Overwhelming support

[Cheli]

I am overwhelmed with the support I have of my friends and family about my plans to become a van dweller.

I know that not everyone in this lifestyle has the support of everyone in their life, and I'm sure not all even care or need the validation of others, but I feel so grateful and lucky to have sooooooooo much support in my life.

My plans started a couple years ago when I was thinking of building a tiny house on wheels then decided I didn't have the money to build it AND be able to purchase a truck to tow it.  Nor did I want to deal with something in tow, it just limits where I can go and what I can do.  Then I came across van dwelling back in December and decided this is what I need to do.

From day one of my scattered thoughts and plans to get out of here, my friends and family have been so extremely supportive of me.  I have not had one single person tell me I'm crazy or that I can't do it.  Besides my nine year old niece who has made it clear that she doesn't want me to leave (we are very close), everyone has been like "just do it" or "what are you waiting for".

I work an office job Monday - Thursday and then at my friends tow company on Fridays.  All the guys at the tow company are constantly telling me when they see vans and/or campers for sale when they're out on the road and one of them keeps texting me pictures of VW vans he sees at little car lots here and there.  hahaha

And the girls at my office job keep telling me to do it, they wish they could.  One of the girls keeps saying I'm all talk and I just need to do it, I told her that when she sees me pull in with a van because I traded my car then that means I'm only a couple months away from leaving.  She said "don't get me wrong, I'll be sad to see you pull in with a van but I'll be so proud of you."  And just yesterday the conversation came up again and before I knew it my desk was surrounded by four of the girls asking me what am I waiting for, just sell everything and do it.  One of them even said "you know if it doesn't work out you will always be able to come back home and get your job back."  I've been at my job for 13 years and my boss always lets me know how valuable and appreciated I am so I know I could get my job back if I wanted.

Failure is not an option for me, I want to do this and make it work.  I feel like the fear of the unknown is holding me back from putting in the 110% effort to just do it.  And I'm not in my 20's so it's not like I can just do it and if it turns out it's not for me I could start my career again.  But I know that once I get out there I will wish I did it sooner and opportunities will come to me that I wouldn't normally expect because I will be open to whatever comes my way.

So this weekend I am going to do some serious purging of my stuff and make piles of sell, donate and trash.  I'm looking into trading in my car for maybe a caravan and then maybe upgrade to a cargo van later if this turns out to be for me.  If I keep waiting until I can outright purchase something it just won't happen.  I figure if I can get a vehicle then I can give notice to my landlord and stay with a friend for the next 5-6 months so I can stay at my job and really pile up some cash.  I make a pretty good income so if I'm not paying rent and utilities then I can hit the road by January 1st with a big savings and not worry about vehicle payments and expenses for quite some time.  Of course I would rather have a "home" that I own but I just don't see that happening in the near future.

Thanks for letting me blabber on and on here but I just needed to share that I have such amazing support so I need to just do this......and now!

 

[BradKW]

That's really great to have all the positive response from those around you! 

Consider to what degree your level of comfort will influence you deciding if it's for you or not, and give a lot of thought to how living in a full size vehicle vs a caravan might effect that...

 

[Cheli]

I think I will find it's totally for me. I've always been a free spirit and want the freedom of the lifestyle but have always been tied to marriage, bills, mortgage, career etc. Well now I'm on my own, no mortgage and a job I hate. It seems perfect to leave it all and enjoy life.

The ONLY aspect that will decide if it's not for me is finances. I do well for myself now but if I leave that behind and can't find a way to make sustainable income on the road then I'll be screwed. hahaha Other than that, I can't imagine why I wouldn't love it.

I've been going back and forth between a regular van and a cargo van. I think I would prefer the room of the cargo van but feel like a regular van might be more easily obtained and easier for accessing more areas......but maybe not. I also think it would be easier to stay at a friends house in a van for several months to stash some cash by getting rid of my rent, it might be harder with a cargo van......again, maybe not.

 

[steamjam1]

I wish I thought about, and planned my entry into vandwelling like you are. All I did was do a google search about it, thought about it, decided to go for it.... cruised Craigslist for a van, called a guy to buy one for $800, then wrote my 30 days notice to my landlord, all in about 1/2 hour. I didn't even own a van yet. That happened the next day...

 

[DannyB1954]

I am not good at buying and selling. My motto is buy high and sell low. I would skip the intermediate vehicle, and just go with what would work best for you. From a side liners perspective, ( I live in a house), I think something like a Chevy Astro Van is better than a Caravan, (we used to call that sort of thing station wagons).
This guy does a series of you tube astro van camper builds.

 

[Cheli]

And I wish I would just do it, like you did.  hahaha  So did it work for you, are you still living in your van, and if so how long has it been?

My mind is too analytical and hyper responsible which is what I'm trying to get past.  I need to stop thinking so much and just make it happen.  I'm spending too much time thinking of everything that can go wrong and how I will handle it instead of just making it happen.

Fear......it's the damned fear!!!!!  lol

 

[steamjam1]

I am not good at buying and selling. My motto is buy high and sell low. I would skip the intermediate vehicle, and just go with what would work best for you. From a side liners perspective, ( I live in a house), I think something like a Chevy Astro Van is better than a Caravan, (we used to call that sort of thing station wagons).
This guy does a series of you tube astro van camper builds.

When I was in college and really poor, I useto go to Goodwill and Salvation Army and buy weird, odd toys and sell them on Ebay. Sometimes I made out like gang-busters, sometimes I broke even, and sometimes I lost my *ss... but it kept me fed, clothed and washed.

