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I currently live in a campground. We are a couple, being together for 7 years. Prior to present GF, I was a single nomad. My rig is a 34 foot class A with a tow vehicle.
I was what would have been called a serial dater. I used free dating websites. Each time I moved to a new area, I got a lot of people contacting me. I got dates in Alaska, New York, Maryland, Virginia and Florida. Just 1 time after a few dates did my living arrangement become an issue. Looking back, she did me a favor as her maintenance level was at a Kilimanjaro level.
This was all in my late 40 and most of my 50s. Camping in a decent campground helps. I'd say I'm at the campground on lake so and so. Often I'd hear, it's nice out that way or I've never been there but I always wanted to go there. After initially meeting, things progress just the same as someone living in a home that is dating. You do things together, talk, go out to eat, get to know each other better. Dating is never easy no matter where or how you live.
While it doesn't always work out, I've met a lot of good people. I'm still in contact with many of them, even though it's on a very infrequent level.
As far as costs, I find it much less expensive to live on the road. We have no debt which makes a huge difference. I don't move often. Most stays are for a month or longer. That gets you the cheapest per night rate. Tombstone, AZ cost us $440 for the month. When I was single I volunteered in a few state parks. I got my site for free in exchange for a few hours of work. I also camphosted in a national forest where I got paid for all the hours I worked in addition to a free site. I did that for almost 5 months.
In 14 years I've driven my RV around 40,000 miles. About 11,000 are from a trip up and back to Alaska. I've had my rig in 34 different states. Although cozy, it is home.
Right now in our campground there are a few single ladies. It seems I see more of them than single males. The large majority of the folks are older, retired couples. With the virus we are now seeing more families with younger children in campgrounds because everyone is working or going to school online.
I tell this to people. Our arrangement isn't for everyone but it works for us. YMMV
EDIT: This poster just ^ prior ^ knows way more than me. It can be done, but it's not exactly "park wherever."
Honestly, and I speak not only from my own travel experiences but from knowing that one friend...the hard part is really where you can stop and park. You really cannot just "park anywhere." And to live in any kind of comfort, you have to think about where you're going to shower, cook, etc. I don't know of anywhere that you can just camp out indefinitely, unless you actually buy land....and then depending on where it's at, you can run into use laws about that, too.
There are campgrounds, KOA has something more like mobile home parks for travelers, where you can hook up connections to various utilities and stay for a bit, but again...there are limits, eventually you've got to move on.
My friend will often put out the call on Facebook, "Hey, I'll be in New Orleans this September, who has a place I can park my camper and run an extension cord?" She usually does find somebody, but only because she is kind of "famous" (in certain circles, at least.) The Renaissance Faire people actually have a pretty serious nationwide network and lots of resources, I think they might be the most organized community of wanderers in the US. They travel to different seasonal Faires all over to work, perform, to sell their crafts, etc.
Same here. My monthly "nut" is around thirty percent of my income (and that income is just below the median income for our area).
The O.P. mentioned that he's currently mortgage-free, i.e., his house is paid off. It makes me wonder just how high those property taxes are if he's truly in a low cost of living area. I'm going to be doing a happy dance when all I have to pay is insurance and property taxes plus the cost of running/maintaining the house.
It makes me wonder if he only works part time. He didn't mention his annual income or what his taxes are. I'd be looking for a better paying job or a second job. Or, {{{shudder}}} a roommate.
I just spent 7 days without electricity. Van World sounds even worse. At least I have a wood stove and was warm.
There was a time, before I was laden with books and other tools of my academic trade, that I would have been happy to try that kind of lifestyle with the right guy, so long as we would also be able to have a condo or small house somewhere. The other requirement would be that I'd have to able to have suitable employment of my own, not all dependent on my partner's job, that I could do from the road. That way if the relationship fell apart, I wouldn't lose my livelihood. I don't know how well I would have taken to nomadism, however.
And like others, I question how much money you'd save living that way, especially once the price of gas starts really rising again.
EDIT: This poster just ^ prior ^ knows way more than me. It can be done, but it's not exactly "park wherever."
Honestly, and I speak not only from my own travel experiences but from knowing that one friend...the hard part is really where you can stop and park. You really cannot just "park anywhere." And to live in any kind of comfort, you have to think about where you're going to shower, cook, etc. I don't know of anywhere that you can just camp out indefinitely, unless you actually buy land....and then depending on where it's at, you can run into use laws about that, too.
I was not being literal when I said you can park anywhere but our country is full of Walmart's, rest stops, parks, lakes, fields, wooded area's, tent cities the list is endless. Also a van is less noticeable as you see them parked everywhere you see cars parked whish is why in recent years many nomads have switched to vans from RV's as they draw less attention. I read in a forum last night where some guy parks near industrial parks and construction sites because from the outside it looks like a work van so nobody notices him(he has a made up AC repair business name on the side of his van lol)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonic_Spork
There are campgrounds, KOA has something more like mobile home parks for travelers, where you can hook up connections to various utilities and stay for a bit, but again...there are limits, eventually you've got to move on.
