We have lived and traveled in this Big Foot camper since 2010 … and have never taken the camper off our Dodge Ram pickup.
We haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on our list!
Now, as we prepare for the switch from a pick up camper to the Vanabode stealth camping lifestyle, our truck had to get naked.
We had to remove the camper so we can sell the truck separately from the camper and still have a place to live while we modify and set up the Vanabode.
I have to admit, I was pretty nervous about doing this. After all, it’s our HOME and the camper has been resting on the truck for over five years. All kinds of what ifs started spewing from my mouth.
What if the support legs won’t hold the camper up?
What if we can’t get the camper back on the truck if we need to?
What if the camper tips forward because we sleep and get a bit rowdy on the front end where there is no support?
If this had been a reality show, you would have watched me stand close by with furrowed brow and an anxious look.
You would have seen Bruce read the instructions for removing the camper. (By the way, we were extremely grateful to find these instructions in the truck’s glove compartment! Can you say lifesaver?)
And, you would have seen Ron, our dear friend, pull out the necessary tools and gadgets from his magic storehouse and just tackle the job without worrying about the what ifs still pouring from my mouth!
Uh oh! The hydraulics aren’t working.
“I knew it!” Trisha mutters under her breath.
A quick call to another dear friend in Eureka Springs, who is the official Naked Hippies mechanic provided the solution … get some oil and a plastic squeeze bottle to add the oil to the hydraulic canisters.
That’s all it took!
Bruce and Ron cranked the hydraulics to lift the camper off the truck.
And now … Our Naked Hippies’ pickup gets naked!
I swear it kinda shimmied and shook when we “undressed” it!
We piled into the cab of the truck and took off for Home Depot to get concrete blocks to sit the camper on.
At first, Bruce was a little disoriented driving the truck without the camper on its back and without all that weight! He had to get used to have a 360 view of all traffic again!
It was totally weird to not have Big Foot with us.
Now we’re wondering what kind of mileage the truck will get. It’s been pretty awesome in spite of the weight. Bruce was getting nearly 20 mpg WITH Big Foot!
Lowering the camper onto the concrete blocks was a breeze. A successful job!
(AND, there IS support up front under the bed, too!)WHEW!
Who wants to buy a Naked VINTAGE 1989 Dodge Ram pickup 350 with a Cummins Turbo Diesel? This truck will run forever, or so we’ve been told by many mechanics.
P.S. Everyone always asks … how do you afford to live and travel full time? As long as we have our smart phone and internet … we can work on our online business. We love the freedom! Get our free ebook that tells the story of how the Naked Hippies came to be … and how we just didn’t give up on living this dream. If we can do this, so can you! Grab the free ebook here: http://trishahippie.com
Living off the grid – the Vanabode way is not new to us, but …
we’ve had to figure and refigure this transition.
One thing we’ve learned on the Naked Hippies never-ending roadtip is this … if you stay in one place too long, you can get too comfortable and too used to a set routine …
so that when you move on, the transition to a new setting, a new routine is sometimes arduous.
We spent the summer in Eureka Springs with our dear friends and business partners. We were spoiled in every way, for sure, and are so extremely grateful for their gracious hospitality.
But, we pulled out last weekend to come back to our Missouri River home to reconnect with our “roots” and the beauty and serenity of this place … AND to begin living off the grid. No electricity, no hookups, in preparation for our Vanabode lifestyle.
So, as we’ve had fun seeing old friends and getting situated on the banks of the river, we’ve had to figure out how to power our laptops and cell phones – to keep our business growing – since we don’t have unlimited internet and continuous electricity flowing to our devices.
We’re using a 12v battery and an inverter, just as we did when we lived here in a tent one summer. Read our story here!
So, it’s back to the basics again!
It has made us mindful of our habits and caused us to plan more strategically for the work we do every day.
We even bought a portable CD player to use for the guided meditation series we are using so that we don’t use up all the laptop power while meditating. You remember those portable CD players?
