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I don't know just tend to run from drama and some of these people seem to just wanna ridicule rather than actually give a decent opinion. I have so many bills right now that im actually as I type this making plans for living in my car at least til October when Im done w all the classes, probation etc. That stuff adds up and the state and my lawyer require more $$$ than I earn in a month so I have no choice but to take refuge in my car temporarily. I won't live in a homeless shelter or take welfare, id die before id take handouts. I got myself into this and ill pay the piper, but when the piper has been paid Im outta this state. I have learne its not about the offense, its about money. All about money.
I don't know just tend to run from drama and some of these people seem to just wanna ridicule rather than actually give a decent opinion. I have so many bills right now that im actually as I type this making plans for living in my car at least til October when Im done w all the classes, probation etc. That stuff adds up and the state and my lawyer require more $$$ than I earn in a month so I have no choice but to take refuge in my car temporarily. I won't live in a homeless shelter or take welfare, id die before id take handouts. I got myself into this and ill pay the piper, but when the piper has been paid Im outta this state. I have learne its not about the offense, its about money. All about money.
So who knows that quote?
I'm 34 with no kids and not much family. Got into a little trouble (alcohol related or course) and by the end of the year should be all legally free to roam. Is it insane to have an idea to sell all my worldy junk, buy a van, make it my home and travel the country? I would stay mostly on the west coast so i dont freeze to death, plus I really love it out there but housing is unattainable.
I'm just sick and tired of the conventional life, it's predictable and I can't get ahead no matter what I do. So is this a "crazy" idea? I'm very frugal and have had this dream of doing this for years now. It would be such a simple existence. Thoughts? Opinions?
I have a feeling you are about to get an education you haven't had yet. It is good that you are frugal, because without an income you will need to be. This adventure is not going to help you get ahead...
So who knows that quote?
I'm 34 with no kids and not much family. Got into a little trouble (alcohol related or course) and by the end of the year should be all legally free to roam. Is it insane to have an idea to sell all my worldy junk, buy a van, make it my home and travel the country? I would stay mostly on the west coast so i dont freeze to death, plus I really love it out there but housing is unattainable.
I'm just sick and tired of the conventional life, it's predictable and I can't get ahead no matter what I do. So is this a "crazy" idea? I'm very frugal and have had this dream of doing this for years now. It would be such a simple existence. Thoughts? Opinions?
No problem has long as you have the finaces to do that traverling. Even staying at camps cost money. In many places its not wsie to pull over by a river really.
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
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Of course you have to have some sort of income, jc, I'm sure you know that. It doesn't have to be huge, but it needs to be enough to keep the van legal and in good repair, and of course to get gas. Some places don't check out the registration or get upset if you park overnight around town, but then some places you'd think were too mellow to care can have fascist cops (such as Arcata CA, where the town cops will gladly steal - er, impound - your car for minor parking violations after one ticket has gone unpaid. You might not be able to afford the $600 or more needed to get it back).
Used vans seem to need quite a few repairs to keep them going, and you might need a better battery if you use lights, fans, tv etc at night. Get a conversion van with nice windows, bug screens, and blinds - those things add immeasurably to comfort on hot nights.
Someone above mentioned getting diarrhea, yes that can suck. Get a Porta Potty or at least a Luggable Loo, and a small roll-up solar shower in case there's no community college nearby. If you don't have those and it's a dire diarrhea emergency, you can simply put a plastic shopping bag inside a paper shopping bag, and squat on that, then throw it at a hitchhiker as you speed off into the sunset.
Most of the nicest places in California to see that connect to a road will charge for camping, especially if there is potable water and much of any development. Everything along the coastal highway is tied up, and free overnight parking is forbidden. Same for the major tourist lakes. But there are many logging roads along the many national forests where it is legal to stay for up to 3 days (National Forests are much easier to deal with than National Parks). At the end of the three days you just move away, maybe to a nearby location. For example if you're doing Mt Shasta, you could stay at the top parking spot for 3 days, then the lower parking spot half a mile down, then go back to the top. You'd have to haul water for drinking from one of the springs. Or you could go back and forth between Mt Shasta and Castle Lake, get in a little quality fishing time.
During the winter you would of course want to head south - winters can be quite severe from northern Cal to Oregon and Washington. People do get trapped in their cars and RVs by enormous snowfalls way out on those logging roads, and often die there.
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
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Reputation: 8105
Oh, if you intend to get your extra income by cultivating marijuana, it's best to find a more experienced friend to buddy up with and learn the ropes. There are dangers involved, plus Californians expect a higher quality product than most, and the competition is fierce. I do remember meeting some very kind, gentle souls who did that for a living in the Arcata City Redwood Park, who would be glad to share their knowledge. It's a huge park, the farmers used to walk 3-4 miles in to their little plots, then walk out into the small city to sell. The cops didn't interfere, it was the main source of income in Humboldt County.
That's a cool idea, especially the RV. Sometimes I would love to just get out on the road and go as far as my car will take me.
Just keep in mind though that no matter where you go, there are bored cops that might notice you. Just try to come up with a way to combat that. Good luck.
I live in a van NOW, and I can tell you that nobody notices that you sleep in it, as long as you move it morning and evening. the rv is a thief and cop magnet, and it gets terrible mileage, it costs 10x what a van costs, and requires expensive upkeep. forget it. u need not move the van far, 1/2 mile each time suffices. you can spongebathe, and park near a porta potty, or just use a cat little box for solid wastes, and a wide mouthed jar for liquids. Join some martial arts school, workout gym, or jr college (taking only ONE class qualifies you to use their gym and showers, you know! A mini van has plenty of room for one person, especially if you build cabinets along the sides. Put a mountain bicyle in the van, and use if for any trips under 5 miles each way. Avoid the North in winter and the south in summer, and you can live just fine on 3k a year, as long as no medical problems exist. you can get $200 a month of food stamps, and churches and other groups will feed you. You can make $250 a month selling your blood plasma, too.
you need very, very little cash, if you know what to do about food. So you have to hit the day labor halls now and then, or panhandle a bit, so what? I once met a man who had lived out of his backpack for 7 years. he said that his main expense was batteries for his portable CB radio. He knew all the truckers, he drove for them for his meals, slept in the sleeping berth of their 18 wheelers. He sold them pot and speed that he kept hidden in the frame of his backpack. because he carried a 380 Colt Mustang, he never tried to get rides alongside the roads. Instead, he simply sat at truckstops, talking on his CB, until he got a ride.
I live in a van NOW, and I can tell you that nobody notices that you sleep in it, as long as you move it morning and evening. the rv is a thief and cop magnet, and it gets terrible mileage, it costs 10x what a van costs, and requires expensive upkeep. forget it. u need not move the van far, 1/2 mile each time suffices. you can spongebathe, and park near a porta potty, or just use a cat little box for solid wastes, and a wide mouthed jar for liquids. Join some martial arts school, workout gym, or jr college (taking only ONE class qualifies you to use their gym and showers, you know! A mini van has plenty of room for one person, especially if you build cabinets along the sides. Put a mountain bicyle in the van, and use if for any trips under 5 miles each way. Avoid the North in winter and the south in summer, and you can live just fine on 3k a year, as long as no medical problems exist. you can get $200 a month of food stamps, and churches and other groups will feed you. You can make $250 a month selling your blood plasma, too.
My Gym has showers (I don't use them)
$25 Per month.
When Traveling (Motorcycle) I often stop in State parks.
Cheap to free if your just going in for the day.
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Living in a VAN down by the RIVER!
