Toes in the Water

[whatsananna]

Hi All,
I watched one of Bob's videos talking about how he came to be living in a van and he said that he had been low-level unhappy his whole life and didn't know why, and now, in his van, he's basically happy all the time unless there is a specific reason to be unhappy. A light bulb went off inn my mind and I understood to my core the term "itchy feet". I have never in my life wanted a big fancy house - I have always wanted to just sit on the edge of a something and watch the sun come up, the river roll by, the snow fall, etc. 

My husband is the exact opposite AND he retired at 55, but I have to work till I am at least 62 in order for us to pay off our home, which is important to him. I have a lot of resentment about that and we are trying to talk through it - if we sold the house now we could take off and live on his pension until social security kicks in - we are both 57 now.

Anyway, that's neither here nor there. We took a trip to the Badlands and Black Hills in September in a pickup tent and I have been ruined since then. I fund Bob's channel, this forum, and other full and part timers. I have been puttering away on my Dodge Journey turning her into "Amber the Adventuremobile" and have spent one night in her in a nearby state park and another two nights in Minnesota when I had to go to a conference and didn't want to stay in a hotel. Very fun - I had a blast all by myself.

I'm getting my toes in the water, learning about buckets for pooping and washing clothes and battery powered showers. We have a pop up camper so all of this works. Now I am learning about solar and gaining valuable experience with my little GoalZero Nomad 7.

Just wanted to say hi and thanks - so many people share so generously of their time and knowledge. Definitely restores my faith in humanity. Won't make it to this RTR (I think) - I'm a nurse practitioner and can't get the time off - but I will be soon.

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums whatsananna! Hang in there and take as many trips as you can. Hope the next five years speed by and you can join all of us on the road even if it's just part-time.

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.

 

[SondraRose]

Hey!
Just wanted to mention that there are a number of nurses who do contract work while living in a van. Maybe an option?

My husband doesn't want to full time at the moment, so our compromise is that I go away when I need to and he joins me when he can. We both work as life coaches, so van life is not an issue as long as we have decent cell coverage.

 

[Sharon Kay Dye]

Toes in the water, I can really appreciate your ideas and desires. We have similar circumstanses itchy feet,husband,age, medical field,retirement. The forum has aloud me to be assured that I’m not the only one with this crazy idea. I plan on going to the RTR all on my own wish me luck.Good luck to you.