I live in a giant crazy van and wander wherever. No physical address at all for the past 3 years. Ask me anything

I live in a giant crazy van and wander wherever. No physical address at all for the past 3 years. Ask me anything.
>Yes I shower.

how do you recive packages

What do you do for money to buy gas?

And how do we fund our little adventure?

Do you shower?

does mummy and daddy pay for that?

im a slabber a majority of the year myself

I seldom do so because it means I have to stay somewhere long enough for a package to arrive. But there are mail services that do this, or general delivery. Or friends' houses. I know lots of people.
I work carpentry/general construction. I never have a problem finding work anywhere I go.

Yep. In my vanhouse. Hot water and everything.
Nope. Dad's dead and was bankrupt before he died. Mom doesn't have much.
Cool, I know people there right now, I'm currently not far away headed towards San Diego.

So you have to have a trade. Why live this way and don't you get lonely?

i 2 are a full time RVer but i have a full size RV and try to stay away from payed camp grounds to feel like i am really RVing my RV has 11 solar panels and runs a 24vdc and 12vdc systems

a 24v inverter runs all the AC power in the RV and can sun up hrs only run the roof top AC unit washer and LP dryer

i all so own a EV car so most of my driving into town when not driving the RV is free of gas

i live off SSI doing what i can to live free and the low income i have

there are many RV parks that for 200$ a month can give your a place to stay with power rent internet trash water

you can find a van or even a low cost RV for 1K now so if you find your self on a hard place its a good way to do

I have been considering nomadic life for years now. My only big question is why a van instead of a rv or camper?

do you shower

There are all manners of ways to fund this lifestyle, I know people who do it bartering garbage they find or people who have remote tech jobs. I used to have remote employment, myself, but went back to physical labor.

It's not hard to meet people. I know people all over the country now. And I never have a problem getting girls. Long-term relationships obviously present logistic issues.

Go op. I want to do this in a little while. Just got a old 81 g20 in Denver so thing is rust free. Can you show us what the inside looks like? Need ideas for when I gut my van

I've literally never paid to park my van, ever. I stay wherever I want, in the boonies, or on city streets, but never at a campground. I run everything off grid with solar, propane, onboard water etc. Never use shore power hookups.

What you're doing is living economically in a trailer park. I don't mean that to sound disparaging - to each their own - but it's why I do what I do and I don't want to be tethered to some cheap campground somewhere. I like to be totally self sufficient and free to wander.

Basically, the above rant.

A full size RV is pretty much only good for taking to a campground. They're designed to be hooked onto services and they're not legal to park in many city streets overnight. In the southwest there's plenty of empty land where you can stay in the boonies, but then you have a big RV to try to take to town or get a 2nd vehicle..... nah. Again, I like to be all contained in one self sufficient unit. That's my big van.

My van is 20' long, single rear axle, single rear wheels, original body width. This means it's legal to park essentially everywhere. It's also tall enough for me to stand fully upright and I have all the amenities I need.

any pics of the inside of your rapevan?

How often does your vans engine break down? How do you make income?

Here's a random picture of my back couch area with a heater I recessed underneath. I'll dig up some more.

Re: Rape van, here the back couch area is seen in bed mode with a subdued prostitute.
>Kidding: She was my girlfriend at the time.

Disregard income, I read above

well your gf sure does dress like a prostitute.

Ahhh... over a year ago, my engine blew up on the interstate. I was stuck in Newport fuckin' News, VA, for three weeks, getting it replaced. Ended up getting the tranny replaced too and that deal cost me $8,300 out of pocket. I posted an AMA on /trv/ at the time, this is only the 2nd time I've posted a thread about my van on Sup Forums. Here's the engine getting replaced.

I've had other breakdowns of course... dead battery in the middle of nowhere, and I recharged it with my solar battery bank... just two days ago my van died on the interstate, thought it was the fuel pump, eventually traced one of the wires from the distributor cap resting on the manifold and grounding out. 5 minutes with electrical tape and back on the road.

