Wisdom From the Road

A 25-Year Journey of Reflection

By: Bob Wells

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Do you love CheapRVLiving on YouTube?

In celebration of 25-years of nomadic living, Bob Wells takes us back to the days before he made videos, when he first connected with his community through the written word, crafting and replying to countless blog posts. This inspiring collection offers a glimpse into the early chapters of Bob’s van life journey, long before the camera captured his story and those of others who have since welcomed him into their homes on wheels.

Whether you are new to van life, a seasoned traveler, or simply dreaming of a life on the road, this blend of personal stories, philosophical musings, and practical advice can be enjoyed from cover to cover or picked up and savored from any page.

A bit preachy

I like Bob. I buy his books and read them. He's a nice guy, whom I respect a great deal. But this is more of a "gospel according to Bob" book. If you're looking for practical advice, this isn't the book for you.

An Exhaustive Compilation

Having never read Bob’s many blogs written through the years, this was an excellent way to “catch up.” I had to remind myself often that this book was not intended to be an orderly and easy flowing journal of how to live the nomad life. Instead, a somewhat herky jerky retelling of his personal feelings and perspectives on a wide range of issues and topics drawn directly from his extensive collection of written blogs posted on his websites and other forums. As a result, some topics received little attention and others an inordinate amount, especially disdain for celebrating traditional holidays. All in all, a worthwhile read (or more correctly, listen). If he had chosen to use his own voice rather than a (fairly decent) virtual one to record the audio, my rating of his work would have been a skosh higher.

Interesting but not what I'd hoped for.

First off, I'm a fan of Bob Wells and his adventurous outlook on life. in fact, I bought a Sienna Van and hoped to journey across the country after his blog inspired me. Hoping to learn the nuts and bolts of van life as a single woman, instead I found the book to be a detailed description of Bob's philosophy on life. I gathered he felt that having a career, buying a house, retiring at at 65, was a waste of time and effort. I don't agree that this is always true. Some find meaning and pleasure in their work. I did, until it was time to retire. I had hoped Bob would write about tips and resources on how to survive, thrive, stay safe, and enjoy travel while hooking up with kindred spirits. I like Bob Wells very much, but this particular book was hard to finish. That being said, Bob seems to be a very nice person who tries to help people. I had hoped to meet him at the Quartzite RV show last month. Alas, I could not find him. Maybe next year...

Love this book so much!

This book is truly wonderful. I find myself hanging on to every word. I never considered myself a "nomad", just a 4 year full time in city "stealther" - SUVlife girl next door (my city has 150,000 millionaires just from 1 company and everyone got priced out of their hometown when the rents quadrupled, plus a housefire. I refuse to leave my city and could care less about my extreme frugality extra tiny living lifestyle, it suits me and my pocketbook just fine, don't care WHAT anyone has to say about it, it's none of their business, it's MY life.) I absolutely love the wisdom Bob provides especially the story of his walks and the numbskull ATV drivers who made fun of him walking , when he had the richness of experiencing nature up close while they zoomed on by it unaware. What a great zen-like store. The whole book is kinda zen, really.

I had the amazing priviledge to travel all the way into the Mojave Desert to his RTR in January before the plague. I learned so much, my favorite was solar class. But getting help for a former 6 figure yuppie from all the free classes and being around groups of completely normal people who also "SUVlife" or Vanlife it was truly amazing and unforgettable. I love that Bob is so real. I wish he was my real friend in real life (I did get to meet n greet with my little grey dog in 2020 at RTR that was fun) we're so much alike on how we think (imagine that, a 57 yo black lady who looks in her 20s has something in common with the way more handsome in person Chris Christopherson looking Alaska man. haha) I love how welcoming Bob is. He could give 2 fks about how rich you are. I'm the same way. Show me the good you're doing for humanity instead. Like Shania Twain said (money) "That don't impress me much". It's so hard to find real people anymore who don't spend their day obsessing about being a "Joneses". This book is about doing something OTHER than just that, and thank Haysus Christa jumping down the street on a pogo stick that Bob wrote it. <3 (not a fan of the glcheap digital voice, please record Bob reading it and get rid of all digital voices altogether. )

Not what I was looking for.

Not what I was looking for. If you're looking for a book about traveling this isn't it. if you're looking for a book on becoming a Nomad, It may help a little. But there are better books. It's more about the evils of consumerism and anti-religion.