Looking for a change...

[Midnight Rider]

Hey everyone! I came across this forum while looking for a van dweller site. I've been seriously considering going to this type of lifestyle. I did OTR trucking for about 8 years, so I know the roads pretty well and have an idea of how to live in a vehicle and figure out safe parking. I'm just bored with the normal lifestyle. I've got money saved up, I don't feel like I'm connecting with anyone personally and I almost miss my OTR days. The only reason I quit doing that was because I got tired of being told where to go all the time, dealing with truck stops, and shippers and receivers. I took a local job and tried to settle down but it's just not working for me. I have no significant other or dependents of any kind so really I could just walk out the door right now and be free.... But I wanted to look into a bit more before I made such a rash decision. Plus, it would be cool to meet some people who are already doing and it and may have some understanding of how I am feeling. Most people I talk to about this feeling just tell me I'm crazy for wanting to give up such a good job to live in a van, but I'm not so sure it's quite that simple. I don't know, anyway I hope I can find some answers here and maybe pass along some information myself. Glad to be hear!

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Live the dream!

 

[jacqueg]

Hey everyone! I came across this forum while looking for a van dweller site. I've been seriously considering going to this type of lifestyle. I did OTR trucking for about 8 years, so I know the roads pretty well and have an idea of how to live in a vehicle and figure out safe parking. I'm just bored with the normal lifestyle. I've got money saved up, I don't feel like I'm connecting with anyone personally and I almost miss my OTR days. The only reason I quit doing that was because I got tired of being told where to go all the time, dealing with truck stops, and shippers and receivers. I took a local job and tried to settle down but it's just not working for me. I have no significant other or dependents of any kind so really I could just walk out the door right now and be free.... But I wanted to look into a bit more before I made such a rash decision. Plus, it would be cool to meet some people who are already doing and it and may have some understanding of how I am feeling. Most people I talk to about this feeling just tell me I'm crazy for wanting to give up such a good job to live in a van, but I'm not so sure it's quite that simple. I don't know, anyway I hope I can find some answers here and maybe pass along some information myself. Glad to be hear!

Are you a camper now? If not, you should start going camping in the vehicle you already have. It's the best way to determine what kind of vehicle you'd like to live/travel in. And you might join the facebook group CampTogether that might interest you. It's where you now find HOWA caravans.

Caravans are a great way to get your bearings in the nomad world.

Many  of us spend most of our time camping, not driving!

 

[mattvei]

join (free) rvillage.com (assume they haven't been screwed up under new ownership). Any way, you can register your location and be notified when someone comes in your area. Get in touch and see if it would be worthwhile to have a talk if their situation meets yours. You could also go to local campgrounds/campsites (maybe camp yourself) and cruise around looking for same and approach (may be a little scary depending on your personality) But most folks are more than willing to talk.

 

[landyachtman]

Welcome to the CRVL forums! 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.

 

[LargeMarge]

Hey everyone! I came across this forum while looking for a van dweller site. I've been seriously considering going to this type of lifestyle. I did OTR trucking for about 8 years, so I know the roads pretty well and have an idea of how to live in a vehicle and figure out safe parking. I'm just bored with the normal lifestyle. I've got money saved up, I don't feel like I'm connecting with anyone personally and I almost miss my OTR days. The only reason I quit doing that was because I got tired of being told where to go all the time, dealing with truck stops, and shippers and receivers. I took a local job and tried to settle down but it's just not working for me. I have no significant other or dependents of any kind so really I could just walk out the door right now and be free.... But I wanted to look into a bit more before I made such a rash decision. Plus, it would be cool to meet some people who are already doing and it and may have some understanding of how I am feeling. Most people I talk to about this feeling just tell me I'm crazy for wanting to give up such a good job to live in a van, but I'm not so sure it's quite that simple. I don't know, anyway I hope I can find some answers here and maybe pass along some information myself. Glad to be hear!

.
Your background is similar to ours.
.
We knew we wanted more cargo capacity than a stout pick-up truck or one-ton van could offer.
2003, we converted a 1996 Ford CF8000 commercial truck to our concept of an ExpeditionVehicle.
.
Our interior -- 7w x 12 l x 7h, about 700cf.
GVWR -- 29,000#.
Weight across the scale -- 14,000#.
Cargo capacity -- about seven ton.
.
Nearly two decades full-time live-aboard, we tote a 7x16 gooseneck tandem axle toy-hauler I fabricated on a similar commercial chassis.
.
What vehicle direction are you headed?

 

[tx2sturgis]

The OP posted once, a year ago. But hey, zombie threads need love too!