Male/ Female / couples percentages or numbers doing this? I had heard Nob
- Thread starter TMooney
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mpruet
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A lot of women out live their husbands. Also a lot of women end up getting divorced with low assets in their 50s. I suspect that there are more women ‘having’ to be nomadic than men because of finances.
10 years ago I traveled nomad with a mate. It was very hard. One person is willing to do something the other one isnt. I know I still want my way lol. I'm sure that's the same vice versa. Hard to go your own way when you are attached close. Bob explained it very well too. The closer the space the harder it is for sure.
The RV industry statistic do agree with your thinking of more solo female travelers than solo male travelers.
But it likely depends on how the survey was conducted, who the prime audience they targeted with the survey was.
Surveys are difficult to do in therms of a general market when you are talking to special interest groups. So it would depend, if they were surveying customers of a RV magazine they might be very unlikely to get input from people who are building out vans or cars to travel in. That will certainly be different than the results that might be obtained by taking a survey at the entrance to State Parks, NFS land and BLM land. If you were surveying the in city van dwelling population you would get yet another result and a different age grouping as well.
The answer to your question is there is no way to conduct an accurate survey of the population of people who are living in vehicles as to if they are single, living as a couple and what their gender is. The USA census does not include a choice of "other" for a home base. They just have 3 choices, house, apartment and mobile home. Of course mobile home parks have been disappearing but mobile living is on the increase. Time for them to add a box for "other". Then there would be a wider sampling for who is of what gender and age that is traveling solo or as a couple or family.
But it likely depends on how the survey was conducted, who the prime audience they targeted with the survey was.
Surveys are difficult to do in therms of a general market when you are talking to special interest groups. So it would depend, if they were surveying customers of a RV magazine they might be very unlikely to get input from people who are building out vans or cars to travel in. That will certainly be different than the results that might be obtained by taking a survey at the entrance to State Parks, NFS land and BLM land. If you were surveying the in city van dwelling population you would get yet another result and a different age grouping as well.
The answer to your question is there is no way to conduct an accurate survey of the population of people who are living in vehicles as to if they are single, living as a couple and what their gender is. The USA census does not include a choice of "other" for a home base. They just have 3 choices, house, apartment and mobile home. Of course mobile home parks have been disappearing but mobile living is on the increase. Time for them to add a box for "other". Then there would be a wider sampling for who is of what gender and age that is traveling solo or as a couple or family.
I am a future solo female nomad who would escape S&B **now** except that my husband has no interest in that lifestyle and my kiddo has special needs and needs to be in school where they have more resources/knowledge to help her than I do.
But, kiddo will be off to college in 3 years, God-willing, and though I hate to think about it, I will almost certainly out live my husband. He is ten years my senior, has already had (at least) one stroke, is diabetic but still drinks two cases of coke a week and will take no meds. He also smokes a carton of cigarettes a week. I can hear wheezing on his left side when I put my head on his chest, and he has bad pain in both shoulders and severe reflux, which taken altogether, sounds like he might have lung cancer. He absolutely will not go to a doctor though. So I'll do what I can to make him feel as comfortable and loved as I can in his decline, until the day he leaves this earth, and then I'll live on.
So my retirement plan in 8 years is to shed stuff, convert a van, get a dog for company and security, and pull anchor. I make good money now, so SS + 401K should be plenty to thrive on in the nomad lifestyle. Might make a few extra bucks writing. I'm a social critter, but I've never minded my own company either.
But, kiddo will be off to college in 3 years, God-willing, and though I hate to think about it, I will almost certainly out live my husband. He is ten years my senior, has already had (at least) one stroke, is diabetic but still drinks two cases of coke a week and will take no meds. He also smokes a carton of cigarettes a week. I can hear wheezing on his left side when I put my head on his chest, and he has bad pain in both shoulders and severe reflux, which taken altogether, sounds like he might have lung cancer. He absolutely will not go to a doctor though. So I'll do what I can to make him feel as comfortable and loved as I can in his decline, until the day he leaves this earth, and then I'll live on.
So my retirement plan in 8 years is to shed stuff, convert a van, get a dog for company and security, and pull anchor. I make good money now, so SS + 401K should be plenty to thrive on in the nomad lifestyle. Might make a few extra bucks writing. I'm a social critter, but I've never minded my own company either.
Just get out there and go on excursions once your chick has flown the nest. Your husband does not have to die first before you can do some solo trips. A lot of women leave their husbands at home. Sounds like you are in need of a break from always being the responsible one. A bit of solo living time will be good for him, it will make him shape up and do more for himself. Don't overthink that wheezing he is doing and turn it into lung cancer in your head. I know this from personal experience, severe reflux sends acid into the airways and that causes scarring of the bronchials and that causes wheezing. I have it, I wheeze from it and do so most especially in the winter. Every year there is a little more scarring and a little more wheezing. It is also worse when I am lying down or go outside in cold weather. If a person takes over the counter meds like Ibuprofen or Alieve then realize they inhibit the stomach's and the rest of the respiratory and digestive track from forming the natural protective lining that protects them from acid. So they can make GERD a lot more damaging. I changed over to a prescription medicine to reduce my chronic pain that does not inhibit the production of that protective lining. He does need to see a doctor regarding only using medications that don't cause bronchial issues.
crofter
Well-known member
Only guys interested in me drive class A's and I'm a vanner. Plus I refuse to change. -crofter
crofter
Well-known member
So true. -crofter
nature lover
Well-known member
The reason I was only part time for years was the wife. I do love her and if she would come back I would be overjoyed ...but...she is gone and I am on the road. I do have a GPS with a female voice that tells me where to go so I am reminded of her often.
crofter
Well-known member
Too funny. I have found the switch to turn off that voice on the grocery checkout machines. I hate getting yelled at when spending money. -crofternature lover said:
This may be the conclusion of this thread but its open for discussion. I think the posters did a great job and I appreciate it but alas theres something in my craw I want to just share if I may. Here goes. When I was young I watched westerns. The men were always on the trail . The women stayed on the place. The men were cowboys. Living in the rough. Sleeping on saddles and horse blankets. To me that portrayed a cowboy life. When I think about Indians I think about the male warriors . Then theres truck drivers mostly being males living the cowboy life. My life before trucking was construction. I traveled to make more money sleeping in a truck shell in parks . Cowboy life. .......to make enough money as a single family supporter. I dont look at rvers as cowboys. People that live in vehicles are living the cowboy life in my old mind. So of those we have more women . I realize they can be forced to do it. I have been forced to do it providing for a family. I get it. Well my hat off to the women doing it as they seem to be doing fine. I know it's a hard life . My respect goes their way.
There are fewer solo women on the road because many women are still raising children. So there are younger women who do not have children and there are senior women who no longer are raising children. Those will be the largest percentage of solo women living full time in RVs.
There are a few single women who travel with a school aged child on their own but that is not all that common for a variety of reasons.
There are a few single women who travel with a school aged child on their own but that is not all that common for a variety of reasons.
bonvanroulez
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Cammalu said:
That's been my observation as well in 7 years of full-timing in the west. Definitely many more solo women travelers.
highdesertranger
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i tend to agree. at least it seems like there are more women. highdesertranger
highdesertranger
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that's cool, there is a whole group of us that camp together male and female. everyone is always willing to help out and make newbies feel at home. highdesertranger
