New chick - no idea what I'm doing

[Patd4u2]

Hi, I read your posts on here and watched your video. It sounds like you are using your head in making this decision on a van life with a trail run, I know you are getting some advice on how to do it, but I am going to give you some also. I would not just throw some things into your van and hit the road. I would sit down with your dad and go over what you would need to live the van dwelling life style, from, personal hygiene, cooking, sleeping arrangements. It is not feasible for a young woman (or most guys)to live without these basic needs addressed.
Just imagine sitting in your van in a camp site or Walmart parking lot without thinking it through if you just hit the road, What am I going to cook with? How am I going to wash up and brush my teeth,  how am I going to wash the dirty dishes? where am I going to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night? Do I really want to go out in the night and walk across a parking lot to try and find a bathroom? if you didn't plan out this life style in advance you would be disillusioned about it pretty quick.
You have the time to go over it with your dad and acquire the things you will need to succeed in your new adventure and not return defeated.

 

[waverider1987]

Hi, I read your posts on here and watched your video. It sounds like you are using your head in making this decision on a van life with a trail run, I know you are getting some advice on how to do it, but I am going to give you some also. I would not just throw some things into your van and hit the road. I would sit down with your dad and go over what you would need to live the van dwelling life style, from, personal hygiene, cooking, sleeping arrangements. It is not feasible for a young woman (or most guys)to live without these basic needs addressed.
Just imagine sitting in your van in a camp site or Walmart parking lot without thinking it through if you just hit the road, What am I going to cook with? How am I going to wash up and brush my teeth,  how am I going to wash the dirty dishes? where am I going to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night? Do I really want to go out in the night and walk across a parking lot to try and find a bathroom? if you didn't plan out this life style in advance you would be disillusioned about it pretty quick.
You have the time to go over it with your dad and acquire the things you will need to succeed in your new adventure and not return defeated.

I didn't literally mean "throw things in my van".  I do have a basic idea of what i need and how i'm going to organize everything.  What i meant was for the trial run i'm just going to quickly put together a set up with all the above mentioned things, then when i come back, figure out what i need and don't need and make it better.  Trust me, i've thought of everything you've mentioned.

 

[Patd4u2]

I didn't literally mean "throw things in my van".  I do have a basic idea of what i need and how i'm going to organize everything.  What i meant was for the trial run i'm just going to quickly put together a set up with all the above mentioned things, then when i come back, figure out what i need and don't need and make it better.  Trust me, i've thought of everything you've mentioned.

I was responding to some of the advice that I read from members on your post, about just throwing things into your van and going. I know everybody is different and things one person thinks important to live comfortably another person does not.
Good to hear that you are thinking this through before you decide to go and with your dad helping you build your van to live in  you will have a comfortable living arrangement, I'm sure this can be a very exciting adventure if you are properly prepared for it.

 

[nobodyG17]

Make sure you take good care of the kayak and it should serve you well.  I would suggest buying a repair kit for it before leaving. 

Be careful when launching and landing is the big thing with them. 

They make a million bike racks for every vehicle imaginable.  You should be able to find one easily.

 

[nobodyG17]

I was responding to some of the advice that I read from members on your post, about just throwing things into your van and going. I know everybody is different and things one person thinks important to live comfortably another person does not.  
Good to hear that you are thinking this through before you decide to go and with your dad helping you build your van to live in  you will have a comfortable living arrangement, I'm sure this can be a very exciting adventure if you are properly prepared for it.

I made a post saying just that but I figured from the OP posts that she had thought this through more than most.   Also when I said that it seems she is really well prepared.   The reason I said it is that she had trouble getting on the road last time and this is to be a short trip.   Just get out there and do it.  Anyone with wanderlust in their soul once they get on the road they are staying there or going back.  For most the problem is making the leap.

Lots of people spend their whole lives wanting to do certain things but never getting there.  I have done that with tons of things. 

Not to mention that tons of the greatest trips I ever took were completely off the cuff and I forgot half the stuff I meant to take and did not plan a thing.

 

[Seadog729]

What a blessing to hear your story. I am divorced and in my 50's now and one mistake I made was... I married a homebody. We were dwellers 3 times in our lives and each time my husband was depressed over it. We split up for other reasons and now I am free for so many reasons, I can't count. Now I take my kids out with me boogie boarding on the BC coast among other places. We boondock at night and park at the beach during the day. I love it. Keep us all posted!!

 

[waverider1987]

Put together some clips of my first time traveling around in my car...camper van style. If anyone is interested:

 

[highdesertranger]

very cool. love the music. especially the last song, one of my favorite songs for driving the desert. "Horse with no name" highdesertranger

 

[Yogidog]

Beautiful, how did it go? I was thinking u probably went yay!

 

[nobodyG17]

Nice job on the editing.   Looks like a great time.

