Reddit mentions: The best travel reference & tips books

My family has been fulltiming for the past 2 years. We are a family of 4- daughter (13) and son (5); they were 11 and 3 when we launched.

Let me try to answer your questions and interject our experience. We decided we were going to take my daughter out of school for a year and tour the US for 14 months (beginning of summer 2015 to end of summer 2016). In planning, I decided on an exact route of weekly stops- 60 in total of where we would go. Heck, I often knew where we would stay. I blogged about it here:
http://nowornever.learntorv.com/2015/04/the-idea-plan.html

The reality? Before stop #2, we decided to split up a longer drive by leaving a night early. At stop #4 or 5, my wife hurt her back and we had to stay put for 3 extra days. At that same stop, my wife found that there was a Fulltime Families rally going on that September (this was in July) and asked if we could go to it-- it was in Branson, my schedule had us in Montana or something. Going on the idea that fulltime RVing allows us to go do the things we want, we agreed and threw our plans to the wind.

We've yet to get back to that original plan - and honestly, we're better for it. We have visited places that never made the plan that we loved. We have gone to some places that were just "meh" and we were ready to move on.

So, have some places to go in mind, but fight the urge to make a super long detailed plan. It's extremely unlikely you'll stick to it.

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Clothes - you will take too many. You will wear less. You usually won't miss what you don't have. Only you know your family - are things a 1-time wear and they're dirty? Do you re-wear things multiple days? If the former, do you plan on a washer/dryer in the rig? For us, we're mostly a wear-once family and we ultimately added a washer/dryer combo to our rig. Adding that cut down on the amount of clothes we carried and needed since we do laundry more often (it used to be done weekly). For me, I own: 3 pair of shorts, 2 pair of jeans, 3 pair of gym shorts, 5-6 t-shirts, 3 casual button up shirts, 1 pair of dress shoes, 1 pair of flip flops, 1 pair of sandels, 1 pair of sneakers, and socks/underwear. I do keep 2 pair of khakis and a nicer button up shirt in a bin under the bed for when I have to go to work events. The kids have less than I do. The wife has more.

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Our camper is a 2013 Sabre 36QBOK. Like this one but older: http://www.funtownrv.com/product/new-2015-palomino-sabre-36qbok-7-204757-5

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Showers - our shower is huge for a camper. It's 48" x 30" and tall. Your husband would fit. Look online at floorplans specifically for that size.

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Sleep space - lots of layouts have dedicated bunk rooms. Ours has it in the very rear of the camper. Makes for a great space for them with it's slides on both sides. It really opens up the space.

The challenge will be fitting 6' tall kids in them. The bunks them are 72" x 30". For a 6' tall person, it can be cozy. Though, my father-in-law slept up there before we went fulltime. You might look at some of the mid-bunk layouts. One kid on a sleeper sofa and another in the loft where the bunks will be bigger. OR look at toy haulers and customize the garage to be a bedroom in a way that is exactly what you want.

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Internet- as mentioned, things change so rapidly. Anything we tell you now is likely to change. Your best bet is to join rvmobileinternet.com and pay their yearly fee to be a member. Awesome people and great info. My current setup is:

• Grandfathered unlimited Verizon plan - just a hotspot (aka Jetpack)
  
• New "unlimited" AT&T plan - our phones and a hotspot are on this
  
• The camper network/backbone is powered via a WifiRanger so that I can mass switch all of our devices based on whichever provider is faster.
  
• For times that service is weak or just needs help, I have a weBoost 4G Drive-X cellular booster.
  
  I'm a programmer working a normal 9-5 job and "work from home" at it. We stream Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and a variety of kids' networks (Disney, PBS, etc). We typically go through 200-300gb in a month split over the 2 providers.
  
  --
  
  For mail/residency/etc- you typically will get a mailbox somewhere. Don't get a USPS post office box as a lot of places won't use that. You'll find the most options in South Dakota, Texas, and Florida as they're the states without state income tax and lax residency requirements. Texas and Florida are more friendly to homeschoolers (with Florida- you may consider a homeschool umbrella). Once you pick your state of residency, you get a mailbox at a mail forwarding service. I went with www.sbimailservice.com out of Florida. If you stick with Ohio, you'll likely need to us a UPS Store or family or something.
  
