City on Wheels

Mateusz Zmyślony

04 of October '23

Nights and days in the woods - with proper planning, we can spend all our time in nature

Photo: © Author

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The article is from A&B issue 9|23

There is a city that is constantly on the move. Literally and figuratively. It's not about city traffic, cars on the streets, streetcars on the rails or pedestrians on the sidewalks. It's about a big city that is all permanently in motion. A movement involving hundreds of thousands of autonomous, independent households.

vintage is a strong trend among lovers of nomadic life; isn't it beautiful?

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There has already been another mobile city in this story—the surface metropolis that is the US NAVY's fleet of ships [cf. A&B 11/2022]. It's time to dissect the land mobile city: the nomadic caravanning metropolis, an unusual world that I call CamperLand.

The camper is an invention as old as the world of wheeled vehicles. More than one Roman emperor traveled in a wagon equipped with a bed, washroom and other amenities. In pop culture, something like this was driven by Emperor Commodus in the movie „Gladiator.” In our cultural zone, everyone has heard of Drzymala's wagon. However, before the era of true popularity of mobile dwellings, the phenomenon of the mobile home went through a phase of niche testing—as part of it, boats and ships, railroad cars and various trailers were creatively adapted for residential purposes.

A fully functional kitchen means not only independence, but also savings; rest assured—the grenade in the drawer is a lighter

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It wasn't until the 1950s that the mass fashion for advanced mobility entered the market—mass-produced campers appeared on a larger scale. An RV is a living vehicle built on the basis of a van, truck or bus. A thoroughbred camper has a fully functional bathroom with a toilet and shower, a kitchen with a refrigerator and everything we expect from a fully equipped apartment—except perhaps a washing machine or an oven, although there are sometimes vehicles equipped even with such amenities.

What is an RV for vacation? Great fun, adventure and a chance to taste true freedom. Because there is something absolutely magical in the nomadic possibility of permanent movement.

A fully functional kitchen means not only independence, but also savings; rest assured—the grenade in the drawer is a lighter

Photo: © Author

And what is an RV treated as a lifestyle—on a daily basis? A system breaker.

It's hard to believe how different the world of settled people is from the space traversed by a nomad. The writer of these words is not fantasizing or interviewing interesting people who have decided to live permanently in a mobile building. The writer is conducting an experiment on himself—testing what it's like to live in an RV and be a citizen of the world on a daily basis, checking in at a different place every now and then.

City on Wheels is dynamic—most of these RVs will be in a completely different place tomorrow

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Like many people, I began my adventure with RVs during the pandemic. The camper gained an almost supernatural power during the difficult time of lockdowns: it made it possible to break out of confinement, despite bans, closed pubs and hotels it gave full freedom of movement. I immediately felt an almost unhealthy but positive excitement. So as soon as it was possible, I fulfilled the biggest, as it turned out, dream of my life—I bought an RV on my own and became a true nomad. I've been living in it and moving around for a year now, regardless of the season—so it's time for a summary of impressions and an overall analysis of the fascinating phenomenon of caravanning—a mobile lifestyle, which in addition—with the invention of widespread remote working—is entering a whole new era of development.

eden of the magic element is the right choice of the view from the window, here Sokolica in the Będkowska Valley

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In Poland, camper caravanning as a phenomenon is not yet something very mass: we are just beginning to discover on a larger scale the charms of such leisure activities. More in use are caravans, whose trail was blazed by the iconic Niewiadów caravan during the communist era. However, such trailers are most often used as summer homes.

In my approach, however, I trace a slightly different lifestyle—actual nomadism, geared toward extreme mobility. Such „living” in an RV that remains in constant motion is, of course, chosen by very few—I haven't met anyone like that so far—and that's probably what makes this experiment interesting.

The key to freedom is to work remotely; if you can take it with you—you can sit by the sea for half a year without a break... continuously under the cover of the sky—it's highly addictive

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Caravanning can be defined in various ways, most often as a form of mobile tourism. In the United States, where a record number of more than 9 million RVs and caravans are registered, the phenomenon takes on particular proportions and forms: from luxurious residential palace-trucks to dusty caravans inhabited by the poorest part of American society.

In Europe, an RV may be associated with a pair of wealthy Swedish retirees spending the winter each year in Morocco, Spain or Greece, and returning to their homeland in the summer—along the way exploring the entire continent and taking advantage of the vast network of campgrounds and camps of various kinds.