Already mentioned working carpentry for money. P.S. I do good finish work.

i used to work as a sales rep, and lived in a dodge caravan for a couple months one summer. I really enjoyed it. Obviously van was not set up like yours but it was plenty comfy. I would get drunk in random towns, then pass out in the back. Wake up the next day, work, and do it all over again. Did a lot of fishing

It was a party. She's an ex now.

Here, took a picture of my bathroom.

oh yea, i remember that thread. Did you get a "crate" engine or a rebuilt one?

Are u the same guy who posts his battlestation in those threads

Sounds like a sturdy van! Any van Ive ever known has been a PoS that overheats constantly, but idk anything about cars, just was interested

Jasper rebuild, 3 year warranty. The dealer couldn't even get a crate engine. The 5.9L in this is different than the regular Dodge 5.9 for the extra weight of the motor home.

No, but when I have my computer area set up this is what it looks like.

It's painted weird blue so I'd guess rebuilt.

how many little girls have you raped?

Better question, how tall are you? I couldn't imagine being able to stand to full lay out on a bed in there. Also, is it just a driver and passenger seat? You said something about a girlfriend, was she a traveling companion? Do you pick up hitchhikers or weirdos you meet?

Jasper also sent me a thank you package with my order which included, strangely, a can of Jasper brand Cajun seasoning. So I peeled off the label and pasted it on my doghouse cover.
>Intel inside

Are you
@vanwithoutaplan
on instagram?

As long as you found a way to avoid paying rent or any kind of property taxes, and have a stable income, you are living the life. Congrats.

I might join your lifestyle in the long run. Any advice for beginner?

None, all asked for it.

>how tall are you?
5'10". I can stand fully upright everywhere in my van, but, even as far as class B vans go (which is what this design is called) mine is bigger than most. It has a full 24" high top with overcab. Most class B vans you see, like Roadtrek, have a mid size top that only allows you to kinda stand in the middle. Admittedly if you're over 5'10" even in my van you would only be able to stand up in the front area.

>I couldn't imagine being able to stand to full lay out on a bed in there.
I should clarify. The couch/bed in the back isn't where I sleep. I sleep in the overcab, above the driver's seat, which slides out on a drawer to the size of a "full" mattress. 75" long is plenty long enough for me and wide enough for two people to sleep up there.

>Also, is it just a driver and passenger seat?
Driver and passenger seat in the front, kitchen/stove/sink area, then bath/toilet/shower, cabinets, back bed/couch area.

>You said something about a girlfriend, was she a traveling companion?
That one became a traveling companion for a time, I've experimented doing this with a couple girls, it's not something I'm going to seek out again but if it happens it happens. I always have an easy time meeting girls in any city etc.

>Do you pick up hitchhikers or weirdos you meet?
Oh yeah. Weirdos are my favorite. Lots of hitchhiker stories...

are you at your van right now? where'd you'd stay at this very moment?

also, how long are travel-stay intervals?
do you stay, let's say 2-4 weeks in one place, then move along or move daily?

does the van is insulated? how the night moisture gets out?

Nope, I don't have facebook/instagram/youtube/twatter or any other form of social media. However I have been interviewed by others and it's out there on youtube somewhere.

Exactly! I have no rent, mortgage or property tax. Some debt left but once that's paid off I can spend my money entirely how I like. Currently, my biggest expenses are gas and beer, and I can regulate my intake of both. I can work and travel or I can stay put and live for a dollar a day on rice and beans if I choose.

>Any advice for beginner?
Yes. Start sooner. That's the only thing I wish I would have done differently.

I have exactly two pieces of genuine life advice to offer (for anyone in any context). 1) If you're not happy, it's time to move on. 2) Anything you've given serious thought to, just do it, as later in life you'll always have more regret for the things you didn't do.

Just jump into it and you'll figure it out. Necessity is the mother of invention, and invention and survival give perspective. You'll find out how it works for you. Practical means like solar, batteries, plumbing etc are all things I can answer but those are all in depth subjects.

