When Van Life (Actually) Sucks

Hiii! I forgot to mention - if you’d rather leave a question anonymously, I’ll be posting on my IG story (@christianschaffer) later today and you can submit it there. Hope you’re all having a great day, see ya soon :)

I’m a retired police officer. Please pick up the phone and call the police if there’s someone of concern next time. It costs nothing and will definitely ease your mind. Furthermore the driver of that van could be of interest to authorities.

My Aunt and Uncle, in their early 60’s were in their Motorhome stopped at a Rest Area, heading home from Washington to California on I5. A truck with two guys pulls up to them. They lift up the hood of their truck and they both start knocking on the door. My Uncle opens the door and he says they were very scruffy guys. The taller man asks if they can borrow some oil, and my Uncle says that they don’t have any oil. The other guy says that he doesn’t believe that and wants to check himself… they both begin to enter into the Motorhome. Their first step inside they stopped dead in their tracks and backed out. They had a full grown German Shepherd that growled at them, with teeth showing…. My Uncle did his best to keep the dog from lunging at both of them. The two guys went back inside their truck, and my Aunt and Uncle made it safely home. We are sure Brandy saved the day and possibly their lives. Soon after that they decided to stop RV ing.

Never ever stay ! That uneasy feeling you get tries to protect you .....Leave immediately !

NEVER roll down your window when a stranger approaches! Pull out and leave!!

When you have that uneasy feeling, LISTEN TO IT. Don’t ignore it, don’t wait until it’s too late. That feeling is telling you something isn’t right, heed it. Right away. I’m a grown ass man and watching that van driving in circles and stopping by you tells me it was very suspicious. And you sat there until it got dark, which exponentially increased your likelihood of being in grave danger. I would have high tailed it out of there as soon as I noticed and not stay for 2 hours to “wait and see.” You getting aggressive may have worked this time but a determined attacker won’t be stopped, especially when they see an opportunity. Don’t give them that chance, leave immediately. If you’re afraid of being followed, call the police or drive to a police station. Be aware and safe out there.

This happened to me but it was two vehicles that teed me in. One window was uncovered so when i saw them pull in close i figured this is how im going to die. A guy got out motioning for me to roll down the window. My dog went absolutely nuts and pressed her teeth to the glass. They took off. I was shaking so hard. Im glad you're ok. It's scary.

As a fifty plus male van lifer, I too will leave if I feel uncomfortable. But I leave right away! In extreme cases like this, after dudes been circling for a bit, call the police! Kudos to you for being a solo female traveller, I wish you didn’t have to live in fear of us guys, it does really suck to see and as I guy, experience. Stay safe! Bryan from Vancouver

Mr Smith and Mr Wesson are always good traveling companions!

Make sure the mice aren't eating your wires. Check for a phantom drain on your battery.

1st option: Call the police (as mentioned by previous commenter). 2nd option: Leave much sooner (before dark) and drive toward a police station. 3rd option: Park next to the other female vanlifer (safety in numbers) - maybe pull out together.

Former longtime Victim Advocate here: LADIES, STOP WORRYING ABOUT OFFENDING PEOPLE AND LISTEN TO YOUR GUT LIKE HER!

For that van - take a photo of the license plate and call the cops, if you did and have a photo of it it might be worth sending it to them now. He might have been inocent or getting up the courage to say hello but he might also have been planning something worse.

I think its one of my fav video of yours, raw, roughly edited, and showing what no one really talks about Van Life

NEVER take the risk, especially at night or when alone. After the 3rd time, even I would have called the police to investigate. With each time he came around and stopped, he was building up his courage to do something you would not like, which is why your hackles were raised. Always trust your instincts, that's why they exist.

If someone really follows you, drive straight to the nearest police station

Former police officer here & former RV living traveler; take a pic of the license plate and call the police! Don’t move until the cops show up.

That man in that van was definitely trying to allure you out of your van. Really glad your aggressive when needed. I am too and have to be assertive when telling someone to get away from me. Afterwords, your knees always shaking . I’m glad you shared this for other women to be reminded of how to act.

First time watching your videos. Solo van lifer as well since 2018. Tips: High wind, park the van with the nose pointing into the wind. It will minimize the shaking. Circling vultures, third circle = 911 and to hell with the parking/sleeping place. "I'm not supposed to be here (or doing something) so I'm not calling the police" is one of the worst decisions we can make, I've made it myself and had a similar outcome, and resolved to do things differently. There are plenty of other parking spots but only one of you. Love your honesty <3

It’s great you told the story of the guy in the van. I’m a van lifer and this has happened to me on several occasions, though not the circling for several hours. Once I wasn’t even aware of being watched until a truck driver came over to check I’ve locked my van doors and warned me of the guy hanging around my van. It’s scary and people need to be aware this happens. Take care out there. ❤