They told me it couldn't be done

[PassIntent]

Hello all you wonderful amazing people,
 
A couple of years ago I started going through a particularly rough patch and I told a family member that I was going to sell everything and live in my van. They told me I was crazy (which technically I am), that it couldn’t be done, and that I would spend more money living in a van and paying for camping and essentials than I would paying rent and utilities. And I believed them.

A year later I made mention of living in my van and I was told the same story. And I put the idea aside and went about living the life they told me I should want, should have.

Fast forward to two weeks ago and I decided that I wanted to take my son camping when he came for his visit. I don’t have a lot of money to spend but I still wanted to be able to do something so I hit the trusty old internet and searched for cheap camping and stumbled across something they called…Boondocking.

Now what was this new wonderful word? What could it possibly mean? Camping for….free? No money at all?! How was this possible and why had I never heard of it before? No bathrooms or showers…no electrical hookups…oh you mean it’s CAMPING..Seriously?!

At first I was completely stunned. All thoughts of that camping trip flew right out of my mind. This…this boondocking was the answer that had been eluding me. I immediately searched out how to camp in a van and stumbled upon this site.

This wonderful amazing site filled with wonderful amazing people who were doing what I had only dreamed of. That first night I was up until 6 am reading, devouring every word, every image. It was and has continued to be a source of inspiration and a reminder that it can be done. That I can, if I want it badly enough, do this.

So, to Bob and the rest of you wonderful folks, thank you. You have without even realizing it literally saved my life and given me back something that I hadn’t realized I had lost…hope.

Soon I am sure I will be peppering you with questions, but today I just wanted to finally say hello…and thank you.
 
P.I.

 

[cherterr]

Ah yes... the na sayers.. PFT! Stick fingers in ears and loudly say "la la la la la la".
Welcome to the forum.. I'm new too, and enjoying my reading.

 

[rvpopeye]

Pass Intent

Welcome , welcome , welcome !

Glad to see you found us and waiting for all your questions , pepper away.
I love pepper anyway.

Yes this lifestyle IS possible and there are many of us doing it to prove it !
All those nay saying doubters should just mind their own business and let you live the way you want !

You won't find any of that negativity here , only positive reinforcement and good advice.

BTW I've been the crazy non conforming one in all my old friend circles but never cared , besides , I'm a musician so I have an excuse !!!!!
I've made several of my dream lives come true so far and still have a few to cover before I'm through.
So far I've traveled the country installing custom kitchens , traveled the country as a touring concert sound engineer , traveled the country workamping and visiting national parks as well as other wonderful places (what I'm doing right now ? Working in a boat house at a lakeside campground in Maine !) next , I hope to travel the country and land a job in a National Park as an interpretive park ranger...... do you see the common link ?????

If I can do it , anyone else can too...............................

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums PassIntent! I love this type of post! Many of us have been where you are right now and the excitement of discovery is hard to contain. There's so much to learn and so many decisions to make. Please ask about anything and everything. Someone here will be sure to have an answer to any questions you might have.

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[akrvbob]

P.I. one thing you'll learn here is that we are the sane ones, all those people out their living in the insane asylum we call civilization are the crazy ones!
Bob

 

[Theadyn]

Hi and Welcome!!

 

[concretebox]

It CAN be done. Most people DON'T do it, because it's hard.

 

[Seraphim]

It's not hard, it's just not the 'acceptable' way.

 

[ilovemyvan]

My husband and I lived in a school bus for 8 yrs but now we are only part-timing I know about people not approving of me and my choices. I'm the youngest of 13. My older siblings are not even of the same generation as me, at times it felt like I had 10 parents watching and judging me. I was growing up during the 60's and did things that was not accepted by many in my family. It bothered my a lot because I respected them and it was painful not to have that same respect back. As I grew older I realized that none of them were the angels they pretended to be. :angel: It felt so good to finally see that, it was liberating. None of them had the right to be so judgmental, I'm telling you.

Now a day I have a short list of people I will listen to because I know they have my best interest at hearts. The rest of them can waltz their way to h*ll as far as I'm concerned.

Long story just to let you know that there are a lot of people that should not be listened to, their opinions should not stop you one bit from doing what you want to do. They will never tell you but they might even envy you one day for doing what you're doing.

BTW I am also technically crazy and I'm telling you it was nice getting ride of all the people that used to trigger my mind to go a bit --&^&^%$^$#~~.

Go and do it my friend. Don't listen when they tell you otherwise. It won't be easy at first but it will get easier.

-Nicole

 

[PassIntent]

Thank you all so much for the kind words and encouragement! As soon as the sun starts to set today the seats come out of the van (chevy venture, not great but its what I got for now!) and I'm measuring floor space. I figure I can fit a twin size mattress and cooler in there with some essentials. Eventually I'll be upsizing to a full size van but on a budget so I'm making do with what I have.

 

[Jana]

RE: Camping with your kid

Thirty years ago, I had mandatory vacation (I worked for a bank) and no money. I bought an $18 pup tent at Montgomery Ward, and my 7-year-old son and I took off for Yosemite, figuring either we'd have fun or someday the stories would be really funny. It was one of the most magical times of our lives and made some of my best memories. The next year, we camped in it at the Grand Canyon. We saw some of the most beautiful places in the country, spent time togrther, and actually did stuff outdoors instead of sitting in front of the TV. All without spending much money at all.

 

[SoulRaven]

One of the best floor plans I've seen for mini vans is similar to a teardrop trailer with a pass through kitchen at the back that can be used from indoors in bad weather, or standing up outside in the back in good weather.

 

[PassIntent]

One of the best floor plans I've seen for mini vans is similar to a teardrop trailer with a pass through kitchen at the back that can be used from indoors in bad weather, or standing up outside in the back in good weather.

Would you happen to have a link to the build pics or the finished product or even just a pic or two, OG?