In the life of a nomad, it's easy to have interesting visitors and intriguing neighbors

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Nowadays, things are changing and diversifying here—there is a rapid increase in the number of nomads of a younger age (here the real hit is a small Volkswagen California). Because an RV for everyone can mean something different: for a family with children, it's a capital idea for a vacation, during which you can see a new view outside the window every day. For a young couple of the DINK (double income no kids) type with the possibility of a full-time remote job, an RV can become a permanent home, parked somewhere by a beach in Portugal. For a pack of skiers, an RV is a chance to sleep right next to the slopes. For the owner of his own permanent camper, it's ultimately a great alternative to a house or apartment costing crores of money and permanently fused to the plot of land on which it stands.

In Europe, inside the Schengen zone, the possibilities of an RV are increasing. The ease of movement is simply wonderful. Hundreds of thousands of Swedes, Dutch, Germans or Italians know this well—for it is these nations that dominate the annual great European migration, the main purpose of which is to travel to thesouth to overwinter in the sun, and return north to spend the summer in beautiful Scandinavia or the north and east of Europe in general. And it is a migration that could be picturesquely compared to the great migration of wildebeest antelope in the Serengeti.

In the life of a nomad, it is easy to have interesting visitors and intriguing neighbors

Photo: © Author

How big is the mobile city? There are different ways to calculate it, with or without caravans, but during the summer season the mobile city probably houses several million people. So it's quite a metropolis with its own distinct culture, customs and ideas about life.

"A camper is like a banana—it ripens together with its owner".—muses the man from whom I acquired my Nomad. Because „Nomad” is the name of my camper. Carefully thought out, tailored to my specific needs. So what does a „camper for life” look like?

First of all, it can't be something too small. Space counts, the size of the windows, the height of the ceiling—if you want to spend a lot of time in it, including in winter, there must be space. That's why mine is a so-called alcove—with a large extra bedroom above the cab. Thanks to it, it is high and does not cause claustrophobia. Two separate bedrooms, isolated from the rest of the space, are also needed when my other half or other guests are staying overnight—because I snore, and at the same time everyone needs a little privacy, especially in the long run.

there are many options: a campervan is a car that can pretend to be an ordinary van—which in practice often comes in handy and makes traveling easier—there are also fully off-road versions, half-integers, full integers (right)—they gradate upward the comfort of living in a car home

Photo: © Author

The bathroom should also be large—I like mine so much that I rarely use outdoor showers at campgrounds—even if they are easily accessible—so it's more „at home” and it's very comfortable.

A big refrigerator with a freezer is also an important thing, especially when meals are supposed to be truly homemade, evening beer by the fire—cold, and ice cubes are supposed to ring in a glass of water with fresh mint from the pot.

The dining room and office—this is where I spend most of my time—so there is to be a large table, comfortable couches and a large viewing window. When looking for a place to stop, I always position myself so that there is a picture-perfect view. The office has its own infrastructure—you can plug in eight 220-volt devices at once. It is also a podcast studio for recording interviews and broadcasts, a writer's room and a video editing room.

There are many options: a campervan is a car that can pass for a regular van—which in practice often comes in handy and makes travel easier—there are also fully off-road versions, half-integers, full integers (right)—these grad up the comfort of living in a car home

Photo: © Author

Our specialty—room for the dog. A big wolf Teddy rides with me everywhere, and he has to be comfortable, so he has his own big dog house with a summer balcony with a mosquito net, which allows him to spend time—when weather permits—in the fresh air. When I go on long bicycle escapades, Teddy is the guardian of the house, which suits him very well, you can see that he feels needed in this role. Our patent was custom-built on the base of the garage under the back bedroom, its key element is the railing that is installed in the house to prevent a small child from falling down the stairs. This simple solution is ingenious and stirs up a lot of positive emotions in campervans—there are a lot of dogs in the city on wheels, the vast majority of nomads are dog people, so it is an important part of the campervan subculture.

there are many options: a campervan is a car that can pretend to be an ordinary van—which in practice often comes in handy and makes traveling easier—there are also fully off-road versions, semi-integers, full integers (right)—they step up the comfort of living in a car home

Photo: © Author

Gas heating, such as Truma—without it, forget about winter survival. Winterizing a camper is a separate, broader topic: winter tires are necessary, experience in changing gas cylinders (one spare must always be on board). In really harsh frosts there is no problem with the temperature inside, but the heated camper melts the snow falling on its roof, which runs down the walls of the vehicle, forming an ice armor. The mobile home gradually turns into an ice inclusion. And here's the pitfall—if you let the door to the gas plant ice up, you won't replace the empty cylinder with a new one. And in the winter the cylinders go one after another, every few days, if there are sharp frosts. In the summer, two cylinders are enough even for the whole season, in the „gas plant” I have two connected at once, in the winter there is always a third spare waiting in storage in the back of the car. It is also worth paying attention to the details, for example, in Germany they have a different standard for the connection end, you need to buy a local cylinder. Well, and in the context of wintering: when it is below zero, it is better to buy pure propane. Most campgrounds are not year-round, and even if the place is open in winter, it can be a problem to refill water in the camper—outdoor installations are out of order due to frost.

