Alone…on your own…no one else there. You make all the decisions, you take all the risk. Sleep in, dress in sweats, lock the door and tune out. You can binge on ice cream, get up and leave on a whim, get lost…decide to stay still for a week. There is a feeling of complete empowerment and relaxation when you are on your own.
I speak as an older lady, in the youth of my old age…as they say. I cherish the time I have alone whether vegging on the couch, paddling down a river or hiking a mountain trail. I love my alone time. It just needs to be balanced with family/friends time.
As a new RV – Camper Van owner, I read with fascination all the stories of single ladies traveling alone. Some are full timers, some just casual travelers. Younger and Older, there are so many who have chosen that life style. There are a lot more men solo out there, as expected, and they also experience a lot of the same challenges and feelings as the ladies.
I took my first solo trip in my camper, Charley, back in March. I spent two nights down at Sunset Beach. I did not even bring my dog. I thought I might be scared or lonely, but I was not! I enjoyed the days. I walked around the campground, which was pretty empty, and met several fellow travelers. I spent time at the beach, visited the otters down at Moss Landing and visited some local retail shops. I also just hung out at my van reading a lot.
My other trips have either included friend or family or had a destination where I joined friends. At Sunset Beach my goal was to continue my education and familiarization with all the systems and buttons and bells in my van. The first night I decided to try the TV. I got myself comfortable by swiveling the passenger chair and used the table as a foot rest. I grabbed a bowl of ice cream (ok, carton) and settled in to see what I could find. I moved my purse with my foot and off went my personal alarm that I have connected to my purse. WOW is that thing loud, especially in a closed space like my van. In the dark I scrambled to find my purse…then threw it on the bed and jumped on it to muffle the noise. After several minutes I found the button and was able to silence it. I have no idea how loud that was outside the van, but no one came a knocking.
The next morning was dish washing time. My sink faucet swivels up out of the sink when you want to use it. I swiveled it up, turned on the water and the faucet fell off in my hand. Water was shooting everywhere! I was level headed enough to figure out that you just shut it off . And, I was able to easily screw the faucet back on. But everything was pretty wet. And I just laughed. I can go on about smoke alarms, awnings and other challenges, but every one of them just made me feel stronger and smarter and….maybe I CAN do this on my own.
I am not alone in loving my Charley. There is a whole community of people who express their happiness regularly in a group I belong to for just my kind of RV. It is quite a diverse group of youngsters and olders, singles and couples, all feeling the joy of “getting on the road “. We seem to universally believe in …Oh the places we will go and the things we will see.
We also all seem to share the spirit of building a new nest. Or perhaps an adult fort….maybe treehouse is more relevant for some. It becomes our own little traveling hide away, driving away from whatever hum drum or maybe even crazed existence we live…or it could be just for the joy of “going somewhere else”. I have a pretty good life so it is not as if I need to get away from anything. Instead it is more just the leaving normal behind and having a new adventure. As we customize our little mobile forts we decorate, add storage, make modifications, and boy are we excited when we find a new little cubby for something!
Yes, Charley has become my own little fort. You can only come in if you are invited. I have it stocked, organized and decorated, just for me. The year ahead is going to be full of adventures!
Happy Traveling!
