So I recently bought a small 19 foot RV (pic related) because I want to move out of my parent's place but I'm also kind of a lazy bum and don't want to work all the time. I figure I've got enough saved up to bum around for a year or two before having to work again. The thing I need to know now is where to go for winter. It's already getting below freezing some nights where I live and I know I need to head south so my pipes don't burst, but how far south? Are there places where people who live in their RVs congregate in the winter? I don't really want to be alone all the time.
I may just wait until next spring to start living in my van, but if not I need some suggestions stat.
My only requirements are that it be warm, have cellular internet, and some people who speak English and I can drive to it from the continental US.
Maybe Mexico? Do they have communities of people who speak English and live in their RVs down in Mexico in the winter somewhere?
Cooper Lopez
Just head south.
You'll be fine.
Henry Campbell
quartzite
Carson Powell
>Do they have communities of people who speak English and live in their RVs down in Mexico in the winter somewhere?
Yes, on the beach in baja Five bucks a nite on Santispac but they often dont bother to collect .or free on many other beaches further south Lots of canadians and every year more and more young people in vans >hashtag vanlife lol Fishing from the beach does not require a license Food and beer are cheap but you have to go far away from the boarder
Dylan Anderson
Yep. Most of em are probably retired or crystal collecting hippies but that's where rv people gather. They stay till the gem show in Tucson in February then gtfo of Arizona
Joseph Smith
this. Arizona would be fine. lots of public land for dispersed camping and whatnot
Hudson James
Did this for awhile, OP
Head to Florida or California for the winter. Just move to various hotel parking lots from time to time. Or find a small municipal airport and stay in the long-term free parking.
Aaron Phillips
Life is short and fucking around gets boring quick. Pull yourself together and try to do something productive. Not for the society, but for yourself. After 2 years you could either have wasted 15k or made 40k. I'd choose the latter.
Gabriel Howard
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I guess I'll probably make my way slowly across the country to southern California and maybe think about going into baja.
Well, I'm also planning on training to become a pro MMA fighter in the meanwhile. Luckily most places offer free trials so as long as I move around enough it won't cost me anything extra. Most of it is exercise that can be done anywhere and I'd rather do it in cool remote outdoor locations. I figure by the time my money runs out I'll know whether I can make it as a pro or not.
Charles Walker
>Well, I'm also planning on training to become a pro MMA fighter
Carson James
>I guess I'll probably make my way slowly across the country to southern California and maybe think about going into baja. You will not regret it
Ayden Jackson
>im a lazy bum >wants tobecome a pro MMA fighter Good luck user.
Gabriel Perez
My parents and grandparents have both been doing this since they retired so I feel like I have some ok advice. Granted they have full size RVs because they're old and whatever but the concept is the same.
You need to technically have legal residence somewhere so you can plates and whatever else. Most people use North Dakota because that state is so desperate to get residents there are basically no requirements. You can go up there, get a PO box, license, and plates and be gone again in like a day. You don't need to actually stay there for any amount of time or have a house/lease or anything. Super easy.
Look for campgrounds that need help. It's the easiest work ever and they regularly give people like this free sites for the summer/winter in exchange for working like a dozen hours a week checking people in/out, cleaning up, real basic shit.
Go north in the summer and south in the winter. Really doesn't matter where, just pick cool places with a lot of vacation camping going on and you're good. My parents were in Gettysburg for a summer, then booked it out to Texas and later New Mexico when it started getting cold. They've been traveling around the north visiting family and dicking around for this summer and are planning to winter in Tennessee this year just because they like it there.
Basically if you're not the type who cares about advancing your career or buying lots of shit and just generally buying into the whole consumerism thing, you can live like this more or less indefinitely. It's not a super cushy life but some people really love it and if you've got a chance to do it for a few years while you're still young I'd jump on it. All my family members who started tramping around after retirement only regret that they didn't retire earlier.
Michael Martin
Also what you're doing here is called rubber tramping. Google it, there are communities online and irl that can help you figure shit out.
Gavin Anderson
>Fishing from the beach does not require a license
Are you implying that you need a license to fish on a non-commercial level somewhere on this planet?
Daniel King
>various hotel parking lots good luck trying to park in a hotel parking lot in California without paying for a room. good way to get butt-fucked by nazi-police
Blake Ward
>All my family members who started tramping around after retirement only regret that they didn't retire earlier.