  Mail is sent there and collected. Some mail services will scan the front and let you electively scan the contents (for a fee). When you're ready, you have it sent to wherever you're at.
  
  For receiving online orders (and your mail as mentioned above), most RV parks allow you to receive packages. Check with the park as each has different rules AND sometimes you need to use a variation of their address. If not, a lot of people will us USPS General Delivery, though I've heard that can be a hassle if you can't control the actual shipper (think Amazon and it using whatever it so feels like). It's really easier than you'd imagine- heck, I had a Sleep Number bed delivered to a RV park!
  
  --
  
  Animals- we don't have but friends do. Honestly, they don't usually mind as it's just a house to them. Travel days, you'll want to make sure they're secure. Friends have said that they don't like that their dogs have to constantly be on leash and rarely get to be off leash. Though some parks have leash-free dog parks. I do know having a dog seems to cramp friends sight-seeing style as they have to be back to let the dog out.
  
  --
  
  Mental health- I'm one that needs periodic alone time. For me, work is good as the family knows I'm generally not to be interrupted. For my wife, she'll run errands on her own and leave the kids with me. It's not unknown for people to go for walks or drives or just go into the bedroom and lock the door. We have friends with 6 girls... one of the girls regularly needs quiet/alone time (less now that they've been on the road for 2 years) and she would go onto the roof of the camper! Headphones drown out the family...err, world. Everyone has routines- what do you do for alone time now?
  
  --
  
  For downsizing, just start getting rid of crap. We constantly have a donate bag/box going even now. You'd be amazed at how much you don't want and how freeing it is to not want.
  
  My friend's book might be a good start:
  https://www.amazon.com/How-Hit-Road-Familys-Full-Time-ebook/dp/B005FBSBS2
  
  --
  
  The questions you didn't answer- what about community? What about finding your tribe and feeling like you belong? What about your kids having friends on the road?
  
  We wouldn't still be on the road if it wasn't for finding an organization called Fulltime Families - fulltimefamilies.com. We made friends (parents and kids both). Road friends are different than home friends- they get it. The kids have deeper and more meaningful relationships with their friends who are also on the road than they ever did at home. We went to rallies where we watched our kids with 100 other kids. We've seen introverted kids get surrounded by other introverted kids and they all knew and understood. Kids on the spectrum will find other kids and you'll find other families to connect with.
  
  You may travel with other families (or not).
  
  --
  
  We love fulltiming! We thought we were embarking on a 14-month adventure and now plan on doing it until it stops being fun or something ties us down to a single location (which might happen as my daughter gets to working age and planning for college).
  
  Why wait for 6 years- the fun is out there now!

I was in electrical/computer engineering, so I think I can relate. Just graduated 2 months ago.

• The workload seems intimidating, but it's really not that bad. Professors and other students alike will tell you that you guys "are in for a ride" and that you're "sacrificing for the future" - you do have more work than others but that doesn't mean it has to be your life. This kind of notion spreads because 1) it makes the program seem challenging from the outside and inside, and 2) it makes students feel like academic juggernauts. Realize that it's not that bad - tons of people do it every year.
  
  
• Parkinson's Law: "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." IE - don't feel bad about procrastinating. Accept it, and spend your time having fun instead of worrying. You'll quickly learn the "bare minimum time needed" to get shit done.
  
  
• Talk to girls. Lots of them. Go to the dining hall, sit down, and just chat. Freshman year is one of the best times to experiment with your social skills; everyone's re-integrating.
  
  
• Don't buy books. I didn't buy any books my last two years in college; chances are you can find an old edition of the text online or just borrow from a friend that has rich parents.
  
  
• Make friends in your classes and learn to help each other. If you realize that university is more of a business than an education, you won't feel so bad about cooperating so that you can spend your time developing as a person, and not as a slave.
  
