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!
I really appreciate that mindset! A big concern of mine exploring the van life has been the lack of community. Often I feel like van life can seem selfish, but you’ve made me consider how I can contribute positively to a community even when Im just passing through.
It can be scary if you don’t ease into it gradually. I started with long solo tent expeditions so by the time I started to full timing it just felt natural.
Not sure why someone would call life on the road selfish or consider being selfish a bad thing.
My first passport was from the country that no longer exists, then seen basically genocide, plus people lost all they worked for, their life savings, now can enjoy being blown up by drone, one thing I know for sure society and the elite will discard anyone without a second thought and when things hit the fan it will be wolf eat wolf out there. So I will enjoy being “selfish” while Im alive. Watching the pines, the creek and cute bear tracks now while I could be in the cold grave if I werent so “selfish”.
One can go to Quartzsite events to connect with people, not only tons of vanlifers there but all sorts of rig setups too. I just spend part of winter over there in remote areas, dont meet anyone, but there are tons of events.
Greetings!
Being selfish can come in many forms, to some, abandoning friends and family might be considered selfish, but you can be a nomad without abandoning them. You can still be there shortly if they need you.
The real selfishness comes in the form of being an addict, deadbeat, or criminal. Not fully supporting yourself, or the society we all rely on, would definitely be selfish.
Great things come to those who put others first, while the selfish shall suffer because of their poor choices.
Being lonely is a choice. I’ve been a nomad for over 60 years, and made friends with people all over the country. Friends who would travel across the country to help a friend, because that’s me, and my philosophy too. Life is what we choose to make it. From marvelous to miserable, the choice is ours.
The good life isn’t free or easy, and nobody owes us anything, other than the opportunity to succeed. These opportunities are everywhere, and always, if we know how to recognize them, and take advantage of them. The more we give of ourselves, the more we’ll receive in return. Being selfish is self defeating and short sighted.
Cheers!