single female (4 Viewers)

[SGNV]

Welcome ( Another new one) I am interested to know how it works living in London, having a MH wild camping and needing to work. What do you do for a job? Are you any good ar dusting as I am not. I think you could do with tagging on to others until you have decided how it will all work for you. Will you be at any rally's next year and will you be working at them? I have been looking for someone to wash my rig/RV if you can do that, it's 28ft long, 11.5 ft high and 7.6 ft wide + the car. I am sure the girls will put you on the correct path and stop people like me taking advantage of you as a newbie. Good luck and see you for a BBQ one day.

Hmm, what is it about men feeling the need to brag about size???? I only do metric anyway.

I live well on the outskirts of London, zone 6. I still have a job until the end of next year and am intending to full time from then on. Gives me a year to get used to it. I've applied to work as a caravan park warden and have some other options up my sleeve. Yes, I am a cleaner in my current job and assume that I'll continue with that. No, no chance of cleaning yours, whatever size.

Haven't thought about the rallies yet, I'm one of life's hermits, not sure it will be my kind of thing. But might try one to see.

 

[daved2524]

Hmm, what is it about men feeling the need to brag about size???? I only do metric anyway.

I live well on the outskirts of London, zone 6. I still have a job until the end of next year and am intending to full time from then on. Gives me a year to get used to it. I've applied to work as a caravan park warden and have some other options up my sleeve. Yes, I am a cleaner in my current job and assume that I'll continue with that. No, no chance of cleaning yours, whatever size.

Haven't thought about the rallies yet, I'm one of life's hermits, not sure it will be my kind of thing. But might try one to see.

Let us all know what rally you are going to attend so we can all go to see you. Remember all newbies have to get the first round in, its tradition.

 

[Xabia]

Hi and a very warm welcome to Fun!

On the subject of security I would strongly advise you to contact this company Link Removed. Eddie is a member on here and if you tell him in advance that you are a Funster a discount is given.

Their alarm system is the best you can get, I wouldn't be without mine.

Mike

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[Debs]

Hi &

You sound like you have a rough plan which will be enough for the time being. I second @Xabia s advice.

There are quite a few of us solo females. Going to meets & rallies was the last thing I expected to be doing but they are a great lot and you might be surprised. The smaller ones are easier. Everyone is made welcome, whether they are solo or not and it's up to you whether you join in or not, there's no pressure......unless you go to one of Sandra's @irnbru s meets in Scotland & you'll likely find yourself doing a ceilidh

....and yes....men do have that habit don't they

 

[SGNV]

Hi and a very warm welcome to Fun!

On the subject of security I would strongly advise you to contact this company Link Removed. Eddie is a member on here and if you tell him in advance that you are a Funster a discount is given.

Their alarm system is the best you can get, I wouldn't be without mine.

Mike

Thank you. Contacting vanbitz was already on my to-do list as my homework shows the van only has a car alarm on it at the moment. Thanks for the discount hint too! Much appreciated.

 

[SGNV]

Hi &

You sound like you have a rough plan which will be enough for the time being. I second @Xabia s advice.

There are quite a few of us solo females. Going to meets & rallies was the last thing I expected to be doing but they are a great lot and you might be surprised. The smaller ones are easier. Everyone is made welcome, whether they are solo or not and it's up to you whether you join in or not, there's no pressure......unless you go to one of Sandra's @irnbru s meets in Scotland & you'll likely find yourself doing a ceilidh

....and yes....men do have that habit don't they

Thank you. Yes, there is a rough plan that seems to make sense, at least to me. There's the backup plan too. And now for reality which has this fascinating habit to always turn out different from the plan.

Vanbitz was on my to-do list already. And I'll put meets and rallies on the maybe one.

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[Jo662]

 

[Minxy]

Hi SGNV ... sounds wrong calling you that but I don't know your name!

Welcome to the fun house!

Now down to the important thing ... what ruddy motorhome are you getting????

