Hey guys and gals,new to the forum,i have a dodge caravan and a rental property for income,i want to travel the country.I will be doin it solo,im worried i will be too lonely out there.Its kinda scary to do it but im ready
Are there any van groups that kinda follow and support each other? Any advice for a new guy hittin the road? Thanks
Greetings & Welcome!
I mainly camp in cities and make friends everywhere I go. This doesn’t have to be a lonely life. I now have 2 traveling companions, and switched to my bus so we’d have more room.
Over the years I’ve had many girlfriends traveling with me for a while, and ones in every town when I didn’t. Other’s are very interested in this lifestyle, and many want to join in. Treat them well and you’ll never be lonely.
Cheers!
Great advice and info, tryin talk myself into this,i think ill be fine once im on the road.where do you camp in cities?
Enjoy the solitude, but also know when it’s the right time to go and mingle!
You’ll always have friends on the road!
Greetings!
I like to park in quiet residential neighborhoods, in front of a neglected vacant lot or house. An eyesore for the neighborhood. Then I proceed to weed whack it, and mow the lawn, which immediately gets me in good standing with all the neighbors. Now I am a welcome asset to the neighborhood.
I’m a decent handyman & mechanic, and will help any neighbor with anything absolutely free. This makes me a valuable neighbor as well. I will move often enough to stay legal, but return to the same spot before nightfall. I might be in the neighborhood for up to 6 months before moving on, and for about 5 years I was rotating between S. Miami, and Minneapolis/Duluth, with summers in Miami and winters in N. Minnesota.
I often get offered to park on the property by the owner, and sometimes hired to repair the house to make it usable or sellable.
Finding places has always been extremely easy for me because almost every neighborhood has one of THOSE places… Even the cops appreciate your efforts.
Sometimes I can receive mail or packages at the address, or at a friendly neighbor’s.
For me, it’s not about stealth or hiding like a criminal, it’s all about being a good and welcome neighbor.
Cheers!
Hi chopper,
My original van was a GMC Savana. Pretty good size and four-wheel-drive. I don’t know your age but I recently got to retirement age and also have rental properties for income. I found travel to be great, especially when I found my community of van people, and also full-time RVers. The logistics of working solo is tough. And there is always an issue with security, but, moreover, for me claustrophobia during bad weather. Knowing places where other people camp for a season is great. Like I said, the community of other people is very helpful. I also like one of the comments above have found a winter site for the last three winters that has been great. And then I travel near Minnesota for the summer. There are intentional communities and many campgrounds, resorts that are looking for people to help for the summer.
Greetings!
I never experienced claustrophobia until I was suckered into a cargo van by the promoters. Lots of windows, daylight, and ventilation solved that problem, and depression too. The view solved the rest of my problems, by being able to see the cause of some noise outside instead of being frozen in fear waiting for what was coming next.
Later, RV’s were a welcome upgrade, and a lot cheaper too. More room, more conveniences, & more comfortable, imagine that. Our homes on wheels can come in many shapes, sizes, & prices. Bare bones to luxury accommodations, the choice is ours, and even the smallest budgets can get us those luxury accommodations if we’re patient & diligent.
Money’s rarely been a problem for me, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years is that knowledge and experience is more important than money. Knowledge & experience can save you a ton of money, along with being flexible and open minded about your choices. While I’m not opposed to camper vans, and have lived in many, given the choice, I think cheap older RV’s are the best bang for the buck.
Cheers!
Never felt lonely on the road. Always try to get away as far as possible from humans, as many miles as possible, and the ideal way would be to just live in the woods in total isolation.
Never felt afraid of anything except finding parking in town, never felt unsafe and I’m a woman traveling alone. I like to sleep outside not locked in a vehicle.
Selling my nice class C now, which has super low mileage too.
Because I want something much smaller and higher ground clearance, which means a truck.
This will be my last year on the road, I want to settle in the sticks.
When I see a group of vans or RVs heading into the area where I camp (very rare event, luckily), I high tail out of there, goodbye peace and quiet!