Living in a Van in Brighton

RebekahR

Oh yes my dad is funny! He "ran" away once with his bicycle full up of camping equipment and a hand made tent for a night and didnt tell mum he was going. She had the police out lookling for him lol. And he came home the next day saying it was too cold out and he couldn't sleep LOL. Unforunately he is in a diddy flat now in an old peoples complex as he has parkinsons disease. Shame he couldn't live out his "dream" :-( Static vans with their own gardens sounds the perfect life! All I would need is a landline and broadband I would be for it! lol.

£18k! Wow he would have loved that! He has pictures of old vans and he has made them out of cardboad, smarty tubes, match sticks and the like. Not sure he still has them.

I would love a real old gypsey caravan that are painted all nice and coloured.

Prudent

PasturesNew wrote: »

I'd be living in a campervan by now if I'd been able to find one I could afford, but they were too pricey for me (needed a decent/reliable one as I'm not handy and I'd be travelling alone), .

A few weeks ago I was just outside Malvern and saw lots of VW camper vans in convey (I assume heading for a rally). One of them had a WW2 style logo on the back which said Keep Calm and Carry spares. It made me smile

ESKIMO

Good luck with that. Sounds idylic.

grannytwice

How brave to just go for your dream, i think most people dream about an alternative lifestyle ,but having the courage to go for it is something else, i wish you luck in your adventure, perhaps you could write a book about your experience, it would make a great read, best wishes to you both

Ken68

Lots to think about in mobile living...it helps some people to see the world, and broaden their horizons,and yet seems to give help to others who want the opposite. The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett is a good read. A bit spooky though. Miss Shepherd lived in a van in London, the last fifteen years in Bennett's driveway. Very independent lady.

song_of_calliope

Good on you, vagrantia, I think what you're doing is really neat and something I had thought about trying but never had the nerve. I have a good friend who used to live in a converted ambulance and had a whale of a time. So here's another offer of a hot bath and hot meal if you ever make it up to the North of Scotland in your van!

vagrantia

Sorry to hear about your dad Rebekah, what a brilliant man! Are you planning any van adventures of your own?

vagrantia

Ken68 wrote: »

Lots to think about in mobile living...it helps some people to see the world, and broaden their horizons,and yet seems to give help to others who want the opposite. The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett is a good read. A bit spooky though. Miss Shepherd lived in a van in London, the last fifteen years in Bennett's driveway. Very independent lady.

Yes, a real old eccentric...not at all like us two! I would have loved to have met her. You are right. Living in a van does not need to be about travel. A static van somewhere beautiful (or even Alan Bennet's driveway) would be an adventure in itself!

jago25_98

This I spend a lot of time thinking about.
This is MSE. Saving money. Why? -to be free, no doubt. But that, like happiness, is easier said than done.
What are the principle problems?
- job market monoculture tying us (but remember, biz owners often end up tied too)
- housing that binds us into debt
Those 2 things can turn life from an adventure to an open prison planet of slavery where to see someone the other side of the bars makes us want to smash their van window.

All I think about all day long is how to be free of this. Live to work rather than work to live. I think that's all we all want really.


Living in a van puts one against the grain of society. It's best to understand and accept this. This is a society where the address is the identifier. It's not mongolia. In order to defend oneself from trouble we must create links to help our aggressors empathize with us. To this end, we have to look like our surroundings. A beat up old van in a field looks different to the surroundings. So, try to blend in. Hostels, campsites, lodging, cheap hotels, all this helps. You'll notice the people who do live like this have camoflaged thier caravans and keep a low profile.
It can be deeply disconcerting to see the human mind and the results of looking different - a homeless guy killed because he looked different, all this muslim crap in the news... it goes on an on. So it's important to identify ones surroundings and blend in. Yet of course, still be free. Don't worry about this dark side. See the silver lining - wear the same uniform as people and they let you get away with so much.


It can be tempting to say `I live in a van` proudly. It gets attention and that's good to deploy in some ways. But have discipline. Have some empathy for those stuck at home with a million kids facing the grind everyday when you're posting your holiday snaps on facebook.

With economics as they are (and housing cuts) they could be many people in housing trouble who may be amazed at the reality on the street that before seemed so hidden. There will be pang of social pain with all that. From bad stuff comes good eventually... though I don't want to be around when that happens I'll probably one of the very few wealthy people in the country who understand in at least a limited way, down&out.


In terms of getting it working it's very possible. Roadwarriors, post to email services, 3g broadband, all these things. Very possible. It's the money the main thing. As usual. The non geographic income is the thing.

Really skipping money itself would be best. Another way to get more free. Certainly a travelling tradesman can trade his time, the only way I can fit that at this moment...
the other one is the hippie sounding community - perhaps monks don't have it so bad after all?

I think travel and the craving for that can bind us too. That costs money, or rather, it doesn't have to but makes it so much easier of course.

Ken68

After the travelling bit, a settled lifestyle would be nice.
Be self employed (smallholder or gardener or work from home computer techie.), only work to earn enough for the basics. Live off the land, a smallholding would do, 5 acres ideal, including an orchard and a woodburner. Better to buy but renting aint out of the question.
Plenty of farmers round here splitting up their land .
Roadwarrior, like it, sort of Mad Max from Manchester.