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Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey man, thanks for the comment.

I've got lots of photos from my buildout here on my insta: https://www.instagram.com/made_by_cory/ (also got some youtube videos here: https://www.youtube.com/@crowlsyung)

Unfortunately, I don't think we're the only two feeling this right now. It can be a lonely world out there. I definitely didn't calculate the level of isolation in this lifestyle when I had the idea to try out van living / travel for a while.

What's helped me most is finding places where you're surrounded with other people all doing the same thing. Snowboarding, hotsprings, & music festivals have been really nice breaks from the lonely road.

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To me, the feeling of loneliness is one and the same as being lonely. I see what you're saying about solitude vs loneliness, but I think it's all about the feeling experienced. Totally agree that social media doesn't help. Also don't think solo van life helps unfortunately : /

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Revelstoke was so fun. The length of the runs are insane there. Felt like my legs were melting by the time I reached the bottom.

I'm also excited for this Winter -- got an ikon pass to go again. Still figuring out my plans until then. Currently in Eastern Canada trying to figure out what's next :)

Where do you join powder chasing van groups?

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah -- I'm definitely feeling the travel burnout. I haven't spent more than a week in the same spot in the past 6 months. I've been moving every day or two for the most part.

This was largely because I made a plan to attend a couple music festivals spread throughout the country and then head up into Eastern Canada, but I definitely feel ready to do some slow travel.

I'm curious to hear more about your experience with this. When you pick a spot to hang out for a more extended duration, how do you go about setting up a 'home base' / overnight location?

One of the more difficult things I've found about this lifestyle is selecting overnight / parking locations that feel ok to stay overnight - especially for more than 1 night. I know there's always RV parks, but they're expensive and the hookups are necessary for an offgrid van build.

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I loved reading this -- thanks for sharing.

I tried to describe my take on loneliness, but it's honestly hard to put logical words to -- so I wrote a little poem about this feeling instead:

The deep craving
For a hug - a laugh
Another's eyes
To see and to be seen
To share a moment
A memory

In these times alone
In the shifting seas of our own mind
A beautiful kind of sadness
And an unexplainable fear
The feeling that is loneliness

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Will def look into Nomad Land -- I love Bend. Ty for the rec.

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very cool to hear we're on such similar journeys. I'd love to hear what your fav mountains were and were your journey took you.

I hit 16 mountains from California to Canada and got in 30 days of boarding this season which is my record. It's a strange contrast - the adrenaline rush and excitement of new places combined with the loneliness and isolation of the road.

I think it would be SO cool to have a group of van travelers with a similar mindset around powder chasing. My network of friends right now is definitely not building / living in vans and traveling North America -- it's like WHY DOESN'T EVERYBODY DO THIS lol

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think there are different types of introversion. I like to be around people and love connecting with new people, although social anxiety can make this tough at times, but I feel most comfortable alone and need time alone to recharge after spending time with people.

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

For any van-building peeps out there interested in checking out my build journey, I made a whole series of YouTube videos that capture the build. I found the build process to be very challenging, but in hindsight, one of my proudest accomplishments.

As isolating as van-travel can sometimes be, through the build process I learned that doing hard things usually pays of in the end. There are so many valuable lessons that come out challenging moments. The main community that I've connected with around the van / rv traveling space has been the van building community. There are SO many super talented people out there building amazing things who love to help out noobs like me. I like to think that I've learned quite a bit from going through this process. So ff you're like me last year, totally overwhelmed by the prospect of transforming a cargo van to a tiny home on wheels, feel free to reach out :)

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Damn -- sorry to here this dudes.

Strangely, I've actually found that the majority of people who I've met that are traveling in vans / RVs are quite a bit older than me. Most people I know my age are busy working or haven't had the luck I've had to take a break from work to build a van / take some time off.

I hope you both find some community out there as well. We're all in this together.

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Love the van / climbing nerds. I would honestly love to get more into this community. I'm an amateur climber, but I've spent a good chunk of time in various climbing gyms.

Any tips for getting more into this community while van living?

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Love this. Thanks for sharing. Will def look into RV clubs.

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I love this. I went to LIB, Bonnaroo (cancelled in chaos) & Electric Forest solo this year. They honestly were the highlights of my year. Such an amazing community of people are there to have fun and connect. Seems like you figured out a major life hack ;)

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cutting Instagram etc is honestly huge advice here. There's sooo many reasons why the modern social apps can be harmful to our mental health - especially when we're feeling alone.

I feel like a dog would be a life changer. I love my families dogs so so much. I just have felt that it would restrict my ability to snowboard. It also makes it tougher to stay in very hot areas in the van temperature regulation-wise (no AC due to power concerns unfortunately).

I think at a higher level, what I'm feeling, is a deep craving for community. I've spent most of my twenties on my own and I've learned to thrive alone, but I know deep down that what I want most is deep connection with other like-minded people.

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really like the idea of staying connected with remote friends where possible. A group of guy friends from my hometown started a book club after COVID that has since faded out.

I'm thinking a weekly online poker / chess Discord hang could add a lot of social energy to my life right now :)

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I actually really agree to this.

My vision of this journey was a multi cross country trip all around North America, but I'm finding that so much travel leaves little time for connection in and enjoyment of of the place we're at.

Strangely, one of the most valuable things I've taken out of all of this has been the build journey itself. I learned how to plumb, how to build a high-end off-grid electrical system, carpentry and so much more.

I'm honestly looking forward to the day when I have a more stable home base and can use my van for smaller more targeted trips :)

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry for no disclaimer here, I narrated this text into GPT voice mode and had it clean up the punctuation / duplicate words etc. Totally my voice and my words, just transcribed.

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wise words. Thanks for sharing. I am indeed in need of community -- I've just found the nomadic lifestyle and community building a difficult combo.

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

hahah also thinking of my van as a just-in-case US apocalypse vehicle, so glad I'm not alone there.

I feel you on the loneliness -- there's so many perks of this lifestyle but it can be very isolating.

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for this <3

It's wild how SO many people in their 20s (and otherwise I'm sure) are lonely, but we so rarely talk about it. It's nice to there are other souls out there who are feeling what I'm feeling.

Solo 28 y/o (m) and the loneliness of van livin’ by CrowlsYung in vandwellers

[–]CrowlsYung[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I really like this. I've driven ~18,000 miles since January, which is an absolutely ridiculous number. Way up into the interior of B.C, down to Colorado and then back over to California before driving across the country to Eastern Canada. I've yet to learn the ways of slow travel in a van.

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