What is the Vandweller "attitude"

[Blue]

In a recent post bob said...

"My philosophy is you are a vandweller if you call yourself a vandweller because it is an attitude and not a choice of residence."

On another topic I was told by another forumdweller I would be a poor representitive of vandwellers because I didnt share the same values or attitudes that this person held...

ok... so what on gods (mostly) green earth is the vandweller additude? What are the commonly shared values of vandwellers? Is ther a personal code or ethos one must follow to be considered a "true" representitive of vandwellers? Or is this just some made up stuff to try and solidify a community of rabid individualists who really dont have much in common other than they dont live in houses or apartments?

 

[caseyc]

????????

 

[PastTense]

Frugality/minimalism?

 

[Zil]

Be happy. or not.

 

[Reducto]

Clearly my attitude is the correct one, anyone who differs is wrong. Therefore, pretty much everyone is wrong.

 

[sl1966]

"You're not the boss of me!!!!"

Kidding, context unknown since I never read the full exchange where those quotes came from.

 

[jeanontheroad]

[Mod edit- post deleted at user's request]

 

[caseyc]

I really don't get the point of all this

 

[Stargazer]

caseyc: The point of all this...well, here is my take. When I first began dwelling, I was so excited that there were others who were open-minded, curious about the world, all those hippie ideas we had (and some still have) back in the '60's. When I met some of them, I was so disappointed because I discovered people who were just like my sticks/bricks neighbors, ex-coworkers, and other exes.

Blue: Vandweller attitude. It was a big letdown for me when I realized that what I thought was the "vandweller attitude" wasn't what I thought the vandweller attitude was. Like others here have already stated, it is as individual as each person. We are no different than people who choose different ways of living. Some are liberal, some conservative. Some are narrow-minded, others not. The list could go on forever.

"Or is this just some made up stuff to try and solidify a community of rabid individualists who really dont have much in common other than they dont live in houses or apartments? "--Blue. I vote for that!

 

[spd2918]

Some are here because life has forced them into vehicle living. On the other end of the spectrum are people like me who will do van travel for shorter periods of exploration. The only commonality might be a vandweller is someone that lives for periods of times in a van.

For most here I see a theme of wanderlust and freedom. Minimalism and frugality, too, with some "less is more" attitude.

 

[user 423]

Brings to mind that old saw; "If you have to ask how much, then you can't afford it".

 

[Suanne]

VanDweller Attitude? I'm pretty sure I have it, even tho' I neither live in a van nor am I full-time. How do I know I've got it? Because when I'm around other VanDwellers, it's one of the few places I feel like I mostly fit in. When I'm at GTGs or RTRs and we talk about how we live out of our vehicles -- introverts, frugal minimalists with itchy feet, coming and going, more in-tune with nature -- I breathe a sigh of relief to know I'm with folks who "get me" ... we are like-minded.

This is just my take on a VanDweller Attitude. If one day I actually find myself living full-time out of a van, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have anymore of the attitude than I do now

Suanne ... soaking up the rays in the desert southwest

 

[karl]

I'm thinking that "vandweller attitude" is as flexible term as any other reference to a group of people, and "one size" doesn't fit all.
For me it expresses minimalism, adventure, self reliance, simplicity, self expression, innovation, appreciation, and probably more if I think on it.
Spent(wasted) a bunch of years fussing about what it meant to be me and how I should conform to certain definitions as accepted by the majority.....then I realized why we are called individuals- cause we are all freaking DIFFERENT!

 

[Blue]

well Karl that about summs it up for me... I see some points repeating on these postings...

frugality, minimalism, adventure, self reliance, simplicity, self expression (humm... not sure thats too shared but maybe I'm wrong), innovation, appreciation (with an accent on nature) individualism...

but I also think theres a streak of rebellion in it... "I want to live by MY rules" "I want to be the boss of me" etc, and a sprinkle of arrogence "other people are afraid to jump in with both feet like we did, and we've never looked back"

and although those may be some common values... its not a strict code, that individualism runs pretty feirce... SPD is a police officer, a year or so ago I marched with Occupy Oakland and shut down the port of oakland for two days so we could dance and party on the halted trucks.

after all these threads and conversations I dont think SPD and I could be more seperated politically or ideologically, or even in our "additudes" and yet... we both consider ourselves vandwellers.

 

[Vivid-Dawn]

My family and friends just can't understand WHY in tarnation I would want to live in a vehicle. Why not get a nice little house in a suburb and be "stable"?
Why? Because I like the freedom of peace and quiet. I don't really like being around people much. For 36 (and still going!) years, my "neighbors" are cows. I am used to the peace and quiet of not having more than 2 humans within 10 square feet of me making a ruckus of any sort.
Because I like the freedom to come and go as I want, WHEN I want. Sure people in suburbs take THEIR trailers out to the campgrounds...for 2 days: scramble Friday afternoon to get to the site, then they gotta rush back Sunday night to get back to the rat race again on Monday morning.
Because I want the freedom of eye-sore scenery. Don't want to stare at the same scene day after day. (the only thing saving my sanity right now is all the farm land, and I can watch critters like foxes and deer on a regular basis). I want to see something different of the world each new day, and NOT through a TV screen.
Because I want freedom from debt. Don't want to be bogged down in the debt of a house, and debt of maintaining such a huge place (breaking water heaters, double door fridges on the fritz, leaky roofs, etc.), and debt of a lot of "stuff" piling up in that house.

Usually when asked "why" my answer is a simple "Freedom!"

 

[decodancer]

My definition of vandweller attitude is someone who has the nerve to actually do what others just dream of doing. Come hell or high water, money or not, we go in search of what makes us happy. I like people and enjoy living and working in busy campgrounds so I'm not looking for solitude. Others prefer the road less traveled. My family and friends all thought I was out of my mind, now they admire the fact that I'm living the life I want to live while they are tied down to homes and jobs.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Vandweller is simply a term for a person living in a van.
Don't mistake this for a derogatory remark tho.

I've lived out of a backpack, bike, motorcycle, car, 4 vans, 2 RVs, a tiny TT, and a sailboat. My "attitude" is no different no matter how I dwell...even when I had houses.

I think wanderlust is natural for some and others not so much. For some of us its stronger than others, as it is with me. I tried very hard to conform to "standards" and really wanted to, but I just couldn't do it. I shut down a successful company in 1988 and took to the road. Tho I've shifted gears, even to the point of doing stix & brix a few years.

My "attitude" isn't a happy unless I'm able to travel when I get the itch, which is most of the time. I'm fine with less rather than more in terms of possessions. The things I enjoy don't require a lot of money and I long ago learned to live within my means.

I think there are so many reasons that people live the way they do that there's no real way to nail down a certain attitude. Someone forced into a "lesser" lifestyle in a van won't have the same attitude about the whole thing as a person who has chosen it.

I'm not the sharpest tack in the box and I don't really know how to determine "attitude" other than positive or negative.
I feel mine is positive. Should it become negative I'll make a change in my life.

 

[Jack Grit]

" What is the Vandweller "attitude""

I don't know but I feel it when I hear this song.

 

[SoulRaven]

Greetings!

I agree, it's about FREEDOM.

I guess I could sum it up about like this, listen to the whole works, the words, and see the genuine smile on all our faces, I was one of those performers...



And so many years later, we still haven't lost the songs in our hearts, the smiles on our faces, the open road, and the joy that we can bring to others...



Whether it is one person at a time, or whole stadium full, this vandwellers attitude is that if we can enrich the lives of others, through words or actions, then this life is good and meaningful, and maybe we can make the world just a little better place for everyone.

Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man