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I'm 32/female and I've always wanted to live off the grid. I have a small sewing business which I plan to take on the road with me. I plan to save for a conversion van but for now I've just got my little Dodge Caravan which I plan on making some minor adjustments to. Has anyone here done this? I'd like to meet people from all over the world, and hopefully plan some stops where I can stop to volunteer some time in exchange for a meal, warm bed & shower. I can't explain why I want to do this, I guess I'm just a free spirit at heart and finally want to follow my dreams.
I'm 32/female and I've always wanted to live off the grid. I have a small sewing business which I plan to take on the road with me. I plan to save for a conversion van but for now I've just got my little Dodge Caravan which I plan on making some minor adjustments to. Has anyone here done this? I'd like to meet people from all over the world, and hopefully plan some stops where I can stop to volunteer some time in exchange for a meal, warm bed & shower. I can't explain why I want to do this, I guess I'm just a free spirit at heart and finally want to follow my dreams.
Thanks!
Kara
Where are you starting from Kara?
Quote:
Karmady (Karmadi) literally means finding humor and enlightenment in what the universe brings back to you. Basically, finding humor in your karma!
I'm 32/female and I've always wanted to live off the grid. I have a small sewing business which I plan to take on the road with me. I plan to save for a conversion van but for now I've just got my little Dodge Caravan which I plan on making some minor adjustments to. Has anyone here done this? I'd like to meet people from all over the world, and hopefully plan some stops where I can stop to volunteer some time in exchange for a meal, warm bed & shower. I can't explain why I want to do this, I guess I'm just a free spirit at heart and finally want to follow my dreams.
Thanks!
Kara
The best advice I can give is to keep quiet, people who make their money through parasitism off others will do nothing but harass you and make your life difficult because the freedom you choose for yourself it makes you more difficult to exploit.
You don't have an address to send bills to or collect taxes off of, no lawn to fine if you forget to mow it; so the only way the state can find to make money off of you is to find something illegal about what you are doing so they can exploit you in prison.
Be quiet & find loop holes, never admit what you are really up to.
The best advice I can give is to keep quiet, people who make their money through parasitism off others will do nothing but harass you and make your life difficult because the freedom you choose for yourself it makes you more difficult to exploit.
You don't have an address to send bills to or collect taxes off of, no lawn to fine if you forget to mow it; so the only way the state can find to make money off of you is to find something illegal about what you are doing so they can exploit you in prison.
Be quiet & find loop holes, never admit what you are really up to.
Paranoid much?
She wanted practical advice, NOT a political diatribe.
In my humble opinion, it will be very difficult to do what you want unless you have some money to fall back on. I would do the conversion fist, save money and have at least $10-15K in the bank before I attempted something like this.
Forgive me for bring the spoiler here. I would consider it downright dangerous for a 32-year-old female to be living on her own in a van of any type. Yes, I know, the spirit of adventurism and desire for the freedom of the road have a great deal of appeal for young folks. Are your parents still alive? Have you discussed this with them? What are their feelings about it? I know you are of legal age, but at the very least, you should be staying in very close touch with someone who is "grounded" - a parent or close friend who will be in touch with you regularly, and know your location at all times (esp at night). Be very careful whom you accept a shower or hot meal from.
What sort of repair is your van in? What resources do you have if a major repair is required? What if you become ill, run out of money entirely, or get into some sort of trouble (inadvertently) that requires a lawyer? There are reasons why folks settle down near family, friends, or familiar communities. You often need other people. My suggestion is that you begin with "mini-trips" of a week or 2 weeks at first, and see how you fare.
If you are just broke and SOL, you need to find resources to help you deal with that right here and now, not when you are 600 miles away from home and help. I am speaking here from the perspective of a father of two and the grandfather of six. Call me an old fogey if you wish. These simply are not the times to go out alone to have a wild and merry adventure. Times are tough all over, and I'd hate to see you become a target. Please give all this very serious thought, before you embark on the type of "adventure" you describe!
Your post brought back memories of the 60's. Not for me but for my sister and her friends who did this when they graduated from college all at the age of 22. They drove from Chicago to LA in my dad's old '66 Chevy Bel Aire. I think there were four of them. They stopped when they needed to, worked at various jobs along the way, camped or stayed in motels, saw great sights and met great people. My sister says it was one of the greatest summers of her life.
No, I am not just being nostalgic, I am telling though that today if they were twenty two they would not be doing this. It's a different world. It's a more dangerous world. You say you want to exchange "time" for room and board. What is "time?" Do you mean "work?" What work? When my sister and her friends did this, lots of jobs were there for the asking in any town or city; waitress, babysitting, dishwashing, sales jobs all kinds of temporary jobs. Today you would be competing with the hundreds of unemployed people already living in these towns clamoring for these jobs.
A warm place to live? Well you will have your van. But you say you want a room with a bed and you want a shower and you want food. Get in line, honey, come to my city and look at the downtown streets. There are hundreds of others looking for the same. You want adventure? There are those who whose idea of "adventure" would be taking what you have or worse. Too many of those. And if you are able to bypass them just what adventure do you think you will find?
Many of the adventures my sister and her friends found besides the wonderful sights they saw and the interesting towns were the others on the road like themselves. A nice camaraderie. I do not believe this exists today. People are more moving from place to place for survival rather than adventure.
Sorry to paint this bleak picture but I think that is a reality you are going to meet if you start out on the road because I don't think you sound as if you are prepared to meet it. If you want to "ride the rails" so to speak, fine. But please do not try to depend upon others to smooth the way for you because chances are it won't happen.
I'm 32/female and I've always wanted to live off the grid. I have a small sewing business which I plan to take on the road with me. I plan to save for a conversion van but for now I've just got my little Dodge Caravan which I plan on making some minor adjustments to. Has anyone here done this? I'd like to meet people from all over the world, and hopefully plan some stops where I can stop to volunteer some time in exchange for a meal, warm bed & shower. I can't explain why I want to do this, I guess I'm just a free spirit at heart and finally want to follow my dreams.
Sounds like an adventuresome but very tough life and not exactly what the OP was describing as she was depending upon an exchange of time for bed, board and a shower and most of the people on this thread were much more self sufficient. And it clearly helped to be male although there were a few brave females. These were fascinating stories though and I enjoyed them. Thanks for the link.
I think that thread has all the advice the OP will need for her journey. She originally posted for some reason in the Oregon forum which is probably the least likely place she would receive the benefits for which she was asking. The Mod was wise in referring her here where all the answers are.
I wish her luck but most of all, I wish her a safe journey.
The best advice I can give is to keep quiet, people who make their money through parasitism off others will do nothing but harass you and make your life difficult because the freedom you choose for yourself it makes you more difficult to exploit.
You don't have an address to send bills to or collect taxes off of, no lawn to fine if you forget to mow it; so the only way the state can find to make money off of you is to find something illegal about what you are doing so they can exploit you in prison.
Be quiet & find loop holes, never admit what you are really up to.
What are you talking about, parasite???
Didn't you catch the part that said she has a sewing business?
Just because she doesn't live in a McMansion and drive a Lexus... and is chained to them... doesn't make her a parasite. If she would have said that she is going to sit on the streetcorner with a cup in her hand, your comment would have been called for. Not making a bunch of money and wasting on the garbage our society wastes it on it is NOT parasitism.
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