellations explained,  some historic play that told the story of local Indian Tribes, or early founding settlers,  etc.  

I realized it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be and I was having a great time in what I called my "expeditions".   I often was invited to sit around people's camp fires and we would all explain the places that we had been and wanted to go to.   I learned much in those times about living well and safely on the roads.

I've condensed a lot of this int he two websites below.  The first about setting up a basic Cargo Van as a "Camper" Rv low end basic quickly converted back to a Cargo Van if necessary.   Thus you can quickly sell the Van if necessary because,  like a Pickup Truck,  someone will always need one.   (A purpose built RV may have a much more limited market to resell into)  

The last site at the bottom is about planning while still at home or while on the road.  There are several links to
Travel Planners, Campground Locators, Fodor's Travel sites,  and resources for finding Weather Forecast, ideal  climate,  best Gas prices and so much more.  Close to 90 links in all,  which should prove quite helpful when on the road so you won't feel totally lost.

All the best in your travels !

 

[Solidus4772]

I know if you can find a Wal-Mart parking lot, you generally have a safe place to rest for the night. It may be a drive out of the way, but to rest, resupply and plan your next route it will do. Hope that helps, and welcome!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jimindenver]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

I only went fulltime at the first of the year and still don't have much of a plan beyond next week. There are a number of small groups all over and I will meet up with one when I leave the spot I am in now. I have learned quite a bit from the forums and you tube, they are a great resource.

 

[WriterMs]

Welcome, Stephanie!
As someone mentioned, most (not all) Walmarts allow folks in all sorts of rigs to camp at one end of their lot (you can usually tell by where the other RVs are). Some other places like Cracker Barrel and Lowes/Home Depot seem to be very lenient, too. Most truck stops have an area (NOT with the big rigs) where they don't mind if you overnight. If you are pulling a trailer, however, they may want you in a specific area... just ask, they get that all the time.

But maybe best of all is to use a website that has user ratings for ALL types of free and very low cost places to camp: www.freecampsites.net

Also forum members tonyandkaren have excellent camping info on their website (plus their blogs are highly entertaining and educational about places to see and things to do). For boondocking sites using their map, scroll down the left side of their site until you see "Our Boondocking Spots" and click that. There are several other reference sites right there, too. They are a marvelous couple and resource:
http://rollinginarv-wheelchairtraveling.blogspot.com/