What brings you to this lifestyle?

[yesican]

Area 51, try not to be angry at those who can't see the truth.&nbsp; You gotta feel sorry for them for they will continue to live that life and there is nothing you can do about it.&nbsp; The best way to teach another is by example and that is to live a life that is uplifting where everyone else wants to join in.&nbsp; You'll never change society or even one person with examples of anger and unrest. To me, you have chosen the best way in life and I hope your heart grows bigger for it so that others will be drawn to it.&nbsp; But, alas everyone is different with different values and we should not demean them for what we think is shortcomings.&nbsp; It takes all kinds to make the world go round. <br />Rae

 

[sl1966]

My truck, mostly. Walking can also, but it just takes too long. <br /><br />Seriously though, love this thread. I'll add a proper reply in a little bit. Just got home from Austin and need a little time to get settled back in.<br /><br />

 

[IGBT]

What will bring us to this life is the realization that money can't buy youth.&nbsp; Would you rather work almost your entire life and be able to afford any class A that can also tote your rascal, or work enough to afford a second hand class C and a good pair of hiking boots?&nbsp; We choose the latter.<br /><br />(I do feel a bit hypocritical writing this when we are still waiting 3 years to set off, but at least we have a deadline, decided on 4 years ago)

 

[Guest]

yesican&nbsp; I'm&nbsp;not&nbsp;angry&nbsp;with&nbsp;anyone. Anger&nbsp;involves&nbsp;stress , I gave&nbsp; that up.&nbsp; My&nbsp;post&nbsp;may have&nbsp;seemed&nbsp;a little harsh though. When it comes to money&nbsp;and business, I&nbsp;take a hard&nbsp;stand,&nbsp; You&nbsp;have to draw a line in the sand &nbsp;or get&nbsp;ran over and rail roaded. &nbsp; I'm really&nbsp;a nice&nbsp; guy, funny most of the time with&nbsp;a joke&nbsp;or&nbsp;quick&nbsp;quip,&nbsp;and&nbsp;willing&nbsp;to help&nbsp;anyone&nbsp;who&nbsp;needs&nbsp;help,&nbsp; But&nbsp;I&nbsp;wont&nbsp;be&nbsp; threatened, forced&nbsp;or pressured into&nbsp;anything anymore. My parting&nbsp;words on the&nbsp;weekends&nbsp;to&nbsp;my&nbsp;co workers is&nbsp;always&nbsp;I'm&nbsp;going&nbsp;to&nbsp;XZY to&nbsp;do&nbsp;this or that and have some fun. Why&nbsp;dont you&nbsp;come on down&nbsp;and have&nbsp;some fun too.&nbsp;And the&nbsp; replys&nbsp;are just&nbsp;about&nbsp;always the&nbsp;same, with the&nbsp;look&nbsp;of&nbsp;<br />" Aw man ...damn it"&nbsp; on their&nbsp;face.&nbsp;&nbsp;" We gotta pay&nbsp;bills,&nbsp; cant afford to go ,&nbsp; Got&nbsp; chores to&nbsp;do"&nbsp;&nbsp;and so on.&nbsp;&nbsp;I know&nbsp;first&nbsp;hand&nbsp;where&nbsp;they&nbsp;are comming&nbsp;from.&nbsp; Lead&nbsp;by&nbsp;example?&nbsp; No, not&nbsp;really,&nbsp;but&nbsp;they&nbsp;see&nbsp;I am&nbsp;not&nbsp; emcumbered any more, and in much&nbsp;better spirits. That&nbsp;has&nbsp;to play on their minds. &nbsp;&nbsp;

 

[ice_maiden]

I have always been exposed to this life.. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents growing up.&nbsp; They originally hailed from TN, migrated to FL and then settled in Texas. Through all of this they raised their kids and lived simply.&nbsp; Once the kids were grown they sold the mobile home off of their rural half acre of land. Bought 2 bob-tail truck beds, stuck them end to end and converted them into a bedroom/living area and bathroom/kitchen area... these were always known as 805 &amp; 806 (that was the truck numbers).. They then bought a bumper pull travel trailer and drug it off to the places they wanted to visit and see.&nbsp; If they were set up somewhere for a while but needed to come home for a short trip. They had a camper shell on the back of the pick up with a bed setup. So they would leave the travel trailer, come home and stay in 805 &amp; 806 till they were ready to return to the travel trailer. Even after my grandfather passed ....my grandmother tooted up and down the road in this style.&nbsp; They did not live this way because they could not afford better, they just had no need to impress the Jones.. Fact is when my grandfather died they were sleeping on 25 thousand dollars..... and in the mid-80's that was a much bigger chunk than today.<br /><br />Once I was grown and had kids I knew I would stay pretty much in one spot till they were grown..&nbsp; I went the 3 different schools most every year myself and and that is not easy...my mother moved every chance she got, which was often.<br /><br />Now my kids are grown and my feet itch.

