Posted on by AskCathy

A New Way of Living – How To Live ‘The Good Life’ in a Car, Van, RV, Bus, or Boat

 
A New Way of Living: How To Live ‘The Good Life’ in a Car, Van, RV, Bus, or Boat
 
  • Phase 1 – Getting The Right Mindset to Full-Time RV
  • Phase 2 – Purchasing the Perfect RV
  • Phase 3 – Packing Up Essential RV Supplies and Hitting the Road
May 30, 2019
 
by Cathy Harris, Syndicated Columnist
 
 
Hi everyone:
 
All it takes is one GREAT IDEA idea to change or transform your life. If you can pick up this idea and motivate yourself into action — your entire life can change in an instant. 
 
Pick Up the Torch Younger Generations
 
Some of you will read this article and say Cathy Harris has totally flipped her mind and others will say, she is a GOD for passing on this wonderful info and action plan. 
 
As a  #BabyBoomer  (at age 62), and as an elder, I am trying desperately to  PASS THE TORCH to the next generation as I advise them on some POSSIBLE OPTIONS for rebuilding their lives.
 
Therefore, stop and think logically and check out this ‘New Way of Living’.  Many people today especially on social media are too opinionated and they ‘can’t see the forest for the trees’. They refuse to listen to any good ideas or strategies to move their family and communities forward. 
 
 
Wake Up Before It’s Too Late
 
Hear me out on this  NEW WAY OF LIVING that can enhance all our lives. I haven’t owned a TV in quite a while and this is why I have been able to make good decisions in my life. 
 
Unlike most of you that watch TV and allow all that noise to get into your head, while you are bombarded with daily negative messages, I choose peace, harmony, and tranquility throughout my day.
 
Today we have to do more than just sit around hoping that Donald Trump get impeached or that we elect another president that will be about the people. 
 
The way the world is going today, it’s about to be  
#SurvivalOfTheFittest.  We need to look within our ownselves for the answers and take PROACTIVE STEPS  to build our own lives. For some, it will take #BabySteps so let’s be patient with each other as we embrace a NEW WAY OF LIVING. 
 
My Story – Born To Be A Wanderer (aka “Nomad”)
 
To keep excitement and adventure in my life, I believe in change. This is why as I age gracefully, I keep exploring what life has to offer and keep reinventing myself. 
 
On Jan. 2, 2013, I left Atlanta, GA after 20 years. Because I wanted to take advantage of my expertise, I created the”Cathy Harris Humanitarian Tour” and visited over 15 states. 
 
I put my belongings in storage, packed my car up and got on the open road. I drove around the country exploring the sites, meeting wonderful individuals and groups I had met online over the years, and I held these exciting
seminars and
workshops around my health and business initiatives. 
 
I felt like I  could no longer breathe in Atlanta.  I felt like the city was taking my ‘creative juices’ from me and if I did not leave, it would take my very soul.  You see — next to where I grew up at — 2 hours outside Atlanta for 19 years, it was the longest time I had stayed in ONE SPOT. 
 
Ever since I was in the military, I have always had that #Wandering spirit inside of me. So my entire body was aching to leave, aching to explore and I was just aching to show up fully in my life. 
 
The fact that I had already lost 15 of my closest friends at the ages of 45 and 46, including my ex-husband — my daughter’s father, I just knew it was time to close that chapter of my life and start another. 
 
Because I had driven a government vehicle on my job for over 20 years when I retired in 2005, I was very comfortable behind the wheel of a vehicle and even had had these recurring dreams from time to time that I was a race car driver in another life. 
 
Being on the road is the only thing that made sense to me.  That year on the road was a great lesson in “humanity.”  I realized because of my love for ALL PEOPLE — no matter what I did for the rest of my life — that I had to put #HumanityFirst. 
 
So now in  5 months I will be leaving the Orlando, FL area after one year and going on to the NEXT STAGE of my life — which as you should have guessed by now — back on the road.
 
My New Lifestyle in 3 Phrases (Phase I, Phase 2, Phase 3)
 

My new priority will be teaching on the road so what I am promoting is a NEW LIFESTYLE, A NEW WAY OF  LIVING, especially for the population that can be MOBILE. 

In 6 months to a year, it is my ACTION PLAN to become a  Full-Time RVer and travel and teach around the U.S., while I explore some great sites, see my family and old friends, and just gain the freedom that I so desire. 
 