As always, there is a solution for everything that comes up, for everything that we want to do. So, we’re making this transition pretty easily and having a ton of FUN figuring out our new “routine.”
We never pass up an invitation for a boat ride on the river!
A routine which includes time not only off the grid, but off the laptop and cell phone, to watch the river, dance under the full moon, listen to the coyotes and owls and cicadas, ride on the pontoon, and say “amen” to another wonderful day as we watch the sunset over the river.
This is what I collect now!
Interesting and exciting to me are the dragonflies that hover around me as I sit outside with my laptop or my journal. The dragonfly animal totem represents transition, adaptability and reconnecting with Mother Nature. BINGO! Exactly what we are experiencing!
Beautiful messenger!
We’re parked right on the riverbank, under massive shade trees and have the most incredible view of this beautiful river from right to left as we fall asleep and wake up every day.
This is where we call “home” because it’s where our dream went through its labor and birth.
And now, there’s a new “pregnancy!” (hold on now – read the previous sentence – it’s not ME!)
A new dream is going through the labor to be birthed in our lives … the dream of our Vanabode.
You can read all my journal entries about manifesting our Vanabode here.
So far, so great is how it feels to be living off the grid!
All in all, we still say “it doesn’t get any better than this … until it does!”
Immersed in nature, awed by the peace and serenity here.
P.S. The #1 question we are asked when people find out we live and travel full time on the never-ending roadtrip is this … “How do you afford to do this?” If you’re asking that question in all seriousness because you have this urging within you to travel, to be free, to live life on your own terms … and you know that life is too short to wait … send me a message on FB or text me. Let’s talk!
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.
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!
Love this simple solution for our Vanabode lifestyle.
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.
This is what we use to connect to the Internet when we have no other options.
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.
Departing LAX. Ex Continental
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!
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
f: Find me on Facebook
n: Subscribe to the Naked Hippies Newsletter
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.
Downsizing is something that is always on my mind these days and also a daily goal I have set as we prepare for our Vanabode.
The Journal of our Manifestation Journey
My intention is to do something every day to downsize. We’re moving from a Big Foot pickup camper to a Chevy Express Vanabode. A new adventure awaits the Naked Hippies Roadtrip!
These containers become our closet, our cabinets and our drawers.
Whatever fits in the six flat Rubbermaid 6 x 24 x 16″ plastic containers will be kept …
and right now, I bet I could fill at least 20 of those containers.
We have TOO much stuff … again.
I’m excited about the daily ritual of downsizing, but there is one thing that has to be unloaded first before I can begin to toss, donate or keep everything that fills this pickup camper.
I HAVE TO GET MY TAXES DONE!
What a relief it will be to get my taxes done.
Talk about a HUGE weight that will be lifted.
Whew!
I’ve been carrying it around for months.
Oh, please don’t even bother to mention this procrastination ploy I have fallen into again. I KNOW the deadline is April 15 – every year without fail. There’s no excuse I could give … I avoided and delayed the obvious.
So, now it’s time to get this baby put to bed and get on with DOWNSIZING!
Sigh. So many transactions, so many details, so many receipts.
If only … if only I had used that awesome tool to keep track of every expense and receipt last year.
I bought it, used it, then got out of the habit, didn’t use it … and now, instead of a one click printed report for the accountant, I have the mother of all spreadsheets that will scare the bejeezus out of you!
The tool that I used and then didn’t use is TaxBot. With this app I can track mileage, record expenses and take a picture of my receipt on my IPhone.
At the end of the year, everything is categorized and all you have to do is hit the “print” button.
So, that’s exactly where I am with downsizing for our Vanabode.
I expect to have this arduous task completed and submitted to my accountant before August 1. Yikes! That’s only one more weekend!
Stay tuned … and keep your ears open for the ROAR of “It’s DONE!” I expect it will break the sound barrier!
