Vanabode Camping …

The Journal of our Manifestation Journey

We didn’t know it, but we actually were doing a Vanabode camping practice run in our Big Foot pickup camper…

20,000 miles, 18 states in 2014 …

we just didn’t realize how much of an influence the Vanabode book had impacted and influenced our simplistic, never-ending roadtrip lifestyle until we recently read the book again.

And now, as we prepare for our “official” Vanabode camping lifestyle, we’re feeling pretty good about how easy this transition will be.   We have already been Vanaboding … in our pickup camper! Here’s how:

SHOWERING

Our pickup camper has a shower, but from the start, we converted that shower space to storage.

So, as we traveled throughout the USA, we showered at campgrounds, at the beach, at friend’s and family’s homes. Plus, we discovered that the habit of daily showering wasn’t as necessary as soap and shampoo advertisements want you to believe.

Guess what! We’re not the only ones who have given up the daily lathering up.  Defying a culture of clean that has prevailed at least since the 1940s, a contingent of renegades deliberately forgoes daily bathing and other gold standards of personal hygiene, like frequent shampooing and deodorant use.

Have you ever showered in the rain?  In the right setting, we take advantage of the warm summer rain.  It is exhilarating, refreshing and absolutely makes you giggle with delight!

But now – I’m excited to add this little gem to our Vanabode … this Advanced Elements solar shower which has received awesome reviews on Amazon.

THE JOHN

When I was a little girl, I remember traveling with my Grandma Day who kept a coffee can in the car for us to use as a pee can.  It came in pretty handy on some of those long car trips.

Now, hold on to that little snippet of a childhood memory … and fast forward to 2014 when we took off in the Big Foot camper …

and picture this:  stopping to eat at a restaurant, walking back to the camper,  seeing a drip, drip, drip coming from the camper, a steady little stream running down the parking lot.

Is that what I think it is???  UH OH!

So, here we were miles away from our trusted repair man (who happens to be named James Bond!) and short on funds for any kind of major repair which we were sure this would require.  (remember, we started out on this roadtrip as a leap of faith! Have you read our story?)

We decided to stop using the toilet because no one needed to be subjected to that when walking by our camper.  No one!   I all of a sudden felt like Pig-Pen, the Peanuts character that was surrounded by a cloud of dirt, except what we had wasn’t a cloud – it was a puddle.

So, back to my Grandma and her simple ways (which have influenced and inspired me in ways I never imagined until I simplified my life.)

With the toilet out of commission, and because we were often not parked in a campground with hookups and bathrooms … Grandma’s coffee can became the solution.

Now, some may find this totally disgusting and unbelievable … but until we made it back to James Bond in October, the Maxwell House coffee can served us well as a portable potty.  Just sayin’.

Our Vanabode will have this portable Passport potty!

It’s a step up from the coffee can for sure.  But it still requires a daily disposal of waste.  As Jason Odom shares in the Vanabode book, they use the portable potty for peeing ONLY –  unless it’s an emergency in the middle of the night.  Easier cleanup, you know.

Here’s an interesting fact.  FREEDOM IS HEALTHY!

Since hitting the road in November, 2013 we have been healthier than ever!  Oh, there have been a couple of days of down time when rest was the most needed cure … but overall, we have not been sick.
We have never had intestinal issues that would have made the coffee can very unsubstantial.  Freedom is good for you!

WIFI and Recharging

We depend on the internet for our business, so having internet access and being able to recharge our phones and laptops is something that we dealt with when we left on our never-ending roadtrip.

Most RV parks have WiFi available so as we traveled, we will periodically stay in RV parks to grab a shower to get our bodies reacharged and to get the batteries on our laptops and cell phones recharged as well.

But, there were many more times that we visited local libraries and spent the day working there.  We loved the quiet environment, being surrounded by books, and having the easy access to WiFi and to outlets that allowed us to recharge our batteries.

Other options include Starbucks and even some Denny’s have free WiFi connections; but, we’re always considerate of the business who relies on getting customers in and out.  That’s why libraries are our number one choice for recharging and Internet service.

Simple … easy … free.

When no other options are available, we rely on this for our internet – Verizon’s MiFi Jetpack.

The 30G per month plan is usually enough for our business purposes, but we do have to monitor our usage.  Streaming movies is out – it wipes out our data allowance much to quickly.

VISITING BIG CITIES

As much as we love to spend our time tucked away in the woods, there are times we venture to big cities – usually to attend a business event.

Last year, we were in Los Angeles three times and on the last trip there, we finally figured out how to visit big cities with NO HASSLE.

Of course, when we are in our Vanabode, it won’t be an issue to drive through the cities and park in the parking garages so we can easily sightsee or attend events.

But, when we are in the Big Foot pickup camper, maneuvering and parking in big cities is a much bigger issue.  But, we found the greatest solution.

We park at the airport.  Then take the airport parking lot shuttle to the terminal.  Then grab the city subway or tram to head into the city.

At the end of the day, we reverse the process and climb into our bed, in our camper, parked at the airport with the sound of jets taking off to lull us to sleep!

Minimal cost and maximum stress relief!

We also park in Walmart parking lots overnight, at truck stops, and at casinos.  (Now you understand why sleeping at the airport with jets taking off didn’t keep us awake.)

There was only one night when a Walmart guard knocked on our door and asked us to leave.  No big deal … we always check with the store to make sure it’s okay to park overnight.  But, on this night, we had navigated to the wrong Walmart.  Same street name but at opposite ends in Phoenix.

One night out of 365 … not too bad I’d say.

This is one of the main reasons we are so ready to Vanabode.  No worries about getting permission to park overnight.  Stealth camping here we come!

Overall, we are prepared for Vanabode camping because of the practice run we have had ever since we moved into a tent one summer. (you can get our free ebook here that tells the story.)

Isn’t it great how one experience leads to the next, and then the next?

Would you Vanabode?  Could you?

Trisha (and Bruce)
p:  573-881-6715
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P.S.  In the Vanabode book, Jason has a complete chapter on making money while on the road.  We’ve got that covered, too.  Having a mobile business keeps you mobile, instead of being stuck in one place for six months to a year, or years as we did when we were campground hosts.

Have a mobile business.  Something you can do from anywhere.
And in keeping with the Naked Hippies lifestyle, it has to be simple.
So simple that a 60 year old grandma can do it.  (that’s me!)

Subscribe to our Naked Hippies Newsletter and you’ll find out more about our mobile business, our amazing simple system and how easy it is for you to do exactly what we do … well, except you won’t have to pee in a coffee can!

These articles are the journal I am writing as we manifest our Vanabode.  Check back often … we know the perfect Vanabode is making its way to us.