Guy Smiley
Active member
Hi,
I'm new to the board, and getting ready to head out for the first time as a full-time van dweller.
In my case, it's a decision that I've chosen, not something that I've been forced into, I'm fortunate to be able to write.
My first memory of thinking about motor-based nomadic living was when I was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2010. I hitched a ride to the large hiker gathering that occurs at the beginning of each hiking season from a woman that hiked that trail the previous year. She told me after her hike she couldn't stand the thought of returning to the office/work, sold her house and most of her belongings, got in her car and hit the road.
At the time, I thought that was nuts. I wasn't really even a hiker at that point. I had only about 40 miles total under my boots.
2000 miles later on the same trail, a couple in a pickup trailer hosted another hiker and myself for dinner in their pickup-bed trailer. At this point, after traveling by foot for the previous 5.5 months, my mind had opened to the idea of alternative living strategies. Truly, I was dreading the end of my trip and returning to the corporate grind.
But I did.
Ever since, as my time in cubicles became less and less satisfying, spending 50-60-70+ hours a week coding for a corporation that claimed (conservatively) 95% of the profit generated by my intellectual product, I've become more and more disillusioned with the life that I've been living.
Which leads me where I am now. The job has been quit, my house sale closes next week, and I fly out to pick up the van that I've chosen, and off I go.
In my imagination, living out of a backpack for 6 months has prepared me for living minimally. I guess I'll find out whether I'm right about that or not.
Big thanks to Bob, and everyone else who've done the hard work of figuring out how to pull this off and make it work! It's real hope for people that need some.
I'm new to the board, and getting ready to head out for the first time as a full-time van dweller.
In my case, it's a decision that I've chosen, not something that I've been forced into, I'm fortunate to be able to write.
My first memory of thinking about motor-based nomadic living was when I was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2010. I hitched a ride to the large hiker gathering that occurs at the beginning of each hiking season from a woman that hiked that trail the previous year. She told me after her hike she couldn't stand the thought of returning to the office/work, sold her house and most of her belongings, got in her car and hit the road.
At the time, I thought that was nuts. I wasn't really even a hiker at that point. I had only about 40 miles total under my boots.
2000 miles later on the same trail, a couple in a pickup trailer hosted another hiker and myself for dinner in their pickup-bed trailer. At this point, after traveling by foot for the previous 5.5 months, my mind had opened to the idea of alternative living strategies. Truly, I was dreading the end of my trip and returning to the corporate grind.
But I did.
Ever since, as my time in cubicles became less and less satisfying, spending 50-60-70+ hours a week coding for a corporation that claimed (conservatively) 95% of the profit generated by my intellectual product, I've become more and more disillusioned with the life that I've been living.
Which leads me where I am now. The job has been quit, my house sale closes next week, and I fly out to pick up the van that I've chosen, and off I go.
In my imagination, living out of a backpack for 6 months has prepared me for living minimally. I guess I'll find out whether I'm right about that or not.
Big thanks to Bob, and everyone else who've done the hard work of figuring out how to pull this off and make it work! It's real hope for people that need some.
