Queer freaks van escape!

[Deleted member 29233]

Hi there. I'm LovingKindness. I'm 21. A new friend and I are preparing to get a van/camper and head off to somewhere on the west coast. We're both trying to get away from unwelcoming or straight up abusive home situations.
We're kind of figuring it out as we go, so anyone who can recount their van experience would be really helpful and comforting. Any little tips and warnings and such. Our end goal is to find an intentional community somewhere on the west coast.
My personal goals are to put my anarchist beliefs to the test, and finally push myself out of my comfort zone, which has been draining my life for years now. I want to find new and different people.

Thank you for any help! I'll be lurking around...

 

[Matt Derrick]

honestly van living is a pretty broad subject, is there anything more specific we can answer for you? or are you just looking for stories so you have a better idea of what you're getting into? what kind of van are you getting?

 

[Deleted member 28239]

Just be really careful. Before I got to my current job, the increase in the amount of cops who started following me was nerve-wracking. Tensions are high and some people are looking to take it out on others, please be safe if you decide to head out. Federal law enforcement is starting to get sent to protests, like in Portland. I wouldn't want to go back to vehicle dwelling right now.

Also I'm not sure how many communities would be accepting new people because of Covid, and I'd be kinda suspicious of ones that were. There's still a big increase in cases and we're gonna be coming up on flu season which is gonna cause a lot of extra deaths.

Vehicle dwelling can be really easy and comfortable when you get the hang of it, I've only been doing it for two years but the past few months have been kinda rough and I don't think it's going to get better anytime soon. It took me a good 4-5 months of checking Coolworks and Workaway to finally find somewhere decent to stay.

 

[Matt Derrick]

i agree with the climate right now being what it is, you're probably better off vandwelling in nature areas vs cities, as long as you can drive into town to get supplies/work/money, you should be fine.

 

[Deleted member 29233]

Just be really careful. Before I got to my current job, the increase in the amount of cops who started following me was nerve-wracking. Tensions are high and some people are looking to take it out on others, please be safe if you decide to head out. Federal law enforcement is starting to get sent to protests, like in Portland. I wouldn't want to go back to vehicle dwelling right now.

Also I'm not sure how many communities would be accepting new people because of Covid, and I'd be kinda suspicious of ones that were. There's still a big increase in cases and we're gonna be coming up on flu season which is gonna cause a lot of extra deaths.

Vehicle dwelling can be really easy and comfortable when you get the hang of it, I've only been doing it for two years but the past few months have been kinda rough and I don't think it's going to get better anytime soon. It took me a good 4-5 months of checking Coolworks and Workaway to finally find somewhere decent to stay.

This is worrying to hear, but useful.
Why should we be suspicious of communities welcoming at this time?

i agree with the climate right now being what it is, you're probably better off vandwelling in nature areas vs cities, as long as you can drive into town to get supplies/work/money, you should be fine.

When you say nature areas...rural towns, towns by mountains? I've lived in a small city for a while now, so I'm not sure what to look for.
Would that "Anarchist's Guide to Travel" be useful?

 

[PaganUnicorn]

Not sure about out east, but here in the West coast there are a lot of easy places to park out in the woods along old logging roads and national forest roads. I highly recommend a good road atlas for whatever states you intend to frequent. One that has old forest roads and creeks.

I can't say much about city parking at the moment since I've been in europe since Jan. (And I'm not at all upset about missing all this fun back home). Walmarts and such were good places, but if the pigs are causing problems that may have changed.

 

[yonderliesaswamp]

I second the advice about sticking up in rural areas, and would add to the advice about the road atlas: get as many analog, off-power resources and tools you can so that you can always safely get out of where you are without getting lost, and safely stay where you are for at least a few days. Preparing ahead of time will save you so many headaches and worse.