I'm planning on it as soon as I get it which will be this July, a 78 vw bus. Although I really know nothing about how to go about doing it, I will be living out of it exclusivly and don't know where to park it at nights for sleeping without getting in trouble, how to avoid getting a big painted bus pulled over alot, how much motorhome insurance costs, etc. ANY info you could shed on your experiances or tips would rock my socks love ya!
I've been living in a car since 2003 ......... it's the way to go! I like being able to pack up and go anytime I like. Really the best way to do it is to make caravan parks your home. I have spent months in cities while living in the car alone and the money I spend on fuel is what I'd spend on a park site!
Here's some places I've parked with no trouble for the most part~~ I traveled without money so rv parks weren't an option for me. Super Wal-Marts~~ good idea if your in a really urban area with nowhere else to go National Forest Property~~ my favorite choice personally, but more of a reality if you're on the west coast Rest Areas, sometimes I get sketched out by them but it helps make you feel more secure when you have a couple big pit bulls that people don't wanna mess with and keep a knife on you always. Truckstops and 24 hour gas stations. Oh and if you're spanging travelcenters/truckstops along main roads are usually a good place to make money in a pinch, and it's always nice to have some crafts and crystals or whatnot to offer if you have the opportunity to try n sell your wares. Flying a sign usually works better for me than spanging.... ummm always make sure you have a full gas tank when you're driving through new desolate areas, esp. the desert. Even if there are gas stations you have no clue if they're gonna be open... If you have a bus I would definitly learn as much about repairing it yourself as possible. That was my main concern (other than the gas mileage) when it came to getting a bus. Keep a repair manual on you and if you can afford it, money set aside for repairs. I have a lil' subaru, it has been everywhere and proven very reliable/gas efficient. Only problem I ever had was a flat in Eugene Oregon at about 3 in the morning when we pressing ourselves to make it to Cougar Hot springs... grrr... first got hassled by the cops at the 7 11 where we discovered the flat then had to sleep in town instead of beside a beautiful hot spring and woke to have having to spange in a very overspanged town in some really cold rain until we had enough for a used tire. Good Luck with your travels!! Living on the road is one of the best experiences, whether you're doing it out of a backpack or taking on the responsibility of a car. I did the backpack thing for awhile and my parents got super sketched about me hitching and gave me an awesome little old subaru to take out west... it was a nice change to always have something to sleep in and share with your friends. I've had some great experiences while driving that car all over the country. Oh also if you're driving a big painted bus try to keep it drug free as much as possible cuz you're bound to get hassle from the cops sooner or later. Or have some a really great hiding spot at least and avoid border checks... Oh and for food if you're new to living moneyless on the road~~ Food Stamps rock and you can get them really easy in oregon if you're homeless, don't get em in portland though, they'll make you look for a job.. umm most towns have food boxes, find out about em at human services or at churches... Dumpster diving is always an option... if you have pets petco and petsmart usually have good finds for them (i.e. bags of dog/cat food that just have a tear in them/expired dog food) also stopping at restaurants (esp. buffets) and asking if they can kickdown any food to a hungry wanderer. Usually I didn't have much luck with that but sometimes ya do and its worth the effort for those few times.
If you cook in your vehicle (bus or van) make sure you have a door open or do it outside. I almost lost a friend to a marine alcohol stove in his Transporter. Stupid thing to do. Walmarts and Superwalmarts welcome RVs, so if you can find a parking space between to land yachts you'll be virtually unnoticed (See? Wally World is good for SOMETHING. But they lock their dumpsters). Thrifts stores, thrift stores, thrift stores. Dollar stores, dollar stores, dollars stores. DEFINITELY get a good service manual for your vehicle. I strongly recommend Chilton's. And a small tool kit. And a set of extra belts and hoses. These are tough items to fit into your home, especially if you're living out of a subcompact, but consider what happens in most places if you break down and the car doesn't move for three or four days; you leave to look for breakfast and everything you own gets towed away. Now instead of an $8 hose you need $300 for the impound lot. And they won't usually let you get your stuff out. No drugs in the vehicle period, even ganj. Don't store it, dont buy it and don't use it in the car. You wanna smoke up, go to a park or whever the squatter kids congregate. Pretty much everywhere these days, they find a random pill or even a flake of weed, you might get a misdemeanor citation or appearance ticket but they tow the car. YOU WILL GET HASSLED. Accept it. Have a pack ready and be prepared to abandon ship should something serious happen. All the preventative maintenance in the world won't stop you from blowing a headgasket between Phoenix and Blythe in August. Sell it for scrap and the money will keep you going for 6 months until you can get another. Or not. Sorry to be a downer, but if that's going to be your home you gotta be aware that these things happen frequently. Expect the best and be prepared for the worst.
These replies are awesome thanks so much guys! Nice to get ideas of where to sleep and such. I never knew about the stove thing either, that kinda spooked me a bit, but I guess it makes sense. Especially the tips about keepin spare parts and a toolkit, I didn't even think of that you probably just saved me alot of hassle. Few more questions if your up for it As to no ganj in the car, that's a bit un-realistic for me, and I understand when I say that I take on certain responsibility for whatever does happen, but obviously I would check state laws before entering a new state making sure it didn't have a mandatory minimum for minor possession or anything. However, I didn't think police could just search your car unless they have probable cause, such as something in plain sight, or a funkily familiar smell coming from the car, otherwise it wouldn't just get torn apart for no reason. And as for locked dumpsters, how large are the locks usually? If I invest in a big pair of bolt cutters would that be a wise-idea to get spare clothes/food? I was going to convert the car to bio-diesel, but it unfourtunatly isn't a diesel engine so when it comes down to fuel, whats the best way to get money for fuel when it costs damn near a kidney these days? Playing music on a sidewalk? or is spangin' generally enough to do the trick and keep ya goin? Do you get under-the-table or odd-jobs or dishwashing when your in a town to make a quick buck before you head out again? Thanks much again, love ya guys!
