Van = BORING .... Please Help!

[QU1DAM]

Hi I am reaching out for help from fellow travelers...

When I was hitch hiking I always thought how cool it would be to travel in a van that I could sleep in.

Now I have the van and am finding it’s pretty lame. Maybe it’s because I was stuffed in cars on stupid trips with my abusive relatives all the time. I liked how you could camp undetected without a vehicle; now it’s obvious where ever we’re at.

It cost us way too much to get license plates in CA (smog BS) so we don’t have plates even tho we paid for them in CA. I grew up in SoCal, Orange County all the neocon homophobe soul crushing abusive capitalist parents along with it - and now I hate California-and don’t ever want to go back. I was sexually abused as a child and young adult there, it’s where my liar manipulative relatives are.

So finding a place to park and sleep is a drag, constantly on edge because no plates and we were getting messed with for that in SoCal frequently because of it... I’m supposed to appear in court in OC because we were parked at a Sprouts flying a sign and a sheriff gave us a citation for moving the van for something other than SMOG related... but I can’t bear to go back...

I am trying to like the van, but having a really hard time... I find it dull and hard to make friends this way, feeling very contained isolated and depressed with the van...
Any advice? Part of me really wants to give the van to my partner and leave her with it sign the title to her and go back to traveling without a vehicle.... it runs fine even tho A/C doesn’t work, under 120000 miles just very boring and confining ...

We got it when our apartment building in Las Vegas started getting torn down before the new ownership moved us out, they had to offer us a settlementwe accepted under duress and turned it over for the van. Our last try at Babylon life it was like living in a building that was under siege by explosive artillery...

How do I enjoy this? I am trying to love this love machine but it’s not as much fun as I thought parking in towns is a drag and it’s hard to meet people... thanks for your advice

 

[mono]

if you don't like using the van this much now, it's not likely to improve with time - if i were you, i'd probably stop before it bums you out more

i guess you could technically still use it for transport between places and disregard it as a place to sleep, but... if you find it more enjoyable to travel without it, there doesn't seem much benefit in that

 

[Ztormbringer]

One thing I noticed from the photos. Is your van is not very stealthy with all the stuff on the roof rack. Gonna attract notice, and cops pretty quick if parked somewhere more than overnight or two.
That puts the tag problem in play almost right away.
Wish I had that van.
As for your tags, seems like yoi are doing some driving in it, perhaps try to get to another state and get it tagged there if you have the money for that.

 

[JuliannaB]

My advice to you is to come to Yuma , AZ and pick me, hubby and the girls up, load in our luggage and let us pay you some $$$ and gas up. We are desperate to get to Springfield, MO. This van could really help a deserving family right now. It could be the beginning of a life long friendship or we could have the best 22 hours of our lives together on a road trip. To me, your van is gold. Also, it would break the monotony of your current routine that lead you to seek advice. And last, you could get plates in 15 min max in Yuma, AZ. No smog. Pay for 6 mo registration or 1 year, 2 year or 5 year I believe. Fees are low.

I hope you'll give it some thought. Usually I have to charge people for my advice but this time I'll let you have it free! Lol!

 

[QU1DAM]

Usually I have to charge people for my advice but this time I'll let you have it free! Lol!

Thanks for your reply, but we removed the rear seats of the van to accommodate a folding mattress, so I don’t think it would suit your family’s needs.

Unfortunately we can’t help you, and I would have a horrible time riding with you because I am not fond of the territorial confrontational egocentric paranoid temperaments of most parents.

 

[JuliannaB]

Wow! Ok then. That was some response I gotta say.

I'm not fond of labels. I'm sure there is someone out there that will be able to help us out and we will get there eventually and definitely. Thank you for the response. Safe and happy travels.

 

[marmar]

How to enjoy something you aren't enjoying? Hmmm.. either change the situation or the way you look at it, is all that comes to mind. Also camping out in the woods works better for me then city parking. A lot of free camping out there, but I have no idea how you can get around with no plates at all. I'd just start with fixing that first

 

[Bedheadred]

First off.. sounds like you need to leave Cali. I personally hate Cali and would never want to be staying there for a long period of time..especially with how many cities there it is illegal to car camp. Second, go to arizona and you can get a 3 month temp registration for $15, all you need is a license and a title. Third, check out freecampsites.net for info on better parking and camping spots. Good luck.

 

[Phuen]

I agree about disliking #vanlife. I found it expensive, annoying, and tedious. Most places these days just don't feel friendly for van "camping". It ruins the experience. The whole point, for me, was freedom, nature, and people. #Vanlife isn't that, unless you got loads of extra cash, as far as I could tell.

I suggest passing it along and freeing yourself up. Move along to something new. Maybe use that money to move somewhere and start over?

I do wonder why you said you'd pass it to your partner and leave her. Sounds like another issue, eh.

P.S. If AC doesn't work, check if it needs a new coolant cap, more coolant, or has leaks. There are lots of small fixes that can solve that, as I discovered.

 

[Beegod Santana]

You're doing it wrong... First off, get rid of that shit on the roof and peel all those hippie stickers off, otherwise you're just begging to be fucked with. Second, go to the DMV, tell em you're heading home to AZ and need a temp transport permit (yes this is a thing in ca). Once in AZ get actual plates. Tell them you're living on blm land and doing day labor, it's a very common scenario around Yuma. Now you can camp thousands of places for free and be eligible for agriculture jobs that require you have a sleeping vehicle.

 

[Cornelius Vango]

How about you put some work and effort into the interior of the space you occupy so that it suits you better.

 

[Wild Ty Laserbeam]

Rubber tramping is great for me largely BECAUSE I'm introverted. I also enjoy solving problems, such as broken bus on the side of an highway in the middle of nowhere. Etc.

It just might not be for you. It maybe just not right now. Just know, it's going to get worse before it gets better if you don't deal with your tags and windshield.

 

[happythoughts123]

I could not agree more. Your sentiments are exactly what has caused me to sell my last two vehicles and go back to trains.
The parking/fuel/hard to meet people et cetera.
Trust me. I get it.