Life on the Road & Dreamtime

from: http://www.newlifeontheroad.com/changing-our-lifestyle-has-changed-everything/

Since we started on our journey of living the simple lifestyle everything has changed. Including my way of thinking and my way of looking at life! It’s really weird but I have not gotten anything ready for Christmas day and I am not even worried about it?

Changing Our Way of Life Has Meant My Mindset Has Changed Maybe as I am getting older my way of thinking is changing? Or Maybe our lifestyle change has given me a different outlook on life? Not sure what is going on with my mindset. But I am liking my new outlook on life.

Maybe it’s because we got rid off so much stuff that I don’t want to buy more to fill up the space in our motorhome – the limited space we don’t have! Or could it be because we have realised that our boys don’t need all the extra “Stuff” to be happy?

Our Boys Imagination
Our boys have always had the most amazing imagination. They prefer to be outside playing instead of inside playing. If you give them empty boxes, rolls of sticky tape and a pair of scissors they make the most amazing inventions. The same with scraps of wood and nails (plus a hammer!).

Within no time they have turned pieces of wood into a space ship, sword, fort or even a castle. Maybe I should get a big empty box, rolls of paper, sticky tape and scraps of wood for their presents for Christmas?

New Simple Lifestyle Our lifestyle is now so simple. We get up and have brekky. Beds are made. Dishes are washed. Washing is put in the machine (every 2nd Day) Bus is swept out.

Zachary making a Catapult – which worked! He was told not to use this when his brothers where around Then it’s either outside to play or down to the pool for a swim. Life is Simple Life is different to what we used to have!

What Would I Do Differently? I would have loved to change our lifestyle years ago. I would have loved to have more investments under our belt before deciding that this was our way of living What I Want For My Boys……

I want them to be happy I want them to live a life of experiences instead of wasting time/money I want them to live with Dreaming Bigger. I want them to chase their dreams no matter what they may be. What Do YOU want for 2012? Cheers Lisa
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Rv Living in Style

Not everyone is on an extreme budget in their RV lifestyle. Some camp and live in their RV for adventure, for the luxury of having their comfortable with all their possessions anywhere they wish to wander.

Check out these Geeky Explorers:
http://geekyexplorers.com/?tag=rv-living-costs

I will say this upfront – we’re not exactly budget travelers.

We like eating out, as we think that tells you a lot about the place. Everyone eats, but many areas eat differently and we like to explore that.

We like drinking local if at all possible, and we will bypass coors light & boone’s farm every time – so we spend money on good alcohol.

We like driving around places, which adds up our gas costs.

We don’t live on ramen (although we do keep it handy cause it’s occasionally quite yummy!), so our grocery costs are high for two people.
That being said, we wanted to do posts on our monthly costs for two reasons.

One, it’s for us to keep track of what we are spending, how we are doing compared to what we budgeted and gives us an idea of what we personally need to make to sustain fulltime living the way we want (and still be able to save for retirement.)

Two, it’s for people curious about the costs of living in an RV. We found many sites that were helpful when listing expenses, even if we knew that particular budget wouldn’t work for us. (There are people out there impressively living on the cheap! Again, not us…)

I will say this upfront – we’re not exactly budget travelers. We like eating out, as we think that tells you a lot about the place. Everyone eats, but many areas eat differently and we like to explore that. We like drinking local if at all possible, and we will bypass coors light & boone’s farm every time – so we spend money on good alcohol.

We like driving around places, which adds up our gas costs. We don’t live on ramen (although we do keep it handy cause it’s occasionally quite yummy!), so our grocery costs are high for two people.

That being said, we wanted to do posts on our monthly costs for two reasons.

One, it’s for us to keep track of what we are spending, how we are doing compared to what we budgeted and gives us an idea of what we personally need to make to sustain fulltime living the way we want (and still be able to save for retirement.)

Two, it’s for people curious about the costs of living in an RV. We found many sites that were helpful when listing expenses, even if we knew that particular budget wouldn’t work for us. (There are people out there impressively living on the cheap! Again, not us…)

Read their full budget for November:
http://geekyexplorers.com/?tag=rv-living-costs

Living and Exploring Out of a Van

Many people are living out of vans, motorhomes and even cars to combat the economy. Many are having a blast doing it .
Here's an excerpt from a great website about a guy from Vancouver BC enjoying a van dwelling lifestyle:
http://www.vanliving.net/VL/van/advice.htm

Throughout the first several months of vanliving, a thought keeps coming to me how easy the transition from apartment living to living in a van has occurred. Considering that I have not spent a single day in any RV prior to April 1 2009, when I slept for the first time in a converted van, the only explanation I can think of is that many years of dreaming and planning materialized into a smooth move from an apartment into a van. Thus, the first advice to anyone considering vanliving is to wait.

Often we want something, but with time our plans change. You do not want to spend a very considerable amount of money and then find out you don't really enjoy living in a van all that much. It would be a good idea to rent a class B RV (a van-based recreational vehicle) for a week or two, and pretend you live there, doing things exactly the way you would do them if you had no other place to call home.

It may cost a pretty penny to rent an RV, but considering a small fortune you may end up wasting, this would be money well spent. And you may discover what features you really like in your RV, and what items you can live without.

Vandwellers Website

I found this awesome resource for people wanting or needing to live in their van (or their car). There is so much information on this site, it is mindblowing. So glad I found it and i'm sure you will enjoy it if you have any interest in living like a gypsy. Here is a short excerpt from the website:
To explore this website, please go here: http://vandwellers.org/mycampervan/reasoning.htm

There are many reasons why I want to live in a camper van.

The main reason is financial. I pay rent, which while affordable, is just dead money. It is going down the drain. Now that I've paid for this van it is all mine, no more to pay. Recently I got diagnosed with a pretty bad illness so that's going to really eat up a lot of my income just treating it.

I have a serious life threatening illness which eats up a lot of my income, so I don't have much money to live on. When I first brought the campervan, the industry I was working in was being privatised so my financial future was not secure. I tend to have very sensitive hearing, so neighbors who make noise keep me up at night. I need to sleep well away from people. I don't mind living in a small space. They can be cosy and easy to heat or cool. I like the idea of not being dependent on a huge infrastructure for electricity and water. I like photography, so having a van will allow me to get out and travel to take photographs. I also grew up moving around a lot so I don't have any place to really call a home. A camper van is my own space, to do with as I wish. I can have a cat in a van. I like cats. My land lord does not.

How to Save For Travel

from:http://www.smallworldpursuits.com/5-ways-to-help-you-save-to-travel-or-volunteer-abroad?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SmallWorldPursuits+%28Small+World+Pursuits%29

There are tons of ways to help you start saving to travel. So many in fact that when we start reading about all of them it seems as though we forget about doing any of them. So for me, I started with 5 different savings techniques and then built upon that. These were my five.

Create A Budget:
When I was first getting serious about saving, I sat down and calculated all of my expenses (rent, bills, food, etc) and made note of my take home pay per month. I decided that I would keep $100 per month for any and all “extra” activities and or items, and that EVERYTHING else would go into my savings. I was strict about this and it made me start taking my lunch to work and making my own coffee as well as cooking at home more frequently and then eating leftovers.

Get A Roommate/HouseMate:
This was by far the second best thing that I did to help save money! At the time, I lived in only a one-bedroom apartment but got creative, and we turned the living area into loft style extra living space for my new housemate. I traveled a lot for work so I was rarely home anyway. Getting a housemate instantly put an additional $400 in my savings each month! This adds up quickly – trust me!

Put All Extra Money In Your Savings Pot: Anytime I would get a bonus, raise, commission check, or earn any type of extra money it would all go directly into my savings. I didn’t “need” the money before to survive so I went against my urges to spend it on something I didn’t need. And, let me just say that using the money to do a safari in The Serengeti tops any new “thing” I could have spent it on back home!

Sell The Things You Do Not Need:
Go through your home or apartment and start getting rid of stuff you do not need or things you will have to get rid of anyway once you start traveling. I did this several different ways. I sold stuff to friends, posted flyers at my apartment, put notes on facebook, and sold things on craigslist. There are tons of ways to sell stuff it’s just the getting started part that’s sometimes difficult. For me, I started with electronics. For some reason, I had a silly amount of gadgets that had accumulated over the years that I either did not use or did not need. Once I started selling off the first items it all got easier from there.

Drink and Eat At Home:
I know this seems so cliché and is on everyone’s “how to save list” but by far this can be one of the most expensive monthly item for anyone who loves to socialize. Which I do. Cooking in and sharing a bottle of wine, a beer, or cocktails at home before venturing out will save anyone’s pocket book. I couldn’t always do this of course, but I tried whenever I could. As you can see from saving tip number one, I had only had $100 of extra cash a month to work with.

These are just 5 ways to get started, but a way to get going nonetheless. And, when you start thinking about how hard it is and start faltering, instantly remind yourself about the amazing time you will have salsa dancing in the streets of Colombia, sleeping under the stars in Africa, sipping wine in Italy, or lounging at the beach in Fiji. This always helped me!

