Old Time VW Traveler but now a Newbie

Newbie's Corner
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Introduce Yourself… Hi everyone, over 30 years ago I travelled cross country throughout the U.S. and Canada in a 65 VW 21-window Bus that I had outfitted for camping and with a larger engine and front disk brakes. For several years, on & off, I traveled between National Parks and National Forests, backpacking and tent camping.

I still believe it was my VW bus that chose Santa Cruz, California as our ultimate destination. For years after we arrived here, I saw a different VW Bus almost every week - it’s definitely a place where old VW’s come to retire in the U.S. But I sold my VW Bus a few years ago and it ended up being shipped back to its birthplace in Germany.

Since I’ve been living in Santa Cruz, I helped start a couple nonprofit Youth Hostels and found out when I volunteered at the front desk it was like traveling the world without leaving home. Meeting people from different cultures of the world sharing stories over a meal has been a great experience, but now I’m ready to start traveling and living in a van again, hopefully with a few more conveniences than I had in my VW Bus.

I’m used to meeting new people in person on trails, in campgrounds and hostels, but computer forums are new to me, so I’m not sure if it’s going to work out. I’ll treat it like I would a new wilderness adventure and see where it takes me! I’m a good listener and love to share ideas and make them real, so I look forward to reading your stories and helping put all our ideas into action.

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Greetings & Welcome!

I’ve been a nomad for 60 years now, and the biggest change is probably all the promoters & influencers trying to spend your money faster than you can make it.

I started my journey in a 1961 23 window vw westfalia deluxe camper van. It was my faithful & comfortable home on wheels for over 10 years. I still miss it. It was a very sad day when it was stolen.

Over the years I’ve tried almost every new thing to come along, and the vast majority of them were all just overly expensive garbage. Simple, reliable, and easily replaceable is still the winning combination in my book.

I might live in my rig, but I’m still camping. Probably glamping in my case, because I have all the needed features of a luxury motorhome, but on a shoestring budget. Not because I don’t have the money, but because I want the most comfortable, convenient, & reliable, all season, home on wheels as possible. The fact that it’s extremely cheap is just icing on the cake.

Cheers!

"A wise man learns from both the successes & failures of others." ~ Off Grid