Greetings,
I have been planning my escape into full-time van living for some time now. Next year I will be permanently hitting the road. I would appreciate any advice I can get as a woman traveling alone. Obviously, my main concern is safety. 
Thank you kindly!
Greetings & Welcome!
Safety is relatively easy, just never be anywhere that is isolated, and always keep your doors locked while inside, even while driving.
While I have had break in attempts while in town, as soon as they discovered there was someone inside, they ran the other way.
Boondocking is whole different story. I have been robbed by both gangs and individuals while boondocking. Even 5 of us werenāt enough to hold off a gang of thugs with guns. The more isolated you are, the more vulnerable you are for the bad guys. I will no longer boondock unless it is with a large group of 10 or more, and preferably with some of them carrying guns.
Even in town, I wonāt park in deserted industrial areas or empty parking lots. I want other people close by if I get into trouble. As a woman, you are even more vulnerable, and taking unnecessary chances is not a wise choice. If I canāt find a place in town that I feel safe, I will go to an RV park and rent a space. In some towns, the whole place is sketchy. If not tied down by a commitment, I will move on the next day.
I keep a spray bottle of vinegar in my van for cleaning, and another small travel size spray bottle of it in my pocket. Vinegar in the face of a person, a dog, or even a bear will stop them almost immediately. It is legal everywhere, and effective, but not lethal. Other types of legal sprays can work as well.
Cheers!
Wow! Thatās terrible. I do have pepper spray and a stun gun, but perhaps I should consider a small hand gun as well. Is parking overnight at a truck stop, or say a 24hr Wal-Mart considered āBoondocking?ā I had to google this term and it was a bit unclear. I was planning to stay in these types of places, and also some of the free camp grounds. I am using an app. called āfree roam.ā The app shows on a map all the free campgrounds throughout the U.S. and gives reviews for each. This includes safety reviews.
Greetings!
Boondocking can have multiple definitions. To some, it simply means camping with no hookups, regardless of your location. By that definition, I am always boondocking, even in the city. To others, boondocking means camping in isolated places with no hookups, like on BLM land in the middle of nowhere. These are places Iāve ran into trouble.
For me, guns are a no-no because the laws in each state vary so widely I just donāt want the hassle, especially since most laws require them to be locked up separate from the ammunition. Youād be dead before you could get to it and get it loadedā¦
Cheers!
Yeah I noticed after researching online that there are many different definitions for āBoondocking.ā I donāt plan on parking overnight in isolated places. I will stick to town, or maybe a free campground, but only if when I arrive it feels like a safe place. I will definitely not be sleeping anywhere that people are not near by. Also, I will go with my instincts. If the people seem sketchy I will drive on and find a safer place.
I suppose you are right about the whole gun thing. I donāt want to feel like I am breaking the law every time I cross over a state line, or have to research gun laws for every state I go to. I thank you so very much for all the information. You have been extremely helpful, and given me a lot of food for thought.
Happy and safe travels for us both!
Greetings!
Always glad to help when I can. The help of others greatly improved my life, and passing that knowledge along is always a good thing.
Cheers!
Well, it is very much appreciated. I hope to gain knowledge throughout this journey, and pass on my wisdom, as you have.
Hi! My english is basic and I will probably write something wrong, and Iām sorry for thatā¦ but I liked so much this topic and I need to talk about this.
I have a Vw bus, a classic model (72), and the dream of travel knowing different places and people. Iām journalist and I was working with marketing on a way that I donāt like. I resigned my job and I decided to live my dream.
Iām alone, Iām 32 years old and I donāt have a boyfriend. This is always a big problem for my family and my friends. āYouāll go alone? Youāre crazyā, they say. I leave in Brasil, and this is the second problem. The violence and the bad economy also influences peopleās opinion.
I am feeling weak and disheartened by my dream. I donāt know where to start acting anymore.
Have you been through this too? How did they get over it?
Greetings & Welcome!