Camping Tips for Camper Vans

from: http://www.carlosprivateadventures.com/conversion-van-camping-tips/

Conversion forerunner camping doesn’t impart you the luxury of life in an RV, nor the discomfort of sleeping in a tent. It can ensue tough to securely reheat a van on night, nevertheless it’s inferior compared to an RV, and you can chance chairs they cannot. We tired extra than 25 nights sleeping in our conversion van last year.

Life Into A Conversion Van Make your van into something that’s useable for you, in particular rider it’s going to ensue your residence for days before weeks on a calculate. Representing my wife and I, this meant having space to move around.

We took absent the two average seats which, I convinced Ana, would live clear armchairs for the living room. Next we had enough seat for dressing or cooking. The bench-seat in backside folds outdated interested in a comfortable bed, accordingly we were all obstinate representing camping.

When traveling, you need a system of organization to keep your space inner recesses the van habitable. After our first prolonged outing, we noticed the many equipment we never worn. We got added useful later than that. We’re also talented to keep the space unbolt, in the face of carrying many possessions, by via forced luggage compartment tubs you can purchase about wherever. They stack thriving, and if you need further space by night, you can place them by the roof. They’re rainproof with the lids snapped on.

Heating A Conversion Van Camping in a van can be freezing at times, as it was for us in the deserts of Arizona last iciness. We ongoing the van and cranked awake the heater after in a although, excluding only representing brief

. The danger of carbon monoxide poisoning is emphatically excessively enormous to donate the car running while you are sleeping. We and cooked to heat positive the van. Our propane camp heater burned fantastically spotless. Any epoch it was aloof, it was time to cook feast, breakfast, before tea. This heated positive the van nicely.

Yet again, for the reason that of carbon monoxide, I wouldn’t suggest ever sleeping with a propane burner going. At rest, on occasion a quick warm-up is all you need more willingly than you crawl underneath the blankets for the night.

The skeleton in the cupboard to heating a conversion van when camping is to give up. Enjoy meal calculate warm-ups, excluding except you have electric clout, I don’t identify of a safe feature to heat a van all darkness. Instead, you can fervor yourselves. Wear out warmhearted clothing. Be sold for more blankets than you ponder you’ll need.

Warm up a thermos bottle chock-full of spicy auburn apiece darkness, hence it will be waitng for you in the morning. You get to enthusiastic the van when you make it, and warm cheery yourselves drinking it for breakfast.

Advantages Of Conversion Van Camping

Traveling and camping in a conversion van costs less than in an RV. The early expense is a lot with a reduction of proviso you procure old, as we did, and the cost of forceful it is substantialy less.

We averaged 18 miles per gallon by our last cross-country outing. The majority recreational vehicles are lucky to get semi of that, and they’re vastly classy to maintain. Compared with tent camping, a van is much extra comfortable. Unchanging rider you backpack, you are perhaps up for grabs to drive a number of kind of car to where you get.

Amid a van, you can extend inside proviso it starts to rain. If you’re backpacking a long feature as of home, you can save resting on motels on the drive to and from the trailhead. Camping can be present further comfortable in an RV, except not in every one of habits.

It’s careful, on behalf of example, to park somewhere. We’ve taken naps in parking lots, and nobody was the wiser, thanks to decorated windows, curtains, and the inconspicuousness of a van.

By the side of a emancipated camp in Florida we got the finest smudge, proceeding a bank overlooking Lake Talquin, since our van was small sufficient to able-bodied there, not like on the whole of the RVs.

It’s vast to live bright to drive wherever. In the conversion van, camping wherever we are when it gets bleak is no glitch. To finish, approximately better RVs drag a car roughly since the cumbersome assemble a detailed ago isn’t practical representing daily forceful. Our coversion van is a subsequent inland With our crucial vehicle for shopping or free to work. With the purpose of’s flexibilty.

The Ultimate On The Road Family: From Alaska To Argentina

You will want to read all about this incredible family of 7! They are presently on an adventure: driving in their veggie powered truck from Alaska to Argentina.,, 5 children in tow!

I suggest subscribing to their website so you can follow along this epic adventure.

from: http://www.discovershareinspire.com/2011/11/6-months-on-the-road-what-it-cost...

It was April 26, 2011 when we left Homer, Alaska to begin our Epic Expedition – a road trip from Alaska to Argentina. It’s been just about six months on the road. So how is it going? How much has it cost us and how far have we driven?

Here’s the breakdown:
Total Miles Driven – 17,253

Meetups: in Gilbert, Arizona Camping in Southeastern Arizona Bisbee, Arizona Tombstone, Arizona Crossed the Mexico Border – Douglas, AZ/Agua Priete Camped in Northern Mexico Chihuahua, Mexico Durango, Mexico Our truck breaks down somewhere in Mexico Chapala, Mexico Ajijic, Mexico Jocotepec, Mexico Isla Mezcala, Mexico Orphanage in Chapala, Mexico Homer, Alaska

Read all about their adventures and watch their videos on their website here: http://www.discovershareinspire.com/2011/11/6-months-on-the-road-what-it-cost...

Meet a Family Who Lives On The Road

from: http://www.frugalmom.net/blog/home/rv-living-meet-a-family-who-sold-their-hom...

Is RV Living for You? Have you ever dreamed of selling your home so you could travel the country with your family in an RV?

This idea of RV living has always appealed to me and it’s a hot topic on KOA’s Around the Campfire Community. I love the idea of simplifying life, enjoying more family time, and seeing the country. And that’s exactly what Mariza and her family recently did.

I met Mariza through her blog My Own Version. In her blog, Mariza shares what life is like on the road with her husband and 2 daughters. This week Mariza answered some of my questions about their new life.

What is RV Living really like?
1. What made you decide to sell your home and live in an RV?

We got tired of living for our things and wanted to make a change. At first we didn’t know what type of change we wanted to make. We knew we wanted to live more freely. We owned two houses and just the upkeep was time consuming and costly. We wanted a smaller place and at the same time we wanted to travel. RV living seemed like the best thing for us. The RV has been ordered!

2. How has the transition from having a home base to living on the road been?

I thought that there was going to be some kind of transition period and that maybe it was going to be hard in the beginning. We’ve been in our RV for 2 months and it’s been lovely! We think that 365 sq ft is the perfect size for us to live.

3. What is the best part of living in an RV and what is the hardest part?

The best part is the upkeep. There’s minimal maintenance. My husband and I no longer spend the weekends maintaining a large home.

The hardest part…
I get that question a lot and I haven’t been able to come up with an answer. Since I had already done my research I kind of knew what to expect.

For me, living in an RV is much easier than living in a big house. I tell my husband every day that I love our home. I decided that I prefer to spend quality time with my girls than organizing and cleaning a big house. Living in our RV gives me so much free time to do what I love.

4. How do you receive mail?

We use a mail forwarding service called Escapees. We get our mail there and then whenever we ask them, they mail it to our current location.

5. Are you guys able to work while traveling, or is this something you saved up for?

We are able to work while traveling. My husband and I work out of the home and we did this before we moved into the RV. That was one of the reasons we thought we should live life more freely. My husband and I were already working out of the home and we were already homeschooling.

6. What is a “day in the life” like on the road?

A normal day goes like this: During the week, normally my husband works out of our home. I work before the girls wake up The girls and I have breakfast We go for a walk We do circle time and school (Sometimes we have a guest and do school with them in our RV) We have lunch all together The girls have resting time in their room while I work on a project The girls and I go to a class, play the violin, do handwork, the girls play outside while I knit outside and watch them play We have dinner all together We go for a bike ride all together Play board games with the girls or go to the pool We prepare the girls for bed and tuck them in My husband and I chat or watch a movie I continue working if I have a project End of the day So far it’s been wonderful. I know that living in an RV is not for everyone, but it is for us. Our girls love it! We get to spend more time together and exploring and riding bikes. The time that we used to spend taking care of a big house, we now spend it with each other enjoying each other’s company and laughing and having fun together. Thank you Mariza for giving us a glimpse into your life! Happy trails to you and your beautiful family!

To learn more about RV living, visit Mariza’s blog: My Own Version of Life. http://myownversion.com/

Living Like A King On $11000/yr

from: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/alpha-consumer/2011/10/19/the-secret-to-l...

Our last story on frugal living, “The Secret to Living Well on $20,000 a Year,” stirred up some heated comments, many of which argued that $20,000 a year represents a king’s ransom.

“Someone should do an article on how to live on less than $10,000 per year. I am a single mother who is doing just that,” wrote Rici of Wyoming. An anonymous commenter from Texas wrote, “[I’m] not impressed. I live on $8,796 a year.” “I am retired and living on less than $1,000 a month [from] Social Security,” wrote Liz Ortiz of Colorado.

Glenn Morrissette, 42, wrote in to say that he lives on just $11,000 a year, and he does it by living full-time in an RV. As a result, he pays no rent, needs no car, and can live wherever he wants. Unlike Joseph Fonseca, the writer we profiled in our “Living Well on $20,000 a Year” article, Morrissette has health insurance.

A professional musician, he can work by computer from any location. He might not have a family support, as the teacher living on $40,000 a year does, but we thought Morrissette’s story was interesting enough to share.

We spoke with Morrissette, who is currently in New Jersey, about his lifestyle, which he also describes on his blog, To Simplify.