OP is not being as open as he/she could be
about income and work .. its really hard to find with when its hard to find a shower and could drive off any day with tools

most are really on SSI but well not be open about it

most BLM land and camp ground well not let you stay for 1 of many things.. think you well not pay for your site and pull away late at night . 2 dumping trash like your black tank on the ground . many many more

you get looked at as trash .. yes OP is not trash but if a cop has had to run off 20 vans in the last week his going to look at you as just the same

so the VAN life is a hard life over you cant go into town and you have to live in the sticks so this is why his programmed this way and if you live this way you well become that too

OP this is not a attack in any way but i feel you need to tell the truth about some of the bad

how do you make money?

>are you at your van right now? where'd you'd stay at this very moment?
Yes. Currently I'm in Blythe, CA, headed west from Quartzsite AZ, towards San Diego.

>also, how long are travel-stay intervals?
Totally depends. I'm from Vermont originally and I tend to spend summers mostly there floating around Burlington area. In the winter I travel south and southwest and I might stay somewhere for days, weeks, or hours. Recently I spent 3 weeks in Lake Havasu and 3 weeks in Quartzsite and both of those were longer than normal for me.

>does the van is insulated? how the night moisture gets out?
My van is not insulated well. I bought it as a class B RV and any factory RV or conversion is never done well. If I had built it from scratch, I would have insulated it, but I make do just fine as is.

I have 3 ways to heat it. Full RV style furnace, which cycles the air and eliminates moisture problems, but this is resource intensive. The small catalytic heater posted above under my couch uses very little propane and no electricity but is only 3k BTU. Most of the time, if it's, say, 30 degrees outside, I'll turn on my stove top and the catalytic heater and be perfectly warm. This does produce both moisture and carbon monoxide so some ventilation is required. I have computer fans installed in vents strategically to eliminate these issues.

You're a cool guy, OP.

do you take a shower while standing inside the toilet?

1. Your average mpg.
2. Did you ever used your rifle?
3. Do you have more guns?
4. Does chicks doesn't mind fuck in a shag van on parking?

I think I'll do that, thanks. My mothers house will be mine when she passes, so I guess I'll look for an affordable van like yours or small RV that can support solar panels on the top and buy tesla power wall and maybe jerry rig it into a future van/rv battery to give it extra power boost. Hopefully running on both fuel and electricity. That's just my starting idea.

I just want to make money and invest on something where I can lower my living expenses to almost little to nothing if I can.

>OP is not being as open as he/she could be
>about income and work ..
Well, ask what you want to ask!

>its really hard to find with when its hard to find a shower and could drive off any day with tools
I actually have no idea what you're trying to say there and if there's a question I missed it.

>most are really on SSI but well not be open about it
I've never been on any form of disability, unemployment, retirement benefit, or any other form of passive or government income. I work for all of my money.

>most BLM land and camp ground well not let you stay for 1 of many things.. think you well not pay for your site and pull away late at night . 2 dumping trash like your black tank on the ground . many many more
Let me stay? Again, I've never paid to park my van, but, I can tell you that I don't go to places where there's someone to tell me what I can and can't do. Many people get into this with a narrow view of campgrounds etc. That's where they want you to park. There's a difference between what they want you to do and what you can get away with.

Yes, BLM is common free land in the southwest, but it pretty much doesn't exist in the northeast and that's where I spend half of my time. I still never pay for parking. Plenty of places to just go down a dirt road, be by a lake, or find legal street parking for free.

>you get looked at as trash .. yes OP is not trash but if a cop has had to run off 20 vans in the last week his going to look at you as just the same
I don't dump my trash like a dink and I don't congregate where others do. Pretty common sense.

>so the VAN life is a hard life over you cant go into town and you have to live in the sticks so this is why his programmed this way and if you live this way you well become that too
What? Not really sure what you're saying. I split my time pretty evenly between cities and the middle of nowhere, though.

dubs checked

>None, all asked for it.

youngest females you been with?

360's are weird engines to start with... the motorhome variants have the extra buttery low end cam too - and that pic of the engine goin in made my blood turn to ice (did the exact same job with a chevy van a few years back)
i own an 86 dodge d150 truck that ive put a few engines through... lived a similar lifestyle with a travel trailer in tow for ten years...

Thanks brah.

No, that bathroom area expands into the hallway via the curtain you see hanging... it creates a normal shower space and there's a piece of the floor that comes out to reveal the shower pan and drain. So I stand in front of the toilet inside a curtain. I have normal house pressure in that shower head due to a 12v pump and accumulator tank, 16 gallons fresh water tank, plus a 6 gallon water heater for 22 gallons total fresh water.