 

[SGNV]

Hi SGNV ... sounds wrong calling you that but I don't know your name!

Welcome to the fun house!

Now down to the important thing ... what ruddy motorhome are you getting????

Oh, it's Sophie and it will be a Hobby Van exclusive, just hope I made the right decision there. The lay-out is the best for my purposes of all the ones I saw, well, didn't find one that had only the one single, fixed bed and left me with some more space in a small van whilst still ticking all the other boxes of insulation and all that. And just hope the mechanical/technical side of it will be ok as I have a lot to learn about that...

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[Gromett]

On the security side of things, I am a bit paranoid about this. The scariest thing for me would be someone getting in while I was asleep. So my first priority was physical prevention. I bought and fitted some deadlocks myself. These should be your first priority in my opinion. @eddievanbitz will look after you and give you excellent advice on all the other security measure. I believe @Jim who is the boss of this site has a security and a buyers guide available which will be worth getting hold of before you buy.

I am a total hermit and rarely see people from one week to the next. I work from the van, live in the van and rarely go out these days. So I know what you mean about rallies. I really didn't think they would be my thing. However I do love them and really enjoy them. My favourite is the one at Stratford upon Avon which is a full week.
There is a large marquee or building available at most of the big rallies, where a lot of us gather for drinks, social and entertainment. This is not compulsory and people don't force themselves on you if you like to be left alone. But honestly they are great fun...

If you haven't owned a motorhome before, you will end up asking lots of questions about toilets/waste, filling up with water, Gas, Electric hookups, charging batteries, solar panels plus much much more. Don't be afraid to ask.. There is absolutely no such thing as a stupid question so never be afraid or embarrassed to ask about anything.

Some people on here appear to come on a bit strong or take the pee a lot. Never take anything the wrong way, it is always meant in fun and nothing should be taken too seriously

On the fulltiming side. I have been doing this for well over 7 years now and am pretty much wholly based in the UK. There are many more fulltimers on here who have more experience than me. So any fulltiming questions will be answered easily as well. To be honest, fulltiming is not something you can truly prepare for as there will be things that happen that you didn't think about that regular motorhomers wouldn't even consider. However when these things happen, it is best to not let them get to you and just consider them a learning experience. I have had all sorts happen to me, and now when they happen I don't even get stressed anymore. It is just another interesting thing in life's journey. There is very little I get stressed about these days and I tend to roll with things now. The fulltiming has really changed me as a person for the better. I don't need so much, don't want so much and can live as frugaly as I want. This takes all the stress out of modern living.

Anyway, best wishes for your new life, and please keep us updated on your progress

 

[Gromett]

Oh, it's Sophie and it will be a Hobby Van exclusive, just hope I made the right decision there

I thought I would dig up the links for the Documents in my previous post.
This is the security book by our very own @Jim .
Link Removed

This is the "Motorhome Buyers Guide".
http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/resources/the-motorhome-buyers-guide.181/

This is the "Motorhome Buyers pre purchase Check List"
http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/resources/motorhome-pre-purchase-checklist.114/

These are all well worth reading.

 

[WynandJean]

Hello and welcome from West Midlands.



Wyn

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[shunter]

Hi and a big

 

[SGNV]

On the security side of things, I am a bit paranoid about this. The scariest thing for me would be someone getting in while I was asleep. So my first priority was physical prevention. I bought and fitted some deadlocks myself. These should be your first priority in my opinion. @eddievanbitz will look after you and give you excellent advice on all the other security measure. I believe @Jim who is the boss of this site has a security and a buyers guide available which will be worth getting hold of before you buy.

I am a total hermit and rarely see people from one week to the next. I work from the van, live in the van and rarely go out these days. So I know what you mean about rallies. I really didn't think they would be my thing. However I do love them and really enjoy them. My favourite is the one at Stratford upon Avon which is a full week.
There is a large marquee or building available at most of the big rallies, where a lot of us gather for drinks, social and entertainment. This is not compulsory and people don't force themselves on you if you like to be left alone. But honestly they are great fun...