Excerpts:
Why did you decide to live in an RV?
I had an apartment in Burbank and was the typical Los Angeles apartment dweller. I started to feel a strong desire to simplify my life. I had a garage full of stuff I never used, my closets were full, and I started to see that it was costing me money to have an apartment big enough to hold all the stuff I never use.

My initial plan was to scale back and move into a smaller apartment. Before long, I realized I didn’t need too much to be happy. I could fit into a small space. That’s when the RV idea occurred to me. I was just sitting in traffic and an RV pulled up. I said, “I could probably fit in that thing.” The more I looked into it, the more I realized how practical it would be.

For what I was paying for rent in LA, I could own my “house” free and clear and not pay rent, and own my car as well.

How do you stay under $11,000 a year?
The two key things that make it possible are not having rent or a mortgage payment. I own my RV, so that was an initial expense [of about $14,000], but I have no house or car payment. Gas is controllable; I don’t drive if I don’t want to.
Most months, I spend less than $300 on gas. I estimate that I save about $1,000 a month compared to what I was spending in LA.

What do you eat?
I eat pretty well. I don’t skimp on food. I eat a lot of grass-fed meats, fruits, and vegetables … some people call it the caveman diet. I go to farms, farmers markets, and health food stores. I probably spend about $250 a month on food. I could spend a lot less if I didn’t care about eating well.

Do you have health insurance?
Yes. I’m self-employed so I purchase my own plan. I have a high-deductible plan and pay $80 per month. It would be even cheaper if I was 28. I don’t understand young people who say, “I can’t afford health insurance.” Last year, my appendix ruptured, and the insurance was a life-saver. I learned my lesson.

What about clothes?
I’m a pretty basic jeans and T-shirt kind of guy. I don’t have to go to the office, so I don’t need a wardrobe. I have nine to 10 shirts and a couple pairs of jeans. I do have a suit so I can get dolled up when I have to, but my normal wardrobe is pretty minimal. I do one load of laundry every week, and I don’t see the point of owning more clothes than I can do in one load of laundry.

Do you spend money on entertainment?
I don’t go out much at all. I prefer the food I make to what I get in restaurants. More often than not, I’m disappointed. I’m pretty health-conscious and I want my food to be real food, so I’m content eating what I make. The idea of spending $30 at a restaurant—that seems like four to five days' worth of food to me. Years ago, I ate out every single meal. I’m kicking myself now, if only I had invested that money instead. I’m not a big drinker, although I drink somewhat socially. I’m a pretty simple guy. Music is my life. Even if I’m not working, if I have a free day, I will spend a big chunk doing music. It’s a profession and a hobby.

Do you splurge on anything?
The food I eat. I don’t feel like I’m skimping at all. It’s a form of health insurance to me. And I just try to put myself in interesting places. I’m surprised how easy it is to do that. A lot of stuff is free out there. There’s a lot of beautiful scenery in this country and it doesn’t cost anything just to park. You can just drive into a national forest and live there for two weeks. I always try to give myself great real estate, whether it’s by an ocean, a lake, or in the center of a cool little town.

So I always have a great front yard, real estate that people would pay millions of dollars for, and it doesn’t cost me anything. I’m pretty frugal otherwise, and I don’t miss it. I used to be part of the whole consumerist cycle, buying stuff I didn’t need, and I don’t do that anymore. It’s liberating. I can maximize my savings.

That’s true freedom, to get to the point where I can say no to work anytime I want because I have a big enough nest egg. I’m not there yet, but that’s my goal.

Do you have a retirement account?
Yes, I’m an avid investor. I guard my nest egg like crowned jewels. But I don’t see myself ever retiring. I love what I do. I’d much rather do what I love and live small, and enjoy life.

Twitter: @alphaconsumer

Tips For Living On The Road

from: http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2011/10/09/5-road-tested-tips-from-rv-rookie/

A few things might wake you up in the middle of the night the first time you climb under the covers inside an RV.

Fearing that you forgot to engage the parking brake and are in danger of rolling down the hill to your death, for one. (You did, and you are.)
Thinking someone left the light on in the bathroom and wondering whether that will drain the RV's battery by morning. (They did, but it didn't.)
Hearing campers breaking the sacred "quiet after 9 p.m." rule and imagining they'll get busted. (They did.)

Wondering if the bacon and eggs you bought for tomorrow morning's breakfast are now, effectively, toast, because you'd been told that the fridge will mysteriously stop working if the RV is parked on even the slightest incline. (They are.)

Funny, I'd spent half my life dreaming about setting off in an RV for parts unknown and maintaining perfectly level appliances never once figured into the fantasy.

To me, RVing was simply the ultimate escape route. Maybe that's because my early family vacations revolved around campgrounds and car trips. Or maybe because buying an RV is the landlocked states' version of saving up for a sailboat.

It's a vacation home wherever you want it, whenever you want it. It's freedom and security in equal measure. It's Lewis and Clark with a V-8 engine.

Still, in the weeks leading to my maiden RV voyage, my anxiety was rising almost as fast as gasoline prices. The sheer size of the vehicle--and the fact that it would be filled with cutlery and combustible fuels--grew scarier by the minute.

To quell the panic, I studied online forums for RV enthusiasts, campground-review sites, and the orientation video on the RV-rental website (twice).

And I brought backup: Lindsay and Lola, a couple of friends I've known since college who have a generous way of seeing disasters as adventures. They tried to distract me by focusing on our packing priorities: hiking gear vs. lawn games, SPF 15 or 30. Not that it helped.

ROAD-TESTED TIP #1:
"Use an RV-specific route planner on a GPS. It'll factor in overhead clearance and other restrictions, such as which roads, bridges, and tunnels won't allow propane tanks through." --Richard Coon, President, Recreational Vehicle Industry Association

And yet, when we arrived at the Cruise America rental lot in Durham, N.C., I started to calm down, in part because a petite 20-something gal handed me the keys, and I figured that if she could pilot a big rig, then maybe I could, too.

We got a few simple pointers from the RV folks: Pull far into intersections before making a turn. Leave lots of room for braking. Always use a spotter when you back up. Drive-through restaurants are just not worth the risk.

We learned when to use battery power, propane, shoreline electricity, and our generator; how to restart a dead battery; the necessity of turning off the propane tank before refueling; how to heat water for showers and how to tell when the water supply is nearly depleted; and how to level out the rig with a pair of two-by-four boards if our campsite is on a slant.

And we learned the finer points of emptying the holding tanks--a polite way of saying draining the toilet--a task that quickly supplanted merging onto the highway as my most dreaded challenge.

"Once you get the hose screwed on--and make sure you screw it on really tight--then open the valves and walk away," said Tommy, our orientation instructor. "Or run. I've gotten wet feet more times than I like to recall."

The girls and I made a pact to use the campgrounds' rest areas whenever possible and added latex gloves to the top of our shopping list. Then we took a few trial spins around the parking lot, and with Lindsay in the navigator's seat and Lola on loose-objects duty in the back, we headed into the great wide open.

First came the rattle. With every bump in the road, each cup, dish, and saucepan in our kitchen cabinets shuddered like a beat-up shopping cart being pushed down a gravel road. (I learned later that putting paper towels between the plates helps immensely.)

Then came the thuds. Turn left, and one set of drawers would slide open with a thwak. Turn right, and another drawer would do the same. We were already learning that RV trips are all-hands-on-deck endeavors.

In addition to navigating, Lindsay was my second set of eyes for lane changes and would become my second-in-command for ticking off setup and breakdown duties.

Lola wrangled drawers and cabinets, stood lookout at the rear window for minor back-up missions, and became galley chef for the length of the trip. "This is like a ropes course," Lindsay said after our first refueling stop, with its propane-off, propane-on, secure-all-items drill. "Maybe we should do some trust falls at the beach."

Six hours, three pit stops, and one possible bird collision (none of us wanted to check the grille for confirmation) later, we arrived at Frisco Campground, one of four in the area run by the National Park Service. We had just enough time to practice back-in parking before nightfall. That's when I realized my first RV mistake:

Anywhere we wanted to go, we'd have to take the RV, repositioning it each time we returned. (The pros either bring bikes or tow a regular car--often referred to as a dinghy--behind the RV.)

So we strapped ourselves back in to fetch dinner in Hatteras Village, five miles away, and performed the parking routine again an hour later--this time in the dark, with the girls wielding flashlights like traffic batons.

ROAD-TESTED TIP #2:
"We try to bring or rent bicycles to visit nearby areas while camping. It beats packing up the RV to move it to a trailhead for hiking, only to find out there is no room to park a larger vehicle! Many times, you can access a 'bikes only' trail or (at the Grand Canyon, for example) trails for shuttle buses and bikes only." --Debby Schlesinger, BT reader, Grenada Hills, Calif.

To celebrate--not just the parking but surviving the first day--we split a bottle of convenience-store wine around the RV's dinette, the only spot where all three of us could sit facing each other. "I've had worse apartments than this," I said, looking around. "Definitely worse kitchens."

The furnishings were surprisingly modern--navy fabric upholstery and matching window coverings, new-looking appliances and cabinets. And even though I assumed we'd overpacked, there was plenty of unused storage space in the RV's dozen cabinets.