This is truly living “The Good Life.” You too can live 
#TheGoodLife in a car, van, RV, bus, boat, etc. and travel around the world and back again. 
 
As I present  this #MinimalistLifestyle in 3 phrases
(Phase I, Phase 2, and Phase 3, my NEW BLOG –SimpleLifeRVing.com will break down this ENTIRE PROCESS for you. Study it then go out and conduct your own research because you do have options today. 
 
Topics I will discuss while I assist RVers, Car, Van, Bus, and Boat Dwellers, other Minimalists and YOU on the road include:
  • Minimalism
  • Health/Gardening
  • Business 
These are my Phases as I see them:
  • Phase 1: Getting the Mindset of Going Full-Time RVing. 
  • Phase 2: Finding the Perfect RV.
  • Phase 3: Packing the RV and Getting On the Road 
My 3 movements – a  black women’s movement” The Essential Women’s Movement for African American Women,”  my  organic food movement “Virtual Organic Garden Clubs” and my  business movement “Mobile Learning Clubs” will be downgraded from movements to initiatives, which  means all of these will still be very important in my  teachings  and  lessons  as I move on to another platform and teach from the road. 
 
Action Plan for Your Health
 
GMOs (aka “Processed Foods”), foods that have been altered from their original state or foods that you buy in packages, bags, cans, jars, etc. have completely devastated most cities today. 
GMOs, which have no #NutritionalValue especially causes #BrainIssuessuch as mental health issues, autism and babies born with smaller brains, bipolar disorder, depression, Alzheimer’s, MS, Parkinson’s, etc. and many other issues including nutritional deficiencies, immune problems, food allergies, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, blindness, accelerated aging – just to name a few. 
 
Even though at one time GMOs were mostly grown in the midwest, now they are everywhere. GMOs are grown in over 50% of America’s crops. Many, especially farmers, believe that figure can even be as high as 70%. 
 
Not only are they on your plate, they are ‘airborne’, which means you are breathing in GMOs when you go outside your home every day. To counteract this or to keep these poisons and toxins exiting your body, it’s important to eat good, clean ORGANIC foods, drink good water, take daily supplements, exercise regularly and get plenty of rest, while you engage in a regular detoxification program. 
 
Remember that EVERY CITY has a holistic or natural community. You don’t have to live in these areas, but it’s important to switch over to eating ORGANIC FOODS so look for these communities in your city or set these up your own self.
 
If you are sick – get better and get out here on the road with us and remember being out here will allow you extra funds to pay off bills — while you save money and eat #OrganicFoods.
Read more about GMOs in all 6 of my health books
at  AngelsPress.com and make sure you sign up for Jeffrey Smith’ e-newsletter at www.ResponsibleTechnology.org. Information is out there. It’s not hidden under a rock.  
 
New Health Risk Today – Mandatory Measles Vaccinations
 
Since GMOs are not taking families out fast enough, now the government (also the medical and pharmaceutical industry) is trying to make everyone take another measles’ vaccination. 
 
First, it was announced a few months ago in several media outlets that social media would no longer educate anyone on vaccinations because they say the information being put out it is not correct.
 
Now you see they were setting everyone up for this NEW MEASLES’ VACCINATIONS  to further take out the population.
The government is attempting to make adults born before 1989to take another measles vaccination. 
This includes my two daughters and it could very well be ‘the end of the end’ for many people who are not paying attention.   
 
I am pretty sure that the government (also the medical and pharmaceutical industry) are working to make these new vaccinations a requirement for those that receive state or federal benefits such as Veterans, Medicaid and Medicare recipients, etc.
 
When I left Texas 7 months ago, tons of folks were fleeing California to Texas because of their mandatory vaccination laws for children. 
 
Texas has a strong advocacy group that advocates against vaccinations so EVERY STATEneed to form a group similar to — “Texans for Vaccine Choice.” They were successful many times in keeping politicians who were pro-vaccines off the ballot.
 
The government is even preparing to send nurses to vaccinate adults in their homes. Vaccinations contain heavy metals, which renders your ability to use your brain or render you #Brainless (the same as GMOs, which contains ‘heavy metals’ from pesticides and herbicides) so it’s important to understand how to remove these heavy metals from your body if you are forced to take these vaccinations. Read my informative article entitled “How To Gain Back Your Mental Clarity After Eliminating Heavy Metals.”
 