 

[sl1966]

And here is seriously why I am about to embark in this life ... because I can!<br /><br />

 

[josephusminimus]

<div>&nbsp;</div><br />This is just the next step toward the four felines and I surviving Y2K.&nbsp; I cashed in two retirements January 1, 1999, bought 160 acres of land on time, built a cabin and spent the year preparing a refugee camp on the continental divide in New Mexico.&nbsp; When it didn't happen for most people, it did for me.&nbsp; My remaining retirement money was stored under the floor joists of the cabin, packrats turned it to confetti.&nbsp; US Treasury Department salvaged a couple of thou, but the rest was gone.<br /><br />Been scrambling, living anyway we can, me and the cats, from then until now.&nbsp; <br /><br /><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://sofarfromheavendotcom.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/cabin-front.jpg?w=800" alt="" width="340" height="323" /><br /><br /><br />But the remote cabin in central TX I'm living in now's about to fall down around us, so the next step is living on the road.

 

[enjoyprogress]

I have always been drawn to a nomadic life. The seed was planted when I was almost 16 and went on a school trip to europe. I realized there was really a whole world out there. Then I came back to my really small town.&nbsp;<br /><br />I spent the next 8 years trying to figure out how I was going to do it. I had so many different plans and ideas. A few of them I actually started. Then fear stopped me dead in my tracks.<br /><br />Yes even after a few small trips I kept fixing myself back in my small town wanting out and wishing I could be free to travel.<br /><br />I now just turned 24. I know I am young but I have wasted a lot of time allowing fear to stop me. Over &amp; over again.<br /><br />I once even convinced myself this kind of lifestyle wasn't responsible. hahahah I had a good laugh after I got over that idea.<br /><br />So here I am now. This weekend I'm going to check out an older toyota class c motorhome. If its in good shape. I'll pick it up and head out to California to meet up with a few vagabond friends of mine to get a seasonal job that pays well.&nbsp;<br /><br />From there I will build up my house on wheels to make it my own.<br /><br />What brings me to this lifestyle is the fact there really is a whole giant world out there &amp; If you don't travel your not going to see much of it.

 

[clearblueyonder]

Why? <br />Because I was in the race for 35 years... and you know what?... The Rat Won.

 

[user 2252]

It seems that the road has been in my blood from birth,( no, I was not born in the back of a Greyhound bus!)My father was a Marine in San Diego, CA and shortly after my birth in a Naval Hospital, my mother left and my father hit the road for Florida. Soon after that it was on to NY. At 16, during the very cool years of the 60's, I left home to escape the abuse and hitchhiked around the country, heading to Dallas, TX first. I remember getting into town and asking "Hey man, where do all the peoples hang out?" "Lee Park" he shouted. Wow, what a way to join the counter culture! After 2 marriages, 5 children and moving from place to place, I took up driving truck across the country and Canada. Now that I am retired and single, I want to get back to my "roots" I find "living on a shoestring" and can come and go as I please, seems to satisfy my soul.

 

[Where~the~wind~blows]

I'm with Vonbrown on this one I enjoy my feast and famine living... this life is not for everybody, some live full time some do it part time, whatever the reason it's in &nbsp;our blood to travel, to have less, (which to me, means having more).... yup it has it's struggles that no matter what you somehow deal with them, and then others often help you out, and then you will do the same in kind. There are far more good people living this life than bad.&nbsp;

 

[Dogman]

This is 3rd and final time living in an RV. First time was 30 years ago for about 6 years and I really loved it. Got a job in another town and moved into a small 1 bedroom apartment but sold the RV as I wasn't using it much. I was working 60-70 hours a week and basically going nowhere. Quit that job and moved around a bit and bought my second RV 18 years ago. During that time, a guy I knew had to get out of town quick (that is another story)and bought it from me for cash for 50% more than I paid for it. It was easy money at the time. During all this time I was hiking anywhere I found myself. I found that I loved the peace and quiet and enjoyed my own company. I now have a 24' trailer and love the fact that I can go anywhere at anytime for any reason. During all those years, I had various jobs in construction, owned my own cab company in Oregon, was a professional poker player for 7 years and got burned out but is a small part of the reason I could retire early at 62 and that, along with being fired along with 800 other people at my last job, worked in the casino industry, and retired as a budget analyst.