I donāt know much about vandwelling in Brazil, but Iāll wish you the best, and hopefully somebody with more knowledge about Brazil will help you out. I can help with your build though if needed.
Cheers!
Hi,
Iām a total newbie on vanlife. Iām a 51 year old woman from Belgium and, since I have to leave my apartment end of April, I decided this is the moment to finally go and live the camperdream Iāve had since I was 27 (and pregnant of my now 24 year old son to become a single mother).
Like the other ladies on this thread, I will also be traveling alone, so safety is a big issue for me too.
Some of the things I read on safety on other forums are:
Take a dog with you. (I will be taking my 14 year old fluffy little white monster along)
And also: always park in away that you can take off immediately and donāt need to manoeuvre out backwards. Whenever you hear something around your camper at night, just jump in your driverās seat and take off. This seems like a very reasonable and safe reaction to me too and Iāll definitely keep it in mind. Of course, this is only possible when you donāt leave anything outside your van.
Besides that, I dream of waking up all by myself near a beach, a lake or in the middle of a beautiful forest, but I will have to find out if I have the guts to do so once Iām living the vanlife.
Iām also thinking itās maybe a good idea to start a solo female traveler community in different parts of the world where you can find out if there are other women traveling in the area where you areā¦? Unfortunately Iām a total nitwit on the subject of online communities and how to start them, but perhaps there are others who know more about this?
For now, I have no idea if this kind of life is going to work out for me, because I have zero experience with campers and I donāt even have a camper yet. But I know Iāll never forgive myself if I donāt grab this chance to go and do it only because Iām afraid of what could go wrong. I hope this can encourage other people to do the same. And for me: better late than never;-).
Greetings, Elsje
Greetings & Welcome!
Very few younger people make it for very long at vandwelling unless they have some form of stable income that involves traveling.
Letās start with what your budget is, and how you plan to support your travels. Work on the road can be very hard to impossible to find, unless you have some in demand skills. Itās not nearly as easy as the promoters want their victims to believe.
There is strength in numbers, and the world around us is becoming more hostile constantly. The number of people who prefer to be thieves and thugs is growing all the time. Good old fashion work ethic seems to be becoming a thing of the past. I too like the beaches, lakes, & forests, and so do many others, and the bad guys like them as well. There is much more safety in established campgrounds with many other people around.
Windows are very important for both your safety and your peace of mind. Being able to see what that thump in the night was, makes the difference between a little chuckle, and a flee for your life moment. The vehicle you choose can make all the difference in the world, both comfort wise and reliability wise. Choose carefully.
Weāre here for any guidance you need anywhere along the way.
Cheers!
Hi I worry about getting a van with windows as it will make it easier to break in to the van also not great for stealth camping and heat retention in colder climates (Iām in the uk)
Greetings & Welcome!
Passenger window vans are designed from the ground up to keep their passengers safe and comfortable. They keep you out of the weather, and only proper heating and cooling is going to really keep you comfortable in anything.
Most people feel having windows is a huge advantage. Only the promoters like to push cargo vans, or suggest people strip stuff bare and start over, because that means the build will cost more, and hopefully they will make more money. An example of this is that with a window van, youāll have lotās of opening windows for ventilation, add a cheap fan and youāll have better ventilation than a cargo van will after adding two $250+ roof vents that arenāt even needed in a window van.
With windows, you can use curtains for privacy, so you can have the best of both worlds. I rarely even cover mine, I just keep everything of value put away out of sight, so anyone looking in can see nothing worth breaking in for. Cargo vans are huge targets for thieves, hoping to find tools or other expensive items inside.
It could take a day or more of full time writing to document all the advantages of window vans, while there are absolutely no advantages to cargo vans. If you look at factory campers, they all have windows, because of their so many advantages. If no windows was a better option, factory campers wouldnāt have them.
Hope this helpsā¦
Cheers!
Well that is scary! Was this in the US?