>1. Your average mpg.
Ohhh boy. You've just activated my MPG nerdiness. I keep track of each fuel entry within a spreadsheet I wrote that automatically gives me MPG, lifetime averages, projections of cost if I enter a trip, graphs it all, etc... here are recent entries...
>2. Did you ever used your rifle?
Yes, I use my rifles. For target shooting. I like target shooting. I don't have them for self defense reasons if that's your assumption. If you break into my van in the middle of the night, I'm not going to try to load my .45-70, but rather roll out of bed with a baseball bat and club the dark shape until it stops moving.
>3. Do you have more guns?
I have many guns locked away in storage, but I have only the two rifles in my van. I don't want to travel with handguns due to some bullshit state laws.
>4. Does chicks doesn't mind fuck in a shag van on parking?
You'd be surprised how many chicks would climb into the back of a van with a bearded drifter they just met three drinks ago.

I have always wanted to live in a van. I have a decent career and all that but the van life calls to me. I need to find a way to make it work with my job.

Go for it but my suggestion would be not to try to make some convoluted hybrid van thing. These vehicles are not streamlined efficiency machines... think more like 10mpg. If you really want to get into alternative fuel get a mechanical diesel engine. I know people who run filtered motor oil, ATF, etc they get for free (veggie oil is another commodity since the VW hippies got onto it). I know people who do this.

Slabber? meaning living nomatic?

How do you have access to the internet?
Do you prefer to stay in cities or out in the woods/smaller counties?
I'm also assuming your stove runs off of propane or is it electric?

How do you find work when you need money?

I read that you're a carpenter. Do you look on CL? Word of mouth? Post ads?

Seems like a great way to see the US and experience new things.

advise for finding somewhere to set up longer term not to far from a city? I have the cash to buy a decent RV and have been wanting to take the plunge for over a year.

Out of curiosity, how is your van weight?

What are you doing with dirty clothes? Using laundry services or bucket with a plunger?

Not that young really, 18 or maybe 17. Honestly I'd be more inclined to go after a 40-something woman than some piece of jailbait.

Good on you.
If you want to, do it.

Also just for reference I've made somewhere around $40-$50k annually for the years I've been doing this. And if I made less I'd just spend less. Can kinda grow the life to what you want when you don't have rent.

No. Slab City. Squatter / traveler destination out in the desert.

Hmmm...I might need to make a deal with people around me that trust me enough to use their cars in exchange for services to avoid a constant need for daily travel. As long as I know how to do required services they need, I think I can arrange something. People are too quick to trust me, but I have no intention on breaking anyone's trust, so maybe it'll work out.

Care to share some of those hitchhiker stories? Or one that is the most memorable

I have a Verizon jetpack on a contract with 12gb of data. Separate cell plan with GoPhone. But if I want to do something data intensive like stream netflix I'll go park outside a store with unrestricted wifi. I keep a mental inventory of which businesses are good for this.

I like to mix city/boonies. City for night life, nice lake destinations for relaxation, out in the middle of nowhere for seclusion. This is the benefit of "wheel estate."

Propane. It's not feasible to heat with electricity off grid. Not really, anyway.

Craigslist mostly, yeah, but also word of mouth. There's a regular company I work for when I'm in VT for the summer and when I travel I just find work wherever. There's a shortage of skilled trade labor these days.

What part of the country are you in? It's easiest to do this around the southwest. Plenty of BLM where you can stay for free. Ehrenberg, AZ is a good example, and it's not far from Blythe and Parker.

>Out of curiosity, how is your van weight?
I know what I told the DMV when I registered it but I have no idea what it actually weighs.... one time, I put one of those basic mechanic's floor jacks underneath it, not an expensive one but it was a real floor jack. As soon as the wheels came off the ground the thing bent right the fuck over and crumpled up like a cheap lawn chair.

>What are you doing with dirty clothes? Using laundry services or bucket with a plunger?
Frequently I'll wash a shirt in my sink and dry it out the window. This practice works great parked in the sun, but it works EXCELLENT doing 85mph past a Prius.