I ran into lists of those places when doing my research, it works out that if I end up going this route I would not be tied to one place.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonic_Spork
My friend will often put out the call on Facebook, "Hey, I'll be in New Orleans this September, who has a place I can park my camper and run an extension cord?" She usually does find somebody, but only because she is kind of "famous" (in certain circles, at least.) The Renaissance Faire people actually have a pretty serious nationwide network and lots of resources, I think they might be the most organized community of wanderers in the US. They travel to different seasonal Faires all over to work, perform, to sell their crafts, etc.
Yep I don't think I'd be comfortable imposing on people like that but like you said their are camping area's near every major city you can stay at free for a few days at a time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monello
I currently live in a campground. We are a couple, being together for 7 years. Prior to present GF, I was a single nomad. My rig is a 34 foot class A with a tow vehicle.
I was what would have been called a serial dater. I used free dating websites. Each time I moved to a new area, I got a lot of people contacting me. I got dates in Alaska, New York, Maryland, Virginia and Florida. Just 1 time after a few dates did my living arrangement become an issue. Looking back, she did me a favor as her maintenance level was at a Kilimanjaro level.
This was all in my late 40 and most of my 50s. Camping in a decent campground helps. I'd say I'm at the campground on lake so and so. Often I'd hear, it's nice out that way or I've never been there but I always wanted to go there. After initially meeting, things progress just the same as someone living in a home that is dating. You do things together, talk, go out to eat, get to know each other better. Dating is never easy no matter where or how you live.
Yep that's cause you were dating someone with a home, when my Coworker and her boyfriend were saying how fast relationships progress I think they were just talking about when nomads get involved with each other, also they are not as stationary as you seem to be, I'm learning there are different levels to that life. like how some wander around one city or metro area, some are regional, some just go up and down the same coast, and some just get on the road and see what they will find seems like there are pro's and con's to each level. And it even seems like many of the nationwide wanderers have a particular area they always come back to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monello
As far as costs, I find it much less expensive to live on the road. We have no debt which makes a huge difference. I don't move often. Most stays are for a month or longer. That gets you the cheapest per night rate. Tombstone, AZ cost us $440 for the month.
That's about 1/4 of my monthly income sounds like a good deal from time to time between the free ways of parking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonic_Spork
If you have a good enough data plan (some carriers offer unlimited data) you could use your phone, or a dedicated mobile broadband device, to create a hotspot. There are also now vehicles that come with a wifi hotspot capability built in, though I believe you have to pay a monthly fee to use it, which is essentially a "data plan" and will probably have tiered pricing for various data limits.
Still, the monthly costs may well run less than most of us pay for high speed internet at home.
That was one of the first things I researched and the best I found so far is Skyroam and Gypsy Wireless Skyroam as far as coverage and Gypsy as far as pricing and no throttling. and both are roughly the same price as I am paying now for my home internet 10-15 bucks cheaper.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Formerly Known As Twenty
Same here. My monthly "nut" is around thirty percent of my income (and that income is just below the median income for our area).
The O.P. mentioned that he's currently mortgage-free, i.e., his house is paid off. It makes me wonder just how high those property taxes are if he's truly in a low cost of living area. I'm going to be doing a happy dance when all I have to pay is insurance and property taxes plus the cost of running/maintaining the house.
I make roughly 2K a month my electric bill alone runs close to $600(100 plus degree summers) factor in water, gas, insurance, property tax, yard up keep, cleaning supplies, home repairs(my house was built in 1950), security system monthly fee.
But I like my current job, I did away with my high stress job once my house was paid for. when I bought the house my property taxes were low, mostly because I got it cheap at an auction and there had not been a house sold in my neighborhood since 70's and our property taxes are based on how much homes in your area are selling for, so I had a good 15 years of low taxes($300-$400 a year), but in recent years some of the older people in my area have been dying and their A-hole kids and grandkids have been selling their homes at prices that have made our county officials reevaluate the value of our homes. So now my taxes went up to about $2,000 a year many around me have been loosing their homes since they started this.
OK so my only real question with the van plan, is where will you shower (you will have a hard time dating if you can't shower! lol!) and where/how will you cook? I mean, no way is it cheap to eat "out" all the time, even if it's fast food, to say nothing of your health...
OK so my only real question with the van plan, is where will you shower (you will have a hard time dating if you can't shower! lol!) and where/how will you cook? I mean, no way is it cheap to eat "out" all the time, even if it's fast food, to say nothing of your health...
You can build a small shower in your van but yes many people get a $20 planet fitness membership, and I already have a propane stovetop and a mini fridge, the fridge is in my home office and I've had the stovetop for like 25 years as I like to go camping. if I go this route I would build shelving for that stuff in my Van, I've done it before as I had a van I decked out when I was 19 because I did a lot of road trips, though I would do a better job now because :
1. there is better technology now than there was in 1989.
2. I'm smart enough to realize there is a difference between living in a van full time, and a road trip where you are traveling in a van for 2 weeks then heading home lol.
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