I have been in 45 states but now stay in the western ones. I have Pahrump, NV as a home base and will likely keep it since the insurance and costs are minimal for me, especially as I get a veterans discount at DMV. I have traveled extensively in South America but have no desire to be anywhere here in the US anymore. I am very fortunate to have some non-RVing friends who stood behind me, accept me as I am, and have not hit me up with all the questions about why I do this and so forth (however, they do look at me strangely sometimes). I, like Bob, (our fearless leader), find I like the camaraderie as I get older, while still maintaining independence and truly being free.

Basically, I feel very comfortable and at home going hither and yon whether parkin my carcass for a while if I find a place I want to stay for awhile or hittin the road. All those years of backpackin with a tent and whatever you had on your back (and a few close calls) gave me the fortitude to not worry about what might happen not being near civilization all the time. I have overall good health (except for some nasty arthritis in my ankles and knees from all the hiking), so I thank the good Lord cause I know so many who aren't as fortunate in the latter stages of this thing called life. If I die tomorrow, I have very few regrets. I will live this life as long as my eyesight and weird sense of humor allow me too. See you folks at the RTR.

To paraphrase Harvey Fierstein: "Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's else's definition of your life; you,and you alone define yourself."

Dogman

 

[WanderlustVagabond]

Just getting into it now. Always have been drawn to the idea though. Shortly after highschool I planned on making a trip across country for 6 months in an rv with a buddy, but like most plans made in youth it never panned out. I've done the college thing (not for me) lived a number of different places. Never really feel like i'm home. Love the feeling of traveling and being outdoors so i just bought my first van. 92 Dodge 250 conversion van with a 318 and only 46,000 miles for $800. Currently working 2 jobs saving up as much as i can. I plan on doing this the "right" way. I don't need alot of room or amenities but want to put a hi-topper on it a solar panel to run a small fridge and be able to charge a few things. Once she's ready to go and i have a feww grand saved up I'm taking off, first heading to denver to invite the love of my life to join me and regardless what happens there heading out west.

 

[WanderingRain]

Loving all your posts! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> I am a bit like Area51, really. I just don't see myself doing the regular suburban life. try as I might... I could not picture myself in a couch watching a gigantic TV each and every end of the day... pulling out loads of Christmas decors from the attic... mowing lawns that dogs just crap on... trimming hedges... some people love that stuff... To me, it's a waste of a valuable human life. To think we already only have a few years on this good Earth. Good God! To waste an hour here and there on these maintenance duties is more than I can bear. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br />And all for what? NOthing!<br />When we are all dead, none of this will matter.<br /><br />This life that commercials and society at large seem to want us to have repels me. None of it appeals to me...&nbsp;<br /><br />What would matter is if we live our lives to the fullest. And that is what drew me to this site. To live like nature intended us to live... truly free and unencumbered. I just cannot imagine living the life of so many of our fellow citizens... day by day, just shuffling through life... paying never ending bills.... Dutifully raising kids that they unknowingly turn into the next wave of voracious consumers of trinkets and crap daily pushed on us by a relentless commercial machine.<br /><br />Many of us here know that's not why we were put on this Earth to do.&nbsp;<br />We were meant to enjoy life! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />I consider my little van home my very first fully paid for house. No mortgages, no HOA's, no lawns to mow... no gutters to clean... It's a nice home and it's all mine. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />I read somewhere in this site that vehicles also are bedbug proof since they cannot survive in hot cars. Good! Yet one more reason to stay mobile.&nbsp;<br />When I think about how lucky I am to find this site and this life, I am very thankful.<br />And I get excited whenever someone really young finds this site and wants to start out early. YES, by all means do so because I would have if I knew back then! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> Every young person who converts to this is one more kindly soul saved from the commercial machine.&nbsp;<br /><br />Lastly, I believe that this lifestyle and this way of life... makes for a better rounded individual. People that are constantly harrassed by stress and the rat race do not have time to read books and think about what matters to them the most. I think most of us (me certainly) lived in the race for a while not even realizing this was a choice. But I am glad to be out now. So good luck with everyone and keep the good posts coming!

