How do you identify other van dwellers?

[Tony's Dream]

I was watching the movie About Schmidt other day.  A fellow RV'er came to visit and when he knocked on the door....instead of saying hello, she said ahoy.....as if they were on ships.  I know because people who travel in their RV often refer to them as ships.

Is there language used to van dwellers to identify other van dwellers.  I plan to travel and I think it would be a huge comfort to approach others and know they are like me.......and not some locals out camping or partying.

 

[user 423]

Full-time nomad?

Or just full-timer.

 

[bullfrog]

When we traveled a lot you could almost be certain it was a full timer when there was a large step ladder strapped on the back with a large “blue boy” portable black water tank.

 

[MrNoodly]

from about ten or fifteen feet away I just call out, "Knock-knock! Hello!"

As for identifying other VANdwellers, I assume any van that doesn't have a company or church name on the side is someone's home, especially if it has stuff on the roof or hanging on the back and there's an air conditioner somewhere. van homes are really easy to spot, which is why there's really no such thing as stealth camping in a van. And a van out in the boonies isn't there on a service call or picking up the carpool.

Maybe a bigger issue is ascertaining in advance whether another vandweller is sociable and open to meeting people. Or whether the person is the type you might later regret befriending.

 

[user 423]

Reflectix Nation

 

[travelaround]

Saw a car at Savage Rapids today with a cloth covering the windows for privacy. Figured it was someone sleeping. I didn't try to say hello. I have had mixed results with asking people if they are vandwelling. One lady with a lot of solar panels on her van was unfriendly at first but later walked over to my van and gave me a gift she'd made.

 

[crofter]

Smile and wave, same as everybody.  -crofter

 

[DLTooley]

It never hurts to say hello, especially if you are camped near to each other for more than a weekend.

Definitely respect people’s space, a lot of folks are here for the privacy it provides. All the more so now.

 

[jacqueg]

I was watching the movie About Schmidt other day.  A fellow RV'er came to visit and when he knocked on the door....instead of saying hello, she said ahoy.....as if they were on ships.  I know because people who travel in their RV often refer to them as ships.

Is there language used to van dwellers to identify other van dwellers.  I plan to travel and I think it would be a huge comfort to approach others and know they are like me.......and not some locals out camping or partying.

Once I started being seriously interested in longterm vehicle camping or dwelling, it just became obvious who was doing it.

And the signals people give when they are open to meeting strangers and when they're not are signals you've known all your life. They don't change because you are now a full-timer.

I don't know any way to distinguish between campers and full-timers just by looking. And why would you want to? Local campers are your best source of information if you've never been in the area before.

 

[SingleMamaRubberTrampin25]

Once you get on the road and see how you live, act, are as a van dweller it will be very easy to spot others doing the same thing. A lot of people vehicle dwelling are very blatant. The stealthy ones you can recognize by the fact that they may have sat in the same parking area as you for 2-3+ hours.

 

[SingleMamaRubberTrampin25]

Also, I typically don't go knocking on someones van so as not to give them the sinking feeling in their stomach that I may be the cops. I usually just wait til they're outside their van. It kind of pisses me of when someone knocks of gets really close to my van. What if I am changing, taking a shit, sleeping etc? Ya know. Just like you would go knocking on a strangers front door. Common courtesy.

 

[maki2]

There is a film on the youtube channel cheaprvliving where Bob Wells explains all the rules of etiquette for approaching other van dwellers when they are in a campsite.

 

[JDub]

Lord, I don't know. What do you do when you're stuck between "twixt and twither" here. just like society at large, van dwellers cover the spectrum socially from "Leave me alone to Heya neighbor"! who knows whose residing in that white van that just pulled into the space behind you? Do you really WANT to know?. It's like society at large and in the the S&B world anymore. Most American;s today have no idea who their neighbors are - why would it be different for those on the road?

All I could advise (after a lifetime of dealing with dicey situations) would be: exercise caution, use common sense, and know when to back off... "Let's be careful out there folks".

Cheers

 

[LERCA]

There should be a ten foot limit with a permission to board, captain. Like on boats. How about “permission to approach?” Answer: approach. Or denied.