  
• Exams test you on the basics of the material. I'm not saying you should do this, but I didn't go to many classes at all during my last two years and I did just fine. I talked to the TAs, went to the review sessions, did the homeworks, and studied with friends. Sitting down and listening to someone drone on while you scramble to record everything does nothing for your education; reading books, studying independently, and engaging in one-on-one review is way more effective, for me anyways.
  
  
• Start a business now. Something small and unrelated to your discipline is fine. My current employer didn't even look at my GPA - they saw that I started a business, was involved with extracurriculars, and started a photography club. Extra-academic initiative says way more than following the lockstep of a cookie-cutter curriculum. Worst-case scenario, you spend time developing tons of skills (well, I suppose you could always die). Best-case, you don't need a job.
  
  
  
• Get a motorcycle. It's incredibly fun, not only for you, but for the girls that you meet that have never been on one before. Getting someone else's adrenaline pumping is almost as exhilarating as getting your own pumping :). Of course, take the MSF course before you put anyone on the back.
  
  
• Don't worry about having a super high GPA. I graduated with a 3.0/4.0 yet I had multiple job offers; it's more about the personality and initiative. GPA's a re a convenient way to filter through thousands of online applications; a smile and a solid handshake will pull ahead of a GPA in any personal engagement, at least in my experience.
  
  
• Go to career fairs. Even as a freshman. I noticed that anyone who got an internship freshman year had internships every year, and job offers lined up before everyone else.
  
  
• Work out regularly. Endorphins are a hell of a drug.
  
  
• These books had a HUGE impact on me. Wish I'd read them freshman year:
  
  Don't let school get in the way of your education.
  
  Learn about human sexuality.
  
  Learn how to outsource, but be very skeptical about some of the philosophy in this book.
  
  Travel.
  
  
  
• and finally, don't do any hard drugs
  
  My 2cents. Have fun :)
  

http://www.international.gc.ca/experience/intro_incoming-intro_entrant.aspx?lang=eng

Get yourself a working holiday here in Canada. Not many Canadians go the other way, but as I hear it told the quota for coming TO Canada fills up pretty fast so apply as soon as you know you want to come here (only 5300-ish spots were available for UK citizens for 2014 and the quota for rounds 1 and 2 were filled the day they were opened and within 3 days for the 3rd round). If you miss it there's always the next year etc until you turn 30.

There's similar programs for you to go to Australia.

I don't know about the USA though. That being said once you get into Canada, you can easily drive or take the bus/train across the border into the US. You wont be able to work there though.

Take advantage of the working holiday visa prgrams while you have the chance. I didn't learn about them until I was about to turn 30 and I wish I had known sooner. Once that time is gone you'll never get it back. However, University will always be there and employers love international and life experience. I've landed several jobs when recruiters were impressed by my ability to travel and live solo in other countries.

They seem to like that independance and ability to manage in strange and stressful environments apparently.

If you need someone to help you set it up, there's lots of organizations that will do it, for a fee. But they're rarely mandatory and, in the end, it's more satisfying to accomplish these things on your own. Many people on this board can help you if you get stuck on some details.

Also, Lonely Planet (http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/world/the-big-trip/) and Rough Guides (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rough-Guide-First-Time-Around-World/dp/1848365101) publish books intended to guide you through the process of planning your first gap year. Pick up one of those and give it a read for a lot of useful tips and destination ideas.

Depends on what kind of travel you prefer but these are a few I've read and heartily recommend:

Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

• My bible for motivation and the reasons why I travel. Lots of information about why you should prioritise travel in your life.
  
  
  A Short Ride in the Jungle by Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent
  
  
• A young british women rides the original Ho Chi Minh trail, well written with a great amount of history thrown in.
  
  
  Burma Chronicles by Guy Delisle
  
  
• Not your standard travel book, Guy draws daily life in the countries he's living with his wife. This book is all about his time in Burma (Myanmar)
  
  
  Jupiters Travels by Ted Simon
  
  
• Another motorcycle adventure book, Ted rode around the world on a Triumph back in 1973. Great example of don't fret about things outside your control.
  