If you can get a short time job while in a town that's not always a bad idea, especially if it's a chill town and you don't mind kickin' back and spending some time there. Check out farms in different areas as they hire a lot of temporary help during harvest seasons (i.e. vineyards,orchards, etc.) and they usually pay pretty decent too. I made a killing working at a beautiful natural apple orchard last year... I worked 12 hour days but it was such a wonderful job that i didn't mind a bit. I got to work with a couple other hippies and camp out on site and be outdoors all day I loved it. Never worked in a restaurant but they're another option for an easy to find temporary job. Or if you have any trade skills you could track down jobs through the phone books or newspapers, randomly calling up companies you could work for. My ex was a carpenter and that was how he made his loot and did good at it, scored lots of jobs just by calling up different contractors and seeing if they could use an experienced workman. Also day labor is an option if you're in a pretty urban area, like Labor Ready. You go in in the early morning and they will have random jobs (mostly housekeeping/physical labor type work) available throughout the day. You just don't get paid as much because the employers pay them for finding work for them out of your pay. Oh, and if you can busk (play an instrument to make money) that is much much better than spangin in my opinion, i unfortunatly am not so talented but I have friends who busk and usually make much more than i can just flying a sign. And that way you're at least working for your money in a way. Spanging all the time can really wear ya down, it can be a lil degrading but it also has its rewards~ like seeing how kynd folks can be to complete strangers
http://wanderingscribe.blogspot.com/ http://www.hooptylife.com/ http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2005/05/317038.shtml http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/homelessness/85858/1 http://www.geocities.com/elmomackinnon/ http://guide2homelessness.blogspot.com/2004/10/advantages-of-homelessness.html http://www.realchangenews.org/pastissuesupgrade/2001_11_29/features/the_car_camping_artist.html http://www.rockinvan.com/slummin_it.html http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/08/22/SP30414.DTL squatting - http://www.backwoodshome.com/columns/wolfe0211.html man lives in hole in the ground- http://www.galfromdownunder.com/dan-price/dan-price.html
If they have probable cause they will ask for permission to search. If you decline, it is at the discretion of the officer to hold you until they can wake up a judge, obtain a search warrant and destroy your car because he "thought your eyes looked a little dilated". Welcome to America. Destruction of property is not cool, even if it's Walmart's property. Why not just shoplift? Anyway it's easy to get food and clothes on the road at no cost. You can make enough on a day labor job for a tank of gas and a week of groceries in one day. Two days will get you three tanks and a week of food. And they usually ask no questions and pay in cash. Get into town on a Saturday morning and look for all the ugly little "New Homes from the low $250s" signs. Follow them. Find the office trailer for the builder. There will usually be more than one on a building site. Monday morning at 7am sharp, pick one, knock on the door, ask for a short term job. Tell him you'll work cheap and for cash. Spend three days tossing scrap lumber into a dumpster, cleaning the office, digging deck footings. You now have $150+ cash. And you can usually park in the back of a construction site and no one will bother you. Just stay away from the houses being built. That will get you busted for criminal trespass. Remember, officially you don't work for that company and when the bronze asks they'll say they never heard of you. Three days on, a week off. Not bad.
hmmm, going n ten years on and off but I always live in buses, lived in a civic once, my back still aches thinking aboutit
yea badmilk you can always stay at a walmart and sleep without being bothered (i.e. your not breaking the law)
What about food? Any tips for spots or tricks to getting very cheap food, that won't leave you super-depleated of certain nutrients?
In between marriages I hit the road in a 1966 VW van. Heres a few things I learned along the way. "The idiots guide to Volkswagen repair, by John Muir" was my Bible. Basic set of metric tools, misc. parts like extra fan belt, light bulbs, air filter. Enough oil for a couple of oil changes, do it yourself and save big bucks. Keep tires in good shape, a flat tire and a flat spare can leave you stranded. If you leave your rig along side the road, your home and possessions are up for grabs by any punk that drives by. Buy your laundry soap in full size boxes or jugs so you wont have to buy those little boxes at a laundry coin op. Keep a few rolls of toilet paper, you'll find the roadside rest areas are always out of T.P. Keep a stash of cash, I kept $300. of emergencys, If i was getting close to getting into it I'd stop and find some work. Work, Most good sized towns have day labor jobs at their Job Service offices I kept a box of spary paint, brushable enamal, brushes and stensils. Would paint roadside mailboxes. I used to camp off the beaten path. Thats when my fishing pole or my over and under 22/20 gauge would be used to fill my cooking pot.. Bout all for now...Good luck....Dennis..Alaskan
Wish I could say this is mine, But not. Ran into the guy who built it and lives in it. He travels all over north america. He was in Alaska last Sept and spent last winter in Florida. Makes his living off of it too. He took my picture, with my camera and I thew a few bucks in his donation jar. The bug was guted out and rebuilt with all the comforts of home.