If you haven't owned a motorhome before, you will end up asking lots of questions about toilets/waste, filling up with water, Gas, Electric hookups, charging batteries, solar panels plus much much more. Don't be afraid to ask.. There is absolutely no such thing as a stupid question so never be afraid or embarrassed to ask about anything.

Some people on here appear to come on a bit strong or take the pee a lot. Never take anything the wrong way, it is always meant in fun and nothing should be taken too seriously

On the fulltiming side. I have been doing this for well over 7 years now and am pretty much wholly based in the UK. There are many more fulltimers on here who have more experience than me. So any fulltiming questions will be answered easily as well. To be honest, fulltiming is not something you can truly prepare for as there will be things that happen that you didn't think about that regular motorhomers wouldn't even consider. However when these things happen, it is best to not let them get to you and just consider them a learning experience. I have had all sorts happen to me, and now when they happen I don't even get stressed anymore. It is just another interesting thing in life's journey. There is very little I get stressed about these days and I tend to roll with things now. The fulltiming has really changed me as a person for the better. I don't need so much, don't want so much and can live as frugaly as I want. This takes all the stress out of modern living.

Anyway, best wishes for your new life, and please keep us updated on your progress

Thank you so much.

You are right, the scariest thought is someone getting in whilst I am asleep. But then that can happen if you live in a house too. I have spent weeks thinking about all these things before even starting to look at vans. It's about being sensible and accepting that stuff happens, such is life. But it is nice there are lots of people here who've been there and done it, I don't need to reinvent the wheel. And good to know that it can be done. If others can do it, I can too.

The fulltiming idea fits within my rather unconventional life. I sadly don't have the skills to do a job from home, but then again, it does me good to have to engage with others every so often, as I like my own company too much.

I have given myself a year to get used to going out in it and seeing how long things like water last. The need to do laundry will be a factor, most of my clothes can be washed easily by hand, but that doesn't work for sheets, towels and jeans. Part of this is that I would like to work less over the space of a year, want to have more time for other things in life. So can't be staying on expensive camp sites all the time. Want to test all these things out, so I feel I am as prepared as I can be, where to stay overnight, where to find water and get rid of waste.

It's just something I have to try and see, and yes, I have the backup fund just in case I need to be more normal after all.

Have noticed the 'pee' bit, I have fairly thick skin and good sense of humour, I think! Although, some people may disagree and say I'm a right dragon. Bit of both I guess.

Thank you, much appreciated.

 

[Cal54]

Welcome @SGNV, I hear what you say about expensive sites but you may want to consider joining the camping and caravanning club. I mention this for 3 reasons, firstly they can be quite cheap in mid and low season as you only pay per person, unlike commercial sites who primarily assume there are at least 2 adults. Secondly a lot of the sites allow you to use their facilities for up to 3 hours without you paying for a pitch, yes there is a charge but you will have access to water, showers laundry etc.
And thirdly when you reach the ripe old age of 60 you get a 25% discount except in high season. I have recently been on a great site for little over £12 pn and that included electric. Apologies if you knew all this!!
Hope you feel like trying a rally sometime, it is a great way of meeting people and I agree that the smaller ones are probably the best.

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[Gromett]

I have given myself a year to get used to going out in it and seeing how long things like water last. The need to do laundry will be a factor, most of my clothes can be washed easily by hand, but that doesn't work for sheets, towels and jeans. Part of this is that I would like to work less over the space of a year, want to have more time for other things in life. So can't be staying on expensive camp sites all the time. Want to test all these things out, so I feel I am as prepared as I can be, where to stay overnight, where to find water and get rid of waste.

I don't have time to answer all your post at the moment, trying to get the van started for a family visit. Mine doesn't like cold weather.

