Hi! New to the forum. Loving my journey, discovering the ins and outs of vanlife. Enjoy waking up in new places and having to look outside to remember where I am.
3 Likes
Greetings & Welcome!
I’ve been a nomad for 58 years now, it can be a great life!
Cheers!
"Screw the insulation, give me HEAT!" ~ Hobo Henry
Nice rig! Interior pix?
Nomad for 58 years… how so? Are you a traveling salesmen. Did you win the lottery or have a rich family? Pretty rig.
Greetings!
For the first 30 years out of high school starting in June 1963, I was a traveling construction worker. After that I switched to working for myself, and have continued to travel. I’m 77 now, and sharing the sites around the country with 2 traveling companions, and have no plans to quit traveling until I’m forced into it.
I’ve been lucky & blessed, and it’s been a GREAT life for me.
Cheers!
"It has been said that the secret to success is
learning how to do more with less and in the
simplest way possible." ~ Wise Words Wiki
learning how to do more with less and in the
simplest way possible." ~ Wise Words Wiki
That’s great, man. Inspiring! Where you at now? What are some of your fave places? Do much city living?
Greetings!
We are largely city dwellers, by choice, boondocking on city streets for free. Then we take our comfortable fuel efficient tow vehicle to explore everything within maybe 50 miles diameter from where we’re at on day trips before returning at night to sleep in our own comfortable beds. After breakfast, we work for a few hours, then decide what we want to do for the day, if anything. If the weather’s bad, we may just hunker down by the fireplace, and watch a movie, work extra hours, play games, surf the net, or just take an extra nap. Our goal is a life of leisure, luxury, enjoyment, & travel, while making more than enough money to support our chosen lifestyle. My rule has always been that I needed to make at the very least, double my total expenses, so all 3 of us are banking big money while still enjoying life to it’s fullest.
Sometimes in our explorations we’ll find a spot out of town, maybe by a lake, or something else of interest, where we want to go “camping”, and we do that too. Free or paid, doesn’t really matter to us, we’re chasing the experience & enjoyment. We all work remotely, for ourselves, and frequently seek out places with nice views, which is totally possible even in the cities or close to them.
We’re currently at the Pendleton Roundup, then we’ll be leisurely working our way towards the Central Washington State Fair near the end of the month, and meeting up with friends. Then while in the PNW, we’ll be visiting Grand Coulee Dam, Leavenworth WA, Mt. Rainier & Lake Tipsoo, The Toppenish Murals, The Space Needle, Ferry rides in Puget Sound, The Olympic Peninsula, a ride on a sternwheeler in the Columbia River Gorge, and visiting numerous water falls including Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. Those are things we know we want to do, but we’re also easily sidetracked to anything else that looks interesting.
After Washington, we’ll do Oregon, weather permitting, while working our way South for the winter. We just came from Minnesota, enjoying all the sights & attractions along the way…
We’re visiting friends & family all over the country, in a working vacation sort of lifestyle I guess. While the girls have friends & family all over, I’m kind of the driver & tour guide, while teaching them a different lifestyle, and how to make money while fully enjoying everything that life has to offer. This is the first big adventure for both of the ladies and they’re really enjoying it. They’re also spoiling me rotten, so no complaints from me either.
Cheers!
"Life can be as wonderful or as miserable as you choose to make it." ~ The Camper Van Man
Nice! I’ve found parking in cities can be challenging. How do you go about finding parking for a towed setup? What kind of work are you doing now? I used to live in Oregon… absolutely lovely, as is most of the PNW. I imagine it’s what America was like 50 years ago, less development, more nature, less angry people.
Welcome! That’s an awesome van! We have an Econoline too. Just finished our first year on the road-- still going strong.
Greetings!
I usually park on unregulated city streets, or mostly unregulated at least. Some places have a 72 hour limit on street parking, so every 3rd day, I’ll go to the park or somewhere, before returning for the night.
I frequently find parking near large apartment complexes, or the streets behind strip malls. Places where there are no markings for individual cars. If there’s truck trailers there, I’m usually good. If not, I’ll take the chance. I’ve got warnings occasionally, but never gotten a ticket.
24 hour boat launches can be good too, they will have long parking slots for vehicles with trailers.
Cheers!
"If knowledge is a power, then learning is a superpower." ~ Jim Kwik