Plan for the Next Recession
 
We have all heard the stories about how Amazon.com, Google.com, and Facebook.com employees are sleeping in their cars because they are not being paid enough money to be able to afford a roof over their heads. 
 
So know up-front that this article is not trying to glamorize sleeping in a car, truck, van or RV, especially if you don’t have funds to fix it up so that you can live there comfortably.
 
However, just know there are people sleeping in cars, trucks, vans, RVs, etc. that are traveling around the world and back again and building new #Minimalism communities so these individuals are quite happy and content with their lives. The goal is to always be planning for your future — not just for Saturday night.
 
For many of you who are not planning for another recession — you should be. Many believe it’s right around the corner. I witnessed the last recession first-hand in 2008, when I lived in Atlanta, GA and I will never forget the devastation and pain in the eyes of families — who had no action plan.
 
Many families never recovered from the 2008 financial crash. Our first way back to healing from this 2008 atrocity is to get Trump out of office — who has unleashed nothing but a trail of turmoil, which has sent families on a downward spiral of racism, depression, and hopelessness. 
 
After many families received  bank notices that banks were taking back their homes in 2008, instead of planning accordingly and putting their belongings in storage, many were so distraught and devastated that they just walked out of their homes leaving behind their beloved pets
(cats, dogs, etc.) along with other prized possessions.
 
On one side of the street there were lines of empty houses owned by banks and on the other side were tons of families sleeping in cars, parks, etc. 
 
Because many families were so ashamed of their situations, they did not even bother to put their belongings in storage and reach out to family members and friends — until the turmoil passed. 
 
When bank agents inspected the homes, there were tons of dead animals and personal belongings including memorabilia and other lifetime achievement awards including family photos albums left behind. 
 
Banks then spent not just days, but weeks and months holding garage sales to get rid of these families’ prized possessions left behind.  Unlike the people that I will discuss today in this article, who are living in cars, vans, RVs, buses, etc. and who have ACTION PLANS for their lives, these individuals and families had NO ACTION PLAN so many went straight from their homes to live on streets, park benches, etc.
 
Action Plan for Homeowners – 47% of Your Take Home Pay is for Rent or Mortgage
The average American spends  47% of their  TAKE
HOME PAY for a roof over their head. Houses, condos, townhouses, duplexes, and apartments are TRAPSthat we fall into. 
 
So if you can knock out that 47%and become
Full-Time RVers or even live in a Car, Truck, Van, Bus, Boat, etc., just think how great you can live and how you can see all the beautiful sites, make great friends along the way and have access to all the ORGANIC FOODS you want. Some RVers are even growing foods, especially herbs, which can take the place of toxic spices, inside their RVs.
 

Many have chosen to live this minimalist lifestyle after first being impressed with the  Tiny House

movement. I know that’s what got me to this point. However, tiny houses are not built for extensive travel — and I want to travel.
 
If you own a home, then your NUMBER ONE GOAL should be to grow your own foods in front and backyard gardens, and/or in pots and containers on rooftops, balconies, patios, porches, in your kitchen and other rooms with grow lights. 
 
Singles or couples should stop buying homes with
Homeowner’s Associations (HOAs)so they can grow foods in front yards also. 
 
If you are underwater on your house and you are literally dying from the pressure to keep your home, stay on a job that you no longer enjoy, stay healthy, pay off bills, and/or to make it from day to day, then you are the group that seriously need to look at this NEW  ACTION PLAN . 
 
Living in Communal Houses
 
Also, check out Communal Houses as a place to live and educate your family and community. Sometimes these Communal Houses can hold up to 8 to 10 people or more at a time (not all family members). 
 
Even if you don’t live there, many have rooms for rent to highlight your own natural and holistic products and services and many provide classes on what to grow and when to grow it. So if these are not in your community, you need to build them.
 
What Gentrification Taught Us
 
Gentrification should have taught everyone, especially African Americans, that the world cares nothing about the challenges and struggles of common people and this is why you need to get aboard with this  NEW PLAN OF ACTION to live “The Good Life” in a car, van, RV, bus, boat, etc. 
 
Gentrification has already displaced many black families in this country. Many people had to move across the country or even to another country after their communities were gentrified.
 
We no longer have communities that support us. We don’t know our neighbors anymore so why not give this new  #Minimalist lifestyle a try? Let’s create our own ideal communities.
 
