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How I Built a Custom Camper Van (2015)

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Re: How I Built a Custom Camper Van (2015)

#201

Post by al_chemist »

grecy wrote: post #40
jdhawk wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also remember the reddit thread. There were a LOT of people questioning your decision to tour Africa, with some scary sounding warnings. Have you run into anything as dangerous as they made it seem?

Nope, not one single thing. And I've been talking to many, many people traveling here, including people backpacking, and they are loving every second. People here are extremely friendly and welcoming, and the landscape is breathtaking. "Africa" does not deserve the reputation it has. I've never met anyone that has traveled in Africa that would say otherwise.

> I've never met anyone that has traveled in Africa that would say otherwise.

That could be survivor bias.

Re: How I Built a Custom Camper Van (2015)

#202

Post by abakker »

johngalt wrote: post #186
darzu wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you give examples of better ways to cut down your expenses?

Transportation is the big one. The biggest wasters you'll find in most peoples budgets are cars. The author put everything into a van. Go the opposite direction. Pull every dollar you can away from your car. Have no car if you can get away with it. Or only one car instead of two in a family setting. Consider the TCO of any car you buy. A lot of people say 'buy used' but IMHO it's more important to buy less car.

This is true, and relevant as long as a) you don't need to commute by car (or you have all the time in the world to manage convoluted public transit) and b) you can rely on that same public transit for all the errands you will need to do.

For people outside of select cities, these are far from given in the USA.

Re: How I Built a Custom Camper Van (2015)

#203

Post by sAvi0r »

scotty79 wrote: post #151

Or you could just move to Poland. $33,750 could buy you studio in any medium town in Poland, even in sub-million population cities. You'd get: no mortgage, apartment with a toilet, clean running water, wifi and all the electricity that you'll ever need. 5-10 times more area for your stuff. Monthly cost of utilities, tax and fee towards building maintenance of about $150 in total, access to a lot of young, English spe…

What's considered a medium town in Poland? I was checking out housing in my dad's hometown in Serbia, and it's like a shitty agricultural town pretty far from anything notable with a population of ~12,000 and a place was still like $40,000-50,000CAD.

Re: How I Built a Custom Camper Van (2015)

#204

Post by senorjazz »

oxryly1 wrote: post #111

I love stories like this. Well documented, well thought out, and with a 6 month update... excellent. Now I'd love to read one about someone who's done this with a family...

Did a 2 year trip with wife and daughter (2-4yr) from UK to Malaysia to California to south America.

Met a few other families (usually German, swiss) along the way. Craziest being English family with 3 daughters 11,9,7 in a VW t3 / vanagon.

The trip was great but couldn't do it permantly.

Re: How I Built a Custom Camper Van (2015)

#205

Post by lowglow »

justonepost wrote: post #198
grecy wrote: post #6

I did something similar. I wanted a vehicle I could explore the world with, so I turned my Jeep into a house on wheels with fridge, drinking water and filtration, solar and dual batteries, interior cabinets and a custom modified pop-up roof so I can stand up and walk around in the Jeep. I joked about applying for a home owners grant :) The full pictures and story are in this album - http://imgur.com/a/OLK3o I'm drivi…

Yeah, true story: I make 250K per year and live in a minivan. Wellll, ok, I actually have a mortgage and a house but that's somewhere else :) Pro tip: xfinity is your friend. The reality is that everyone can do this. And why not? The big problem with this model, though, is lack of property taxes. And parking spots. I would happily pay for X per month for a nice parking spot though and my fair share of property taxes.…

Can confirm. Was crashing in my van around Palo Alto outside of Social Capital's office for a bit. I wrote a few articles about them: https://medium.com/@sinkorswim/one-free-night-425196d2e2fc#....

I basically founded my entire new startup and team while homeless. It sucked sometimes, but it was an experience. Would I recommend it to everyone? Probably not hahah, but if you're brave enough you should try it at least once. :)

Re: How I Built a Custom Camper Van (2015)

#206

Post by mavdi »

I can really relate to him throwing most of his precious stuff out. My life turned upside down a few months ago. Now all I have is a backpack with a laptop and some essentials and Airbnb life as it comes. I've never been happier.

Owning things obeys something similar to Newton's 3rd law. They also end up owning you. They need constant care, attention and maintenance. I'm not saying this the right way to live, but do give it a try if you've been thinking about it.

Re: How I Built a Custom Camper Van (2015)

#207

Post by justonepost »

cko wrote: post #85

I'm a full-time pharmacist working 50 hours a week, with several investment rental properties. Since April of this year I've been sleeping in my 2002 Toyota 4Runner in the parking lot at work. Shower at the gym, infrequent laundry runs, hang out all day at the library with all the other strange people. Pros: feeling of simplicity and freedom; enough said. Cons: a mid-sized SUV is too small and not private enough. I w…

Yep, I'm in a similar situation, except I have a house, mortgage, etc.

Honestly, I prefer the minivan. The house, stuff, and 10K sq feet of maintenance nightmare is such a PITA.

I will say though, shell out a little bit more :) 1500 is a bit tooo cheap and undermines your stealth.

Re: How I Built a Custom Camper Van (2015)

#208

Post by gnopgnip »

SwellJoe wrote: post #193

I've spent 6 of the past 7 years living in an RV (motorhome first, now an old Avion travel trailer with a big old truck to tow it). I recommend it for anyone who is unencumbered enough of other people and responsibilities to do so (i.e., it may not be the right thing for a family with kids, though I know some families with kids who do it and seem happy). The freedom to travel is magnificent. It precludes many kinds o…

Would you live in a motorhome without a toilet?

Re: How I Built a Custom Camper Van (2015)

#210

Post by scotty79 »

20yrs_no_equity wrote: post #196
scotty79 wrote: post #151

Or you could just move to Poland. $33,750 could buy you studio in any medium town in Poland, even in sub-million population cities. You'd get: no mortgage, apartment with a toilet, clean running water, wifi and all the electricity that you'll ever need. 5-10 times more area for your stuff. Monthly cost of utilities, tax and fee towards building maintenance of about $150 in total, access to a lot of young, English spe…

I travelled around the world for 6 years and the number one impediment to staying in any country was the visa situation. If you are staying there longer than a tourist visa, and especially if you want any kind of employment (or are in a situation where you are visibly employed) the red tape in the vast majority of countries is very tough. The only exceptions I know about are Chile (which gives one year visas that are…

Poland does not require visas for US citizens (even though US requires visas for polish citizens).

As for working you could just incorporate. It costs maybe 30$ and most hacker-type polish friends can help you with that. Later it costs $250 per month to own a company (mostly social security fees and health insurance, not sure if this is obligatory for foreigners but probably yes, plus service to help you deal with paperwork).

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