For laundry, what I have found is that I bought enough clothes to last me 4 weeks (a lot). I then plan to visit the Laundrette near Mum's when I go to visit her.
When clothes are taken off they go in a heavy duty bin liner in the passenger footwell. A whole months laundry takes 2 of the large washing machines and costs me £14 + £4 for the tumble driers.

I also have a twin tub, which comes out in an emergency and I have one of those extending washing lines in my shower/bathroom area.

As for cheap campsite. The Caravan club operates a network of what are called CL's. These are privately owned sites with no more than 5 units allowed at a time. Pretty basic but very cost effective if you don't want to wild camp. You can stay for 28 days on each one at a time. Once you get friendly with the owners they will more often than not give you a discount for longer stays.

 

[jollyrodger]

N

From Devon
Enjoy your travels

 

[Xabia]

Hi again Sophie, I forgot to mention that I fitted Milenco window alarms so that should a window be opened a very loud noise results, putting off any nerdowells and alerting me. Easily fitted and very effective. With these and the Strikeback alarm you will feel quite safe.

Link Removed

Mike

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[SGNV]

I thought I would dig up the links for the Documents in my previous post.
This is the security book by our very own @Jim .
Link Removed

This is the "Motorhome Buyers Guide".
http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/resources/the-motorhome-buyers-guide.181/

This is the "Motorhome Buyers pre purchase Check List"
http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/resources/motorhome-pre-purchase-checklist.114/

These are all well worth reading.

Thank you. Must admit that if I would have read the buyers guide before that I might never have gone and done it. But am now making a little list of extra things to ask about when I go and pick it up.

 

[SGNV]

Welcome @SGNV, I hear what you say about expensive sites but you may want to consider joining the camping and caravanning club. I mention this for 3 reasons, firstly they can be quite cheap in mid and low season as you only pay per person, unlike commercial sites who primarily assume there are at least 2 adults. Secondly a lot of the sites allow you to use their facilities for up to 3 hours without you paying for a pitch, yes there is a charge but you will have access to water, showers laundry etc.
And thirdly when you reach the ripe old age of 60 you get a 25% discount except in high season. I have recently been on a great site for little over £12 pn and that included electric. Apologies if you knew all this!!
Hope you feel like trying a rally sometime, it is a great way of meeting people and I agree that the smaller ones are probably the best.

Thank you. Very useful to know I can use the facilities without paying for a pitch. If, as planned, I will be full-timing then even £12pn works out jolly expensive.
And the ripe old age of 60 is still rather a long way off....

 

[SGNV]

I don't have time to answer all your post at the moment, trying to get the van started for a family visit. Mine doesn't like cold weather.

For laundry, what I have found is that I bought enough clothes to last me 4 weeks (a lot). I then plan to visit the Laundrette near Mum's when I go to visit her.
When clothes are taken off they go in a heavy duty bin liner in the passenger footwell. A whole months laundry takes 2 of the large washing machines and costs me £14 + £4 for the tumble driers.

I also have a twin tub, which comes out in an emergency and I have one of those extending washing lines in my shower/bathroom area.

As for cheap campsite. The Caravan club operates a network of what are called CL's. These are privately owned sites with no more than 5 units allowed at a time. Pretty basic but very cost effective if you don't want to wild camp. You can stay for 28 days on each one at a time. Once you get friendly with the owners they will more often than not give you a discount for longer stays.

Thank you. I don't really expect immediate reply to all my questions. Sometimes it's just thinking out loud.

Had to laugh at myself, worried about laundry???? How about covering the more important things first, guess it is easy to have the little brain fix on something when it is being overwhelmed with information. There is just so much to consider, from 'will I find work?', to what essentials to carry, insurance, alarms and and and.

As it happens, I was looking up these CL's yesterday morning.

And now today I need a walk out with the sketchbook to give it all a bit of time to sink in.