The Dutch, Italians, Germans and Scandinavians have a particular hankering for campers—to them you don't need to explain anything in this field

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Lighting—modern led lighting is fantastic. The interior is visually simply luxurious thanks to it. In the camper, the compactness and ergonomics are also impressive—here everything is at hand, you can see that its space has evolved over several decades constantly modified and refined by successive generations of users, interior designers and engineers. After all, how do you pack an entire house into 16 square meters?

Personalization—in your own RV you can afford to hang pictures or a pot of plants. I set up a mini gallery of contemporary art and have a display of favorite micro-sculptures stuck in various nooks and crannies. I like them a lot and they make me feel nowhere as comfortable as being in Nomad.

West of the Oder River, campers are rapidly increasing, and you have to remember to book camping spots here often even in winter; here—Berlin on New Year's Eve

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Big closet: this is also an important thing during long stays. In mine you can lay out things for a whole month, there are also shoe cupboards and kitchen cabinets, everything fits.

Storage room: this one is divided in half with the dog house (I would rather call it a dog apartment) and holds all the necessary equipment, including a collapsible fireplace and a supply of firewood.

Garden. When it's warm and the weather turns outdoors, the greatest magic begins. Every evening by the fire, dinners under the stars and trees, the outdoor roof, floor, table and chairs spread out—to live and die.

A window on the world: a few simple tricks turn a potentially claustrophobic place into an ergonomic space that, scenically, wins over a penthouse for heavy millions—working in such conditions becomes... different; a real estate connoisseur will also note that in this business the most expensive is the view from the window

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Parking for electric bicycles. This is the most important thing after setting up camp. A rear bike rack is the key to having all the fun while penetrating new spaces. I have two electric bikes—one for rocking around town, kind of like a Harley, and the other is a cargo bike for hauling groceries and various special tasks. It takes 60 kilograms on both racks and solves the problems of full mobility and supplies once the camper is anchored in a specific location (you won't go to the „Frog” with the camper, it's too big to maneuver through tight parking lots). Why exactly electric bikes? Because you are not irritated by riding against the wind, you go uphill in all circumstances, and you have a practical daily range of up to 100 kilometers on them. This allows you to go around the entire Tri-City or Warsaw on a bicycle—impossible to do on a regular bicycle without too much effort.

Exploring especially new cities with electric bikes is simply the best.

Car—cottage carrier. After a lot of testing I chose a Ford Transit, it performs very well. It has a smartly responsive big-block suspension, an engine that allows you to go 120 kilometers per hour on the highway without any problems, and it drives well. European competitors, such as the Citroën Jumper and Fiat Ducato, from my perspective, rocked a little too much while driving, the suspensions were a little too soft, but the differences, of course, are not great, it's a matter of individual tastes and needs.

A window on the world: a few simple tricks turn a potentially claustrophobic place into an ergonomic space that, scenically, wins over a penthouse for heavy millions—working in such conditions becomes... different; a real estate connoisseur will also note that in this industry the most expensive is the view from the window

Photo: © Author

The so-called kennel. Buda is a challenge, especially at the beginning. The camper is really big—you drive it like a city bus (width), you have to keep an eye on bridges and overpasses (mine is 3.5 meters high). And then there's maneuvering: the Nomad is 10 meters long and it's not worth pushing it everywhere, it likes space and understands what TIR drivers mean by wishing each other „width”. It is better not to push where there is a ban on trucks, although, as it is a vehicle up to 3.5 tons, you can.