More impressive to me was the fact that I could walk around the whole cabin standing at full height, without crouching or hitting my head on anything. That was, until bedtime. I called the bunk over the cab--possibly an unconscious compulsion to stay near the driver's seat.

Maneuvering my limbs into the crawl-space-size cubby guaranteed a bumped elbow, knee, or forehead with every entrance and exit. The girls shared the double bed in back, since converting the dinette to a third bed would have required clearing the piles of maps, snack-food containers, and bug repellent cans that had already accumulated on the tabletop.

Calling out our good nights and cracking jokes in the dark, it was the closest thing to an adult sleepover I could imagine--more intimate than sharing a hotel room, and sillier, too. See more on glamping (it's short for glamorous camping)

Seeing the Frisco campground in daylight--just after sunrise, in fact, thanks to the chatter of the campground's early risers--provided a fresh perspective after that fitful first night's sleep.

Orchestrating our morning routines was easier than I'd thought. The toilet and the shower--one of those flimsy jobs with a handheld sprayer that tumbles readily from its mount--were bundled in one closet-size room, about four feet by four feet, tops. (Its door was inches away from where Lindsay and Lola slept, another reason to make sparing use of its facilities.)

Still, the teensy bathroom sink was just outside the shower/toilet stall; at the slightly larger kitchen sink a few feet away, two people could brush their teeth simultaneously. Lindsay was the first one out, conferring with the park ranger and plotting the day's activities (hit the beach, visit a lighthouse, find lunch).

The ocean's proximity redeemed the transportation issue. After all, who needs a car when you can walk to the beach? The geography of the Outer Banks--a 130-mile stretch of narrow barrier islands, less than a mile wide for much if its length--was the primary reason I'd chosen this spot for my trial run.

There are 20-plus campgrounds along the strip, none much more than a mile away from the Atlantic Ocean or Pamlico Sound. At Frisco, $20 a night buys you peace, quiet, and your own little slice of unlandscaped beachfront real estate. What that $20 doesn't buy you: heated campground showers or any way to charge a cell phone. Hence, one night would be our limit.

Read the rest of this story here: http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2011/10/09/5-road-tested-tips-from-rv-rookie/

How To Live Well With $11,000/ Year

from: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/alpha-consumer/2011/10/19/the-secret-to-l...

Our last story on frugal living, “The Secret to Living Well on $20,000 a Year,” stirred up some heated comments, many of which argued that $20,000 a year represents a king’s ransom. “Someone should do an article on how to live on less than $10,000 per year. I am a single mother who is doing just that,” wrote Rici of Wyoming.

An anonymous commenter from Texas wrote, “[I’m] not impressed. I live on $8,796 a year.” “I am retired and living on less than $1,000 a month [from] Social Security,” wrote Liz Ortiz of Colorado. Glenn Morrissette, 42, wrote in to say that he lives on just $11,000 a year, and he does it by living full-time in an RV.

As a result, he pays no rent, needs no car, and can live wherever he wants. Unlike Joseph Fonseca, the writer we profiled in our “Living Well on $20,000 a Year” article, Morrissette has health insurance. A professional musician, he can work by computer from any location.

He might not have a family support, as the teacher living on $40,000 a year does, but we thought Morrissette’s story was interesting enough to share. We spoke with Morrissette, who is currently in New Jersey, about his lifestyle, which he also describes on his blog,

To Simplify. Excerpts:
Why did you decide to live in an RV
I had an apartment in Burbank and was the typical Los Angeles apartment dweller. I started to feel a strong desire to simplify my life. I had a garage full of stuff I never used, my closets were full, and I started to see that it was costing me money to have an apartment big enough to hold all the stuff I never use.

My initial plan was to scale back and move into a smaller apartment. Before long, I realized I didn’t need too much to be happy. I could fit into a small space. That’s when the RV idea occurred to me. I was just sitting in traffic and an RV pulled up. I said, “I could probably fit in that thing.”

The more I looked into it, the more I realized how practical it would be. For what I was paying for rent in LA, I could own my “house” free and clear and not pay rent, and own my car as well. How do you stay under $11,000 a year?

The two key things that make it possible are not having rent or a mortgage payment. I own my RV, so that was an initial expense [of about $14,000], but I have no house or car payment. Gas is controllable; I don’t drive if I don’t want to. Most months, I spend less than $300 on gas. I estimate that I save about $1,000 a month compared to what I was spending in La. What do you eat?
Read therest of the story here: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/alpha-consumer/2011/10/19/the-secret-to-l...

Truck Tents: Avoid Sore Backs

from: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/10/prweb8851350.htm

The number one complaint among campers, is waking up stiff and sore from having slept on the cold, hard ground, or worse- a cold hard rock! Truck tents are a simple, cost-effective solution.

The Sportz Truck Tent 57890 is a popular model that sets up easily thanks to a color coded pole and sleeve system. Inside there is over five feet, five inches of headroom, two large mesh windows and ceiling vents, as well as a patented sewn in floor.

The various Sportz Truck Tent models fit such vehicles as GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Silverado, Dodge Ram, Ford F Series, Nissan Titan, and Toyota Tundra. Larger tents that work well with SUVs, mini vans, sports wagons, and hatchbacks are also available.

The roomy 10’x10’x7’ Sportz SUV Tent 84000 has plenty of room for mom, dad, and kids. For those campers who prefer to travel light or by motorcycle a Sportz PAC fits the bill. The Sportz X-Plorer PAC 95600 comes with a tent, rain fly, sleeping bag and stool.

All of the items pack up into one heavy duty bag that can be thrown on the back of a motorcycle. The Sportz X-Treme PAC 9400 similarly comes with one tent, rain fly, two stools, two sleeping bags, and one carrying bag.

Air mattresses, screen rooms, extra rain flies and straps, as well as heavy duty carrying bags can also be purchased through the site. “I have a passion for camping. It’s an economical way to get out into nature,” said Peterson.

“I’m looking forward to the potential this can have in terms of supplying people a means of enjoying the outdoors and supplying a good income for my family.” Tents4Trucks.com is a customer service focused company.

Each tent and accessory has been screened for quality, durability, and affordability, and is backed by a satisfaction guarantee. Orders are filled and shipped promptly so eager campers can use them on their next outing. Feedback is always welcome; in fact, Peterson prides himself on his ability to personally answer all customer queries in a timely manner.

For additional product information and reviews, visit the site’s brand new blog, http://www.CTRShippingBlog.com. Peterson frequently updates the interactive platform with camping tips and personal anecdotes.

About the Company: www.Tents4Trucks.com
– a division of Choose The Right Shopping Online, Inc. – is owned and operated by web entrepreneur John Peterson.

Eco RVs - Converting Your Travel Trailer to Solar Power

By Sophia Rodriguez

Do you want to know how to go about converting your travel trailer to solar power? In today's economy and with the state of the planet, eco RVs are becoming more and more popular.

While many of today's travel trailers, camper vans and motorhomes can include such luxuries as air conditioning, television with 100 channels and microwaves, they do tend to use lots of electric power to run all these fun features.

Solar panels to the rescue! Solar panels for your RV can feed your hungry motorhome with free energy channeled from the sun and converted into super clean and quiet energy, regardless of where you are.

Although many modern RVs are equipped with a generator to run the appliances when boondock camping away from the grid, you don`t always want to hear a loud generator, especially when trying to hear different bird calls or the sound of the creek rushing by in the great outdoors. Never mind the price of gas to run the generator...

There are many solar RV kits on the market today that will supplement your power with clean energy, or you can choose to build your own if you are the do it yourself type. Recreational vehicle solar panels are usually mounted on the roof of the motorhome to collect the most sun energy.

The panel will normally be mounted on the roof or truck bed, and many companies sell a RV Solar Electric Kit that can make the installation of the panels easier. Some kits are specially designed for your brand of RV and you can also buy tiltable brackets that you can angle towards the sun when you are parked.

Of course, you will need to analyze how much power you will need and how often you will need it in order to determine how many solar panels you will need. Your RV solar panels will supplement your power as you travel and keep your batteries charged up and ready to go when you need them.

There are many online calculators that allow you to simply type in your needs and the calculator will let you know how much power you require. Whether you need to warm up supper in the microwave, recharge your cell phone, run your computer or recharge batteries, your solar panels will get the job done.

While it is unrealistic to think that solar panels will run an air conditioner, a hot water tank and a microwave all at the same time, RV solar panels will definitely make life more pleasant when you are camping in the wilderness and wish to enjoy the great outdoors in peace while still enjoying the comforts of home.

If you want to find out about the cheapest way to equip your rv with solar power, find out how to make your own solar panels. This video explains everything. You can have your cake and eat it too. Eliminate your hydro bills in 2011 and contribute to the greening of planet earth! Click here to find out more:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Eco-RVs---Converting-Your-Travel-Trailer-to-Solar-P...

How To Find Cheap Campsites

By Sophia Rodriguez

If you are wondering where to find the most relaxing cheap campsites, come along for a tour while we explore the answer to that question.

Camping is an amazing antidote to cure the stresses of everyday life or the stress accumulated from a particularly stressful period in your life.