The Reality of Job Loss and Homelessness
 
There is no job security anymore. When many employees are fired from jobs, many don’t even know they can go to the Department of Labor (DOL.gov) offices’ in their cities and draw unemployment for 20 to 26 weeks in most states until they can find another job. 
 
However, many states have stortened the length of time that they will give out these unemployment benefits, especially because of ‘anti-family’ politicians, which you need to vote out of office. 
 
Because of the terminations, in many cases, #WrongfulTerminations, many will be evicted from apartments within 30 days and homes within 2 to 3 months. 
 
Remember what just happened to federal employees when they had to go TWO MONTHS without pay. Many died and others who had disabilities, these disabilities went from being a TEMPORARY disability to a PERMANENT disability.
 
When many families lose their homes, they will go from their apartments or homes to living on a friend’s or relatives’ couch or even in a relationship with a man or women that they care nothing about — just to make ends meet.
 
Many will even turn to prostitution or selling drugs or start committing crimes. And many just END UP HOMELESS on the streets — unless they have some type of ACTION PLAN. This is the action plan!
 
Police Will Watch You Either Way
 
The police is watching black families whether they live in a ‘sticks and brick’ dwelling or is living in a car, van, RV, bus, boat, etc. so I am pretty sure that many black men or even black women don’t want to be behind the wheel of a vehicle because of racial profiling and police brutality. 
 
However, it still beats ending up with mental illness, begging and homeless on the streets. Just know up-front that the police will target you if are a black male with long hair, especially locs and dreads, when your pants are sagging, etc. so make yourself presentable and know the CORRECT WAY to interact with the police. Read my book “Police Interactions 101: How To Interact With the Police in Your Car, On the Streets, In Your Home.” Every 10 to 13-year old black male especially need to read the book. 
 
People Who Live in Cars Aren’t Always Homeless
 
Think about trading in your car for a van (minivan, cargo van, camper van or another larger vehicle, etc.) or buy an RV, new or used, from (RVTrader.com, eBay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or a dealership) and get a job on the road before it’s too late. 
 
People who live in cars are not homeless – not always. Today college students live in cars and vans because they can’t afford to pay for housing. They wash up in dorms even though they don’t live there so why don’t we call them homeless?
 
There are avenues and ways that you can fix your car up, especially larger cars like SUVs, minivans, cargo vans and trailers, old bread trucks, old horse trailers, old semis, buses, boats, etc., and have ALL THE AMENITIES of an RV and you can live there while you pay off bills, travel the world, or just figure out your next move. You can also have a PROFESSIONAL Van Build and/or become a #VanDweller. 
 
This is when you pay a carpenter and/or electricianto help you set up your van so you can live there. They have #VanBuilds all the time so look for these groups on facebook, youtube or at  CheapRVLiving.com on youtube.com.
 
Many people who live in cars or are van dwellers are not homeless. They are living this way because they want to live this way.  So don’t feel sorry for them. Instead, come out here on the road and join their lifestyle #Minimalism.   
 
Many just want to live an #Adventurous and #Mobile lifestyle. They are ‘taking the bull by the horn’ (to do something difficult in a brave and determined way) and creating a life that they can truly love. 
 
For the rest of their lives and on their death beds, they will have a brain bank full of memories with stories to share with the people they love. 
 
Jobs and Businesses on The Road
 
What we are doing is redefining the “American Dream.” This is the American Dream on wheels. Not only do we need to redefine the American Dream, but we need to redefine #Success. Many of us are successful, but we don’t have to share it with the entire world. 
 
What would it take for a person today to head out on the road and never work again? Well if you have some type of paycheck (retirement, Social Security, disability, savings, etc.) coming in, then you can do this very easily.
 
The RV, Car, Van and Bus Dwelling community is desperately seeking more carpenters, electricians, RV mechanics, RV Inspectors, etc.
 
You could make a killing in these fields by catering to the RV community, Car, Van, Bus Dwellers, and the Tiny House movement, which are EXPANDING
RAPIDLY every day as many families realizes this is the best way to live — #Minimalism, #Simplicity.
 
There are plenty of jobs all over the U.S. If you own a car, van, RV, bus, boat, etc. You can travel around the U.S. to all types of jobs so stop being tied down to your city or a particular area. 
 
Many are 
seasonal jobs where you can work 2, 3 or 6 months out of the year and use the rest of your time to travel and see some wonderful sites and just have fun.
 
