has anyone here ever lived in a van/rv 'on the road'?

[starshine00]

I may end up having to do this, or perhaps I should say choosing to do this, very soon. I would love to read or hear about people's experiences if you have a blog or a youtube vlog or something similar where you share your experiences. Do you regret doing this or was it a good decision (if by choice). I am currently living with a personality disordered parent and it is killing my soul. I am in my late forties and want to enjoy what time I have left in life without this toxicity. The house we are in was supposed to be somewhere I could stay after their death as long as I could afford it, however they recently admitted to me that they put in the will that the house is to then be sold and the $ divided between us four siblings, this will enrich my sibs a few thousand dollars each as there is still a mortgage, but will leave me with not enough to buy another place. I am PTSD disabled so it doesn't look like I will ever acrue enough for my own place unless I win the lottery. Now that I have this knowledge I honestly want to leave tomorrow but I have a number of pets and am terrifed what might happen if I break down somewhere with so many animals. Plus I don't want to delude myself about what is essentially homelessness. I looked for a subgroup on this but didn't find one, I hope this is okay to post this here.

[putitinD]

1. if you need a safe place to park to sleep, or just camp out for a day or two,

I hear Walmart welcomes RV's, vans, etc. in their parking lots, and the good news is, there is usually one or more in every town in the US. Stay safe!

[CanonRay]

6. Most casinos, as well.

[putitinD]

7. good to know.

[onethatcares]

16. no, walmart does not welcome you

or lowes, or homedepot or any of the big box stores..The liability insurance to allow that would be astronomical.

[amuse bouche]

22. About 20% of Walmarts or 800 do not allow overnight parking

but plenty do allow it. I see campers in Wally lots all the time, here in Fl.

http://www.walmartlocator.com/no-park-walmarts/

[elehhhhna]

23. In Texas too.

[mike_c]

2. try it before you commit utterly....

Take a 4-6 week road trip in the same manner, more-or-less, as you're thinking about full-timing. Not a Disneyland vacation or any other kind of vacation. Maybe just stealth camping in your own locale. It's definitely not for everyone. You'll know pretty quickly whether you like it or hate it.

My partner and I have talked about doing something like this when I retire in a couple of years. We like the lifestyle and spend weeks at a time on the road or out dry camping whenever we can, but we've come to the conclusion that we don't want to do it permanently.

[True Dough]

17. Great advice! n/t

[heather blossom]

3. National Parks

If you do decide to adopt the RV life, national parks often let you camp for free or a small fee in exchange for doing some volunteer work. Look at NPS.gov, you may find this rewarding and a great stress reliever. A great way to see the country and national treasures, while they are still there.

[ghostsinthemachine]

4. My story is your story

Moved into my van 2 years ago. My inheritance wasnt squat so I bought an old van. Runs great has good room.

Imagining you will have enough for a late model vehicle, some things you need to know.

Camper vans care great BUT, if the height is over 7 feet they become obvious and that is the height limit for most over night parking ordinances. RVs are obvious and they get hassled by the cops constantly (most municipalities have no car camping ordinances). A no description van never gets hassled.
Get an extra battery system. Charging things is imperative. Being able to run a fan in summer (buy a USB fan for cars) or a small heater (via inverter, which you can also watch a regular TV or power a computer) is huge. Bigly huge. I live in CA and the fan is essential.
I have three temp sleeping situations. Really cold (winter bag with 20° rating) a most of the time (40°) bag. And then I have a lightweight waterproof bag for summer.
Be sure it has tinted windows that work and allow cross ventilation.
Join a gym with showers. Great place to catch some Fox news (always on) or TV and a workout shower kills time. Some of the cheaper gyms don't have showers, so beware.
Buy a parks pass. Good investment, and parks are great places to hang out.
The library is your friend. Internet, computers and books, as well as listings for events and services.
Starbucks, any coffee shop is your friend. Internet and for a couple of bucks you can sit there all day. Or night. Usually you can find a group you like too.

Use the parks BBQ to BBQ but don't expect to do much cooking. Huge hassle. Clean up especially. Have spices and sauces and plates and utensils, but don't expect to use them much.
Parking at night: I never go to my spot until after ten or so. I go to apartments or duplexes where this a lot of on street parking and just blend in to the rest of the cars. Most private lots have security. I move around a lot, seldom in the same spot more than one night. I never get hassled.

I download TV and movies to watch on my computer and have a external speaker so stuff sounds good.

Until ten I tend to hang at the library then go watch TV in a busy parking lot. Security,. If there, never hassles me. Sometimes, on softball nights, I hang at the park until they close, usually after ten.

