#vandwelling

Taken outside one of my favorite libraries in the United States in downtown Fort Myers, Florida. Not only does it have a massive courtyard with WiFi extenders, but it also has a balcony veranda with tables and outlets on the second floor. It’s incredible!

Tumblr is going to start turning off blogs that do not post enough, and that could be this one right here. Join my travels here on Instagram, or here on Patreon. I’ve been living the van life for a year and a half and I’m about to fly to Paris, France to fly to my LiLi. There is a lot brewing, so stay tuned!

Heat Map of United States, Migratory Plan

For those who get into the MBTI, I’m a J – specifically an INTJ. I want to look at the map, firstly, before getting into the specific details. Therefore making a map is where I have started.

TL;DR: The map plots out my annual migratory path, maintaining an average heat level above 50F (10C), as well as moderate to high humidity. Burning Man marks the point in the year at the end of summer, with Miami and Key West marking the other side of the year in deep winter. Hilarity ensues.

This follows on the previous video. There was water in the gas tank. He shows how it was getting in, and how it was creating so many different problems.

It also gives me an idea. I want to contact other vandwellers, including this one, and build a list of shops that have done work on their vans and actually fixed it. I mention this because this dweller brought the van into the shop five times, the same shop, and never got it fixed. When he changed to a different shop, it was fixed.

A list of shops that dwellers have used and had their van fixed “successfully” is going to be a huge help.

Here we have a vandweller hitting on some serious repair issues. Five times in the shop with no resolution. I’m looking into critiques of vandwelling, and this was the first on the list. The next video I post will show you how this turns out.

I actually was not going to post this one, but they hit on a really good idea – gyms for showers.

So, a bit of history – I’m a hitchhiker. My normal stops to take a shower are truck stops, or with a host on CouchSurfing. Other than that, I stay clean with daily grooming and quick “wash-offs” in bathrooms.

Gyms are an incredible idea. Of course, there is the workout itself, and I already like that. They also have showers. I started looking into it.

I found this article: “The Best 3 Gyms for Your Wallet“

I have not decided yet, but Planet Fitness is looking like the best for the price. Here are some top reasons:

• Price: $250 per year total, making it dramatically cheaper than truck stop showers once the investment has been made.
• Guests: Allowed to bring up to one guest daily, and as I’ll often have my Lili with me on these adventures, that is a huge perk.
• Massage: Unlimited access to the massage chairs. This is so happening, as any bumps taken from the road will be worked out.
• 24-Hours: This should be number one, as I’m nocturnal, and I’ll be “that guy” coming in at 1am and staying for an hour or more.
• Locations: I am looking at their map, and this is the part I need to research the most, but it looks like they are located nearly everywhere. Again, I need to check this more.
• Few Negatives: Most of the negatives that people mention do not even apply to me, but one does stick out – Dress Code. I need to look into this one, also, as it means I might need to lug around things that I am only going to use to go into a gym. That’s not cool, and often they are more lax on the hours that I would be in there, but it is a huge negative. However, for the money they would save and the extra benefits, it very well could be worth that one negative.
  

Another thing that I gained from this video was the discovery that there is a simple tool to warm up water, and that plugs into your average cigarette lighter. While I won’t be cooking in the van, warming up water for coffee and tea are going to be daily requirements. This one is happening.

Yesterday, my Lili found this video. I have been talking about moving into a vehicle for more than a year, and I have been talking about moving into a van or a wagon for the past six months. As of the past two months, it is highly focused on moving into a van specifically.

This is my very first public post. I am going to document everything, as right now I am at the very beginning – research. I have my notebook open and I am watching videos and gathering my notes.

It is incredible how many different perspectives and builds there are, and each video gives new inspiration.

Forrest, his girlfriend, and their cat all live out of a ‘99 Dodge Caravan that they call “The Grape Van.” They use a twin futon to sleep on. A common theme, in more than 50% of vandwellers, is having storage below the bed. While Forrest is using wood, I want to use PVC or another light and easily replaceable material. I will check more into the material with my brother Skybreak and my friend Trevor, as both of them are engineers, and I believe they will love helping me build this.

As I have $100 USD to my name right now, documenting how this comes together is starting right now, and I will find a way to make it happen.

Minivan stealth camper

@wetravelbybus
“Twilight madness…⛺️
It is hard to describe how much I love these moments. ✨”
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