If being in the crypto-sphere for the past four years has done nothing else it’s exposed me to a multitude of intelligent, free-thinking individuals, and ideas that will eventually change the world. I was somewhat of a free thinker long before being exposed to the crypto community but have taken on more of this attribute through osmosis, I think.
Backstory
A little backstory…like many other middle-aged people my wife and I thought it would be a great idea to downsize, sell our house in 2015, and find a trouble-free home base that we could leave for extended periods of time while satisfying our wanderlust. Most people go through this world travel phase when they’re in their twenties but we were a few decades late to the party. We rented for a while and then decided to buy a condo.
During the next four years we had the time of our lives. Never in a million years did we imagine we'd have a chance to turn these travel dreams into reality, especially when we were young enough to enjoy it. We were very fortunate to experience a lot of the world during that time --- New York City, Sedona, Amsterdam, England, Portugal, and Saint Thomas. I'll never forget it.
London
Sedona
Amsterdam
Then A New Reality Hit [Sad Trombone]
In early March the dream came to a screeching halt. We were looking forward to an awesome trip to Ireland we booked for this August. I was supposed to start filming my travel show during this trip. Then, like life tends to do, we were thrown a few serious curveballs. First, the COVID-19 hit severely restricting our ability to travel. Then the condo we purchased ended up being much more of a headache than the house we moved away from ever was. So much for trouble-free [more sad trombone].
During this quarantine we’ve had time to do little else but think. Americans will, assuredly, be able to resume international travel at some point in the future but I don’t think it’ll be until a vaccination is available with the way our new infection rate numbers are growing. I’m among those who believe international travel will never return to the way it was before. Global travel will be more expensive and there will be far less options from this point forward.
With our Ireland trip cancelled and no idea when we would be able to travel again we were getting depressed. Once you become a nomad it gets into your blood and it's almost as though you need a trip on the horizon to look forward to. Then my wife had an epiphany, Canada!
We could head to Montreal for a few months and ride this nightmare out, then 2020 said, “Nope!” and Canada closed its borders again. This year seems to be openly mocking us.
Investing In Wheel Estate
This is around the point free-thinking began to kick in. We had been considering buying a tiny home before we decided on our condo in 2018 so why not a tiny home on wheels? I started getting this crazy idea about buying a Mercedes Sprinter camper van. I’ve seen many millennial YouTuber’s already living the #vanlife but never really considered taking the plunge myself, especially considering we’re in our late forties/early fifties.
Once I started researching the van life I discovered it’s truly a rabbit hole. The Mercedes Sprinter van definitely seems to be the best option of vehicles (that is until Telsa rolls out their EV version of the delivery van, which I hear they're working on). The Sprinter is super flexible in terms of mods, parts are widely available if it breaks down, and the powertrain is typically good for about 300k miles. The link in the previous paragraph is just one of the many possible configurations of the Sprinter.
Also, technical innovation has finally reached a point to make this lifestyle possible. There are companies that will receive your mail, scan it, and email to you. You can receive deliveries at many locations around the world without a physical address. There is also the ability to outfit these vans for Wifi, streaming television, and nearly all the amenities of home albeit in many cases in a much more compact package. We even have the option of loading the van on a cargo ship and taking it overseas, eventually. This might not be a bad way to spend the next 5 or 10 years.
With reliable Wifi I can work from anywhere and there would be plenty of opportunities to meet other Hivers (or is it Hiveans?) and do some awesome vlogging along the way. There are plethora of “pros” to this idea but also a few “cons”.
On one hand we'd be free to follow both our whims and the sun. On the other hand, I don’t know if there are enough anti-inflammatories on Earth to ease the aches and pains of people our age living in these cramped quarters 24/7. Also there are the radical changes and unknowns that come with living a nomadic life on the road, many of which we won’t know how we’ll respond to until we take the leap.
Seeking The Unknowns
We're still in the contemplation and information-gathering stages. For this reason we're seeking the unknowns (feedback). If we get serious about this we’ll probably rent a camper van for a few weeks and take it for a “test-trip” before we make a final decision. Feel free to share any and all suggestions.
Is this a bat-shit crazy idea?
Should we go for it?
Do you know anyone who is living the VanLife already?
Drop any tips or links to good information about this in the comments below!
With Gratitude,
Eric Vance Walton
(Gif sourced from Giphy.com)
*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.
