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I have lived this life for better part of 5yrs now, that is until recently I decided to put some roots down.
As for what it will take for u to make this happen. Nothing but u putting the plan into action.
I too bought a fully loaded Ford Eddie Bauer Expedition as it would serve as my home office and transportation etc. I traveled the entire east coast staying all over and nowhere.
I came into a large sum of money and realize more now than ever if I want to live this way it would not only allow me to save/invest money faster and secure my future kids lives as well.
It is very exciting and fun, but there is some danger to it as well. So if you are a woman it can be even more so for yourself, taking a self defense class is great idea, and investing in a few weapons would be smart to, stun guns, small pistol, pepper spray etc.
OH to Add a bit I was living in a nice condo in Miami Fl and had brand new furniture, a 60' projection TV 2 cats, a house full of furniture.
I new selling would take a while so when the urge hit me and I couldn't stand it any longer I opened my door knocked on the various neighbors doors and said have at it. Many were hesitant I had one even call the Police cause she thought I'd broken in or was a disgruntled ex trying to get back at his ex.
Within a couple hours all was gone except my 2 furry babies and I was off.
Hi Chanceryan. Thank you for your insight. I also have 2 kitties, and this is what is holding me back until I get what I feel is the "right" vehicle to go mobile. (with very limited funds, might I add, no 39 foot floating boat). So your furry babies were okay with this? Is there anything you can tell us to help with the transition, to make them more comfortable? All their lives they have had tons of inside room on at least 2 floors to romp and chase each other. I even went to the RV show at Hershey last year and expressed this....one of the rv dealers told me (with a smirk) that he never heard cats complaining about the room they had.
Thanks for your time, and if anyone else has thoughts of cats and mobile living, please chime in.
Wow, you're in luck...especially as a female. Here's a pro right here....she's got everything you need to know about living in a van. Her details are meticulous! Check out her blog:
I've been researching the heck out of this subject as I'm looking to setup a Bug Out Vehicle (that I would like to do some urban camping with for fun)....using either a Cago Van or Conversion Van.
Here are a few more sites:
[URL="http://vandwellers.org/solar/buyingsolar.htm"]Carliving.info - Free information about living in cars, vans and campervans.[/URL]
[URL="http://cheaprvliving.com/howtostayclean.html"]How To Stay Clean[/URL]
Another lady who lives in an Astro Van (I'm looking at hers to copy):
An SUV might not be a good idea. You will will not enjoy living in such cramp conditions, especially with the headroom for changing clothes, cooking, etc. If you need 4WD, you might look into AWD vans.
Best bet is a conversion van with a high top. Gas mileage will suffer with the high top though. I've narrowed it down to either a Chevy Astro Cargo van or a Chevy Astro Conversion van. It's a V6 that gets up to 20mpg hwy. It's also a little bigger than a MiniVan, but not humongous like a full size van. I don't like driving gigantic boats. Also, not all conversion companies are the same. Some add on too much junk that wastes space...ie. one Astro Conversion I saw had an extra platform floor that negated all the room that the high top yielded.
Another thing to consider is that the cost of living in a van might exceed renting a room somewhere. I used to rent a room in San Jose, CA for only $200/month. Ok, I got really lucky with people who were very charitable. But you may get lucky too, depending on where you live. The going rate in San Jose was about $400 a moth at least for that 1 room.
Renting a storage facility is like $60/mo. (smallest w/o climate control, so you can't store perishables). Buying ice for your cooler (Igloo Coolmax is supposed to retain ice for 3+ days) every few days will add up ($15/mo). Laundromat is costly (and lots of stinky clothes in your cramped car) $20/mo. You will lose some food due to spoilage from not having a fridge. You'll be more prone to eating out vs. cooking (cheaper). Gym membership is around $25-40/mo. w/o a long term contract. Summer heat and winter cold can be near unbearable. Running the car's A/C or heat for long period of time while the car is sitting will significantly affect the life of the motor and other components....including the high cost of gas. You will also waste gas driving to different spots each night (or every few nights) and/or looking for spots.
I guess if you can park near or at your job's parking lot, it would help out a lot. Especially with security, since a theft incident can wipe you out of all of your necessary gear and belongings.