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[SGNV]

Hi again Sophie, I forgot to mention that I fitted Milenco window alarms so that should a window be opened a very loud noise results, putting off any nerdowells and alerting me. Easily fitted and very effective. With these and the Strikeback alarm you will feel quite safe.

Link Removed

Mike

Thank you. Yes, I have come across the Milenco sleep safe. On the list of things to look into a bit further.

 

[LilacMoss]

A very warm welcome....if any advice needs to be given to you, then I would say just focus on enjoying your moho experience to the full with all its quirks, laugh at both yourself and the situations you'll find yourself in (and there will be some wonderful memories made this way) and you may find that you're living the best life you'll ever get. Its meant to be fun, so simply let it be fun. With the fantastic support from this site and those who are on it sweetheart, you cannot fail to have a great time. All the very best in your "journey"

 

[SGNV]

A very warm welcome....if any advice needs to be given to you, then I would say just focus on enjoying your moho experience to the full with all its quirks, laugh at both yourself and the situations you'll find yourself in (and there will be some wonderful memories made this way) and you may find that you're living the best life you'll ever get. Its meant to be fun, so simply let it be fun. With the fantastic support from this site and those who are on it sweetheart, you cannot fail to have a great time. All the very best in your "journey"

Ah yes, just what I needed to hear. Guess it has been such a momentous decision that I've gone slightly into freak mode now, creating problems where there aren't any (yet and may never be). Ranging from really excited to 'oh no, what have I done, how will I cope'. Thanks for reminding me not to make issues where there aren't any yet, take one day at a time, even during this waiting period now, another 4 weeks at least....

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[ianthebuilder]

You dont have to worry till you get woken up in the night by a bloke dressed as a killer clown knocking on your door,asking for petrol for his chain saw !!

 

[SGNV]

You dont have to worry till you get woken up in the night by a bloke dressed as a killer clown knocking on your door,asking for petrol for his chain saw !!

Cheers mate

 

[ianthebuilder]

Cheers mate

lol,,you will be fine s,,im sure your not a silly girl,,its not as daunting as you may think !! you will have a great time..

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[SGNV]

lol,,you will be fine s,,im sure your not a silly girl,,its not as daunting as you may think !! you will have a great time..

Well, some (most?) people think I'm stark raving for even considering doing this. But yes, guess I'll be fine (overall), have survived everything life has thrown at me so far, so I'm sure I'll manage this too. Just wish I could collect it tomorrow rather than in 5 weeks time. I'm having far too much time to think about it, never a good idea. As it was, I was reading up on the Strikeback alarm just now, which has a sleep function, sounds like the right kind of thing to get.

 

[ianthebuilder]

It might be perfect, I havnt ever seen or heard of it before you posted so every day's a school day for me since I have been living and travelling in helga!!

You will get masses of help on here, I know that cause I have and still recieve it!! And I'm a lost cause! Lol

There are some lovely women on here, (and men I'm sure!) lol. But if you take the time to get to chat and maybe know them you will be well looked after!!

Joining this site proves your not a muppet !!! It's saved my life a few times!! X

 

[SGNV]

It might be perfect, I havnt ever seen or heard of it before you posted so every day's a school day for me since I have been living and travelling in helga!!

You will get masses of help on here, I know that cause I have and still recieve it!! And I'm a lost cause! Lol

There are some lovely women on here, (and men I'm sure!) lol. But if you take the time to get to chat and maybe know them you will be well looked after!!

Joining this site proves your not a muppet !!! It's saved my life a few times!! X

Thank you. Also got an interview invitation, so that is getting my biggest worry sorted. Living in it will one thing, will I find work is something else, things are looking up. And I anyway have a whole year still to sort it all out.

Just not good for me to have too much time to think, I end up imagining all kinds of trouble that are not there in between the things I do need look into. This is where this site is helping.


And I'm thinking of calling mine Gerda, that's the G bit in the SGNV, courtesy of my granny.

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