Photo: © Author

Practical tips related to caravanning life? Wash your dishes in outdoor washrooms. Have a well-thought-out waste segregation system and a convenient dumpster for mixed waste. Use the „Park4Night” app to find overnight accommodations, and „Sygic Truck” for driving, with your vehicle's size entered—this will save you from overpasses that are too low (but here beware, the app sometimes goes crazy in Poland due to too many new roads being put into service, you need to update). Do your laundry in automatic laundries with dryers. Have a clothesline to dry your laundry. Use crocs—you will have a clean floor (in a city on wheels almost everyone walks in crocs). Always charge anything with batteries at 100 percent. Top off the main tank with water at every opportunity. In winter, don't forget to turn on the heater for the gray water tank, or it will freeze. Use thermal covers on all windows—they reduce gas consumption when heating and heat up the camper in summer. Use mosquito nets restrictively during the insect season, mosquito and fly infestations are a foul thing if allowed to happen. Install a marten deterrent system (ultrasound)—sooner or later they will chew through some pipe. Empty the toilet tank at every opportunity. Always have a supply of drink and food for a few days—you may stay in some retreat longer than you anticipated. In summer, an outdoor folding shower is ingenious; you can use it to rinse your beach-smeared feet before entering the house.

Teddy and his luxurious, ventilated dog suite with a mosquito net-protected balcony and air conditioning in case of hot weather; a much-appreciated innovation among animal lovers

Photo: © Author

Safety above all, so it's worth installing a gas detector with an alarm, perhaps not very necessary in Poland, but already necessary in southern Europe if you want to sleep safely at night outside the campground. Especially in France, nighttime attacks on campers using sleeping gas are common, which also effectively puts dogs to sleep. Camper gangs know that inside are at least wallets, laptops and smartphones, so piping in the gas is an easy way to get rich—breaking the plastic windows is no problem after that.

And the most important in-house innovation I've created? An outdoor express table for morning coffee in the sun or a cold beer under the moon. Everyone envies it, custom-made for me. With a lot of mobility, it often doesn't pay to take all the goodies outside—then such a table is a real revelation.

Teddy and his luxurious, ventilated dog apartment with a mosquito net-protected balcony and air conditioning in case of hot weather; among animal lovers this is a much appreciated innovation

Photo: © Author

And now for the most important thing—autonomous mode, that is, you stand the camper for the night in the wild, paying nothing, without any external support: camping infrastructure, connection to electricity, ability to refill water and empty the toilet. If you have good batteries, a decent photovoltaic system on the roof gets the job done—on a nice day it will easily charge them to 100 percent. If you don't have an inverter, it's worth having a couple of powerbanks to charge your phone and USB outlets in important places. But for more powerful things like a laptop, coffee maker, hair dryer or vacuum cleaner, that's not enough. So it's worth having an inverter, or simply stopping by the camper every few days to charge the batteries and service the rest of the camper's mobile services. With wise management, a camper with one person on board will manage even a week in autonomous mode.

Teddy and his luxurious, ventilated dog suite with a mosquito net-protected balcony and air conditioning in case of hot weather; a much-appreciated innovation among animal lovers

Photo: © Author

It also pays to invest in a decent portable speaker—it will serve as a home symphony orchestra, but will also be another solid powerbank.

"The whole world is your garden, Dad,„ said my daughter after her first few days in Nomad. It's been a great summer—I've taken my remote work with me and have been slogging along the beaches for several months. I work a lot with cities, writing their strategies, articles for the monthly magazine "Architecture & Business”, I also parked where my game scripts and series are set—in such a situation, the camper turned out to be an office and a perfect home. I always work „on site”.

Winter in an RV is as possible....

Photo: © Author

What else is worth having on the camper's equipment? I, for example, have the so-called kidney of violence: it's a pannier full of legal, defensive weaponry for a black hour, it contains, among other things, pepper spray and other self-defense inventions. Well, and I still have on board Bear, a big wolf, advertised with a warning sign placed under the largest window, „Caution bad dog.” May these safeguards never come in handy, however, they greatly enhance the feeling of security in more suspicious places, and after all, you never know where the night will find you.

An ingenious patent is alsoa folding hearth for a campfire, thanks to it you can light a fire for yourself without any interference with the environment. In the morning, the already cold ashes can be dumped in the trash. A supply of seasoned wood—beech and hornbeam are the best—is always worth having in stock, it burns beautifully, without smoking excessively or shooting sparks.

...although it can be demanding

When it comes to good coffee—necessary, after all, to live at the right level—I recommend a manual espresso machine. A simple and electricity-independent solution. Plus good, freshly ground coffee and that's how you can, and indeed should, live.