   
  
  If anybody has any similar recommendations based on the above I'd love to hear them too :)
  

Hi all,

My first (and only) book! I decided to self-publish a collection of blogs from a charity event I took part in around 18 months ago, where two friends and I drove from the UK to Mongolia in a 1.1 litre car. I blogged on the road, and they formed the majority of this book.

UK Amazon,
Paperback

I don't claim to be a fantastic writer, the only reason to self-publish was to share some of our great stories and perhaps even ignite a desire for the reader to travel.

Feels great to have finally finished it. If anyone fancied reading it, I'm happy to provide free copies - just send me a message and I'll email you the .epub or .mobi

Thanks!

I did a similar thing some years ago, but in Romania. There is an awesome line of dictionaries called Kauderwelsch that really helped me surviving those 10 days. They are also available for English-German: https://www.amazon.de/Reise-Know-How-German-Fremdsprache-Kauderwelsch-Band/dp/3831764166/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&keywords=kauderwelsch+deutsch&qid=1559137236&s=books&sr=1-1

​

Also: As far as I know you have a fixed target camp, have you not?

I would adivse you to always wear something that makes you identifiable as a scout, a lot of people will be more friendly.

Good luck and have a great hike.

I did the world tour last summer.

One huge thing that helped me was talking to local people about their lives and what the best things to do were. In general with a few notable exceptions people are very willing and happy to show you around, give you a place to stay or something to eat. So if you are going someplace ESL or otherwise learn some of the language or get a guide.

Take cash with you and exchange as you go - usually your cards wont work. If you need more then be ready to pay a lot for it unless you have USAA.

I always pack: Water tabs, an ABS or metal canteen, duct tape, suture strips an LED headlamp and Cigarettes (as international currency).

Pick up Randall/Perrin's Adventure travel in the third world and use it as a guide.

After a half dozen solo trips I am going to start to use local guides - too often have I not had enough local language experience and have gotten into some shady situations so it would be wise to look into. Often they are really cheap and will make sure you don't get ripped off or jacked. As always make sure they are legit first.

Most of all keep your Situational Awareness about you; if you can afford to travel the world, even backpacking, you have more money/resources than most of the world and as such are a nice target. That said most people are not out to scam or rip you off.

Good luck.

Hey there! Early 30s here, and have run the gamut of failures and successes, from overcoming divorce to losing 60 pounds. Here are a few keys:

• You are totally normal in your goals for where you're at in life. You're in the phase of wanting increased independence and adventure, and you have limited time to do that. That's a great place to be.
  
  
• Listen to what you said: "I secretly hate the type of personality that will be required of me to do well there." You've made an assumption that in order to make a living, you have to be a corporate lemming or a tool. There are a zillion different ways to make money, so go with your gut and avoid something that doesn't sound fulfilling. Did you know you can be get free room and board while working on a goat farm in France? Now you do. More on that below.
  
  
• When I was in my early and mid-20s, I was paralyzed by the number of things I wanted to accomplish, and ultimately did nothing about them because it was too overwhelming. It was only when I picked one thing at a time and worked toward it that things started happening. First, that was changing careers. Second, it was finally getting my health together.
  
  
• Don't take life too seriously! Have fun with this! Your goals will change over time. I guarantee you in a decade you will look back and chuckle about some of the things you want right now compared to then. That's good! That's okay!
  
  On a practical level, here's my advice:
  
  
• Go read the book Vagabonding by Rolf Potts to learn about long term travel.
  
  
• Go look at the site Nomadic Matt to learn about travel hacking. I highly recommend the community forum. Tons of people want to help you travel.
  
  
• Go look at sites like HelpX and WorkAway to learn about how you could take time to travel while also working.
  
  Bottom line: You can do whatever you want. Pick something - I suggest travel - and make it happen. Stay true to who you are, don't become a corporate stooge for the money. In 20 years you will wake up and realize you wasted your youth and freedom.
  
  Keep us posted.
  