I personally think the newer Caravans are pretty cool. The old ones from the 80's are garbage, the late '90s one are good as long as you get one with a 4cyl. The newer ones (2010-up) are pretty decent. The Astro-vans are OK. They are traditional RWD, can be bought with AWD, and bigger and roomier then Caravan. What do I like about the late '90s/early 2K Dodge Minivans with the 4cyl is that parts are super cheap, the things are super easy to fix, and they get 24mpg+.... You can buy hightops for them. (oh my do they look goofy with a hightop on tho)

 

[AngryVanMan]

The Litany Against Fear

  I must not fear.​

   Fear is the mind-killer.​

   Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.​

   I will face my fear.​

   I will permit it to pass over me and through me.​

   And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.​

   Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

(Thought there might be a few sci-fi geeks in the crowd!)

Either way, I always liked this little thing!​

 

[Cheli]

I am not good at buying and selling. My motto is buy high and sell low. I would skip the intermediate vehicle, and just go with what would work best for you. From a side liners perspective, ( I live in a house), I think something like a Chevy Astro Van is better than a Caravan, (we used to call that sort of thing station wagons).
This guy does a series of you tube astro van camper builds.

Great motto.  LOL  I think that's a great idea about maybe a Chevy Astro Van, maybe the best of both worlds with that.  I never even thought of them, thanks for the suggestion.  I would definitely like to skip the intermediate vehicle so I guess I really need to consider everything I want and decide if I can do that in an Astro Van or if I should just suck it up and go with a cargo van from the get go.

Thanks for the input. 

 

[steamjam1]

And I wish I would just do it, like you did.  hahaha  So did it work for you, are you still living in your van, and if so how long has it been?

My mind is too analytical and hyper responsible which is what I'm trying to get past.  I need to stop thinking so much and just make it happen.  I'm spending too much time thinking of everything that can go wrong and how I will handle it instead of just making it happen.

Fear......it's the damned fear!!!!!  lol

I've been van dwelling it for three years now. It worked out pretty well. I'm outa debt, and I've upgraded to an RV type van from my "little" Dodge (Which over the course of three years.. aint so little any more.)

Man-o-man the first month or so was nothing but figuring out what-the-heck I was doing. I was seriously winging it on everything... How to cook food, what to cook food with, shower, shave, go to work, where to sleep.. I didn't plan a single thing. I just went for it. My van broke down on the very night I moved out of my house, then the brakes went out the next day. It was an adventure for sure. I didn't give one synaptic spark on what could go wrong.. I was far too focused on the sh*t financial situation I was in and was willing to deal with just about anything to get outa under it.

Learning how to be hyper responsible came later for me.

I do recall at that time a few quotes from TS Elliot kept whizzing through my mind as I was throwing most of my things away just prior to moving into the van:

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."

and:

"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

 

[BradKW]

The Litany Against Fear

  I must not fear.​

   Fear is the mind-killer.​

   Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.​

   I will face my fear.​

   I will permit it to pass over me and through me.​

   And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.​

   Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

(Thought there might be a few sci-fi geeks in the crowd!)

Either way, I always liked this little thing!​

Wow, Dune quotes! 

"A process cannot be understood by stopping it. Understanding must move with the flow of the process, must join it and flow with it."
 The First Law of Mentat

 

[DannyB1954]

I was a mobile mechanic for transport refrigeration units, (trucks, shipping containers, trains etc.), For most of the last three years I worked I used an Astrovan. I can't imagine putting a Caravan through all that the astro went through. I think they made a long version of it that had all wheel drive. From 1995 on only the longer one was produced. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Astro I often see them with high mileage still running

 

[steamjam1]

Astro vans are good vehicles. Especially with the under powered, but reliable old Iron Duke 4-banger. they aren't the easiest vans to work on, but parts are cheap and common to Chevy S10's and small Blazer.

 

[dannab1]

The Litany Against Fear

  I must not fear.​

   Fear is the mind-killer.​

   Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.​

   I will face my fear.​

   I will permit it to pass over me and through me.​

   And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.​

   Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

(Thought there might be a few sci-fi geeks in the crowd!)

Either way, I always liked this little thing!​

Dune....love it!


Cheli, one of my favorite quotes when I am fearful of change is this one:

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone!

 

[akrvbob]

I will not die an unlived life

I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.

I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,

to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.

~Dawna Markova

 

[Cheli]

Awesome quotes, thank you!

 

[TrainChaser]

Fear is also what reminds you that the first step off the edge of the Grand Canyon is 6,000 feet, and it doesn't really matter if you land on your feet or not, and maybe that established trail that the mules use would be better. Fear helps you organize your thinking, just don't let it make all the decisions and paralyze you.

Some people like to say that God will protect them. Well, he also gave them a brain, and probably expected them to use it.

 

[Cheli]

Great point!

 

[planet-beaver]

I'm a mechanical engineer who wrenches on cars as a hobby (always rebuilding, restoring, flipping vans and trucks) and I own Astro Van. I have about 100 van and truck repair videos on youtube, channel name is ASTRO CAMPER

These Astro vans are great and last a really long time. The older, pre 1998 had some transmission problems but even those, you see many with 250,000 miles.

 

[Cheli]

I've been keeping an eye out on CL but everyone that I see has 150-175k miles. I just saw this one that looks clean, affordable, and has ladder racks I can use for solar but I don't know if I want to have my cross country trip be dependent on a vehicle with so many miles.

http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/cto/5661802825.html

I'm trying to find a vehicle at the happy medium of affordability and low miles but haven't found it yet. But then I see others who find an old van and hit the road just fine.