Don’t wait until your current situation (you get too depressed or sick to take action) get so serious that you won’t be in a position to set yourself up on the road.  Check out these remote jobs and business links  in my NEW BLOG at “SimpleLifeRVing.com – Phase 1.” 
 
Bring Your Animals and Homeschool Your Kids On The Road
 
When you are on the road, the goal is to have all the comforts of home so feel free to bring your entire family and pets with you on the road. Your pets will feel right at home and will have plenty of room to roam free in nature. 
 
Not only can you live in a car, van, RV, on a bus, boat, etc., but you can 
homeschool your kids while you live out there and travel — with very little training.
 
Many use the Bob Jones homeschool program, but there are many other great homeschooling programs for you and your family on the road. Your kids will have first-hand experience because they are out there on the road with you — #Learning, #CreatingMemories, #HavingFun.
 
Plenty of FREE Land To Live On
 
Tired of driving – by the way there are plenty of FREE LAND in the U.S. (Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, California, and other states) to settle down on — where you can park your car, van, RV, bus, etc. for FREE, while you build a new life for yourself.
 
The land is called BLM.gov (Bureau of Land Management) land or National Forest land, which is owned by the government, however, you can live on this land for FREE. 
 
A majority of the BLM land is in the west, but there is land in other parts of the country also.
Check out the website and today because of technology, they have apps to help you find this FREE LAND such as FreeCampsites.net, Allstays, RV Parky, Campendium — just to name a few(More at Phase3)
 
You can live on this land by yourself or park around others who have already chosen this type of lifestyle.  There are plenty of caravans and convoys
all over the U.S. for women and men to be able to create their ideal communities.
 

SimpleLifeRVing.com – Phase 3 is the FINAL PHASE of our 3-step action plan to get you on the road living “The Good Life,”  features a list of apps to use on the road to find this FREE LAND, RV parks and campgrounds with and without hookups, and other areas to park your car, van, RV, bus, etc.  

Look Within Yourself for The Answers
 
Again, “We are the ones we have been waiting on” — and we need to look for our answers within. Life is about taking risks and chances. We, as a society, have become so complacent with our lives and even fearful of taking chances. 
 
We need to stop allowing SOCIETY to dictate
how we live our lives.  You are here for a reason and it’s not to hoard a lot of physical stuff so always be thinking #Minimalism. 
 
I don’t know about you but I am ready to join 
ANOTHER COMMUNITY, a #Kinder and more #Brave community of people who are truly living #TheGoodLife in their cars, vans, RVs, on buses, boats, etc. Just know up front that none of us are homeless, we just chose to live this lifestyle — #MinimalistLifestyle101, #Simplicity101.
 
See you in January at the Rubber Tramp Rendevous (RTR)in Quartzsite, AZ. These events,  Women RTR (Jan. 4-8, 2020) and the RTR  (Jan. 8-18, 2020) were founded by Bob Wells, a true visionary at 
 
Make sure you view his website and watch all his interviews on  youtube.com with others embracing the #MinimalistMovement and truly living #TheGoodLife in their cars, vans, RVs, buses, etc. 
 
Look for my upcoming youtube channel soon entitled  “Simple Life RVing” with Cathy Harris. Also, look for another non-fiction book -#27- “Simple Life RVing: How To Embrace Minimalism and Live ‘The Good Life’ by Living in a Car, Van, RV, or on a Bus.” 
 
Keep in mind if you attend the yearly RTR in Quartzsite, AZ, there will #WorkamperJobs that will be hiring on the spot so there is a good chance you will walk away with a job. Again, other jobs are posted in our FIRST  blog post at –  SimpleLifeRVing.com – Phase 1.
 

Cathy Harris is a #VanDweller living ‘The Good Life.’ Her blog website is SimpleLifeRVing.com. She is also an Empowerment and Motivational Speaker, Advice Columnist at DearCathy.com, Non-GMO Health and Wellness Expert, Business and Love Coach and Self-Publishing Expert and the author of 26 non-fiction books at  www.AngelsPress.com. Her books cover topics such as family and community empowerment, health, youth and adult entrepreneurship, writing/publishing, workplace discrimination, whistleblowing, government, law enforcement, domestic and international traveling, politics, media, beauty, car buying and selling for women, aging/retirement – just to name a few. She offers seminars, workshops, and consultations at www.CathyHarrisInternational.com .