Intro

[cherish miller]

Hi! I’ve never been a part of a forum like this and though I’m sure it’s not rocket science, the format has already intimidated me and I’m worried I won’t communicate properly on it somehow. Lol Anyways… I’m Cherish. I’m an empty nester for over a year now and I’m realizing that I’m just sitting here rotting after a lifetime of being a single mom and not getting to do any fun things that I wanted to do….so I think I’m about to pull the trigger and change that. I want to see as much of the world as I can and I figure it’s best to start with my home country and a camper van seems like the least intimidating place to start for someone who’s never been camping. I might sell everything and takeoff and so begins my investigation of whether that is plausible sooner rather than later.

 

[bullfrog !]

Welcome! There is lots to see but it seems to get more crowded every year! Enjoy it while you can!

 

[eDJ_]

Welcome to the Van Living Forum Cherish There are some great people here and the forum is a huge brain trust with people who have all kinds of experiences that share what they know.....and share it freely.

Below are a couple of links to websites that may be helpful for you to know about. The first one is about setting up a Van or other things to go on the road with. The other one is for planning for when you go out there but can be used once you're on the road so you'll have safety, comfort, and convenience to enjoy your travels.

Finding a rig that is in good condition will be your first task. I would suggest starting out by taking some overnight camping trips in it to local State or Federal parks. Libraries often have books on the subject of camping and road trips too.

All the best Cherish

 

[jacqueg]

Hi! I’ve never been a part of a forum like this and though I’m sure it’s not rocket science, the format has already intimidated me and I’m worried I won’t communicate properly on it somehow. Lol Anyways… I’m Cherish. I’m an empty nester for over a year now and I’m realizing that I’m just sitting here rotting after a lifetime of being a single mom and not getting to do any fun things that I wanted to do….so I think I’m about to pull the trigger and change that. I want to see as much of the world as I can and I figure it’s best to start with my home country and a camper van seems like the least intimidating place to start for someone who’s never been camping. I might sell everything and takeoff and so begins my investigation of whether that is plausible sooner rather than later.

If you're not already a camper, it would be foolish to sell everything right now and leap into full-time van dwelling.

Start going camping now in the vehicle you have with the stuff you have. There will be plenty of things you can see and experience within a few hours' drive of where you live. And yes, I mean NOW. Don't wait for summer to roll around again. Because when you are living in a vehicle, winter happens no matter where you are.

This is a crucial first step, IMO, please don't skip it.

 

[brianlongk]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[tx2sturgis]

Hello Cherish, welcome to the forum, we hope you'll feel comfortable and stay active here.

Please let us know how things are going for you.

 

[Carla618]

Hi! I’ve never been a part of a forum like this and though I’m sure it’s not rocket science, the format has already intimidated me and I’m worried I won’t communicate properly on it somehow. Lol Anyways… I’m Cherish.

Welcome Cherish

 

[LargeMarge]

Howdy,
.
a)
I like to see folks start with a RequirementsStatement.
This might include:
* full-time live-aboard?
* a few weekends annually?
* routes, destination(s)?
* souls aboard?
* boondock?
* RecreateVehicle resort with shuffleboard marathons and canasta tournaments and name-badges and a perky 'Activities Director' and folks 'just dropping by to say hi!'
.
b)
One productive method we enjoy is walking a campground.
We find somebody with an interesting rig, and we stop for a chat:
* what do they like about their rig, what would they change...
... that sort of thing.
.
c)
This next applies to anybody:
* join a caravan of experienced travellers.
Watch and learn their reasons for their rig.
Learn about their choice of:
* equipment
* routes
* time to break camp, hours moving, time to establish camp.
For us and our caravan chums, we prefer to be off the road, in camp, showered, and fixing supper by mid-afternoon.
.
Other folks do great pulling into camp at Mad-Slasher Midnight, parking on an ant-hill, stumbling around in the dark... under a wasp nest.
There is usually yelling involved.
.
.
d)
For one 'weird' 'off-beat' possibility beyond the usual RecreateVehicle or Sprinter-type van, we humbly offer our introduction with plenty of portraits, plus our reasons for our decisions:
https://vanlivingforum.com/threads/expeditionvehicle-build.44908/#post-576110

 

[txmnjim]

welcome to the forum. have fun enjoy your adventures!

 

[INTJohn]

welcome to the forum. have fun enjoy your adventures!

Just checked out your avatar…….
Nice light bucket. I have an 8” Schmidt C that I’ve given to my daughter & son n law.
One of my fav sites is APOD

intjonny

 

[INTJohn]

.
Other folks do great pulling into camp at Mad-Slasher Midnight, parking on an ant-hill, stumbling around in the dark... under a wasp nest.
There is usually yelling involved.
.
.

I’ve seen these people. They visit beaches too……

 

[Morgana]

Agree 100% with the advice to try short trips first. But as for the "sell everything" downsizing, no reason not to start now (if that's what you really want). Having less stuff can be freeing, no matter what you end up doing with that freedom. And many people find it tough to do, so it can be easier to do it in stages. Good luck and have fun!