  Sam
  

tl;dr Manliness, or growing, or coming out of your shell, is doing what you don't want to do because you know you should.

I actually deal with this all the time. You sound like a lot of my friends, really a lot of people in the Gen Y designation. I grew up ubermanly, a combination of early puberty and other stereotypical factors. So when I saw so many of my friends seemingly trapped on the playground, I would urge them into activities that would help them grow the way I was urged into them growing up.

Activities that will help you grow are easy to find. Just think of an activity and if you immediate kneejerk response is, "No way!" Then guess what? That's what you need to go do. (I realize this is the internet and so the next person can downvote or poke holes in my advice, but take it as it is.)

If you don't do rollercoasters, now you are getting on the next one you can. Don't play sports? Go get a raquet and raquetball at the thrift store and go play. Don't chat up girls? Guess what. :) You get the drift.

That's all stuff that you DO. That's the middle of the path. First you need to mentally realize that you need to do these things you don't want to because they'll make you a better man. Afterwards, you'll have grown and the next time will be easier to convince yourself to do something.


If you can't come up with things to do, reference some of the manliness websites and books out there and start small, like with movie choices. Examples:
http://artofmanliness.com/ "7 Baseball Pitching Grips Every Man Should Know"
http://www.menshealth.com/ "6 women you should date at least once"
http://www.amazon.com/Die-Happy-Things-Every-Gotta/dp/031235620X "Die Happy: 499 Things Every Guy's Gotta Do While He Still Can"

The most important thing is that you are dying right now. No matter what day or year you die, you're going to be one day closer to it when the sun goes down today. Find the things that you need to do and do them to become the best person that you can.

Get some money together to start. Get some base knowledge from a book like this, or this


Get an active profile and become familiar with websites like these:

• www.couchsurfing.org
  
  
• www.airbnb.com
  
  
• www.wwoof.org
  
  
  
  What may very well help you more than other things: Learn a few useful skills. If you know basic construction. If you know website development. If you know smithing, painting, sailing, car repair, etc, you will be able to get work most places with little looking. Take a few months and really learn a few things in depth. Get a part time job learning those things to save up some money... and go.
  
  
  I love to travel. I wish I could just pick up and go. I am in debt from school and travel when I can. If you can save some dough and head out then do it. It will change your life.

Alrighty, if you want to learn Spanish, this is the method that I have been using so far... First off, I have to plug this book:

Fluent Forever by Grabiel Wyner - Amazon.com

I have read and tried a lot of different books on learning languages before I finally found this one, which I consider to be the holy grail. Nothing else has stuck before I read this book. The method is basically this:

1. Using Anki, a spaced-repitition learning (SRS) flashcard program, you start to learn the minimal pairs of your target language (words that differ by one sounds like "cat" and "cut"). This will help you later one when listening and learning words and will help you develop a better accent.
   
   
2. Using Anki, start to learn the most commonly used words in your language by gathering your own images and pronunciations to go along with them. Learn the base forms of verbs, you will learn to conjugate them in the next step. Here is the top 1000 words on a frequency list from Wiktionary and here is the 625 word list provided in the book. I suggest using the alphabetical word list rather than the thematic word list because if you start learning words thematically it can be harder to retain, explained within the book. Grab images from Google Images by typing in your target word after translating with SpanishDict and insert into Anki. Grab audio translations from Forvo.com if available.
   
   
3. Once you have plowed your way through 500-1000 words, you are ready to start learning to conjugate verbs and making sentences. He explains a great method for this in the book using mnemonics for different conjugations and provides a model deck you can install to use with Anki at this website. Also take a look at StudySpanish.com - Grammar Tutorial and start working your way through that at the same time. The reason you learn vocabulary first is so you have words to actually make sentences with, rather than using a smaller limited vocabulary to make the same sentences over and over.
   I suggest focusing on Linguasorb.com - Top 100 Spanish Verbs to start with conjugations that will be most commonly used.
   
   
4. Once you are able to construct basic sentences and have a decent vocabulary, you are ready to start really practicing. Find language partners or tutors on iTalki.com, write some short stories and stuff on Lang-8.com and get them translated by native speakers, practice whenever and wherever you can.
   
