What am I doing in my country and where do I stay? A question that many people ask me these days. Where do you live is maybe the most interesting one. The answer for me is simple, I am a nomad. I live where I decide to stay. Tonight it is something I tried with my van a few times. Only this time I am doing it with a regular car
In the busy part of the Netherlands it is quite a challenge to stay overnight without being bothered by people that send you away. It's okay for some to send someone away from a piece of ground (a parking lot for example) that it not even owned by them. Believe me, people can come around with their dog during the whole night and nocking on your window. If they don't sleep, it doesn't mean you have to wake up someone that has not the luxury and comfort. I am not bothering anyone, so what is the problem.
On other parts the police can send you away or people from 'Staatsbosbeheer'. "It is not allowed to sleep in you car here." It's funny that people without a home that are residents of the country are not allowed. You need to have a house, you need to have a job...blabla. But what if (for some reason) you are not part of that system? If I see someone sleeping in their car on a public property and they don't do anything wrong, I would leave them alone, they might have a reason why they are in an uncomfortable situation.
I was thinking about my camper van tonight. There should be more vanlifer's that have the same issue not having a place to stay, when their mobile home is in repair. Just when I passed a garage in the evening, I saw 2 campers behind the fence with their lights on inside. People were all sitting outside and enjoying drinks and a little BBQ. That's the spirit! I will talk with my camper garage what the options are tomorrow.
But tonight I stopped at a huge free parking spot for truckers and there is an option for cars as well. Although, the truckers took over all the parking spaces for regular cars. I squeezed in a narrow space. Trying to find a cosy position in a car full of stuff. It will be an interesting night. Food in the back and a jacket to stay warm. Coffee from the machine. I am already getting used to it :)