Do you need to heal or do you simply need an escape?
Relaxing is a subjective thing. For one person, relaxing could mean in the middle of nowhere in a gorgeous natural setting, all alone in nature, free to think and reorganize one's life.

For another person, relaxing could mean in an organized free or cheap campground with the company of other like minded individuals gathering for a fire at night. Whichever style you prefer or if you would like to combine both camping settings in your adventure, that would probably be ideal for most people.

Luckily, there are many resources for people wanting cheap or free campsites in the USA and Canada, one example is that you can camp overnight for free at most Walmarts across the USA and Canada. Before telling you how to find these cheap or free campsites, I must warn you!

These are not fully serviced lots nor are there any hookups, services or entertainment. This is basic camping. This is no frills. Are you ready for this? Do you think you could enjoy roughing it from the comfort of your small RV or camper van?

Since most rvs and camper vans have electric generators, solar power, water, shower, hot water tanks and toilet facilities, you will not have to rough it all that much...you can still run your laptop and have lights and whatever small appliances you like.

Many people have found that a full time camping lifestyle is ideal to relax and just enjoy life. Are you itching to go camping along Canadian and American highways to have a great adventure and discover this beautiful and majestic country of ours.

Camping is an awesome way to escape the stress of daily life and to live for cheap...as long as you are very organized. Discover new people and places. It you long to go camping long term...for a month, two or more at a time, you can experience a truly fulfilling and adventurous life unlike the life lived when working 9-5 and cooped up in a house the rest of the time.

Be one with nature, encourage your best self to shine by taking a sabbatical from your stressful life and just go camping. Unplug your television, shut out the world, curl up in a warm bed behind a closed door with this ebook loaded on your laptop and travel to a new destination: forever.

K Or you can print out a copy and take it with you anywhere and learn at your leisure. Cheap Travel Lifestyle Information If you would like to read more about cheap camping, check out my blog: Cheap Camping Blog Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sophia_Rodriguez

The Best Foods To Pack For A Long Camping Trip

If you are going camping and are looking for the best foods to pack for a long camping trip, read on...

Although this question seems straight forward, there are many possible answers to what are the best foods for a long camping trip. The answer will depend on many factors.

Are you backpacking, car camping or traveling in a camper van or RV? Do you eat meat or are you vegetarian? Will you eat just about anything as long as it tastes good or do you like to eat mostly healthy foods with a few treats in between?

Since I am a vegetarian who likes to eat healthy foods, my answers will reflect this way of eating. I will discuss the best foods for a long backpacking trip as well as foods you can bring on a long trip across country in a camper van or RV.

The Best Foods For A Long Backpacking Trip For a long backpacking trip, you will need food that gives you lots of energy and that keeps well. If you know what types of plants are edible close to your campsite, all the better since you will be getting fresh food that will spice up your camping trip.

Here are some examples of what you could take with you:
1) dried fruit such as cherries, pineapple, mango and apple 2) banana or plantain chips 3) a variety of protein bars such as Vega, Luna or Clif 4) trail mix 5) soy nuts 6) a variety of nuts 7) granola and dried soy mylk 8) foil packed meals such as Indian food that can be warmed in hot water 9) quick cooking pasta and vacuum packed flavored tofu with seasoning 10) tofu jerky

The Best Foods For A Long RV or Camper Van Trip Depending on how much space you have and your preferences will dictate how many or how few of the following items you can bring.

The idea is to inspire you to make a list of possible meals based on the items you bring so here we go...

Non -perishable Items
1) Flour,sugar & baking powder (to make biscuits, pancakes,pizza dough, bannock,etc...) 2) Granola or other dried cereals 3) Peanut butter and /or almond butter 4) Powdered milk 5) Dried pasta 6) Quick cooking rice 7) Spices, condiments and flavorings 8) Canned soups and chili 9) Canned beans 10) Canned pasta sauce & gravy 11) Trail mix, nuts, seeds & dried fruit 12) Popcorn and marshmallows 13) Cooking and salad oil 14) Airtight packed silken tofu 15) Syrup or honey Perishable foods 1) Eggs 2) Cheese 3) Veggie meats 4) Breads 5) Dairy or soy milk 6) Fruits & vegetables

Do you long to take off on a long camping trip. Live the adventure and discover a joyful way of life.

So, right now, turn off your television, shut out the world, curl up in a warm bed behind a closed door with this ebook loaded on your laptop and travel to a new destination: forever. Or you can print out a copy and take it with you anywhere and learn at your leisure.
Cheap Travel Lifestyle Information http://www.cheapcampinglifestyle.info

Van Camping 101

from: http://campingstove.all4campings.com/your-guide-to-van-camping/

Why van camping?
It certainly doesn’t give you the luxury of life in an RV, but then you don’t have the discomfort of sleeping in a tent, either. It’s cheap compared to an RV, and you can go places they cannot. That’s why we spent more than 25 nights sleeping in our conversion van last year.

Van Camping 101
You need a system of organization to keep your space inside the van livable. We noticed after our first long trip that we had brought many things we never used. We learned to be more efficient after that. We also learned how to keep the space open, by using plastic storage tubs. Not only do they stack well, but if you need more room at night, you can put them on the roof, because they’re rainproof with the lids snapped on.

You have to make your van into something that’s useable for you, especially if it’s going to be your residence for days or weeks at a time. This meant, for my wife and I, having space to move around. Removing the two middle seats gave us enough space for dressing or cooking. A bench-seat in back folds out into a comfortable bed, so we were all set for van camping.

Van camping can be cold, as it was for us in the deserts of Arizona last winter. We ran the van and cranked up the heater once in a while, but only for brief periods. Carbon monoxide poisoning is just too possible, so don’t leave the car running while you are sleeping.

Cooking a meal heats up the van, and our propane camp stove burned very clean. When it was cold, it was time to cook dinner, breakfast, or coffee. Cooking inside heats up a van, but again, because of carbon monoxide, don’t sleep with a burner going. Sometimes, though, a quick warm-up is all you need before you crawl under the blankets for the night.

What’s the secret to heating a conversion van when camping? Giving up was our solution. Just enjoy meal time warm-ups, but unless you have electric power, I don’t know of a safe way to heat a van all night. Heat yourselves instead. Use warm clothing, and bring more blankets than you think you’ll need. Fill a thermos bottle full of hot coffee each night, so it will be waiting in the morning. You warm the van making it, and warm up yourselves drinking it for breakfast.

Van Camping Advantages
Van camping obviously is cheaper than RV camping. Initial cost is a lot less if you buy used, as we did. The cost of driving a van is substantialy less – we averaged 18 miles per gallon on our last cross-country trip. An average recreational vehicle is lucky to get half of that, and will be very expensive to maintain.

A van is much more comfortable than tent camping. Also, if you do backpack, you’ll likely drive some kind of car to wherever you go. Use a van, and you can come inside if it starts to rain. When backpacking a long way from home, you can save on motels on the drive to and from the trailhead.

One great thing about vans is that you can park anywhere. We’ve napped in parking lots, and nobody was the wiser, thanks to the inconspicuousness of a van. We got the best spot at a free campground in Florida, on a bank overlooking Lake Talquin, because our van was small enough to fit there, unlike the RVs.

You can drive anywhere. With our conversion van, camping wherever we were when it got dark was no problem. We also went down desert trails that no RV could handle. That flexibility and freedom is what we liked most about van camping.

To read more about van camping and to find camp stoves and other camping gear, go here:
http://campingstove.all4campings.com/your-guide-to-van-camping/

Photo credit: http://www.hecktictravels.com/irish-photo-potpourri

The Ups & Downs of Full Time RV Living

from: http://www.cheapest-places-to-retire.com/rv-living-fulltime

RV living fulltime is a relatively new concept that is taking many by storm.

While some retirees find this sort of living inconvenient and unpleasant, many others are finding that living full time in an RV has many advantages. It lowers costs and enables one to travel at will. Living full time in an RV has its advantages and disadvantages.

A person that is considering living full time in a motor home should weigh ups the pros and cons and see if this lifestyle is one that he or she would enjoy.

The Advantages of RV Fulltime Living

Many retirees have a limited pension. fulltime RV living enables one to save a considerable amount of money. While travel expenses are quite high, many other expenses are much lower than average.

It has been estimated that a couple living full time in an RV could live comfortably on a bit over $40,000 a year. A couple that really wants to save money could get by on only half this amount.

Full-time RV living enables one to travel at whim. One could travel to Mexico for low cost medical care and then travel back to a United States campground that is set up with electricity, plumbing and other amenities.

A retiree living in an RV would be able to stay in the Northern United States over the summer and then move south for the winter.

The Disadvantages of RV Living Fulltime

RV living has its inconveniences. While many campgrounds provide sewer, water and electrical hook-ups, one will still need to install a holding tank and hot water heater.

Clothes will need to be washed at a Laundromat or by hand. One will need to install either a generator or solar paneling in order to get electricity; the latter option is usually best as generators can be quite noisy and expensive.

Many retirees enjoy living in a community. Selling the home and moving into an RV is a wrench.

Friends and family will be left behind and while one can make new friends among other retirees at campgrounds, this takes time and it is not the same as being around the same friends all the time.

