VAN LIFE | PARKING + SOLO FEMALE SAFETY

I'm a retired police officer and can guarantee that safety truly is never guaranteed but risks can be mitigated. A great informative blog. I've seen a few of these and this was the best.. common sense is everything

I worked for ADT Security Systems for 19 years and I've seen many victims of many crimes. And after installing the alarm or having fixed the alarm. I always offer Tips on safety and one thing I tell people (especially women) is that when you're speaking to anyone (a man or a woman), always speak as if your 'Special Forces boyfriend' is right beside you. Avoid saying words like: I, Me, My, Mine. Instead: use words like: We, Us, Our, Ours. Instead of saying: "I do this because I love the freedom". You would say: "We do this because we love the freedom and it really works for us". I think you get the point.

I lived alone in a studio apartment for a while, and I practiced a lot of these. I had a male neighbor who was very interested in my comings and goings. I was not nice to him, and eventually, I had to tell him to leave me alone. My exact words were "Could you just stop bothering me". The situation was very unbalanced because he knew where my apartment was, but I didn't know where his was. It is possible I was mean to a totally harmless guy, but I also may have been keeping myself safe from a crazy person. Living alone as a female can be dangerous no matter where you live.

I appreciate you and your perspective Thank you for your compact presentation. I'm a 75 year old widower of 13 months. Sold the house and car, took my wife's Dachshund, bought a cozy RV 10 months ago and hit the road to reconnect head and heart. So far, so good. Stay safe.

How ironic, that the most common danger for a human is another human.

This is why I'm glad I have my dogs. They sound very vicious and bark loud when someone is outside. It definitely makes people think twice about breaking in. Also, I had my brother record his voice on my iPhone with a few different phrases, like "Get the F-- outta here!" etc. I can play them loud and it sounds pretty real. Sounds cheesy, but it works!

Loved your thoughts on personal safety while out on the road traveling. This is excellent advice for women and men. Situational awareness is key to your safety. I was in Arizona in 1986 and drove into a boondock campground. There was a bunch of scuzzy looking people there so I decided to leave and drove to Sedona about 20 miles away for the night. The next day I bought a newspaper and there was an article about a murder in that spooky campground later in the evening after I left. Glad I listened to my gut feelings that day.

SO many tips I've not seen in others' vlogs. 👍 I'll add... Secure the van before you go to bed so that no door can be opened even if someone pops the locks or breaks a window. Think deadbolts and chains for example. I like having a secure bulkhead with a door so I can easily get into the driver's seat without going outside but I can also use it to secure the living space. • Cameras that allow you to see all around the van, with flood lights for night. I have what I call panic buttons... one push and all the outside lights come on and a siren goes off. • Hidden GPS tracking, for the van and for you. • Kill switch so someone can't start the vehicle. • Not for everyone but I also have a sat phone as I'm often in areas without basic cell service. There are cheaper devices for emergency usage. • A safe that can't be removed when locked (bolted to the floor from the inside, or welded). • Duplicates or copies of important documents located elsewhere, not in the vehicle. • Who to contact, if you are incapacitated or the vehicle is deemed abandoned for a period, clearly posted for police to find. • For those traveling with a pet... I wear a jewelry dog tag that says I have a dog in my van, with model and plate# - in case something happens to me. Oh, make sure you have a basic emergency medical kit, and know how to use it. And, a fire extinguisher also makes a good weapon. Pre van life I used one by blasting the intruder with the foam then cracking his skull by hitting him on the head with it. Believe me, he won't get up.

I'm retired PD. Always know your location. 911 will do no good if you don't know where to send them.

On the password thing - you should mention that it’s best not to “ask for a password” but rather, ask a preplanned question, like “how’s the weather tonight” which would be responded to by your password like “blue” or whatever, so a presumed captor is not aware they are being challenged.

I love how open and honest you are about this. So many women don't talk about safety, because we are taught to act like everything is fine. Be safe, no matter what. Listen to what she says, crazy always scares away the crazy men. So be ready to kick arse.

The weird feelings you get, they are 100% real. You have that sixth sense built in and it worked. If it's sketchy, get out and get away. Smart lady here!

Very good tips. To complement the first tip: do all the walking in and out of the van stuff, at another place, then drive up to the parking place where you're going to sleep in stealth mode (window covers up), and stay in till the next morning.

After my Dad passed & I would pick Mom up for a shopping trip she would be getting into the car & waving back at the empty house, yelling 'Be back soon'. I asked what she was doing & she said she wanted it to look like there was someone still in the house. This was in L.A. & we had some break ins (another story). Anyway now years later I am waving good bye to my house's guardian angel...lol

As a 30 year retired combat arms vet, I compliment you on what we call "situational awareness". I think you would be pretty hard to sneak up and & pretty dangerous if someone did.

I had a contract with someone who wanted their van converted into nice van life set up. I was halfway through the project. I ended up getting a call later one day that the guy who hired me got stabbed in his van and they took his stuff. Thank you for sharing this video for everyone.

"Safety is never really guaranteed". Soooooo smart!

I really respect anyone who has knuckle dusters in their arsenal. ;) I think a clever idea when you enter your van is to enter on the passenger side and just sit in the passenger seat for a second. Makes it look like you are the passenger and that there are at least two people in the van. Cheers from Vancouver

These are such goods tips. I particularly like the wi-fi name tip ...never would have crossed my mind to think about that! Couple of other thoughts is to leave two pairs of shoes outside the van while camped and an extra coat or hoodie hanging over the passenger seat and an extra to-go coffee cup on the passenger side (can be empty).

Over 30 years ago I lived in a van with my wife and I've seen thousands of miles on the road ! As a young woman of to-day you have got it right down - your safety tips should be the holy grail of all van dwellers, not only females. We were once attacked by hijackers who tried to scam us by signalling that we had a puncture to get us to stop. We'd heard about this scam from other travellers so it's important to spread the news and be informed - thanks for a great video!