I am working on becoming part of the campground hosts program, moving from campground to campground as pleasure tends, but that will require a larger RV, one that is not Street able.

I also volunteer for a lot of music festivals. Usually security which means I do pretty much what I do otherwise but with a security shirt on. Most feed ya and put you up in the best camp spots possible. Some offer pay for some jobs. Having a van is perfect for that.

[starshine00]

8. thanks for all the information.

I know that there is a way to do this I just have to figure it out. I am essentially in a living death situation here. Plus I just got involved with a rotten individual online and broke my own heart so I would like to drop off the map since while they sh*t all over me they are stalky as well and keep remote accessing me somehow. Ugh. I just want to change EVERYTHING. I feel too old to be this miserable voluntarily.

[Fichefinder]

5. We lived in RV parks for 6 years between 08-14 and loved it

It is a cheaper (not cheap) way to live, and it is not for everyone. You will meet the nicest people, but remember that your nearest neighbor is about 18 feet from your front door. People will mind their own business, and expect you to mind yours. A nice park will cost you about $500 - 700 per month, but there are county/city parks where it is much cheaper. Most have bath houses, laundry, wifi, water/sewage. We loved it, but it is not for everyone. Try it, you might like it.

[starshine00]

9. thanks, I wonder how they feel about pets?

I would love to be parked the majority of the time. I don't know about county or city rv parks, I will have to research that.

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. I'm in an rv park in Gulf Shores Alabama. Have three dogs. A lot

of rv parks have an area to walk your pets, just pick up after them and you'll be fine.

This park is $490/mo all utilities included. Cable tv and wifi. Two pools, indoor pool, outdoor pool, library of sorts and lots of activities. It's five miles from the beach.

[starshine00]

14. wow that is amazing

you can't even rent an apartment that cheap anywhere anymore. I have eight cats but four of them are identical black cats so I would probably just count them as one since they hide when other people are around and no one can tell them apart (if there was a pet limit I mean) And three dogs. My biggest impediment is the number of animals I have. My dogs are both old and sleep all the time. (I have a new addition, blessings be upon it, I hope will be permanent).

[Fla Dem]

18. Your pets really are the biggest drawback to your plan. Nomadic living with 11 pets will

be a serious problem. To move them from a house where they have space to carve out a niche they could call their own, to then confine all of them in the small space of a camper or rv seems almost cruel. If your cats are used to being outside, you'll no longer will be able to let them out. Litter box issues for 8 cats will be beyond difficult.

I appreciate your desire to change your life style, in fact the need to do so for your own mental health, but as the owner of animals you also have to take their health, both physical and mental into consideration. Particularly the older pets may suffer greatly at being uprooted and crammed into a tiny space they have to share.

I wish you the best.

[starshine00]

20. thanks, we don't have a house, We live in a 12 x12 room in a toolshed.

I'm only considering this because every day lately I have been wanting to turn on the propane heater at night without ventilation. And euthanize us all in one fell swoop. "I appreciate your desire to change your lifestyle"...christ on a cracker...could you be more pretentious, condescending, or out of touch? It grates me how people seem soooooo concerned about other people's pets but if hypocrites like you were really so concerned about animals then i wouldn't have so many, having adopted them off the streets and from behind dumpsters when they were starving, craigslist wouldn't be full of 'free to good home' ads of people trashing perfectly good pets for whatever idiotic reason. you are sooooo pompous but i am sure you have zero self-awareness of how you are coming off...I am ignoring as I am sure there is nothing else you have to say that I want to waste my time on.

[SammyWinstonJack]

10. I live full time in an RV. Try cheaprvliving.com/blog. Also has

a vlog on youtube. A wealth of info. Also on youtube. AdventureVanMan and Carolyn's RV LIVING. Lots of full time RVers on youtube. Good luck!
First try cheaprvliving.com, though.

[starshine00]

11. thanks so much for the links, I will check it out.

I think the time has come for a major change.

[SammyWinstonJack]

13. You're welcome. There are a few RVers I follow on youtube that

travel with disabilities and have very limited budgets, it's doable.

[Hula Popper]

19. perhaps these websites will help

I have the same thoughts about living on the open road...

http://www.fs.fed.us/
http://freecampsites.net/usa/
http://www.cheaprvliving.com/
http://www.exploringalternatives.ca/
http://defyingnormal.com/
http://www.livesmallridefree.com/
A bit of feel good!

[starshine00]

21. thanks so much

I appreciate you sharing those links, I am going to go through them.