 

[DollarJoe67]

<p>Good topic choice.&nbsp; I'm not at all religious but, you might say I'm on a spiritual journey.&nbsp; I've had a few awakening experiences over the past few years and life has been put into perspective.&nbsp; At risk of sounding too spacey, I seek to harmonize with my inner consciousness.&nbsp; The more I consider my house, furniture, electronics, video games, job, friends, family, and everything else that complicates life, it occurs to me that the simple life is the best life.&nbsp; Whenever I imagine life without the stresses of permanence, I get "first kiss" shivers.&nbsp; What if I didn't have to pay a mortgage?&nbsp; What if there were no power or water bills?&nbsp; What if I could quit any job at any time and simply move somewhere else?&nbsp; OOOOoooo...just got shivers...seriously!&nbsp; Wouldn't it be great to go to sleep when the sun goes down and wake up whenever?&nbsp; That's what I seek.&nbsp;&nbsp;Instead of a full-time job and part-time life, I'm&nbsp;seeking a part-time job and a full-time life.&nbsp; Freedom to exist on my own terms.&nbsp; Everyday I wake up, I want it to be with purpose.&nbsp; Step outside my&nbsp;van, smell the saltwater and feel the first sunbeams creeping across the ocean, then looking down at Jack (the future beach beast of the gulf coast), letting out a big morning stretch to the sky and saying "lets go to work" instead of "crap I have to go to work today."&nbsp; I'm tired of worrying about societal pressures.&nbsp; You know, girlfriends/wives, "careers" whatever those are, houses and cars, birthdays/holidays/anniversaries, and anything else society dictates that you "should" care about.&nbsp; Sit down in absolute silence, close your eyes and just let it all go and then try and tell me that when your eyes open&nbsp;(figuratively and literally)&nbsp;you don't smile.&nbsp; That's the feeling I'm working to bring to myself everyday.&nbsp; I will rule life, not let life rule me.&nbsp; See ya at the beach!</p>

 

[Bodhi]

Right on, DollarJoe!&nbsp; <br /><br />I don't express myself very well... but I can tell you that what you are calling first kiss shivers is exactly what I feel when I am "run away".&nbsp; Yes, occasionally, my parents would call my cell phone and leave this message, "We are guessing that you are 'run away' or 'in hiding' for a while.&nbsp; Could you please just let someone know you are okay and check in with us?&nbsp; Love, Mom... This is your Daddy... call someone.&nbsp; Love you."<br /><br />Until my son was out on his own, I was there... always...&nbsp; but when he took off so did I.&nbsp; I still have the job holding me back some and I now live with my parents as they have gotten too old for their own good (we joke about that) and about once a month I have to get out and blow the cobwebs out of my head.<br /><br />I am also on a spiritual journey (not religious) and I love being in nature to sit and meditate and read my daily words of encouragement and affirmations.&nbsp; <br /><br />The day will come when I too shake it all off and breath freely and sigh in joyous wonder often.<br /><br />[Side note: You might enjoy a little book I have stumbled on... Science of Mind... you can find it on line and check it out.]<br /><br />Namaste<br />Bodhi

 

[lampliter]

I was out on the highway one day on my motorcycle and had the thought---wouldn't it be great to just keep going.

 

[WanderingRain]

<span style="line-height: 11.428571701049805px;">

That's what I seek.&nbsp;&nbsp;Instead of a full-time job and part-time life, I'm&nbsp;seeking a part-time job and a full-time life.&nbsp; Freedom to exist on my own terms.&nbsp; Everyday I wake up, I want it to be with purpose.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<br />Beautifully said!!!<br />I will remember that... full time life... part time job.<br /><img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></span>

 

[Sheryl]

I have not moved or traveled a lot and don't want to, but I was born to live wild in the woods with the animals. I love it in the wilderness! We choose the off grid wilderness campsites for work camping, have been happy and have met a lot of similar folks!&nbsp;<br><br>We have had enough of the rat race and the stress of trying to work enough to keep up with all the bills and hang onto the home, vehicles and materialism that is so prevalent in society. We are just so tired of it all! We felt nothing but a great sense of relief when we finally drove away. We have been planning a move to an off grid cabin and the unloading of all we owned for many years now. it just took the right moment to go for it.&nbsp;We couldn't get out of there fast enough and never want to go back to it!&nbsp;Our camper is the off grid "cabin" that we finally settled on. We love this free lifestyle, free of all the things that society thinks are so important. Free to do and go wherever we want with no strings attached.&nbsp;<br><br>It started with the reading of <em>"Possum Living"</em> by Dolly Freed many years ago. It's a bit extreme but a real eye opener!&nbsp;<br><br><br>

 

[BrianBear]

Born and raised in San Diego, housing cost in beyond ridiculous. I really don't want to rent in general because you never get any of it back as investment.<br><br>I'm also at a point in my life after a few of those hard economy years that have left me feeling vary un-rooted in my home town. I'm not terribly interested in traveling just because but I'd like to try living in new places to find something more my style. A mobile base of operations would be really nice for that and I'd wouldn't have to worry about ending up homeless.<br><br>So mostly it's a cheep way for me to live semi-comfortably so I can save money and make the smart moves I'll need if I ever want to really get ahead in this world.