Alarm Clock Dawn, one of the first full length novels published on the blockchain, and the book that started it all for me can be found HERE. Or Click Here to read it for free on the Steemit blockchain
My book on meditation, The Perfect Pause, is priced at $12.99 (paperback) and $4.99 (eBook). Buy the paperback and receive the eBook for free!
I've been camping all over the US since I was a little kid with my parents. I think I have camped in every state West of the Mississippi at some point in my life. My wife and I plan on heading out West when we retire. In the camping world the people who do what you are looking at are called "full timers". I think my wife would be fine being a full timer, but I like the idea of having a home to come home to. Our travel trailer is really nice, but it isn't a home. My parents don't camp like they used to, but I know my dad has toyed around with a van like you are looking at.
There are tons of RV forums that you should check out with all kinds of information about this. You can also ask me any other specific questions any time. The biggest thing I would say is think about rainy days. Campers are nice until you have to be cooped up for several days in the same small space. Then they can be annoying if you don't have the right layout.
This is our current rig:
Nice thing about a trailer is you don't have to break camp if you want to go somewhere. You can't "boondock" like you are probably wanting to though.
That's a sweet rig there! That camper is enormous. My parents had a little pop-up camper that we used quite a bit in the 80's. We camped in Port Clinton, OH on Lake Erie quite a bit and took it all up and down the East coast. We have so many good memories from those trips and it brought us much closer as a family.
Thanks for the information and advice! Think about rainy days is the best advice I've gotten so far. It really made me think about/question the smaller vehicle. We would have to be prepared to use the outdoors as our living room. Maybe an EZ Up tent or something like that would be in order for us to extend our living space a bit. The other thing I think about is working out. Since Covid hit we aren't going to the gym but I cycle and use a Russian kettle bell for all of my weight training now. I would need a bike rack for van, definitely.
Thanks again and I hope you're having a great week!
Our trailer is actually pretty small by today's standards. Much bigger than a pop up. It is twenty six feet long. 30 plus feet seems to be the norm these days. For the most part my wife and I spend the majority of our time outside the trailer as well, it's that other 10% of the time (besides sleeping) that you need to think about. This trailer is nice because I can be on the couch and she can be on the bed if we need a little space :).
I was just in Port Clinton back in March. Nice area. A lot of parks where you would potentially be camping have bike and hiking trails. My wife and I usually make a couple laps (walking) through whichever park each morning when we are camping.
That would take a while to get used to pulling and parking a camper that size. I can remember my mom and dad use to get irritated at each other every time he had to back the pop up camper into a new camping spot. She was the one who stood outside and directed him. There was always about an hour of silence between the two of them after he finally accomplished it.
I haven't been to Port Clinton for about 30 years but we loved it. We used to camp at East Harbor park and would feast on the Lake Erie walleye up there, it was so delicious.
Thanks for helping to bring back some great memories! The years go by so quickly!
Indeed they do! Good points about the size of the camper. To be fair my wife and I started with an 18 foot rig so that gave me time to hone my skills. Don't think it makes it any easier though. There will still be those times it is easier to put it one way but the wife will want it "just so". After ten years of camping together we still have those silent hours after setup. :)
Lol, so it wasn't just my parents then? My brother and I would always be on pins and needles throughout the set up process. : )
They make them so light these days people just unhook them and roll them by hand to put them in all kinds of crazy places!
Have you thought about the price of gas and all the fees on the road ?
The idea is so wide , for some people it could be about money or freedom .
If you had 10M $ which life would you chose , which comfort ?
We all have a different perception of living and travel .but the tiny houses sound like a ripp off .
I have factored in all the expenses and we would actually be saving a substantial sum of money living this way vs. keeping our two vehicles, our condo, and all of the expenses associated with them.
The $10M question is a very good thought-exercise. Thanks for that. I would choose the freedom to roam, experiences, and financial security over possessions. What got me thinking about this idea originally is we were considering becoming snowbirds and spending winters in Sedona, AZ and spring/summers in Minnesota. This would give us the flexibility to do that plus experience the entire continent and beyond.
I appreciate the comment!
You are indeed on a great continent and can push it to Canada ...but also understand that underground a lot of businesses have closed down during the confinement, which were already very weak . Some big cities are flat broke and it weakens everything , we dont see it yet , unless you pay attention to the food prices and the gas will go up ...also being an astrologer i can tell the chaos has not started yet and the second wave will hit us harder ... you must make your choices considering these parallels .