   
5. Start to acquire as much exposure to the language as possible. Watch TV Shows, read CNN en Español, listen to radio, watch movies, read books, whatever you can at this point to break through that intermediate fluency level.
   
   Other useful things:
   
   Books:
   
   

• Lonely Planet - Latin American Spanish Phrasebook
  
  
• Lonely Planet - Spanish Phrasebook
  
  
• Practical Spanish Grammar - A Self Teaching Guide
  
  Websites:
  
  
• 60 Insanely Useful Resources for Learning Spanish
  
  
• Spanish Linking Words - SpanishWithJudith.com
  
  
• Spanish Transition Words - TheSpanishBlog.com
  
  
• Palabras de Transicion
  
  
• Graaahh's Awesome Spanish Study Guide (for this one you have to make a free account, then go back to the page, click on "Share", then a download link will appear)
  
  This is all I can write for the moment, I am by no means fluent in Spanish but I am working on it. I have done a TON of research and this is some of the best stuff I have found, but my bookmarks folder is completely full of other resources if there is something in particular you are looking for.

Of all the places I've been, in Argentina people were the least freaked out or annoyed by me speaking English. People were just so laid back about it, it was great.

I highly recommend the Lonely Planet Latin American Spanish Phrasebook. It's pocket-sized, easy to navigate, and has all the useful everyday stuff you need.

I also find carrying a small notepad is useful too. Spanish and English have very similar roots, and I find that a Spanish speaker can often recognize written English words very easily.

Enjoy your trip!

A very enjoyable post, I loved reading your thoughts. Would this happen to be your book? Cause if so I'm actually interested in getting it as a gift for a friend of mine who's an aspiring traveler.

Do you have any plans to author any works on Armenia or its culture/soviet/locations/what-have-you in the future? I enjoyed your writing style and wouldn't mind exploring it some more from a perspective such as yours.

Car camping is easiest and by far the cheapest, too ($10-20/night as opposed to $35-70/night, since you'll be in peak season). It's nice because after you've been driving all day, you can stretch your legs and go on a pleasant hike, take in some beautiful scenery. You really do get used to it, and most facilities offer showers. Motels can attract sketchy crowds, but aren't as bad if you're driving through a small or mid-sized city. You might also want to try /r/meetup, I've heard of redditors putting others up.

I've done two major road trips in my life, one for six weeks from LA -> Pacific 1/101 -> Olympic Peninsula/Seattle -> Canada/Banff -> Dakotas -> Wisconsin -> Illinois. I also did Illinois -> Dakotas/Badlands -> Yellowstone -> Utah/Zion -> California. I also backpacked Europe. I'm happy to answer questions.

Where are you going? If you're in the US, a good book is Road Trip USA .

Edit: formats

Im not sure on euro vehicles (maybe the large ford transit with bike carrier?), but there are a few good newbie guides out there. Bob Wells has a pretty good ebook that covers the basics
https://www.amazon.com/Live-RV-Debt-Travel-Freedom-ebook/dp/B008S129XY
His website cheaprvliving is a good resource too, if you dig through his articles and blogs you can basically glean all the info from the book too.

Just random notes -

• go to the library (or buy your own) and check out guide books like National Geographic's Scenic Hwys or Road Trip USA to get ideas for scenic drives along your route
  
• if within your diet, Memphis BBQ
  
• maybe go no farther than Hot Springs the first day
  
• example of scenic highway you can find in those guide books - Talimena
  
• maybe Amarillo, TX, for the second day - Cadillac Ranch, Palo Duro Canyon SP nearby
  
• Santa Fe for food and museums the 3rd day; maybe overnight here or continue on to some place like Durango - lots in the Santa Fe area like Bandelier NM, Jemez Springs Mt Trail, Valles Caldera that you can check out while in Santa Fe or on your way to next destination
  
