Amber B
@storychasing
1. Do you travel completely alone?
I do travel solo; however, I have a furry travel companion, my dog Lily, who loves traveling as well. She's always excited for the next road trip and destination.
2. How long have you been living full time in an RV?
I started this journey in May 2017 after selling my home and all of its contents so my one year nomadiversary is this month. It truly feels longer than one year just for the simple fact I've been all over the U.S. and Eastern Canada in that short time frame with so many experiences and learning this RV lifestyle. It's been an incredible last year and one where I feel so fulfilled and happy.
3. What the best thing about being female and on the road?
The best thing would me simply the incredible conversations that are inspired by being a solo female traveler. I guess some people find solo female travelers as fascinating from the standpoint that we're an oddity without a male traveling companion. I've been called courageous and gutsy and asked on numerous occasions if it scares me to travel alone.
So, I love the conversations that it sparks so I can break down the barriers that it's weird for women to travel alone or that we can't manage an RV on our own. Even though I was nervous at first to RV on my own, and somewhat fearful of the unknown, I viewed it as a challenge to overcome. I have a saying that I've fallen deeply in love with, "Your greatest success is on the other side of your fear." It drives me to conquer fears and see the beauty on the other side.
I get asked the question about solo traveling so often and the fears associated with it that I created a video to help answer those questions and discuss my experience: https://youtu.be/5bmzstAMzN4
4. Conversely what is the worst thing about being female and on the road?
I suppose just pure physical strength sometimes to manage heavier items, like a bulky telescoping ladder or lifting an electric bike onto the bike rack which is attached to the hitch on the RV. What's interesting though is that I look at these "challenges", as an opportunity to overcome, so I ask myself what I need to do make this not my "worst" challenge as being a female on the road.
So, I bought some resistance bands, with a small footprint, that I can use to work out and increase my upper body strength. I also use things I find around the camp area like rocks to complete a workout. It's quite nice to be able to use what's in your environment to create a workout.
5. How do you decide on where to stay?
In the beginning when I first started out full-timing, I tried to plan every single day and where I would be staying each night, but it stressed me out, especially when it didn't allow for me to be flexible if I was enjoying an area and wanted to stay longer. So, I quickly realized that I like the flexibility of being able to change on a whim so typically I use some apps to generally find a couple of locations along the road I'm traveling and then I don't decide until that night where I'll be staying.
Since I like the flexibility I rarely stay places where I need to make reservations in advance since travel plans can change quickly due to weather or just my whim.
The apps and website I found the most useful are Campendium, Freecampsites.net, and AllStays. I boondock mostly, so knowing where BLM or National Forest Service land is at, I can then use Google satellites images to scope out a good spot to boondock.
6. What is the most surreal places that you visited?
My favorite places so far have been Bar Harbor, Maine and seeing the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. Sitting on the side of the mountain and watching the sunrise come up over the water and the islands, as the first place to see the sunrise in the U.S., is magical and peaceful.
I've never experienced anything like it before. I also am in love with Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. The Cape Breton Highlands National Park is rugged and beautiful with incredible views from Cabot Trail that winds around the island. I would highly suggest everybody to visit either of these places in their lifetime. I'll definitely be back.
7. What are some common items savvy travelers bring with them (that less-savvy travelers don't)/ what could you not live in a mobile-home without?
Well, I'm telling on myself here. A shovel and/or some sort of traction device to when you bury your tires in the sand.
My head is hanging low over this fail. I never thought I would get stuck, but sometimes, especially as you boondock more, you get into areas that surprise you when the ground gets soft or gives way enough that you sink.
The key is to not hit the gas to get out of the situation (I hit the gas if you're wondering and buried myself even more) and if at all possible, don't stop when traveling in uncertain gravel areas. Stopping allows for sinking.
It cost me $300 to get out of that situation. I have roadside assistance but it only covers the expense if you are 100 yards or less from a paved road. As one of my more experienced friends told me, get out and survey the area first before traveling over it so you don't get stuck. Seems logical, but sometimes the best planning doesn't always work. I do get out now with a walking stick and hit the ground with it before I travel on to some areas that might look a little soft.
The one other item that is my favorite is a cell signal booster especially if you are still working and need an Internet connection and want to boondock or camp in National Forests, National Parks, or BLM. That cell booster can be the difference between staying in one location and moving on.
8. How do you get work everywhere? How do you have an income?
I've been fortunate to be working with a company remotely for almost five years now so that part was an easy transition for me going into full-time RVing. I just need a cell and data connection everywhere I go.