 

[waverider1987]

Thanks...I didn't want to come back, but had to. Stupid school...

 

[GotSmart]

I didn't literally mean "throw things in my van".  I do have a basic idea of what i need and how i'm going to organize everything.  What i meant was for the trial run i'm just going to quickly put together a set up with all the above mentioned things, then when i come back, figure out what i need and don't need and make it better.  Trust me, i've thought of everything you've mentioned.

On my first run, (9 months) I got rid of more than 1/2 of the things I thought I would need.  (I gave away so much stuff!) 

If you are hitting the road with  cat, a covered plastic tub with a hole in one end makes the perfect cat box.  That and a harness (It takes a while for them to quit playing stubborn) is my basic recommendation.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Hi Lauren,
I'll be heading to the rubber tramp rendezvous in 2017 as well, hope to see you there. I'm going to convert a cargo trailer this year and hope to hit the road by Thanksgiving. I'm 35 and live South of Boston. I have a lot of experience woodworking and cabinet making so that should help with the trailer build. Actually thinking I'd like to help some people build stuff for their vehicles if anyone needs it as I'm going to be traveling with some of my tools. Hoping to stay on the road for a good while and maybe even indefinitely if it suits me. I've always loved traveling and adventure such as snowboarding, hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, etc. so it's right up my alley. I got very sick 4 years ago and became disabled, but slowly working my way back against all odds, so not wasting my second chance working for the "system" anymore.

 

[waverider1987]

Hi Lauren,
    I'll be heading to the rubber tramp rendezvous in 2017 as well, hope to see you there.  I'm going to convert a cargo trailer this year and hope to hit the road by Thanksgiving.  I'm 35 and live South of Boston.  I have a lot of experience woodworking and cabinet making so that should help with the trailer build.  Actually thinking I'd like to help some people build stuff for their vehicles if anyone needs it as I'm going to be traveling with some of my tools.  Hoping to stay on the road for a good while and maybe even indefinitely if it suits me.  I've always loved traveling and adventure such as snowboarding, hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, etc. so it's right up my alley.  I got very sick 4 years ago and became disabled, but slowly working my way back against all odds, so not wasting my second chance working for the "system" anymore.

I'd like to go, it'll be during winter break, so...if i can afford it, i will.  Good luck in your travels.

 

[Zerviz]

Hello, good luck!   I just joined this forum today and I had lived in a Minivan for 3 years in Europe.  Its definitely doable and I saved money doing it.   Only time I rented rooms was when it was middle of Winter In Eastern Europe (Poland, Czech, Romania etc), but most summers in UK, France, Holland, Germany etc I lived in the van. 

The toyota forunner was similar in size to my previous van a Toyota Estima Enima, this was a Japanese import I had.   I also lived in my Emina and it was great.   

Join a 24 hour Gym to take showers on the road, if you look for work I used to do Pizza Delivery in europe which was perfect.  I usually was given free food, made tips on deliveries and was always with my van for protecting my stuff.

Take care and all the best

 

[Cheli]

Great to see you making progress and doing what you can to make it happen. I've been talking about doing this for a couple years now and I'm sick of just talking and not doing. I have nothing holding me back but my mind and my fear of the unknown.

Keep us posted as to how it all goes as hearing others experience always gives hope to some of us. hahaa

 

[waverider1987]

Great to see you making progress and doing what you can to make it happen.  I've been talking about doing this for a couple years now and I'm sick of just talking and not doing.  I have nothing holding me back but my mind and my fear of the unknown.  

Keep us posted as to how it all goes as hearing others experience always gives hope to some of us.  hahaa

It's taken a lot of time, but now that i'm committed it's actually happening a lot faster now.  Good luck.

 

[muddy]

 I've been talking about doing this for a couple years now and I'm sick of just talking and not doing.  I have nothing holding me back but my mind and my fear of the unknown.  

Well, isn't that always the way. "You don't have to be ready, you just have to go" - Joe Abercrombie.

Nice thread waverider, looking forward to hearing how your trial run goes. Just the process of packing my car made me rethink a lot of things.

 

[waverider1987]

Well, isn't that always the way. "You don't have to be ready, you just have to go" - Joe Abercrombie.

Nice thread waverider, looking forward to hearing how your trial run goes. Just the process of packing my car made me rethink a lot of things.

Trial run went great, actually.  I went during my week of spring break, drove about 800 miles between here and all the areas i explored on the NC coast.  I seriously didn't want to come back but I had to.  So now I'm just in the process of getting the money together to buy a campervan so that when I do finally graduate, I can take off and NOT have to come back, haha.  Ya I recommend doing something like that if you're nervous.  It's actually not as big of a deal as your mind will make you think it is, if yours is anything like mine...full of doubt and worry, ha. I can actually say that week was the happiest I've felt in many many months...maybe years.

 

[highdesertranger]

good for you waverider. see you at RTR. highdesertranger