The dilettantes are starting to throw in the #vanlife towel

[MrNoodly]

According to this article, as the pandemic is starting to wind down (we hope) a lot of vanlifers are going home, having decided living on the road is not for them after all. 

Okay. Now maybe the prices of used vans will return to something more reasonable, and the good boondocking areas will be less crowded.

https://jalopnik.com/vanlifers-are-parting-ways-with-their-vans-as-the-world-1847308157#replies

 

[TravelingZombies]

It seems easy watching videos of nomads online but doing it is a whole different thing and takes common sense, determination and quickly learning from your mistakes. I'm currently in the learning from mistakes stage and although I have had some setbacks I've learned some good lessons but am ready for some sort of smooth sailing with luck.?

 

[bullfrog]

I think there is a ready market as rent and mortgages start to increase and come due unfortunately. There is a huge problem as people are left on the streets and it doesn't seem to be getting better yet, but at least people are starting to look for solutions.

 

[john*thomas]

Yes. are people overall throwing in the towel or is this person throwing in the towel but trying to make himself not seem as much of a quitter?

 

[crofter]

I think the secret of happy camping as a dweller is to appreciate all the beauty in nature, all the freebies like warm sun on your face, cool water & shade, a breeze in the evening and birdsong.

Feeling frustrated usually means that you have missed one or more of the above. Too bad if you quit, but then more for me.
-crofter

Oh and also campfires and sunset walks. -c

 

[jimindenver]

I think people lost sight of the roots of this whole van dwelling concept. It's not choice, it's necessity. Bob's original message was to people that had no choice. That it was a option and how to do it as comfortable as possible. It's not good or bad, it's just what you deal with in this lifestyle.

Without that burning desire or necessity that reality becomes tedious. The problem is that people don't consider it when planning a grand adventure. There are plenty of videos of the downsides but they don't factor them in. They see the 5 gallon jug for water in the van tour but never associate it with what it means to have only 5 gallons of water at a time. When you see it as a negative, accepting that you will be dealing with it forever makes it even worse. It becomes things that you hate.

 

[crofter]

But if you use a sprayer you can enjoy more fully each droplet of that five gallons of water. 
-crofter

 

[jimindenver]

That’s my point. In a van or cargo trailer you are camping and living in a hard sided tent. The work around function but it can get old.

 

[bullfrog]

The reason many are using RVs that are poorly built is because it is much easier and quicker than building out a van or cargo trailer and offers a little more space usually. A smaller camper trailer works, the question is how long. I imagine many are starting to realize their RV is prone to problems they don't want to have to deal with and want to try to get some of their money back while there is still a good market.

 

[maki2]

I would not put too much credence into such news stories as being a true indication of actual trends in society. There is always someone trying to sell a story concept to editors in hopes of getting paid or drawing readership..

Finding a subject to write about that is based on presumptions of what might occur is very different than a story based on actual statistical facts that are collected with an attempt at accuracy. The years 2020 and 2021 has seen a inundation of presumtions rather than people having actual statistics. That article is pure speculation.

But it is something to post in the forum about on a slow day while sitting around in camp.

 

[jacqueg]

The mismatch between ordinary wages and high rents is not going away anytime soon.

I think it's probably true that many of those with sufficient means to buy/rent a good place to live will drop out of full-time "RV LIFE", but that still leaves a good chunk of the population who will see full timing as a genuine option.

 

[GypsyJan]

I see it as a genuine option...and a bargain! To keep it from"getting too old" I plan to alternate between campgrounds using the SUV tent, free camping nights in just the SUV (National Forests, water management sites, Walmarts, truck stops, Cracker Barrels) and occasionally a motel room. Retirement on a fixed income requires some clever work- arounds and making do and doing without. As a nomad, I can have adventures and see new sights, etc.

 

[SalsaDog]

I saw many people jump into boondocking during the corona craze. Having them choose to jump back out is NOT a surprise for me. More room and less open frame generators. Have a good day everyone.

 

[maki2]

People who became jobless and homeless might certainly have moved into their vehicles out of necessity.  Some will enjoy it enough to make it a way of life. Others will return to jobs and more standard housing.

 

[user 30781]

I'm seeing a lot more beat up RVs and vans and even a couple school busses parked boondocking in town just the last couple months. Maybe I'm just attuned to seeing them now but I don't think that's it.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I think like anything you have to be in the right mindset to succeed or enjoy it. If you have been watching that program Alone where they put people out in the wilderness alone and they have to survive, I find it interesting that some have great skills but don’t make it because their heads are somewhere else. Recent stories about unfortunate outcomes to living in a van are examples of doing something that you are not prepared for mentally. You can have the best set up but half the battle is between your ears. No one talks about that aspect, which may be the most important, I think you have to maintain a support network or you are likely going to feel isolated. I find it hard to believe this is the end of #vanlife.

 

[MrNoodly]

You can have the best set up but half the battle is between your ears. 

Yeah, the skills are sort of the easy part. It's the mental/emotional/temperament part that's make-or-break.

 

[WanderingRose]

I am a part timer, 6 months or so in a good year, and living on the road definitely comes with its challenges.

On the upside, I have read recently that travel is good for the aging brain, as adapting to changing environments and circumstances help keep our brain sharp.

Problem solving and creative resourcing that are a part of travel are apparently better for our aging brains than staying at home in the same environment, so that’s a good thing.

 

[gizmotron]

Problem solving and creative resourcing that are a part of travel are apparently better for our aging brains than staying at home in the same environment, so that’s a good thing.

This is just anecdotal but both my parents were full time RVers and circled the USA more than 5 times in 20 years. They stayed mostly in the west and even worked at national parks out of boredom some summers. They lived to stay in Palm Springs every winter. 

They outlived all their adult friends that they spent time with from the 50's to the 90's. They were active and moved the rig every two to three weeks except when they took summer jobs. That's all back when Thousand Trails, Western Horizons, AOR & RPI were not so fouled up as they are now.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

yeah there seem to be two kinds of folks.
Those that do it out of necessity and those that do it because they want to.
Neither is worse than the other.
But I think people who watch a lot of YT vids get an unrealistic picture.
It's not all shiplap ceilings and subway tile backsplashes.
There is the whole bathroom subject, as well as sketchy sounds at night.

Had two different young female friends tell me how they planned to live out of a van and travel the country.
The one who was Chinese I flat out told her not to. She is very sheltered (grew up very middle class in Hong Kong) and hasn't been to the rest of America at all. Though she has traveled on other counties. She was just really enamored with the look of it and the wide open vistas. Had to explain to her that most of America is more like Kansas than Colorado. And there are still plenty of racists who would mock her accent or worse.
My other friend went ahead and bought a Sprinter but got really ripped off. It caught fire the first week, before she even did anything to it. And the seller was nowhere to be found.

I also really wonder about some of the builds I see on those influencer channels. They put a lot of money and real estate into kitchen stuff. Then their sleeping arrangement is a few foam things that they have to re-arrange every night before bed. Can't be comfortable long term as the foam starts to sag on the edges!