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    Car Living
    Car Living
    Car Living
    Ebook70 pages50 minutes

    Car Living

    By Robert Witham

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    About this ebook

    Car living is not for everyone. This is a unique and sometimes challenging lifestyle that most people only do on a temporary basis. The majority of people who live in a car do it only until they can get back into a house or until they can upgrade to a van or RV.

    Car living is not homelessness (necessarily). In many cases, people who are living in their car are in fact homeless and plan to move back into a house as soon as possible. For these people, living in a car is a disgrace only one step removed from sleeping on the street.

    Many other people who live in a car, whether part-time or full-time, have chosen to do it for a reason. They may have decided to live in a car for financial reasons, to be able to travel, or just for the freedom and flexibility that it provides. Still others have chosen to live in a vehicle to keep living costs low while they are in college or starting a business.

    There is also a growing tribe of full-time nomads who have embraced vehicle dwelling. Some of these nomads live in cars, while many more live in vans, campers, or RVs. These nomads may live in one area or may migrate with the seasons. There are a number of websites, blogs, and social media groups where these nomads gather online.

    The ideas presented in this book are based on my own experience with living out of a car over the years. These experiences include car dwelling that was voluntary and involuntary, short-term and long-term, urban and boondocking.

    My early experiences with car dwelling were desperate and miserable, not because I was opposed to the idea, but because I had much to learn. Even as recently as 2000 when I was unexpectedly thrust into van dwelling we did not have Wi-Fi readily accessible and there were nowhere near as many resources available on the Internet.

    My hope with this book is to make your experience easier and, dare I say it, positive.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRobert Witham
    Release dateSep 9, 2016
    ISBN9781370772032
    Car Living
    Author

    Robert Witham

    I am a wandering minimalist, author, journalist, and photographer.When I am not at my laptop writing or building a website I can usually be found hiking or traveling to some new place.

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      Book preview

      Car Living - Robert Witham

      Car Living

      By Robert Witham

      Copyright 2016 Robert P. Witham. All rights reserved.

      Acknowledgements

      No man is an island, wrote the poet John Donne.

      The longer I live, the more I realize the truth of this concept. We are all connected to one another, including in the realm of ideas. My own ideas are really developments of the ideas of others, mixed with my own unique perspective. As wise King Solomon observed, there is nothing new under the sun.

      The ideas that are presented in this book, therefore, are based on my own thoughts and experiences, but I would not know what I know without the contributions of others who have gone before me on this journey.

      A chapter at the end of this book includes resources that have helped me on my journeys, and may be helpful to you as well.

      I would also like to thank my editor, Debra Dickinson (http://www.debradickinson.com/), for catching an embarrassing number of typos and mistakes, as well as making suggestions that improved the quality of this book.

      Contents

      Introduction to Car Living

      Why Car Living

      Obstacles to Car Living

      Challenges of Car Living

      Advantages of Car Living

      Car Living Safety

      Mail, Banking, and Other Logistics

      Preparing Your Car

      Income While Living in a Car

      Expenses While Living in a Car

      Resources

      Afterword

      About the Author

      Introduction to Car Living

      Car living is not for everyone. This is a unique and sometimes challenging lifestyle that most people only do on a temporary basis. The majority of people who live in a car do it only until they can get back into a house or until they can upgrade to a van or RV.

      Car living is not homelessness (necessarily). In many cases, people who are living in their car are in fact homeless and plan to move back into a house as soon as possible. For these people, living in a car is a disgrace only one step removed from sleeping on the street.

      Many other people who live in a car, whether part-time or full-time, have chosen to do it for a reason. They may have decided to live in a car for financial reasons, to be able to travel, or just for the freedom and flexibility that it provides. Still others have chosen to live in a vehicle to keep living costs low while they are in college or starting a business.

      There is also a growing tribe of full-time nomads who have embraced vehicle dwelling. Some of these nomads live in cars, while many more live in vans, campers, or RVs. These nomads may live in one area or may migrate with the seasons. There are a number of websites, blogs, and social media groups where these nomads gather online.

      Not all vehicle dwellers are travelers. Many vehicle dwellers stay in one area, whether due to a job, family commitments, or access to health care.

      Cars are not all created equal when it comes to living conditions. Some cars are better for living in than others for a few reasons, including reliability, efficiency, overall cost of ownership, and space and comfort. If you have the chance to plan ahead, it is worth considering whether a different car might be better for car dwelling. Of course, if you are able to change vehicles, a van would almost certainly be a better option for most people.

      Finally, no amount of preparation will fully prepare you for living in your car, but it can still save a lot of wasted

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