It's a lot easier to live that life if you have funds to back up the venture and provide a buffer for mechanical failures and springing for food, fuel, vehicle legalities and whatnot
Jeremiah Collins
>Most people use North Dakota i believe South Dakota is the nomads choice for residence of record. more lenient with drivers licensing requirements
this YT guy here has experience and good info on this -
True but op says he has savings for at least a year, and a van is cheap to maintain. It's also not hard to make a little money when you need to, temp jobs are everywhere if you don't mind warehouse work and that sort of thing. When my grandparents get short on cash or need major repairs they just hit up temp jobs at Amazon or UPS warehouses for a few weeks, take care of their shit, and hit the road again. Many of the part time campground jobs I described also pay a little bit on top of the free camp site.
Connor White
You're right, I dunno why I was thinking North. Just double checked and my folks definitely have all of their shit registered out of South Dakota.
Hudson Sanders
You are clearly not an american male
Easton Ortiz
Actually you do need a licence in the UK to fish for certain types of fish, like salmon.
Quote from the gov website "You can be fined up to £2,500 for fishing without a rod fishing licence."
Welcome to the UK.
Brody Smith
The worst that happens is they tell you to move. I've never heard of anyone getting a ticket.
Lincoln Wood
Yeah, OP here. I'm also a licensed home improvement contractor (in my state anyway) so I figure if I need money I can do a few odd jobs. I'm going to remove the back seats and put in work shelves where one of them was and leave the other space open for miscellaneous tools and benches and stuff. I don't think I'll have trouble finding work because I won't charge much.
When you buy a non-running car you never know what is going to be wrong with it. It might be that all it needs is a new clutch and it will run but I doubt it since it's literally covered in junk so it's probably been maintained poorly. Plumbing might not work, there might not be a pump or a furnace or an A/C unit or a generator. Getting those things fixed or replaced might cost a lot so make sure you test them before you buy it. I can see that the body looks like it's already falling apart and it's probably leaking since he strapped a tarp to the top so it will likely need some work to repair it. Basically it's going to take a lot of time and a fair bit of money to fix it up. If you have the time and the skills needed to fix it but not the money, it might be worth it depending on what condition the appliances and stuff are in. Might as well check it out.
Parker Edwards
this or Yuma AZ are the only real correct answers in the US
Brandon Wood
Would something like this be better? I feel like this seller is more upfront and the body looks like it is in much better shape. The interior seems like a good base to absolutely tear down a redo, but the diveshaft and suspension has rust (to be expected in the northeast 2bh), and the poster didn't say too much about what's actually wrong with the camper. Thanks for the help btw
Gavin Rogers
You dont want a real RV, trust me on this you will draw way too much attention and you can get to anywhere cool. Get a van , there is a reason its a meme
Landon James
I dunno dood, RVs look super comfy and roomy. I feel like van living would be too restrictive, and not being able to stand up would kinda irk me, as well as not having a bathroom or sink. Definitely weighing out all my options and considering it tho
Andrew Sullivan
Lot's of people here camp around the industrial areas with campers and don't seem to get hassled by the cops. It may be different where you live. Get a 5 ton box truck and convert that. It would blend in in a industrial area. They get around 10 mpg which is the same as a clapped out motorhome.
Samuel Harris
If you live anywhere exclusive, you will get hassled. No west coast in an old RV unless you are willing to fight like a homelessmun. Part of the appeal for me is camping near the beach or other cool stuff
Adrian Gonzalez
The one pictured in the OP is a real RV with a bed and sink and bathroom and shower and stove but it also looks like a large high top passenger van like they use for wheelchairs so it's not too conspicuous. I thought it was a good compromise that would allow me to park most places without problem and still have all the comforts of an RV.
Jackson Sanchez
You're gonna get hassles if you park anywhere near the beach. The furnace vents are a dead giveaway.
Luis Roberts
Why is Veeky Forums atteacting so many idiots and bums
Leave. No one cares about you people.
Benjamin Morris
I'd suggest going to look at several of them and buying the one that's in the best shape. Definitely make sure you get a mechanic to do an inspection first. It shouldn't cost you more than $100 tops and could end up saving you a lot of money even if you have to inspect a few of them before you find a good one.
Adam James
Hassled by whom and for what reason? As long as it doesn't end up costing me money, I don't really care if people want me to move.
Matthew Bailey
>dodge
Have fun sleeping on sidewalks OP.
Wyatt Bailey
Law enforcement most likely after nosey neighbors report the derelict van parked in front of their house.