When I get a lot of laundry I go to a laundromat.

i recognize this jalopie! i'm shocked and disgusted you're still alive and posting about your alternative lifestyle. goddamn you.

Do you have enough room to carry your tools with you?

what is the make/model of your van? If you were picking another one what would you look for differently?

A couple. Short versions.

1. Picked up three hippies on the side of the road near Yuma. They said they had been sitting there for 3 days and 3 nights in the dirt and so they climbed enthusiastically into my van. My luck, the next road was a CA inspection station, and those guys love to bring out the dogs when they see a big white van. "Hey... you guys don't have anything illegal on you, do you?" Fortunately they did not.

2. Headed to Slab City. Picked up a French guy who was here from Paris studying. He wanted to go to the slabs. We got there and explored after dark, met people who gave up free mixed drinks and thc gummie candies, we took them because fuck it. French guy got all fucked up, ran into the desert, got chased by dogs, had a bad time. I had a great time. Never saw Frenchie again.

3. While driving 24hrs straight, picked up a toothless middle aged hitchhiker, the kind no one would pick up. I drove this guy like 400 miles to the middle of St. Louis while in the middle of a driving binge and not sleeping, dropped him off, kept driving another 12 hours, arrived, met a friend for dinner, left her place, went downtown to a bar, picked up a girl, brought her back to my van, got laid, finally went to bed after like 40 hours awake.

Not sure if those are sufficiently climactic. Just what came to mind quickly.

Have you considered traveling overseas?

Hmm, recognize me from where? Online or in person?

Oh yes. I have way more tools squirreled away in here than you'd think. Full cordless tool kit, shop vac, finish nail gun, sawhorses, can carry 14' lumber inside and close the back doors, carry plywood or drywall on the side, ladders outside, shovel, comealong, and even have room left for a full 40' goddamn extension ladder on top of my side rack.

Has anyone ever try to brake in to your van or try steel your tires?

What do you use to black out the windows?

1999 Dodge Ram 3500 1 ton extended, with a 24" fiberglass high top. The RV conversion model name is "Phoenix Cruiser." They're not common.

If I were to do it again I'd want something with a mechanical diesel engine. For my next vehicle house I'd like to get some kinda older gnarly long bed diesel, rip the bed off it and stick build a house around it. But for jumping into the lifestyle a class B is faster.

The extended Transit Connect is a great option if you want something smaller-ish with standing height to convert yourself.

Not really. My van can't swim.

I know for a lot of people, overseas travel is the standard of travel, but for me I just like wandering self-sufficiently in my own space. Even if I were to find a job or place I really loved and didn't wander as a nomad, I'd still live in my van for the sake of being self contained and able to leave if needed.

how often you change tires, filters, oils?

are you saving making that much a year?

do you bring "normal" girls back to the camper?

these^ and can an electrician make significantly more?

>brake
>steel

Not sure if mechanical puns or horrible engrish.

Anyway, no. I've been places where people told me I'd be murdered for my van... stayed right downtown New Orleans on Canal St amidst homelessness and crime.... never had anyone try to fuck with my van like that. Most people are either oblivious to the life, or, if they're on to it they know that there's a vandweller inside ready to hit you with a bat.

The people I know who've had their van broken into were people doing it "stealth" in cargo vans. Junkies break into work vans looking for tools. I'm always out in the open and living the life.

I did once get stalked by some dude but that was my only real creepy experience.

I bought synthetic blackout curtains from Wal-Mart, cut them with a hot knife so I didn't have to hem them and affixed them with snaps. I did this whilst blind drunk in the middle of nowhere, Alabama. Turned out okay I guess.

How do you deal with being away from friends and family for so long?

does the Van end up in the shop often with its age? Seems like that would be a huge pain in the ass since it is your house

I change my engine oil every 3,000 miles religiously for the warranty. I use a fumoto valve and grippy textured filters so that I can do the changes with no tools. Pop underneath, flip a lever into a bucket, spin off filter, spin on filter, close lever, fill oil from above.