 

[txmnjim]

Just checked out your avatar…….
Nice light bucket. I have an 8” Schmidt C that I’ve given to my daughter & son n law.
One of my fav sites is APOD

intjonny

I need to get out with it more for sure but it's a sweet scope. I booked-marked that page as i've never been to it before
thanks! jim

 

[Tony's Dream]

Welcome aboard. If you have never went camping before......that is a very important place to start. Before you sell the house.......take some 3-4 days trips to a camp ground and see how you like it. Once you get comfortable with 3-4 days.....take longer and longer trips until you feel this is for you. As other here will tell you, you will learn a lot about yourself living in a van. You will learn to be independent and solving problems yourself.

Learning to depend on your van takes a little time and with each trip you will learn what works best for you. Stock it with what you need versus what you want. Don't over stock with worthless junk because each pound impacts your MPG. For me, it's better to buy top quality things a little at a time then buy a lot of cheap things that might impact how much you like your van. Your basic things will be a comfortable bed, a means of preparing meals, storing food, and waste disposal.

 

[wb8vyn]

Yup: I'm in the USA. There are stores with stuff everywhere.
Travel with those minimum things you use daily. or at most weekly. Don't over think. That alone with drive you nuts.
thrift stores will save you moola and who cares if your sox match.
Ken

 

[wb8vyn]

Hi! I’ve never been a part of a forum like this and though I’m sure it’s not rocket science, the format has already intimidated me and I’m worried I won’t communicate properly on it somehow. Lol Anyways… I’m Cherish. I’m an empty nester for over a year now and I’m realizing that I’m just sitting here rotting after a lifetime of being a single mom and not getting to do any fun things that I wanted to do….so I think I’m about to pull the trigger and change that. I want to see as much of the world as I can and I figure it’s best to start with my home country and a camper van seems like the least intimidating place to start for someone who’s never been camping. I might sell everything and takeoff and so begins my investigation of whether that is plausible sooner rather than later.

Hi Cherish: I'm an old guy and I mean really really old. I'm a single Dad and empty everything now too. Just know this; there are huge numbers of good people that would love to share with you. The only time I'm alone is when I want to be, which these days is most of the time. But like many others I keep an eye out for those that might need a wave or a HI! or a cup of coffee. Come on, lets go. Ken

 

[RvNaut]

I might sell everything and takeoff and so begins my investigation of whether that is plausible sooner rather than later.

not all of this will apply to you... this is a post I made in answer to someone on the Van Aid Center Camp FB page...

******************

You will need an income of some sort. I have seen people get by on $500 a month. I wouldn't want to try that. $1200 a month and up in your pocket, a reliable vehicle, some mechanical ability, a good relationship with dirt( and people), and at least a $5k emergency fund, be cause something could happen and the fertilizer hits the ventilator and you are up that damn creek.

If you like living on your knees get a standard van. If you want to be terrified driving 20,000 lbs down the road get a class A. anything in between will also have it's challenges. You cannot possibly watch enough Youtube video or read posts on the net to prepare you, so do all of that you can.

Life out here can be real enjoyable, but it also can be a nightmare and I have seen that play out several times for other people. It can be hard, too hot, too cold... broken down, lost, in the wrong small town, ... are you good with directions and maps? Are you techy? Can you change a tire? Change your oil?

Are you retired or will you need to work... if you need to work, how do you get clean for that? Living as a nomad and "having a real job" seems to be a real challenge. ( this excludes remote work) ... Nomads in urban areas are nuts if you ask me... no offense, they do it to make a living, but I would never even try...

Are you claustrophobic? Got other fears? Handicapps? Health issues? .. it just never stops if you keep digging... it is one of those things that looks awesome from the outside, but reality here isn't any different than there, not really, we just have managed to let go of a lot of shit that makes modern life suck... but there is suck out here too.

 

[Carla618]

Good advice Jason.

 

[Carla618]

>>>>>Life out here can be real enjoyable, but it also can be a nightmare and I have seen that play out several times for other people. It can be hard, too hot, too cold... broken down, lost, in the wrong small town, ... are you good with directions and maps? Are you techy? Can you change a tire? Change your oil?

Those are not prerequisites to being a successful nomad. They are skills that may come in handy.

Don't want to scare anyone off Btw, oil changes are $20 at Walmart.

 

[RvNaut]

Don't want to scare anyone off

Actually... I do... I want people to have a proper amount of caution, slight fear even... before venturing out. I have only been on the road for 18 months and I have seen many people that were just no prepared in a number of ways, as wel;l aspeople making bad decisions ( which cannot be prepared for) ...

I want to at least try to scare them off..... if it doesn't because they are prepared, or it makes them think a bit deeper, this is a good thing. If it doesn't and they do the face fall, they had the chance to rethink things...
There is a lot of pretty posting about nomad life, and not enough "tales of the challenges and tribulations". I am so glad I did 18 months of study between when I decided to do this and driving off into the west.

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say. "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to."