Vans vans vans

[gliding swan]

:huh: :dodgy: :idea:  I've definitely binge-watched CRVL and many many vlogs on van life. I am someone who lives in her head too much so it's easy for me to dream about it without actually doing it... kind of like watching my life as if it was a tv screen. 
But now I am getting close to doing it. I've pretty much landed on purchasing a Chevy van and starting out with just some basics. I want to teach and travel. I'm a Chinese medicine practitioner and I make herbal products as well as do acupuncture. I've got almost too many projects in tow at the moment. Any advice about practical, grounding first steps in getting into van life would be welcome. I am currently in NC and this is a pretty conservative place where most people think you are pretty weird for living in a van. I do plan to head westward, albeit slowly, since my parents are elderly and I want to be able to be of some assistance. But that doesn't mean I can't be in the west part of the time. 
Thanks in advance for any advice. Also is my Chevy van idea good? I looked at Astros but they are all really old and that makes me nervous. I think I will purchase a newer Express or Cargo van and do a simple build.

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums gliding swan! Sounds like a good plan - buy a reliable van, do a simple build and ease into vandwelling. Keep us updated!

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

 

[maki2]

There are lots of good books and websites about how to prioritize task to be more effective at getting stuff done.

Start with making list of task by category then after those list are made you begin sorting into priorities in each category and then add then to the task to accomplish that day.

 

[Dawolf]

Welcome an nice to meet you I'm new my self an I got a Astro just after the new year I understand ur concern about the older vans how ever sometimes we have to have faith that the right van will come to us wen it's meant to be


Sent from my LG-M153 using Tapatalk

 

[qinomad]

Welcome. I am new to the forum but have been "in my head" and also living life vicariously through youtube and other screen activities for way too long... for me, the only way out of analysis paralysis was to accept that however I get started, it'll be a work in progress, so I just focused stopping all the spinning of plates and focus on getting going.

I agree that the idea of van camping / van dwelling seems to be judged much more harshly in some parts of the country. I'm in the midwest... people here seem all too often to be programmed to work work work their lives away. I know because I was that way too for way too long. Only after losing a number of people close to me way too soon did it finally click that there's nothing to wait for in life. Life is right here, right now.

Btw, I'm a Qigong practitioner too. Would love to share the practice perhaps with other nomads down the road. I personally think Chinese Medicine and the like go very well with the close-to-nature lifestyle that attracts nomadic types too.

Good luck with your journey!

 

[popcorn2007]

I have a slight off topic question.
 If i have a question about suv's for the "choose right vehicle" section. Is it a truck or van or ect?
Yea, i'm still trying to get a van or whatnot but still hitting my head over what to do

 

[B and C]

https://vanlivingforum.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=7 


This is the link to the miscellaneous vehicle section.

 

[JD GUMBEE]

These for-purchase books and pay services...they are unnecessary and often contain dated info.
Every bit of info you will need is free and in abundance.


Much of the heater data on the net is old.
Mr Buddy, or any other un-vented propane on a rubber hose is not always the best thing.
Propane can go BOOM.
The new cheap diesel bunk heaters are safer in a van and cost very near the same.
They have been run long enough to prove pretty reliable but info on the net remains largely unchanged.

The best advice is not trying to do everything before you take flight.
Often, living for a week or two teaches you more (for your specific situation) than a hundred hours of net time.

 

[bonnieE350van]

I started out with a chevy venture van. I had a tent and all the apparatus connected with that set-up...after 3 years the tent was worse for wear, and I got older(naturally) so the tent route was more than I wanted to do...I bought a larger van(ford E-350 15 passenger) removed two of the seats, to give me more storage space, and sleep on one of the bench seats that remain...I just started my 7th year of full time life on the road as of April 1, 2019...
I spent two years researching, printing info, getting rid of stuff, putting stuff in storage, ( you get the idea) and wondering if I would ever actually get to do this...I finally got to the point that if I didn't just take the leap of faith and actually get out there, it probably would NEVER happen...
I have done nothing to the van other than to take 2 seats out, hang some curtains using drapery hooks pushed through the headliner and
extension rods. all my supplies (clothes, food, camp stove, etc.) are in totes or fabric bags stacked/stashed wherever there is usable space...
probably not the most efficient setup but it works...am constantly rearranging/assessing whether things are needed, then eliminating as I go...
definitely a daily/weekly/monthly/yearly learning process...debating whether I should get a small cargo trailer to use for either living in or stowing gear, but have not decided one way or the other at this point...

 

[Zephyr]

"I just started my 7th year of full time life on the road as of April 1, 2019"

"after 3 years the tent was worse for wear"

"I have done nothing to the van other than to take 2 seats out, hang some curtains using drapery hooks pushed through the headliner and
extension rods"

Bonnie, Your story brought joy to my heart. You made do with simple (perhaps 'cheap') solutions. With perseverance and cleverness it's working. I'm giving you your first plus for the encouraging words.