I agree that this next wave will be horrific. I think this entire decade will be tough (I just read a good book about the very subject). It will be important to factor in as much of this as we can before we make our decision. I see a financial crash coming shortly after the second wave hits and possibly supply chain disruption and civil unrest. It wouldn't be a bad time to escape the cities. There are definitely pluses and minuses to living a nomadic life during times like this and it greatly complicates all big decisions. Thankfully, my profession is insulated from these times, somewhat, but a depression would definitely impact book sales. What weird times we live in.
I am planning my escape too 😝
May you be safe
Had not considered the option of resting on a cargo ship and cruising across the oceans. You have my wheels turning amidst your exploratory phase! Looks like lots of Hive friends are jumping in to help with intel as well. Excited to see what you all decide!
Hey Lydon! It's always good to hear from you. There are a couple of Toronto YouTubers who have done it (and I'm sure a few others). I'm sure it's expensive and I also wonder about licensing issues once you get the vehicle on land over there. You must have to register it in whatever country you unload it in? I'll be doing some research to figure it all out
Good to hear from you Eric! Curious and excited to see what you find. Thank you for keeping us posted.
I think this is a brilliant idea @ericvancewalton and why not start exploring your own country for now until the borders open up for travel outside your country! I'm sure there are many places you have not been to locally? Many of the caravan parks as we call them here have really good modern facilities and ablutions.
I've been thinking of going away to some of our favourite local spots as we have timeshare points which gives us great flexibility about where to go, but we have to recover now from 3 months of no income first and see to the guests who are slowly coming back. Thank goodness for our local training centre who use us as their preferred provider! People are afraid to travel now for leisure as the infection rate is spiking here at the moment!
My oldest son who really is a bright young man and has been researching Covid to death, still said to me when this all started in the beginning of the year that he never thought he would experience something of this magnitude in his lifetime. I really thought this time he was wrong, but became a tad alarmed as he is very level headed. Look what it's done to this world of ours almost overnight!
BUT, I do believe it's the mishandling by politicians that's turned this into a nightmare, especially as far as world economies go!
Dying to see what you decide to do with this!
Thanks Lizelle! The US is just so vast. I've only seen about 1/3rd of it in my 49 years. We could also explore Canada and South America once the borders open up. There are YouTubers from Toronto that loaded one of these on a cargo ship and have been traveling around Europe for years. This is ultimately what I'd like to do. Once the van is paid for living expenses would be way less than living in a traditional house.
I'm glad to hear that you're the preferred provider of the local training centre and you've been able to maintain some business that way! This ordeal is crushing the hospitality and restaurant industries here in the US. I wonder if Airbnb will survive this second wave. Infection rates are climbing in the US too, some places are way worse than others. Some are even advising to stock up on non-perishables and disinfectant/toilet paper again in anticipation of a supply chain disruption during this second wave. What a true nightmare this is!
Have a wonderful week my friend!
Intriguing to hear this, Eric.
This sure seems to happen to most of us in the past months but I try to laugh back at it and enjoy the ride.
I love it when 'older' people make these kind of changes ( I'm 38 by the way, single and without kids ) and actually talked to a German couple this afternoon ( born in 1940 and '41, I believe ) that seemed to travel a lot. From Europe to Africa.
I wish you all the best and I hope it will work out for you and your wife.
P.S. I sugges you follow my vanlife buddy @paradigmprospect ( scroll back for older vanlife posts of his, he has been on the road for months now ) and - talking about dealing with the aches and pains, you're welcome to join the Natural Medicine community or discord ( there's a link to this place underneath my latest post ), there's some vanlife or 'sometimes' vanlife people there too :<)
Thank you! Certain people are just free spirits, I think. Age does have its physical limitations though. We aren't experiencing it much yet but I see it with my parents. This is one reason I'd like to do this now. My dad (who's 81) used to be way more active than the average person but now he can barely do anything and is in pain most of the time.
Thanks for introducing me to your friend. I'll definitely follow him and see what wisdom I can learn from his experience!
Hi Eric,
I forgot to reply to this.
I guess you're right about that but I also think that movement and change of perspective are only natural and very healthy. It's just that many of us strayed so far away from ( our inner ) nature that we've forgotten about all of that with disastrous consequences.
My dad is 70 and seriously unhealthy since his 59th ( if I don't count his depression that started more than 25 years ago ). Although he's finally doing better now - or at least enjoying life now he still can - he has always been an example for me of the person I didn't want to change into. A person sucked dry by the system. I love him but you get my point.