Tires... not as often as I should. I have a fooked bushing at the top of my passenger side A-arm, which causes my alignment to be off, which trashes my front tires. I have to drive with the steering wheel to the left to go in a straight line. Gonna fix this sometime when I get around to it.

>are you saving making that much a year?
Not really. I only have around $3k in the bank right now. When I need more money I go get more money. I call this goldfish spending. Growing to the size of one's environment.

>do you bring "normal" girls back to the camper?
What, the hooker getup didn't look normal? ...ahh, I bring back all types. But not just bar sluts or whatever. I meet all sorts of people and yes that includes nice normal girls. But I prefer the crazy ones. I like to keep mixed company.

>can an electrician make significantly more?

I dunno, probably.

My going rate is $35/hr when I'm working for myself. If employed for someone else I take less.

What's the longest you've ever stayed in one place?

fake and gay.

that pic is Bob's van, downloaded from his blog cheaprvliving.

source: I'm Bob.

Doesn't bother me really. I make new friends. And even my mom doesn't nag me about where I am, I might text her a couple times a month.

I seek out novelty and that is more exciting than familiarity. "It never got weird enough for me," as Hunter S. Thompson said. Remember the girl I posted the picture of? I told her she wasn't allowed to leave the desert until she had an in depth understanding of that movie. Long story short, she boarded a plane in Phoenix in tears.

>does the Van end up in the shop often with its age?
No.
>Seems like that would be a huge pain in the ass since it is your house
Yes, precisely, and this is the reason I end up redneck engineering fixes for myself. It's less about the age and necessity of repairs and more about my own stubbornness. I dread any time I have to succumb and give my van to a shop because it effectively makes me homeless. In three years I've only done this twice (apart from waiting for an inspection, tires etc) and once was the engine breakdown I mentioned.

I end up doing stuff like... oh, my cat is plugged up and needs the exhaust replaced? Yeah, nah, I'll just cut holes in it with a sawsall on the side of the road until it runs. Later I hollowed out the cat and clamped it back together until I got it welded. But I didn't want to give up my van to a shop.

Like I said earlier I spend summers central to Burlington VT area but apart from that... spent two months in San Diego last year. After that, longest I've stayed anywhere was 2-3 weeks randomly... Arizona, Florida, South Carolina...

No, it isn't, it's my van and I just left an event with Bob last week, and he wouldn't call anyone gay. He's a very nice guy.

Such an idiotic, pathetic liar, you're easy to see through.

That's the main thing that throws me off the lifestyle. I don't know much about vehicles and while I am pretty good with my hands I don't think I would have the time to fix stuff like that myself.. maybe if I spent more on a newer setup it wouldn't be so much of a problem? .. fuck

You often meet completely stranger people. Do you ever made up histories or lie, just for fun, to scare, to amaze them?
Probably you'll never meet again, so you can be a fucking liar or 100% true.

how many times a day do you press the barrel to your head?

Yeah, that's the real worst case scenario. There are a few ways to go about it. I'm going to assume you have an income but not a lot of money (because if you have a lot of money it's not a problem).

Finance a newer vehicle like a Transit Connect, Promaster etc and convert the interior. Should have minimal breakdowns. (I advise against the Sprinter as electronic diesel repairs may outweigh the cost of the vehicle).

Get a simple conversion going in a cargo van and keep most of your setup removable. Keep an emergency fun big enough to buy a new van and transfer your stuff in a worst case scenario.

Keep a bicycle, scooter or anything in the case of emergency travel to get to a parts store or whatever.

And of course even in a breakdown, you're not homeless. Just go into the back and have a beer and figure it out.

Basically you're not going to get anywhere by being afraid to try.

No. Although everyone knows me by a fake name. That's not for the sake of deceiving anyone, it just came to be how people know me years ago. Funny though, there have been times a girl didn't know me by my real name until seeing it on a credit card receipt or something equally indirect, so far none have run screaming but it does raise questions.

If this is a suicide joke you would have been better served quoting a picture that has a rifle in it.

Not OP, but I did this for about 2 years, until I couldn't make enough money to support it anymore. Yeah newer is better, but even then my van didn't break down too often. It isn't the age, so much as the miles you put on it. The more you drive, the worse off anything will be, even a newer rig. You do need to have a fairly solid knowledge of mechanics though, since you may need to replace a head gasket, or change out a tranny, big stuff that can still be done by you. Unless you have enough money to bypass that.