9. How did your friends & family feel/react when you told them you were going to travel full time?
Some were surprised and shocked, but mostly they were excited for me. I think they pretty much know I've always kind of gone my own direction and haven't let doing things by myself stop me.
As much as I would love a companion, I wouldn't let not having a companion stop me from living my life to its fullest. I've seen such positive feedback from them and acceptance of my lifestyle. It may not seem normal to them, but they support me in my endeavor and my dreams.
10. What inspired you to hit the road?
Oh wow, that's a great question.I've had this dream to RV for over five years prior to actually getting out there and doing it. I think it started out as this ultimate freedom to travel without having to get a hotel room and I can take my dog with me. My grandfather and grandmother were a total inspiration when they would RV many years ago.
The ultimate deciding factor for me embrace the RV nomadic life was feeling claustrophobic in my new home, working extremely long hours remotely, and not being able to socialize or live my life due to the growth of the company I work for, and some borderline bad health test results.
The health results were totally fixable with eating better, serotonin levels (which are related to happiness activities), and exercise. I decided then that I needed to put down some boundaries with work to balance out work and life and make some major changes to increase happiness.
I didn't want to wait until retirement to live out my dream of RVing. What if that time never came for me? So, I decided to choose my dream now and figured out how to make it work.
11. Is solo travel dangerous as a female?
I think anything can be dangerous or amazingly safe depending on how you present yourself and your own actions. Honestly, I have found in my travels that there are some really incredible people who are willing to help and look out for you. In every situation where I got stuck or needed assistance people just showed up to help and stayed with me until we figured it out.
From a presentation standpoint, I don't announce to people that I travel solo, I put two chairs out when I boondock, my one bike is covered so people can't see I only have one bike. I'm just careful and if I get a gut feeling about a place that doesn't sit well with me, then I move on. I always make sure I have a backup option where to stay for moments like this.
I don't travel at night and always make sure I'm at my overnight spot well before dark in case I need to move to a different location. Doing this has seemed to work for me.
In my first boondocking experience I literally thought I was going to leave my chair and camping equipment at the sight and take off only because I heard something in the middle of the night. Turned out to be coyotes, but I remember being so scared being out in the middle of nature with a super black night sky and nobody around. Now I embrace it and love it. It's so peaceful.
12. How do you get around tour companies or accommodation that try to charge you extra if you're a solo traveler?
I haven't come across this in my travels RVing.
13. How do you deal with loneliness- if you experience any at all?
Surprisingly I'm less lonely RVing then I was in a neighborhood community of sticks and brick homes. There's an abundance of opportunities to socialize as much or as little as you'd like.
I'm a part of the Xscapers group which is a subgroup of Escapees, where there are convergences and rallies multiple times a year. Through attending these events I've been able to meet like-kind people who I've developed friendships with and keep in touch as we travel. It's a great group for development of relationships and education on this lifestyle.
I love my me time, but I seem to strike up conversations everywhere I go. This last Thanksgiving, for example, I was boondocking out at Lake Havasu, Arizona and met a solo gentleman in his RV and then a French family here on holiday all in the same boondocking area and we decided to have Thanksgiving together. We hadn't planned on celebrating with anybody, but as we met and chatted we decided to do a pot luck meal and socialize. It was the French families first American Thanksgiving so it was a really special time for all of us. This is just one example, but situations like this happen often.
14. Do you feel awkward doing certain activities alone? How did you adjust to this? Do you have tips for women who want to branch out and travel alone?
I've never really seemed to feel awkward doing things by myself, but I also seem to meet people and have great conversations. I think the RVing lifestyle and meeting others who are also RVing automatically provides a commonality so it's easy to have conversations, even for us introverts.
My best tip would be to get connected with a group if you want to have more socialization and find travel partners. Xscapers and Escapees have served me well and many people have meet during these events and decided to travel together to certain areas, go off on their own for a while, and then come back together.
Whatever you want in this life, there is something for you, whether you'd like to travel alone or find other women or men to travel with along the way. It's a really great community full of introverts and extroverts.
I'm so glad that I didn't let fear hold me back from starting this journey. I'll never forget, one year ago, when the house and belongings were sold, RV packed, and I hopped in the driver seat to roll away. I felt this profound happiness that my future was so bright and this huge adventure was ahead of me. I'm absolutely grateful for this opportunity.