Conveniences such as limitless hot water and air conditioning are often out of the question. Appliances such as dishwashers, dish dryers and microwaves cannot be installed in an RV, so one will need to do without them.

A person that has medical problems may find that RV living fulltime does take its toll, especially if one stays in out of the way campgrounds. RV living fulltime is a lifestyle that is appealing to retirees who are relatively fit and in good shape.

RV Living And Making Money Online

from: http://cheap-rv-living.com/making-an-income-on-the-road/jobs-for-rvers-making...

Oh the dollar signs that flash in front of your eyes when you hear “make money online.” If it were only that easy.

This post has nothing to do with “get rich quick” schemes, but has everything to do with familiarizing you with all of the opportunities out there you might not know exist.

The basic three we are most familiar with are: selling products online, selling your skills online and sales blogs (or variations of this) where no product passes through your hands.

As this post grows, it will be very long and you will see many, many links to great sites to get familiarized with…so keep checking back! When we were starting out, we sure wish there was a site with all of these in one place…enjoy and have fun…

SELLING PRODUCTS ONLINE
Though there are other selling sites, the main ones we are referring to are Ebay and Amazon. Perhaps, like we do, you like to browse thrift stores for books, movies, antiques, designer clothing at a deep discount. When you find that “gem” you purchase it and list it on one of these sites. It does take time to learn to do it well, but there are plenty of resources out there to teach you the basics and you can start generating income rather quickly, if you know what items truly sell.

A bigger example of this would be someone who knows cars. Sites like Ebay Motors have tons of vehicle auctions – if you get one at a bargain, you can clean it up and sell it at a nice profit (this also holds true for rvs and other motorized items). The bottom line is you need to invest little and make a profit.

If you know all about rare books, antiques, vehicles, etc. you are miles ahead of the game and will do well with a little training on how to sell on these platforms mentioned above.

SELLING YOUR SKILLS ONLINE

Are you an excellent photographer? Do you make crafts or are you artistic? Are you good with computers or are you great with grammar and editing? There are so many opportunities/sites these days to sell your skills in the online world. Just keep in mind, though completely possible, getting the training on how to get your items noticed will take time.

You will need to research how to pick the right keywords and learn basic SEO (search engine optimization) tricks. It is the least fun part of the learning curve, but if you want to be found in the big online world, you will need to put aside time to train on how the internet works these days…and how buyers can find you

(hint: they won’t if you turn up on page 20 of a Google search). Many of these sites have forums that are there to guide you along the way.

BLOGGING – SALES BLOGS AND SIMILAR SITES

When we first started rving two years ago, we started a fun blog to keep our family posted on our daily lives. It was only late in 2010 when we discovered you can also have blogs geared to selling. Often referred to as affiliate marketing, the concept is you advertise company’s products on your blog, and if the customer buys a product you listed by clicking through to their site, you get a commission from that sale. It takes a long time to learn, but is a lot of fun.

The Freedom of Van Living

By Penny Espinoza

Last year was a pivotal time in my life. It was the year I finally set myself free: free of clutter, free of worry, free of the four walls that had contained and trapped me, and free of conforming to the life everyone thinks I should live.

I was tired, and we were restless, my husband had lost his job, and…initially we had thought “Oh no! What are we gonna do?! How will we pay for all of our ‘stuff’?!” We worried and stressed.

In the end, we decided not to pay for any of the stuff we'd been working endlessly to house. Instead, we sold it all and decided not to sign another lease with our landlord. The timing was right, since the house had been inherited by another owner. We’d grown fond of our landlords, though one had passed; spinning our future down an uncertain path. It was time to move on.

For months before my husband’s lay-off, I had felt compelled to start selling on eBay. Just about everything I hadn't used or worn in awhile went up for auction. The more I sold, the more I wanted to sell! And so I sold to my heart's content: anything and everything.

By the time we were jobless, I knew I wanted to sell it all. More importantly, I knew I wanted to travel and see God’s beautiful creations; see different places, meet new people, smell a new scent in the air.

I had been trying for nearly four years to track down the owner of an abandoned Classic Volkswagen Westfalia Camper Van that was parked in someone’s backyard, just down the street from my Mother-in-law's.

At last, there was a For Rent sign posted in the yard where the van was parked behind the house. I called the number, and spoke with an English gentleman; he turned out to be the owner of the van. I told him I wasn't calling about the house, I just wanted to buy the van in the backyard. He laughed, but quickly named his price.

Somehow, my reality was coming to me. I wanted to travel cross-country in that very van. After some doing and much selling, we gladly sacrificed two ‘younger’ Germans (a 740 i L and 325 i C), for the sweet pleasure of acquiring one ‘older’…much less inhibited German.

It was like my freedom had been delivered right to my door the day our classic Westy came home via a flat- bed wrecker. Even though our van would start and run, we didn't want to take any chances on damaging her further; not knowing what had been left to go bad.

It was like the best Christmas ever, ten times over. I was beyond excited to know she was actually ours. I had fallen in love with our van. To me, she was our ticket out of the rat-race. My mind was alive with dreams and my heart with hope. I felt like a kid once again.

The first day we had her (though it was no easy task) we washed and scrubbed her, sweeping out the cobwebs, giving our classic Westfalia a new look. From that day on, we called her Peniki (a nickname our family had given us—a mixing of mine and my husband’s name).

To us, she was part of the family that had consisted of me, my husband, my two adult kids, our little girl, and Blanca…our K-9 kid. I knew Peniki was our way to living ‘off the grid’, as a family.

Of course, we were met with doubt and criticism from our family and friends. Fortunately, we didn't care what they thought about our grand plan. They hadn't been the prisoners of our bills and a lack of steady income. We stepped out in faith with the Lord.

Somehow, I just knew it was what we must do, against all odds and acceptance. It was exciting to think of living our lives out there…in our van, waking up to see a different sunrise, somewhere down the road, self-sufficient and not so reliant on shore power. Never could one feel so free.

I come from the philosophy that nothing worth having in life is ever easy. I can look back over the last year and realize…this life we chose has certainly not been easy.

Was it worth it?
I can undoubtedly say “Yes! It was so worth seeing the sunset in the Florida Keys, the Grand National Forests, waking-up to a lovely sunrise over the ocean or tucked into the Grandfather pines of our nation’s protected land.

Yes! It was completely worth sifting my toes into new sand; the likes of which I’d never-before known, and seeing the smiling face of our little girl…waddling in her toddler way…down to the beach, or nodding-off in a hammock with her Daddy…by the water’s edge.” I wouldn't change it for any size ‘house of four walls’, or a line of the most luxurious automobiles; not for all the tea in China!

What we lived…what we experienced was worth more than money can buy. It was priceless! As I believe, the best things in life are free. God’s land is there for the viewing and enjoying… the caring for and coveting. We choose one or the other; conforming…or not. I’ll choose ‘not’ any day. It is a ‘free’ country, so they say. Shouldn't life be the same?

My answer goes without saying. God Bless…and “I’ll see you down the road.”

Food Items We Carry on Van:
Dairy:
Powdered Milk Mix for Baby, Butter in Tub or Sticks (if Ice Box is chilled), Eggs, Cheese (small pkg if Ice Box is chilled). Misc Items: mayo (small jar), Bread, Hot Dogs (if Ice Box is chilled), Ranch in non-refrigerated single-serve cups, mustard, ketchup (in packets or small container), honey.

Necessities: Water (Gallon Drinking Water, 7 Gallons in Van Sink Holding Tank), Ice in Ice Box (16 lbs lasts about 2 days…at best)

Dry Goods:
Peanut Butter & Saltine Crackers, Trail Mix, Ramen Noodles or Cup o’ Noodle, Rice, Instant Pancake Mix (just add water), small container syrup, Instant Oatmeal, Instant Mash Potatoes, Cooking Oil, Olive Oil, Flour & Sugar (small supply of each), Dry Pasta, Dry Legumes (beans), Jar Sauces (small supply), can tomato sauce, coffee…coffee…coffee (and decaf too), tea (loose or bags), various spices such as curry powder, garlic powder, sea salt/pepper, Italian seasoning, chili powder, all-purpose seasoning.

Fruit & Veggies:
Dry Potatoes, Bag of Apples, Onions (1 or 2), dry Carrots, Avocado, Canned Veggies (we limit b/c of weight), a few Pears, 1 or 2 Tomatoes (if Ice Box is chilled), Grapes, frozen peas & carrots (if Ice box is chilled).

Canned Meat, Poultry, Fish: small can chili, Vienna Sausages, Spam, potted meat, sardines, smoked oysters, smoked scallops, tuna fish, chicken in can, etc.