I must solo female traveler for the most part. Sometimes I have friends and companions yeah, but usually itās just me.
When I stealth Park itās always in lighted parking lots. If I happen to be at a Walmart itās always under the flashing police stationary camera things. 24-hour parking lots, where people are coming and going. In the middle of the parking lot preferably.
I got broke into about a month into it, they didnāt know I was in here, the one I wearing from the back to the front with a knife in my hand screaming they fell back and ran. Nothing was stolen. I at that point I was in the back of a 24 hour parking lot, that was full, I didnāt realize that due to the height of my van place on my driver side door was just out of sight of the cameras.
So now I look to where would be the most difficult place to break into and Iāll be seen and thatās where I park.
Ditto on the keeping the doors locked, power locks are great. Cuz if somebodyās moving close and I get nervous I can always hit the panic button. It startles people enough just to walk away. Which Iāve only had to do once.
So Iāve had three bad days out of the last hundred and eighty.
I would recommend looking up at Castle laws for the state in which youāre traveling in or to. Just to let you know what type of force is legally allowed when defending yourself your home or your vehicle.
Good luck and happy travels!
Greetings !
My apologies for the belated reply, I missed your postā¦
Yes, mainly in the USA on BLM land, but also once in Mexico on a deserted and desolate beach.
Cheers!
Iāve rented a few vans in a few different countries - Japan, NZ, Australia - and the best advice I ever got was to be parked at your chosen spot by 3 or 4 on a travel day.
There is nothing worse than driving around at night looking for an ideal spot. The pressure to settle is tremendous when you are tired and hungry and unsure of where you are going. Getting there before dark allows you to scope things out, settle in, set up, relax and maybe have a drink before you make dinner.
Once we started doing this, we had no problems. 
Greetings!
This what I do in towns as well. I donāt subscribe to this arrive late and leave early scheme that many people tend to suggest. I like to pull in mid afternoon, and talk to the neighbors. Iāll ask if itās a safe neighborhood, and if itās okay if I park there while Iām in town. You can learn a lot from the neighbors, and more often than not, I will be a welcome neighbor.
I donāt believe in stealth, I believe in being honest and up front about my intentions, and being a good neighbor.
Cheers!
Hey there
Iām 52 and starting my life now as well.
I need advice about purchasing a van and doing the build.
Greetings!
Once upon a time I was convinced by the promoters to buy and build out my own camper van. It was the worst and most expensive mistake Iāve made in my life. None of their BS was true, it was all designed just to make them money.
Building your own turns into a money pit really quick, and no matter how good your build is, without an RVIA certification the resale value is in the toilet unless you can find a sucker.
Over the years Iāve owned many rigs, factory camper vans, and motorhomes, plus I have built for myself, and helped others build or rebuild rigs. Most of my rigs cost under $2500 all in, including any repairs they needed. Factory campers are move in ready, and many of the older ones have very few miles on them, and were barely used. More importantly strict safety standards were followed. Iāve always avoided anything that had owner modifications, because you donāt know the quality of the work done.
For most people, Class C motorhomes are the best bang for your buck. They can be found cheap while still in excellent condition both drivetrain and interior wise. Get one with a generator and air conditioning and skip the cost and headaches of solar. Many of them will still fit in a normal parking spot. If you use them as they were designed, and donāt modify anything, 5 or 10 years from now, theyāll still be worth what you paid for them. Thatās the honest way to save money in this lifestyle, and truly live comfortably.
Before you even get a rig, get your finances sorted out. Unless youāre relying on savings, youāll need a mobile friendly income. This all should be figured out first, with plans and multiple back up plans. You should also have a sizable emergency fund before you ever start, large enough to replace everything, and live on for at least a year.
If weāre smart the risks can be minimal, but if you listen to the wrong people you can wind up broke, homeless, and jobless. Take your time and do it right the first time. I would suggest only considering building your own after many years of experience in this lifestyle, and even then avoid the promoters like the plague.
Cheers!