I hope you keep focusing on your life changes and wish you all the best with this. ✨
If there is anything the current pandemic has taught us it is that nothing is really guaranteed. I mean we have heard probably heard this statement a thousand times and never really had any experience until now. The van idea is not a bad one for the short term. If you are comfortable with enclosed spaces then go for it.
That is true. This pandemic has definitely taught many of us how fragile life is as well as the lifestyle and freedom that we all took for granted.
hello dear friend @ericvancewalton good afternoon
What an incredible trip to here, I loved everything they have done, the virus crown. It has stopped the world wheel flat, because it is very still.
I like life on a cell phone a lot, I always wanted to do it, and it doesn't necessarily have to be a van, there are other types of vehicles with bigger spaces than a house. and it doesn't have to be expensive.
Many people are opting for this type of life.
I hope all this happens soon so they can continue the journey
Thank you @jlufer! We are so lucky to have technology during this time. It's making life a little easier to deal with and gives us much more freedom. Have a wonderful week!
my plan b involves something very similar so i can relate 100% to this. The nomad in us is the issue. We can't stay rooted
So true. It's funny I had it somewhat under control until I started traveling overseas, now there's no chance of controlling it.
We really don't know where life will take us to, but one thing is for sure, we won't stop planning for the good future. Hope you still plan for your travels hopefully things will get better...
Thanks! That is true, the future is the great unknown. All we can do is speculate. It's looking like things will get worse before they get better, at least here in the US. Hopefully we'll be able to start traveling outside the US sometime next year.
That's good
Wow, that could be the dream of many! If I had the opportunity and the resources, I would do it in a heartbeat, Eric! What I do think is that you could rent and if you like the experience, you could buy. And travel first in the same country and then think about going to other countries. I've read that there are countries, which due to the Covid and feeling the lack of tourism, will make cheaper tourist packages and more attractive plans. At this moment I do not remember which are those countries, but I do remember reading about that plan. It would all be a matter of your making inquiries. The heart makes roads when it dreams! Good Sunday, my friend.
Renting first and doing a 2-4 test trial would be the best idea! I've seen these things outfitted with battery banks and solar cells too so you don't even have to plug into electricity.
Being mobile like this during these times would be ideal. The civil unrest we experienced in May/June really got me thinking about how vulnerable we are living in the city. I think these next ten years will be perfect for this mode of travel and would be our last chance at it given our ages. I don't think we would want to live this kind of lifestyle in our 60's and 70's. "The heart makes roads when it dreams"....I like that quote! Thanks and have a wonderful week!
A moving tiny house is something that started getting into my thinking about 3 years ago. Definitely a camper van is a much better option if you want to move quite often. If you can afford it, I would rent it for a short period of time and decide afterward. Although the language and culture are quite similar all over the country, there are plenty of fantastic places you can visit before your next international trip.
The idea is very intriguing! Earlier this year we took a road trip to Sedona, AZ and it was so much work unpacking at the end of every day and moving all of the stuff into a hotel. It would've been so much easier with a camper van. Is it something you'd ever consider doing?
Yes, our son is about to start college and we have been thinking about doing so. I will love to hear your stories if you finally decide to do so.
Really sorry about everything @ericvancewalton.
The pandemic has really paused a lot of things. Still hopeful though that things will return back to normal.
Always like the idea of a "vanlife" but don't know anything about it.
Anyway, good luck and deposited on how it turns out. Cheers!
It's okay @gamsam! Life just threw us a curve-ball as it did most people these days. We're just trying to find a way to make the best of it. Thank you very much and cheers to you!
Hi Eric .. how are you doing? I don't think it's too late to travel at your age. You are lucky to be able to do it with your wife in various countries. Thank you for the beautiful video, Eric. Life must always be enjoyed and grateful. Have a nice day.
You’re welcome Eliana! Thank you for your comment and I hope the week has been wonderful for you!
It will definitely take time for things to return to normal after this Covid-period.
I think some important tips for the vanlife includes: packing only the essentials,taking the right sets of clothes depending on the weather, planning for the unexpected such as emergency kits, getting a comfortable sleeping setup either a bed or a couch
Thanks for the tips!
Proof of sharing on Twitter -
Congratulations @ericvancewalton! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
You can view your badges on your board And compare to others on the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPDo not miss the last post from @hivebuzz:
Support the HiveBuzz project. Vote for our proposal!