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The OP is a male and his SO, approaching retirement age. Lives in AZ, which he claims to hate, but undecided whether to move to Maine, Appalachia, Missouri, or the American Redoubt (PNW inland). Cannot understand why he's considering the van option, unless he's just unsure where he'd like to settle, and wants to "try it out" first.
No one should be contemplating retirement unless they have some assets to invest in property, IMHO.
The northeast will be COLD, which is a challenge for conversion van living. It's a tough idea for those that are older.
I'm mid 30s, looking to make bank working a traveling position while doing it, etc..
The system is designed to take away my money to give to others, so I don't feel the least bit bad about using the system to help me get to a point of where I can actually start saving for retirement.
Instead of simply paying for everyone elses.
I will be in the southern Cali area. Better temps than the north. It is and can be done, but requires a bit of a different setup.
I'm mid 30s, looking to make bank working a traveling position while doing it, etc..
If you are really mid-30s, you haven't a clue what it's like for older people. Not as bad as you probably think. I'm double your age (70) and could outlast you on the road. Most of here, could do so.
I enjoy marking my own territory. Men and male animals of all kinds are great markers of territoty, but women also enjoy this. In order to mark territory, land is required. Yes you can roam around but I think it is more deeply satisfying to return to home base.
Yep, when I first decided to move away from big crowded state, and smog, I got people saying rent an apartment.... Ugh. hate the things. I want to feel like its mine.
When looking for an old little house, found one, price was negotiated and it was mine. But I have painted, built shelves, put up a fence, and so on. Its mine. It's home. I've got greater plans, but am not in a hurry. What matters is I'll do the stuff when its fully materialized in my imagination.
I'm looking at the tiny houses and small ones as a key to finishing it up. Technically it qualifies as one already by size. To some, storage is clutter. I'm working on making it organizaiton, maybe making the one small one mostly set up this way. I tend to buy things in bulk online so it would work well.
I'm more doing multi use rooms that just one too. I'm trying to set up things centrally used as having the stuff used near and the back log and less used stuff organized elsewhere it can be gotten to easily.
Sort of a half tiny plan. But its my home for me so if I don't make it look 'ordinary', all the better.
You can go out in the smaller towns in the midwest/Oklahoma area and buy them really cheap as well and be in a small town. Just keep your car.
There are others giving advice on Solar, Boondocking, etc. And of course Bob hosts his RTR every winter.
For a while, I had a VW Van. It was older and had been fixed up and was running great. We used it for a camping trip before splitsville and it had been great. And I loved being higher up and able to see the whole road. When we split, and I got it I just wanted to get away. But someone broke a window and stole it.
It was nice since it wasn't as large as the biggest ones, but when you took out the seats, plenty of space. We'd camped in it a few times and it was very suitable. It was located sort of smashed up. It needed a little bit of work and would refuse to start, but it was easy to fix it if you knew. If only when it stopped they'd have just left it.... poor van.
My eyes don't focus right for distance now, and I don't drive because of it, but I can't help but think about how much I could do with my van.... I do love my home, but would love it more if I got away for a while.
My second car of my life was a white VW bus named Ignats. There were no seats in the back, it was a rolling barn. I kept my horse in a pasture across town when I first got out of High School. It had saddle, bridles, grooming equipment, hay bales and grain. For a while there was a rabbit living back there and also plenty of mice. The end of Ignats came when a college kid driving drunk sideswiped a whole row of cars. Ignats was totaled and I got $350 for it. I took the money and went to southern Mexico and rode the people's buses all over with the chickens and the goats.
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