• Now you're entering a stretch where you wish you had more time. You could do Mesa Verde NP, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Dead Horse Pt SP, Goblin Valley SP, Capitol Reef NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Zion NP, Cedar Breaks NM, Snow Canyon SP but that would take a week; instead take as many scenic highways as you can - UT24, UT12, UT14, and more if you look. Hate to recommend not actually stopping at any of the national parks but you really don't have time - so take notes for your planning your next vacation; you can search out some cool restaurants on these scenic roads too. like Hells Backbone Grill; maybe overnight in St George for the 4th night (lodging near the National Parks is expensive and likely booked)
  
• maybe head to the Mammoth Lakes area for the 5th night
  
• You don't mention time of year for the trip, but if Tioga Rd is open (generally early June), take that and swallow the Yosemite entrance fee (unless you've already purchased a National Park pass for $80 that's good for a year); if Tioga Rd not open, then go up to Tahoe area before heading to San Francisco

I'd say that I occasionally got paranoid about leaving my van for extended periods of time. I got used to it, though.
I totally suggest taking an extended trip living in a car. It's an awesome experience.

If you're up to it, here's a list of books that you might find useful on the subject. :)

How to Live in a Car, Van or RV

The VanDweller's Guide

Van Living: The Freedom of the Road

The Tiniest Mansion

Live In a Van, Truck, Trailer, or Motorhome

Living in a Van Down By The River

My House Has Wheels

The Simple RV Life

So, You Want to Be an RVer?

Retire To an RV


Here's one just for fun, though you may glean something from it.
Walden On Wheels

I also suggest /r/gorving and /r/vagabond.

SPOT is not a gps, but sends a signal. You can make your own tracks public or share privately, and the device also has a help button you can press. It's a great service that I would recommend to any serious backcountry hiker/sailor or motorcyclist.
My wife did a solo motorbike trip through Mexico a few years ago and I could follow along nearly minute by minute via the SPOT tracker.

White people and their instant gratification crazy ideas.

OK, first - all and I do mean all volunteer programs will require a 4-6 week commitment at the absolute minimum. 4-6 months is more the norm. Consider how long it took you to feel like you knew what was going on at your job. You will be more of a drain on the organization than a help if you are only there for 2 weeks.

The best you can really do in 2 weeks is contact the organization and see if you can import them some needed medical supplies in your suitcase, plus perhaps organize a charity drive stateside, and stay out of their way.

Lastly, regarding security - the aforementioned security guy with an AK will have virtually zero training and is there as a showpiece. Nearly no PMC, security firm, or police force below the regional level in Africa can afford to train their people at all, as the requisite ammunition is hideously expensive by local standards. A typical security firm of 10 people will often share a single firearm.

Therefore, go read a book and educate your father.

Or just follow the Four Rules (originated in the gun community, also known as the Four Stupids):
Don't do stupid things with stupid people in stupid places at stupid times of the night.

In terms of preexisting islands, there are plenty of places which wouldn't mind selling the land to you (in the same way you could buy a small island in, say, the Great Lakes)...but giving up sovereignty would be another matter entirely. And in the history of "micronations", even if you were able to manage that, you very likely wouldn't be afforded the same protections other nations have if and when the former owners decide for whatever reason to renege on the deal and take the land back by force. In terms of man-made islands, the UN passed a resolution a few decades ago to the effect that any landmass, natural or man-made, which has not already claimed by a recognized sovereign nation, and is in international waters, would automatically default to the jurisdiction of the nearest sovereign country. Since the concept I linked to above wouldn't technically be a LANDmass, the people behind it reasoned they'd be exempt from said resolution. Here's a couple of related books, if you're interested:
http://www.amazon.com/Micronations-General-Reference-John-Ryan/dp/1741047307/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254563140&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/How-Start-Your-Own-Country/dp/1581605242/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254563185&sr=1-1

Bob Wells' How to Live in a Car, Van or RV. Good overview and only $3.

For boondocking I liked:
Sunny Skye's RV Boondocking Basics: Living Well on the Road Less Graveled and pretty much anything by Difley.