Wyatt Stewart
What do you mean? These vans are pretty reliable, not like their cars. It's got a freshly rebuilt transmission and engine still under warranty too so I don't think it will break anytime soon. Meh, I don't care if the cops tell me to move, I'll just move it's no big deal.
Ethan Morgan
It happens less than you think but it happens. Thats whats so nice about mexico. No one cares
Jeremiah Perez
Christ that's over 10k US
Andrew Thomas
they just wont tell you to move they will impound it if you are in LA.
Ryan Harris
you can park all day long if you want but the second its past sunset they come knocking on your door and tell you to move to a overnight pay lot or get lost
James Walker
i did this for 6 years. got a 24 foot c class and it was in pretty good shape. drove to cali. there like 2 weeks pulled over for a lic and ins and did you get it smogged yet sir if you are staying?
smogging a old out of state RV is a nightmare. Once upon a tiem you could just "buy " a cert. but no more.
so after you get assraped getting it run on fumes it barely moves. Runs so lean you burn out valves. but that aside. lets move on to staying places. are you going to work? are you going to do nothing. You find out 3 things really fast, you need propane, fresh good water and lots of gas.
finding potable water is tough. I had to befriend a gas station owner to let me fill up every 3 days. that lasted only maybe a couple months as you wear out your welcome because your boat stops everything when u pull in.
sleeping... People randomly SHOOT rvs in the Valley. this is fact. i had my rv shot 2 times. had a bicycle i used as transportation cut off with a bolt cutters from the TOP of my RV. 2 times.
gave up on bikes.
weather.. spring fall not to bad summer you bake to death. winter isnt to bad til the sun goes down then you need to be snuggled in quick to conserve heat.
now.. inspections. cops walk down rows and knock on your windows. theres 2 options talk and move or try to hide and find you get towed. long story short you need to find some place isolated to sleep all night BUT.. you are now a target. you are upper crust homless and athey want your stuff. next option is stay at walmart. not to bad. but after a while they kick you out. every single one. they will tolerate a few days but nonstop, nope. so you have to burn gas and move to a new walmart everyday and get a rotation schedule set up. you think I kid? they take your picture and your're put on some sort of list. walmart goodness only goes so far.
staying clean. poop in your toilet but into a plastic bag, dont shit in your home. throw it in garbage cans.
Carson Roberts
cont. i find putting a forsale sign in the window in some corner lots works, just NEVER EVER show a light on inside. cover that crap up or you get towed.
food, propane fridge.. works really well. cannot freeze anything though. have to mange food stuffs carefully or eat a lot off the $1 menus.
next up is lonely.. try as you may you wont be able to stay in one spot long enough to make good friends. many out on the street are fucking looney.
be safe. keep your cash in the bank use PO boxes and cell phones are a god send.
tip.. you can park outside a laundry mat for most a day. one more stop other than walmart plus you can fill some jugs with hot water to take a bottle shower.
sex.. lol.... prob not. cheap? depends. cheaper than a LA apartment most for sure. good luck.
Xavier Myers
Yes. You need a license to fish in most of the us, especially in Florida where the wild land conservation service is basically special forces and will fucking merc you if they think you're poaching.
Dylan Mitchell
Luckily I'm already as lonely as I can possibly get and I don't have sex so anything would be an upgrade. I'm going to hope your experiences with getting shot at were unusual and not par for the course.
For my annual budget I've allocated $3500 for gas and propane, $2500 for food, $1500 for RV maintenance, $150 for laundromats, and $1000 for campsite and water fees (which I mostly hope to avoid by boondocking in parking lots and stuff). Does that sound reasonable to you, and are there any other costs I'm not considering?
Robert Rodriguez
If you do at least 4 months a year in Mexico, that budget will squeak by if you dont have any major problems.
Justin Garcia
>Luckily I'm already as lonely as I can possibly get I also am quite lucky
Cameron Turner
dogeban is reliaban
Gavin Bennett
>$1500 for RV maintenance
Is that going to cover a engine or transmission rebuild? Even new $100k+ diesel pushers have their fair share of issues. The issues get worse the cheaper or older you get. A motorhome mile is like 5 in a normal car or truck, It's like dog years.
Just look at all the "nomad people" that vlog their shit on youtube and wind up breaking down and stranded. Gotta factor in the worst case scenario.
Grayson Collins
Its engine and transmission were fairly recently rebuilt already by a good company (Jasper). It's had lots of other work like ball joint replacements too.
