I've had cars, p/u trucks w/ toppers, truck campers, vans, and 5th wheels over the decades.
Sometimes I've lived in them FT, worked, travelled, weekending/vacationing, etc. so I consider myself pretty diverse in experiences. Thinking back, the times I enjoyed the most were when I travelled and worked, using them to live in. I did construction at the time, so I worked during the days and sometimes. I looked at that time period as me adding "tools to my toolbox", getting more skills and experiences so I could become more self sufficient, earn more, be more flexible in where I live and how I worked. Loved it. It was very valuable, one of the best things I ever did.
I lived in a finished out van or a truck w/ camper during that time. Between the two, I preferred the van as it had a lot of flexiblity and ease of where/how to park/camp. Truck camper was 2nd place as it had far more comforts and ease, but if someone sees a truck camper, can be easier to spot someone 'camping' in it, especially if the lights are on, etc. In vans I could park anywhere and not have a worry nor be bothered if I didn't make it look/sound like somone was living inside of it. The trick is to only drive to where you're going to sleep for the night once and only when it's time to go to bed, thus no lights, radio, etc.
What I see now is that's something called "vanlife". And it seems like a lot of the people doing 'vanlife' seem to be making a career choice of this. If they don't have any other options, like older people on social security and not any assets, ya do what you can. No problem. But a large segment of the 'vanlife' people (and other RV-ers) seem to be doing the RV life as a means to make money, via video posting on the net.
Some do it for social interaction, but that's not what I'm talking about here. It's people who choose to do the 'vanlife' as a vocation, their job. It may just be me, but a lot of them seem like they don't have anything going on as far as direction in their life. Living in a van isn't a means to an end, or a temporary thing, it's a career. And that entails showing others how to live in a van, camp out for free, etc.
I don't understand this. Over the decades, I'd ask people, "where do you see yourself in 5 years?" The vanlifers don't have an answer to that from what I can tell. They'll just be 5 years older, in body and vehicle, and not have progressed anywhere in life. Matter of fact, most will have regressed at the end of 5 years.
What can they offer me as a prosepective employee for my company?
"OK, you lived in a van for 5 years. I did that too. What did you get out of it?" Depending upon how they answer that, I may or may not offer them a job.
I see a lot of the vanlife/RV-ers in cities now and they are as my bio stated, "vagrants". It's one thing to do it for a stint to get back up on your feet and/or to get ahead, but if it's a lifestyle of diminished returns over time, they'll wind up as bums in junk units on the street, dead enders, self inflicted.
Anyone else see things this way? Or different?
Sometimes I've lived in them FT, worked, travelled, weekending/vacationing, etc. so I consider myself pretty diverse in experiences. Thinking back, the times I enjoyed the most were when I travelled and worked, using them to live in. I did construction at the time, so I worked during the days and sometimes. I looked at that time period as me adding "tools to my toolbox", getting more skills and experiences so I could become more self sufficient, earn more, be more flexible in where I live and how I worked. Loved it. It was very valuable, one of the best things I ever did.
I lived in a finished out van or a truck w/ camper during that time. Between the two, I preferred the van as it had a lot of flexiblity and ease of where/how to park/camp. Truck camper was 2nd place as it had far more comforts and ease, but if someone sees a truck camper, can be easier to spot someone 'camping' in it, especially if the lights are on, etc. In vans I could park anywhere and not have a worry nor be bothered if I didn't make it look/sound like somone was living inside of it. The trick is to only drive to where you're going to sleep for the night once and only when it's time to go to bed, thus no lights, radio, etc.
What I see now is that's something called "vanlife". And it seems like a lot of the people doing 'vanlife' seem to be making a career choice of this. If they don't have any other options, like older people on social security and not any assets, ya do what you can. No problem. But a large segment of the 'vanlife' people (and other RV-ers) seem to be doing the RV life as a means to make money, via video posting on the net.
Some do it for social interaction, but that's not what I'm talking about here. It's people who choose to do the 'vanlife' as a vocation, their job. It may just be me, but a lot of them seem like they don't have anything going on as far as direction in their life. Living in a van isn't a means to an end, or a temporary thing, it's a career. And that entails showing others how to live in a van, camp out for free, etc.
I don't understand this. Over the decades, I'd ask people, "where do you see yourself in 5 years?" The vanlifers don't have an answer to that from what I can tell. They'll just be 5 years older, in body and vehicle, and not have progressed anywhere in life. Matter of fact, most will have regressed at the end of 5 years.
What can they offer me as a prosepective employee for my company?
"OK, you lived in a van for 5 years. I did that too. What did you get out of it?" Depending upon how they answer that, I may or may not offer them a job.
I see a lot of the vanlife/RV-ers in cities now and they are as my bio stated, "vagrants". It's one thing to do it for a stint to get back up on your feet and/or to get ahead, but if it's a lifestyle of diminished returns over time, they'll wind up as bums in junk units on the street, dead enders, self inflicted.
Anyone else see things this way? Or different?