Self defense courses may or may not be good. Limited courses that you take 1 or 2 weeks will just show you how to target eyeballs, throat, groin, etc. You can just search YouTube and learn these yourself. Because in the actual class, you really can't practice these strikes for real anyway, thus only play fight. The fancy wrist locks, small joint locks, take downs, throws, etc... are highly risky and takes at least a year of dedicated training to be decent. I like gyms that teaches you how to actually fight and build you up to actually having to spar hard and eventually fight competitively. When you train to punch and kick and practice it thousands of times on bags, pads and at other trained fighters....adjusting your strikes towards eyeballs, throats, groins, etc. for the streets wouldn't be a far stretch at all.
Thanks to you, LSone. I just saw this...looks like a lot of helpful info here. I just want to go for a long ride, and hope I find a way to take my 2 cats and keep them comfortable. Appreciate your taking the time to respond.
Two things that I felt helped when I was homeless were getting a cell phone (yuck) and a PO box. I'm sad to say that I slept at construction sites at night--since I worked days.
Except for RVers who have given up their homes and call themselves "full-timers", I had never heard of anybody who became homeless by choice rather than by financial necessity until I read this thread. The RVers are mostly retired people who travel a lot, have substantial financial resources, but figured maintaining the home was a waste of money because they weren't home very much.
I guess I am asking you folks for a fuller explanation of your reasons for choosing to become homeless (as opposed to being forced into it by circumstances). Yes, the OP addressed this in a couple of sentences, but I am just curious to know more. It is something I can't understand, but that is not the same as criticizing it; I'm sure many people do not understand a lot of the things I do. I appreciate this thread for broadening my knowledge of the choices some people actually make, and I am simply asking for more information as to the motivations.
Except for RVers who have given up their homes and call themselves "full-timers", I had never heard of anybody who became homeless by choice rather than by financial necessity until I read this thread. The RVers are mostly retired people who travel a lot, have substantial financial resources, but figured maintaining the home was a waste of money because they weren't home very much.
I guess I am asking you folks for a fuller explanation of your reasons for choosing to become homeless (as opposed to being forced into it by circumstances). Yes, the OP addressed this in a couple of sentences, but I am just curious to know more. It is something I can't understand, but that is not the same as criticizing it; I'm sure many people do not understand a lot of the things I do. I appreciate this thread for broadening my knowledge of the choices some people actually make, and I am simply asking for more information as to the motivations.
Let me ask you this: what is so important about having a home?
If you have no personal investment in a town, a career, or a "home"... then why bother staying there, why not go mobile? It's easy to be nomadic if you aren't really attached to anything or anyone. Even if you stay local and don't go on the road, why spend lots of time and money on a stationary "home" if your concept of "home" is wherever you make it... whether it's a car, a tent, an RV, a hotel room, an apartment or a house. Some people just don't equate "security" with having a permanent domicile.
Let me ask you this: what is so important about having a home?
While I'm still curious to know the reasons why people would choose to be homeless, Johnnytang24 has turned the question around to ask me, in effect, "Why not?" Fair enough. I'll answer.
First, it is easier and more convenient to have a career (or even a regular job) if you have a more or less permanent place to live. It takes time and effort to work out the logistics if you don't (as detailed by some in this thread). Tired after a day at work? Just come home and crash, which is a real luxury.
Second, I think few people have so few belongings that they could get by without a place to put them. I like to read, so I have books. Clothes are not terribly important to me, but I do need a reasonable variety of decent clothes to go to work in, as well as specialized clothes for motorcycling, etc. All those are here, conveniently at hand. We all have memories which we value - photos, high school year books, etc. Where would we store these, if not at home?
Third, many people have hobbies which are meaningful to them, and many of these require tools and a place to put them. Working with your hands is a real joy, especially if you do not do so in your job.
Fourth, there is something to be said for putting down roots in a community. We come to know other people and interact with them; our species needs this to thrive psychologically and even physically. This is easier to accomplish if we have a home. A network of folks to provide mutual aid and support in time of need is really nice.
Fifth, everyone has to eat. Of course, we don't need to have a home in order to eat, but it's damn nice to have a variety of foods on hand and the stove, fridge, and utensiles to prepare them. This is true even if you don't really "cook", in which case you can still heat a can of soup, make oatmeal, fry eggs, make tuna helper, etc. Maybe you can also do this in a van, but it is so cramped and such a hassle.
Sixth, it's so nice not to feel claustrophic all the time. I do not have a huge place (can't afford it and it would be wasteful anyway), but I'm one of those who, in the long run, doesn't like to be cramped for space on a regular basis.
Sure, I've enjoyed extended road trips in my compact car (one for six weeks which was truly memorable), but in the end there's no place like home!
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By choice or by necessity?
