Travel on the Cheap

Some options to choose from

Traveling can be a great way to relax and just fulfill your dreams in life.  Sometimes it is all we need to do in order to be happy.  I remember my very best memories were traveling out to Colorado and Virginia as a kid and spending time with family and seeing the sights.  I rarely meet anyone who does not love travel and seeing new places.  My dream all of my life was to just travel just like many of you, even you the reader of this blog.  However, it COSTS MONEY to travel and depending on your amount of free time and income, you are limited to what you can do.  
I have thought of many ways I could travel and do it on the cheap.  One big advantage to achieving the low budget travel is buying a cargo van and building it the way that suits you according to your budget.   

However, traveling in a small space can be challenging for someone who needs privacy or claustrophobic.   Making great use of space is the best thing to plan out before you start your build and make each part of your camper multi-functional.
Example, making your bed platform into a small storage container where you can store blankets and other items or if you build a shower, make it collapsible so you have that extra space when you`re not using it.  Purchasing a composting toilet so that you can slide it out of the way to also create more space.  Good use of space is what really allows you to feel comfortable inside your camper and most of the designs I have seen have been poorly thought out in regards to that.  One design concept that I have found interesting that I designed myself is to make a center are of the camper completely Free of anything so you have a place to stretch out on the floor.  Remember when you were a kid and always laying on the floor watching TV?  Well this was my idea for the camper.  If you can`t do that then think about making collapsible cabinets or shelves so that you have that space when you need it.  Just remember that anything you have to secure while driving should be designed to be locked down once you get back on the road.

Next, we can talk about going Off-grid.  This term is often used by people to going in the backcountry and camping without hookups.  Well, camping at Wal-mart parking lots will also be considered as urban off-grid.  It may not be a city but you`re still in a populated area.  How do travelers do this without hook-ups?  Well they usually have a generator OR they have a solar unit that feeds a battery inside in order to supply electric to run lights, water pumps, heaters, computers, phones and so on.  THIS is the real way to travel so you can save BIG avoiding campgrounds.  You end up paying for your Fuel and Food and whatever little things you use along your travels.  My 17ft camper is currently going thru this transformation where Im replacing my dometic toilet with a composting and adding a GOAL ZERO Yeti 1400 to my camper to supply power to my 12 volt system.  I can`t run the A/C but I can still use everything else, that is as long as my solar can supply the energy to my Goal Zero.   I have a big soar panel but I could use 1 more set to really maintain a full supply of battery strength and maintain it while using all my camper electrical appliances and devices.  I will have to see how that goes as time goes by and my travels extend year by year.
I will talk more about all these topics in detail in the coming blog posts.

Thanks for tuning in everyone!

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