Other Necessities:
Kitchen:
Camp stove, Extra cans of propane, Paper Towels, Foil or plastic wrap, 2-3 small cooking pans, Bowls, Plates, Flatware, Kitchen tool caddy, 2 Thermoses, Small Igloo Water Cooler w/ Spigot (for extra ice and cold water), Small collapsible cooler, Various glues/hooks/clips, Portable 110 cooler/warmer, Trash bags, Reusable shopping bags, Several small lighters and 1 or 2 big ones,

Bathroom:
Solar shower, Coleman port-a-potti, Shower/Potty tent, Toilet paper, Bath/shower supplies, Wet wipes, Tooth brush/tooth paste, 4 to 5 towels, Washcloths, Extra blankets/pillowcases/sheets, Female stuff, Sunscreens & bug sprays or wipes, After sun aloe gel, Lotions (because I like to have soft skin),

Clothes: Clothes according to season (I ALWAYS pack too much), Spare off- season clothing, Rain parka & boots, Small collapsible back-pack,

Family: Drive away room tent, Bikes, Baby stroller/trailer, Fold-up camp chairs, Various chargers for phones/laptop/cameras, Small electric heater, A few books, Playpen for baby, Air-up floaties for baby, Life Jacket/swimsuit for baby, A few small toys for Baby, Portable high- chair for baby, Blow up ducky tub for baby, Blow up baby pool,

Electrical/Entertainment: Flash lights, Battery powered lantern, Extra batteries, Small solar panel (working on an upgrade), Two extra on-board batteries (1 deep cycle charged while driving & 1 regular battery for solar charging), 400 Watt power inverter, smaller power inverter for charging directly while driving, Three socket 110 connector on deep cycle battery, 110 clip-on fan, Small light for night viewing of maps or compass, Slim line CD player/clock radio, CD/DVD’s in pocket-book holder, Portable AC/DC DVD Player,

Tools/Van: Various tools, Extra parts & fuel line for van, Spare tire (of course), Various road maps, Compass, Emergency tin (matches, candles, knife, mini-light, etc), First-aid kit, Lock box, Free or Cheap

Read more about Penny's lifestyle and Camp Spots for Self-sustaining Family on their blog, Travels in a VW Hippie Van : http://cheapgreenrvliving.com/Family_IN_VW_Bushttp://mswrite1968.wordpress.com/

Rv Education on Awnings For Starters

This is just one of the topics to learn about on RV Education 101's :RV Awning Use, Care and Accessories. To learn more about Rv lessons, go here: http://www.rveducation101.com/cb_refer.htm?hop=ftfamily

RV Awning Use, Care and Accessories ...Plus how to install a window awning in six easy steps.

If you have been around RV’s, you have probably heard many horror stories about RV awning mishaps.

There was the camper who decided to leave the awning out while they headed to the beach for a couple of hours. When they returned to the campsite they discovered the awning hardware and fabric was on top of the RV, due to a strong gust of wind from a storm that suddenly moved in.

There was the camper, which in this case was me, who was driving down the Interstate and the awning tried to unfurl as we were traveling. In my own self defense it was because of a defective awning lock on our new RV at the time. And there was Robin Williams in the movie “RV” who left the campground with the awning still out, in an attempt to make a hasty retreat from his pesky neighbors.

There are many other campers with many other awning horror stories to tell. My goal with this e-book is to make sure you are not one of those campers, with one of those awning stories to tell around the campfire.

The good news is the awnings on your RV can and will provide many years of reliable trouble-free operation, if we take the time to properly care for and maintain our RV awnings. Click here to purchase RV Awning Use, Care and Accessories now for only $9.95. http://www.rveducation101.com/cb_refer.htm?hop=ftfamily

RV Living: Why You Should Consider Solar Power

from: http://forexindicatorformt4.com/2011/07/rv-living-why-you-should-consider-sol...

Half a lifetime ago, when my wife and I first got a taste for remote RV living, we decided very early on that solar power had to be the way to go.

Despite rapid advances in solar technology — even way back then — many fellow travelers were surprised when they learned our RV was “solar powered”. Granted, that tiny house-on-wheels was getting on in years, and there was still a general belief among caravanners and motorhomers that solar power was “too expensive” and “too technical”.

But whatever their reasons, I’m here to tell you that solar-charged 12 volt battery power was then, and still is, worthy of serious consideration — regardless of the size or age of your traveling rig. In fact, even the most basic system — such as ours was then — provides not only a significant boost in self-sufficiency, it also saves enough money to recover your outlay in under three months. Even today.

For example, a 30-watt, self-regulating solar panel costs around 0 to 0 here in Australia. If you then factor in a no-maintenance, deep-cycle battery of at least 75 amp-hour capacity — to be installed in the RV — at maybe 0, plus suitable cabling, a salable plastic battery box (vented to the outside), and miscellaneous hardware for, say, more, your total outlay shouldn’t be much over 0.

After that, every night you make use of your on-board power, on a “no hook-ups” campsite, you stand to save between and on tourist park fees. Sometimes more. On those figures, the whole set-up pays for itself in maybe 30 nights or less!

True, sufficient power would normally be available from your towing vehicle’s standard battery over one or two nights, but if the vehicle doesn’t move for two or three days the engine will almost certainly need a run for an hour or more to “top up” the charge taken out of the battery. And with single-battery set-ups, there is always a risk of over-using your power, resulting in a flat battery!

On the other hand, if you prefer the overnight security and companionship of a tourist park, an unpowered site — those nice, quiet spots down the back — saves maybe – per night. Which means you could still have your investment back in the bank within six months.

No matter how you look at it, solar was — and is — the way of the future. It’s clean, efficient, silent, and requires almost zero maintenance. And once the initial outlay has been covered, basic power needs from that point on are free.

However, there is a downside. (Isn’t there always?) A fixed solar array — on the RV roof, for instance — needs to be receiving the sun’s rays long and strong to adequately replenish the battery’s charge.

Parked too long in the shade, or suffering through a lengthy stretch of rain-filled skies, can knock out a single-battery power supply in two or three days, even with judicious use. For that reason, some travelers have an additional, portable solar panel that can be constantly repositioned to catch the sun’s most direct rays, for as long as possible.

Nevertheless, in the four years we owned that well-traveled little van we had very few problems. (Mind you, we have always carried “conventional” backup in the form of a small petrol generator, and our vehicle has always been dual-battery equipped to share the campsite power needs.) And about that tricky technology?

Well, if a techno-slouch like me can have the whole system installed and operational in under two hours, anybody can! What we did was: (1) mount the solar panel directly onto the RV roof (with sealant carefully applied in and around the screw holes), then (2) run the panel’s cabling down into the van (through the corner of the all-seasons hatch) into a cupboard.

Being a self-regulating solar panel, a regulator was not necessary between panel and battery, so the cables were fixed directly onto the battery. The battery was housed in a robust plastic storage bin with a close-fitting lid, which I further sealed with silicone. Two lengths of 6 mm plastic hose vented the box to the outside through the caravan floor (inside the cupboard).

Battery terminals were fitted with heavy-duty extension straps that passed through the side of the box to the outside to facilitate normal connection via alligator clips, a portable 12 volt socket, or sometimes a low capacity inverter. All holes in the floor and the battery box were fully sealed (both sides) with silicone sealant.

As for maintenance, all that’s required is an occasional wipe-down of the solar panel, and a general examination of wiring and seals from time to time. I also put a multimeter across the battery terminals every so often to see how it was tracking. (Of course, this reading is only accurate after the battery has “rested” for a half hour or so, i.e, no charge in or out.)

OK, we’ve learned a bit more about solar power since then, so we did some things differently second time around. But these differences were, essentially, because our fulltime travel now needs more than twice the power, with quite a lot more in reserve.

So gizmos and gadgets are scattered throughout. But when we think back on that tiny, “drag-it-anywhere” caravan, with its most basic, D.I.Y. solar power set-up, we still get to feeling warm and fuzzy. (Self-sufficiency in the bush will do that!)

For our money, solar power and RVs are made for each other; it’s impossible to imagine a wandering life without either.

Bill Revill is an Australian freelance writer, fulltime RV traveler, and remote lifestyle expert. For further information go to: http://www.livingontheroad.com http://www.authorsden.com/billrevill Copyright 2007 by W.V. Revill.

Full Time Rving Family

I found this very interesting blog that is fun to read and inspiring for any family dreaming of living on the road even if only for a year like the Sorenti-Burns family.

Here is an excerpt from the blog. Go here to get the full story: from: http://fulltimervfamily.com/welcome-to-the-full-time-rv-family-blog.php#more-1

Nope, we are not “professional RV people”…we’re not even experienced RV people.

In fact, we have barely ever camped, RVed or done anything remotely related to “roughing it” in the outdoors. The only other time we ever vacationed in an RV was a three day RV rental that cost us a small fortune to Acadia National Park in Maine over three years ago.

We were so bad at it we vowed we’d never do it again. Never being ones to shy away from completely intimidating tasks that could easily over match us, and despite that first major setback, we decided to give it another go…but this time do it 100% – doing it full time.

Why Full Time RVing?
Most people thought we wouldn’t actually go. We have a nice home in a nice neighborhood with good friends and family nearby. We have good jobs and our kids are doing pretty well in school and life overall is good. We consider ourselves to be very fortunate.

So why throw all that aside and go in an RV full time for a year? The main reason is that we love to travel. We’ve traveled and vacationed in the continental United States and Canada many times before but always felt we never had enough time to really enjoy all the sites, as well as see all the places we’ve always wanted to go to.

