As some of you already know, I am currently traveling around the country while living in a converted camper van. This diary is part of a series on why and how to live fulltime in a van.
Part One: Why I Live in a Van:
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Part Two: Selecting a Van
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Part Three: Bureaucracy
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Part Four: The Logistics of Living in a Walmart Parking Lot
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Part Five: Internet, Cellphone, and Staying in Touch
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Part Six: Electricity
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Part Seven: My Bathroom
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Part Eight: Laundry
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Part Nine: Entertainment
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Part Ten: Cooking
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Part Eleven: Keeping Warm and Cool
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If you live in a van, of course, the simplest way of getting around to the places you want to go is just to drive the van.
But that’s not what I do. For me, the van is just a mini-apartment where I sleep at night, and a way to get from one city to another as I travel. It’s not my method of getting around town to the places I want to go. Instead, I take the local city bus system. There is always a local bus stop either at the Walmart or very close to it. So I just park the van in the Walmart lot near the bus stop, hop on, go do what I want to do all day, then take the bus back at the end of the day.
There are several reasons why I take the local bus system to get around, instead of driving the van:
I don’t have to know my way around to get anywhere. In a city where I’ve never been before, I can get everywhere I want to go, without getting lost, just by taking the bus. (Of course, I have a GPS in the van, but it’s still lots easier to just hop on the local bus.) Traffic never bothers me, and since the bus takes me right where I want to go, I can always do some computer work or read an ebook or do whatever else on the bus on the way there. (In St Petersburg FL, all the local PSTA buses have free wifi, so I could even web surf on my way to the museum or zoo—a great feature that I have unfortunately not yet seen on any other bus system I’ve been on.)
I see more of the city by taking the bus. Many times local buses have taken me through interesting neighborhoods that I would never even have known about otherwise, or have taken me past quirky small shops or museums or parks that I never would have found on my own. (And this is also why I always take the bus instead of the subway.)
And in addition, I get to meet and talk to lots of local residents on the bus, including the drivers. I once ended up chatting with someone who made his living as a Hollywood movie extra. Another time I talked with a bus driver from Haiti. It’s a great way to meet interesting people and get some local flavor.
I don’t have to worry about parking. In town, I don’t have to find a parking garage, or find an open meter (and keep feeding it all day). At destinations, I don’t have to pay for parking (most museums, zoos and attractions charge anywhere from $5 to $15 just to park).
The Walmart lot is safe and secure. One of the disadvantages of parking a “work van” on the street is that it might tempt thieves to break in, hoping to find and steal some expensive tools. (There’s nothing in my van worth stealing, but the thieves won’t know that until after they have already broken in.) By leaving the van in the Walmart lot all day, it is in a location in the open, with lots of people constantly nearby, and security cameras. That helps to discourage the thieves and vandals.
Taking the local bus is lots cheaper. Virtually every city bus system has a monthly pass, usually for $60-70. So for around $2 a day—the price of one gallon of gas—I can take unlimited rides on the bus, to as many places as I want to go, all day long.
Local city bus drivers, by the way, deserve far more kudos and respect than they usually get. I have universally found local bus drivers to be as helpful as possible, and they have always pointed me in the right direction whenever I needed it. Plus, bus driving is one of the few jobs left in the US that provide a good salary and a middle-class living without requiring a college degree or technical school. I am happy to support them.