Regardless of where you decide to go i'd suggest this book. It has a lot of good info on where to go, where to stay, what sort of budgets you can expect in different parts of the world. it's quite inspirational. Who knows you may just want to turn that 12 day trip into a longer one :)

http://www.amazon.com/Rough-Guide-First-Time-Around-Edition/dp/1848365101/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341340852&sr=8-1&keywords=first+time+around+the+world

BTW, I traveled alone for the first time last year through S.E Asia for 6 weeks and was horrified. That fear lasted about 1 day, after arriving at my first hostel I met so many people and just went with the flow and ended up having traveling partners for a few weeks of my trip.

Good luck and have fun!

I would recommend Bob Wells' "How to Live in a Car, Van or RV". It has the basic, nuts-and-bolts info you need to get out there.

Remember you don't need a sweet craftsman conversion to travel, save money and have adventure. That's just the (expensive) icing on the cake. Starting simply is far better than not starting at all, and lets you add what you really need and nothing you don't.

https://www.amazon.com/Live-RV-Debt-Travel-Freedom-ebook/dp/B008S129XY

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

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amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

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I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

There are books available on road tripping in the US like this, that show you the best non interstate roads to take.

Loney Planet put out a travel guide on Micro Nations a few years ago. It's a pretty fun read:

http://www.amazon.com/Micronations-General-Reference-John-Ryan/dp/1741047307/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240042898&sr=8-1

Have fun!

The NatGeo Scenic Highways & Byways is a good book for making plans.

I would do a bit of local camping first to see what works for you and what doesn't.

I did the vanlife thing for about a year after I ETS'd. I converted a 2001 Dodge Ram conversion van and traveled around out west. Was fun but can't imagine doing that while still active. Anyway here's some resources I used.

https://www.amazon.com/Live-RV-Debt-Travel-Freedom-ebook/dp/B008S129XY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538577349&sr=8-1&keywords=robert+wells+book

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freecampsites.net

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https://www.cheaprvliving.com/forums/index.php

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r/vandwellers

Jeff Randall and mike Perrin are very nice and very smart gentlemen, and their book gives realistic information of making it through other countries.

I think you'd get a lot out of a copy of Weird US. I haven't looked through the original, but I've got Weird Wisconsin and Weird Florida - and they are the best travel books. Tons of unique, little-known sites and facts.

I use an designer on fiverr and he always does a great job for a tenner.
Here are a couple of examples.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L7DRU02

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B1UKZC6

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CI6SZOQ

This is the book for you...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FBFMKM/

You don't need to be rich to travel. A lot of places can be cheaper than where you're from.

You mean like these?

https://www.amazon.com/Why-Travel-Solo-Transforms-Personality/dp/1515024032/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497977445&sr=8-1&keywords=why+travel

https://www.amazon.com/Travel-As-Transformation-Discover-Identity-ebook/dp/B01M03V3BU/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1497977445&sr=8-17-spons&keywords=why+travel&psc=1

This is a series of books that has a lot of haunted-type stuff in them; my friend got the Massachusetts one and it has a list of abandoned mental hospitals and the like.

The guy who runs the CheapRVLiving YouTube channel has a pretty short book about full timing which you can find here. In it he talks a lot about the dangers that come with the lifestyle, the fear, and how in the end, if you wanna pursue full timing you have to face it. I can't recommend the book enough, Bob is fantastic and reading it helped me clear my head about full timing quite a bit. Can't wait to start full timing myself but I can't pretend I'm not a little scared still.

An aquantance of mine did it a few years ago and wrote a book on it

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Breakfast-Mongol-Rally-Experience-ebook/dp/B007QVRYSW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

he had a wicked time by all accounts, and talks of it often. I'd love to do it!

Someone I know on a forum wrote a book about his trip;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Want-Breakfast-Mongol-Rally-Experience-ebook/dp/B007QVRYSW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407581915&sr=8-1&keywords=you+want+breakfast+now%3F

https://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel-ebook/dp/B000FBFMKM

Read this book, imo.

This map is from page 23 of Lonely Planet's book on micronations.

Read this