So we decided that to get a real taste of what our country is really all about, we had to do it by RV. In fact, this passion to see the U.S is so strong that in spite of our lack of experience and knowledge of RVing full time, we would buy an RV site unseen on the Internet, buy a big honkin’ truck to pull it (twice in fact, but more on that later), take the kids out of school for a year and home school them, totally take our own businesses mobile and travel the country for a year living in an RV full time.

Van Camping in New Zealand

A camper van rental in New Zealand will let you discover one of the most exciting and picturesque countries in the world, driving around at your own pace in the freedom and comfort of a camper van rental of your choice.

The North and the South Island known as New Zealand, are the two main islands situated in the South Pacific ocean. There is also a third and much smaller island, called the Stewart Island, located on the southern tip of the South Island.

Do to it's geographical position, New Zealand offers a unique landscape of unparalleled beauty in a large variety of landforms. Sandy beaches, mountain snow tops, active volcanoes, lush rainforests, glaciers and fiords form this rather small piece of land into a miniature world.

Yes, just about everything you can possibly think of is here. And a camper van rental in New Zealand will let you discover it all. With a size of about an average European country, only about 4 million multi-cultural inhabitants and lots of sheep, a campervan hire in New Zealand will allow you to fully enjoy the freedom, adventure and pure relaxation this magnificent country has to offer.

Photo from Nic Calamvokis

The Pros of Camping Out Of A Van

from: http://www.campingtourist.com/camping-styles/van-camping-cheaper-alternative-...

Van camping is not quite like an RV, but it is better than tent camping. It is cheap when compared to RV camping. The only thing you need for comfortable van camping is an organized system to make the space inside the van livable.

Bring only the things that can be used during the trip. Use plastic storage tubs to keep the things in it and to keep the space open. Plastic tubs are helpful to stack the things nicely and they can also be kept on the roof during nights for more livable space. They are also rainproof.

Don’t leave your van running while sleeping because carbon monoxide poisoning is very harmful. Also, cooking the meal heats up your van, so don’t leave the stove burned while sleeping.

Advantages of van camping: Van camping is less expensive than RV camping. It costs very less if you buy an already used one.

Vans are very comfortable when compared to tents. For backpacking, you can drive the van wherever you go. You can park the van anywhere.

The flexibility with van camping makes it to be considered by most campers. You can drive anywhere. You can also go down the desert trails where it is difficult for an RV to go.

Fulltime Family Web site

photo from: http://www.familyrving.net

Have you heard of http://fulltimefamilies.com
They are a group of families living full time in their rvs. If you are curious or want to join them on the road, you may want to listen to this Webinar: A Free Webinar on Making Your Fulltime Dreams a Reality

Is your family dreaming about leaving it all behind and hitting the open road? Then register for this free webinar and start making your dreams a reality https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/341188614

Van Camping For Low Budgets

from: http://www.campingchecklistessentials.com/van-camping.php

Many families and couples go van camping as an economical and comfortable option when compared to RV and tent camping.

You can take a trip with just the bare essentials, or you can pimp your van and try to make it a home-away-from-home. The choice is yours, and this article is intended to give you some tips and benefits on van camping.

What Are The Benefits of Van Camping? Economical – the van can be sufficient enough to carry all your belongings, and big enough to sleep in. It is also less expensive to rent, purchase, maintain, and fill up (gas), than a recreational vehicle.

Easy To Maneuver – The van will not handle much differently than your everyday vehicle, so it will be easier to park and handle during your camping trip.

Convenient – can be used as another vehicle for frequent use.

Tips For Successful Van Camping Use a propane heater at night to keep warm Don’t just pullover for a nap when you get tired. There are city and state laws that you should abide by such as:

Vehicles may not be parked in the same spot for extended periods of time.

No sleeping in vehicles on public parking lots, or on the side of road.

Park your recreational vehicle in the appropriate rest areas.

Eat at actual restaurants and avoid eating at the rest stops.

I have never paid so much for fast food in my life, as I did when I stopped to eat at the ones available at a rest stop in Ohio.

The restaurants take advantage of the fact that you are probably vacationing, in a good mood, and have a few dollars to spend on eating out.

Take the seats out ahead of time, if you think you will need the extra space.

Add a U-Haul trailer or tailgate trailer for extra space. They are small and economical to rent. Install a roof rack for kayaks, canoes, bikes, etc. Use plastic storage bins that can be stacked to keep everything organized and to prevent from taking up too much space.

Van Conversions

If you are one of the happy campers that wants to turn their van into a mini version of their home, here are a few links to help you with your vision.

http://www.campervanlife.com/ http://abusforus.blogspot.com

Converting Your Van for Camping

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Thom_Sanders]Thom Sanders

Converting a van can give you unlimited opportunities to make your vehicle as personalised as you want it. Camping is a great example of the sort of specialised changes you can make to your van and the many accessories and extras that are available for a commercial van.

You can turn it into the near perfect companion during a short break or long holiday away. The advantage of having much more space and more manoeuvrability can sway even the most affluent caravan enthusiast towards a well equipped and modified van.

In the past, when people thought about camper vans they would immediately conjure up images of Volkswagen vehicles, but with the popularity of vans such as the Ford transit many people are beginning to see the opportunities they hold. Here are just some of the accessories that can be added to your van to make it as camper friendly as possible:

Furniture kits
Furniture kits are a great way to include many of the features you are used to at home in your van and all of them are designed to be as space saving as possible. Everything from kitchen units with sinks and washboards right though to folding tables and storage cupboards can be fitted within your van and provide you with all of the mod cons to help you and your family enjoy a camping holiday.

Roof Conversions
Many people have roof conversions fitted to their vehicles to give you that little bit more headroom, this is not the case with larger long wheel base models but still applies to vehicles like the connect model van.

Windows
A lot of people will immediately think that sleeping and living for short periods of time inside a van to be an extremely dark and dingy affair, which is why fitting extra windows can brighten up and make a much more personalised space. You can also get blinds that are not only decorative but also very practical when privacy is needed.

Much like furniture systems, bed systems provide wonderfully comfortable sleeping and at the same time are incorporated within the vehicle to give the utmost use of available space. Many bed systems can be installed as dual purpose units, doubling up as seating or other storage bays.

As you can see there are countless ways to convert your van to give you the best possible use of space, there are even more options available that you can find either online or through the help of your local commercial van garage.

This article was written by Thom Sanders on behalf of Foray Vans who offer [http://www.forayvans.co.uk/page/the_new_ford_transit_connect.html]Ford Transit Connect vans at great prices as well as other great Ford [http://www.forayvans.co.uk/]Used Vans for Sale. Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Converting-Your-Van-for-Camping&id=6286325] Converting Your Van for Camping

What Foods To Pack For a Camping Trip

by Sophia Rodriguez
If you are going camping and are looking for the best foods to pack for a long camping trip, read on...

Although this question seems straight forward, there are many possible answers to what are the best foods for a long camping trip. The answer will depend on many factors.

Are you backpacking, car camping or traveling in a camper van or RV? Do you eat meat or are you vegetarian? Will you eat just about anything as long as it tastes good or do you like to eat mostly healthy foods with a few treats in between?

Since I am a vegetarian who likes to eat healthy foods, my answers will reflect this way of eating. I will discuss the best foods for a long backpacking trip as well as foods you can bring on a long trip across country in a camper van or RV.

The Best Foods For A Long Backpacking Trip
For a long backpacking trip, you will need food that gives you lots of energy and that keeps well. If you know what types of plants are edible close to your campsite, all the better since you will be getting fresh food that will spice up your camping trip.

Here are some examples of what you could take with you:
1) dried fruit such as cherries, pineapple, mango and apple 2) banana or plantain chips 3) a variety of protein bars such as Vega, Luna or Clif 4) trail mix 5) soy nuts 6) a variety of nuts 7) granola and dried soy mylk 8) foil packed meals such as Indian food that can be warmed in hot water 9) quick cooking pasta and vacuum packed flavored tofu with seasoning 10) tofu jerky

The Best Foods For A Long RV or Camper Van Trip
Depending on how much space you have and your preferences will dictate how many or how few of the following items you can bring.
The idea is to inspire you to make a list of possible meals based on the items you bring so here we go...
Non -perishable Items
1) Flour,sugar & baking powder (to make biscuits, pancakes,pizza dough, bannock,etc...) 2) Granola or other dried cereals 3) Peanut butter and /or almond butter 4) Powdered milk 5) Dried pasta 6) Quick cooking rice 7) Spices, condiments and flavorings 8) Canned soups and chili 9) Canned beans 10) Canned pasta sauce & gravy 11) Trail mix, nuts, seeds & dried fruit 12) Popcorn and marshmallows 13) Cooking and salad oil 14) Airtight packed silken tofu 15) Syrup or honey

Perishable foods
1) Eggs 2) Cheese 3) Veggie meats 4) Breads 5) Dairy or soy milk 6) Fruits & vegetables

Do you long to take off on a long camping trip. Live the adventure and discover a joyful way of life.

So, right now, turn off your television, shut out the world, curl up in a warm bed behind a closed door with this ebook loaded on your laptop and travel to a new destination: forever.

Or you can print out a copy and take it with you anywhere and learn at your leisure. Cheap Travel Lifestyle Information http://www.cheapcampinglifestyle.info