Do you want to do this forever? Age?

>I was stalked and it was really creepy

You can't just say that and not greentext.

so you get independent carpenter work with no references for 35$?! damn those people are trusting

Do you do drugs?

I'm 29 and yeah, I think so. I used to think I'd do the wife and kid thing one day, and if that ever happens I'm sure I won't be living in a van, but otherwise I don't see myself ever changing. And I'm not seeking that out. Honestly, after spending a few years gallivanting around the country picking up chicks I've begun questioning my ability to have a long term monogamous relationship again.

Currently I'm still a normal person on paper. I report my income, have bank accounts, credit card, credit score of around 700, pretend to have a physical address even though I'm never there... I just happen to live in a van and do whatever I want. The biggest question in my life is whether, say, ten years from now, when I've paid off my remaining debt, do I want to keep being a normal person on paper or fall off the grid entirely and work under the table? I don't know the answer, but more and more I lean towards the latter. It'd only affect me if I one day needed a big loan like for a house or something and I don't see that happening anymore.

Gonna start posting some scenery along with the van shots.

>keep a bicycle
what bike do you have ?

Do you go skiing, surfing, hiking or other outdoor activties/ sightseeing, because you sound like a wandering bar fly.

Okay.

>Portland, Maine.
>City hates vehicles, so I parked and went about on foot.
>It was after dark, not a great side of town, but idgaf.
>Began to see the same car pass me. Crappy ass sedan.
>Not a paranoid person but occurred to me to wonder if this person was following me. Just then he pulled ahead and parked.
>To test theory, I ducked behind a tree. He pulled up to where he could see me again. Shit, he is following me.
>Began taking pedestrian paths, around buildings, etc to lose him. Each time he would drive around on the road and meet me on the other side.
>Kept up for like 30-40 mins.
>Finally thought I lost him. Made it back to the van.
>Saw his car pull in and park next to me.
>Wtf
>Middle aged negro gets out and starts walking around my van trying to peek in all the windows.
>I was holding a baseball bat and a cell phone trying to decide which I should use, when he finally left.

No idea whether he was trying to rob me or buy drugs or if he was gay. Weird as shit. I stayed in that parking lot and he came back again and watched my van for a while. Then left again. I still gave no shits and slept there.

Do you have/had a doggo

Do you ever get fomo?

Nah I have references. I keep a stack of my resume very fucking professional looking, with references, on glossy paper with pictures of my work printed on the reverse side. Gotta sell yourself. The construction trades are desperate for good people because so many lowlifes show up just looking for a job. I actually enjoy doing good work.

I don't use drugs. But I do drink a lot of beer.

I don't really spend lots of time in bars to be honest. I like being outdoors, climbing, photography, target shooting, and other stuff. This is also partially why I went back to physical work, I don't like being sedentary in the van doing geek work. The bicycle in the pictures actually belonged to a girl but I'd like to get a dual sport dirtbike and mount it on a hitch receiver.

tl;dr didn't bother to read thread. i'm probably not the first to say, but...

fuck man, i'm so jelly. i've been desperate to do this for years.

right now trying to find the courage to sell everything and move to bumfuck nowhere. just this weekend looked at a trailer on three acres that i could purchase outright once i sell everything.

so ready to ditch city life.

No. I think that'd be restricting (where I park, walking a dog, leaving unattended in a vehicle) but I know a lot of vandwellers who do have pets.

Had to look that one up. Not really. I don't feel apprehensive. I don't worry about anything, honestly. I mentioned earlier seeking novelty, and I guess that's close to what you're talking about. Another common phrase is "wanderlust," although I prefer a German word, fernweh, which means a longing for far-off places (opposite of "homesickness").

it's been years I dream to start living in an RV but I never made the first step because I've got practically no savings (and I don't want to buy a cheap wrecked van waiting for a miracle to happen).

I also know many stories of people hitting the road and in a few years going back to their homes - one of these was the most known vandwelling blogger in my eurocountry.

I respect this reply haha