Guerrilla Tourism

These days there's so much troublesome news to be reported that sometimes people just feel like they need to get away. They don't know for how long and they don't know where they want to go, they just know they want to go. This guide is the adventure loving tourist who wouldn't mind roughing it.

1- Start working on making money via the Internet. Any job that you can do online will help to supplement your savings while your on the road. Writing Web content is a good idea, but so is Web-site design, Internet research, etc.

2- Purchase a mobile Internet solution. Internet air cards from cell phone providers will work great, especially when you can't seem to find a hot spot.

3- Set up all of your bills to be paid on line or over the phone. Chances are, you're already doing this.

4- Have the post office hold your mail. This will only be done temporarily and rules are subject to change. Your best bet would be to invest in a mail to web solution. These services allow clients to use the address of a third party mail collection service who will then scan your mail and deliver it to you via web mail. Hard copies of mail and packages can also be forwarded to you or held until you return home. If you really need a package, see if a private p.o. box company would allow you to use their address on a very short term basis.

5- Buy a van. Renting can get expensive, especially if you don't know when you're going to return. Go for a big cargo van if you can, the type with no windows on the side. A lot of these types of vans can be purchased from moving companies rather cheap. Gut it, clean it out, and get ready to stock it. This van will be your home for who knows how long, so get it checked out by a mechanic and make sure it's comfortable.

6- Stock your van. Camping supplies work great. Get the bare minimum but enough to keep comfortable. A portable battery pack will be a good idea too. Get one that will allow you to charge it when the van is running so that it can be used when you turn the van off. Plug in a space heater, microwave, coffee maker, etc. Just be smart about it. Don't plug in too many items at once and don't leave anything plugged in if you fall asleep. If you get cold while you sleep, bundle up. Wrapping up in thick clothes with a thick sleeping bag is much safer than creating a fire hazard. Don't use any open flames or gas powered gear to cook or heat up with. These are also too dangerous for such an enclosed space and the fumes created could be harmful to your health. Camping gear has come so far as to offer portable toilet solutions that can be used as a last resort if you just can't make it to a bathroom. Figuring out how to shower may be your only real problem, but there's an easy fix. Many truck stops are equipped with showers. If you would prefer, purchase a gym membership to a national chain and use their showers whenever you can. If the gym you joined doesn't have a facility near by, many gyms will offer day passes for small fees or even free day passes to try to get your business. This will even allow you to stay healthy by interrupting long driving sessions with physical movement.

7- Document your journey. This isn't really mandatory, but it is a good idea. Take as many photos as you can and consider starting a blog. Monetizing your blog will bring in a few extra bucks a month and will allow family and friends to track the progress you make.

8- Stay in 24 hour store parking lots. Stores are open 24 hours all over the country. Many stores won't mind you staying in their parking lot so long as you are discreet about it. Don't open up the back door of your van and set out lawn chairs, just keep quietly to yourself so as not to draw attention and force management to have to ask you to leave. If you're in an area that doesn't have a 24 hour store, look for a well lit area. Most gas stations, even ones that close at night, will remain lit. Rest stops are another good place if all of those horror movies over the years haven't scared that idea out of your mind.

9- Explorer. Don't just drive around in your van. That's weird. Get out and see the sites. Park your van on a hill and watch the sun set. Set up by a beach and give your self the cheapest water front view around.

10- Come home. If you think you may have fallen in love with a place, don't think that you can spend the rest of your life living there from your van. Is it possible? Theoretically yes, but not very comfortable. If you decide that you've found a new home, the return to your current home and actually move. Don't abandon your house and all your belongings. That's what fugitives do. You're not a fugitive, you're a tourist.

Seeing the country is something that many talk about but few do. If you have the resources and the ability to live from a van for a few months, then give it a shot. If you don't like it, you can always turn around. At least you'll know that road exploration isn't for you and you won't spend the rest of your days wishing you had taken the chance to explore when you were more able. For an adventure like this, there really is no time like the present.