In this new mode, I'm often doomed to solitude—everyone else is in hamster wheels, or normal work—I've also gotten myself a Wilson, or ball friend, who you can always talk to and who really knows how to listen wonderfully. Tom Hanks in „Cast Away” had a random companion on a deserted island, mine is from casting, so he has a delectable sense of humor reflected in a ditzy smile. The driver's well-being on the road is also taken care of by the reliable Cheshire Cat—all smiles, I like the theme.

If the camper is clean and taken care of aesthetically—it becomes a perfect interior—LED lighting aestheticizes the space and saves energy

Back to the philosophy of life: a mobile home is not for everyone. You have to have the nomad gene in you to love it. I do. From the perspective of not having a permanent address, sedentary life shows a lot of downsides that I didn't see before. The world is big and beautiful, spending life in one place from my new perspective is completely pointless. Credit, putting down roots, once or twice a year some longer trip, hmm, well if we were immortal, then maybe....

The summer version of the encampment—a very practical retractable roof—an awning, a floor mat that makes life easier, a doormat and all the outdoor infrastructure including... our own patent for a quick table for a cup of coffee—arouses the admiration of many experts on the subject

I definitely choose complete freedom. Of course, it's great to have some house or apartment in reserve, but at this stage I don't need it at all. After my daughter's high school graduation, the property passes into her possession, and I embark on an orthodox route that never ends.

Let's return to the City on Wheels as a sociological phenomenon. There is a peculiar atmosphere in it. People are very nice to each other, RV drivers greet each other as they pass each other on the road, but rather no lasting friendships are made here: when you get up in the morning, most of yesterday's neighbors are gone, they have moved on. Mobility is very important, once you set up camp the camper stays put, so what will you set out to conquer the next city with? I have already described my method, but of course this is not the only solution. People carry scooters, motorcycles (which requires larger and heavier cargo solutions), there are even small cars parked inside large campers. There are also an increasing number of electric scooters and monocycles, but these, in my opinion, perform much less well in camper life than bicycles, primarily in the context of carrying shopping and longer exploratory trips.

The summer version of the camper—a very practical retractable roof—an awning, a floor mat that makes life easier, a windshield wiper and all the outdoor infrastructure including... our own patent for a quick table for a cup of coffee—arouses the admiration of many experts on the subject

City on Wheels follows the sun, and you can live in it with the weather forecast in hand, going where the aura is better and escaping the rain—it's pretty fun. The City on Wheels is usually not in a hurry—it likes side roads, getting to towns far from the mainstream of events is one of the many great thrills to be had in it. Staying overnight away from the infrastructure is another great thing—sleeping in the wilderness, peace and quiet is among the basic qualities of nomadism. It is worth noting the internal differences in the community living in CamperLand: however, the camping group prevails—always or almost always staying overnight at various types of campsites. A smaller part uses camping only when there is no other choice—this group prefers forests, parking lots in the wilderness, hidden from the human eye nooks and crannies, sleeping in the wild, treating it as standard.

Specialized electrically assisted bicycles sensationally complement the camper

There's a scene in the movie „Contact” with Jodie Foster: hundreds of RVs rush across a dried-up salt lake carrying thousands of green human fans interested in a close third-degree encounter. Then a huge city is formed of them waiting for contact with a space civilization, full of colorful happenings—literally a circus on wheels. That's a bit of what City on Wheels is all about—it's fascinating to combine mobility with the functionality of the home, and more broadly, the creation of mobile, temporary cities.

Is it possible to live near Wawel Castle for 300 zloty a month?—you can!

Time for a final reflection. The truth is that there is such a thing as soul and body memory. We are ruled by primal instincts, habits encrypted in our genes, habits developed by generations of homo sapiens. And our ancestors lived a nomadic lifestyle for the vast majority of the history of the human species. It is ingrained in us really deeply. I first felt it in myself when I traveled all over Africa on wheels with the GloBall expedition in 2012. The route from Cape Town to Krakow left a lasting change in my psyche. Six months in a mobile home—then a Land Rover Defender—put me in a whole new state. I simply didn't want to return to a sedentary lifestyle from there. I was just continually happy on the road. It turned out that the road was the destination.

A spacious, comfortable bathroom with a toilet and shower—the key to complete satisfaction

It wasn't until about 10,000 years ago that people on a larger scale began to invent cities, having previously invented agriculture and a sedentary lifestyle. I have mixed feelings when I look at the consequences of these three inventions. Supposedly it's more convenient, supposedly you have to have a „real” house, there's talk of those old trees not being replanted. I myself am an admirer of cities, their researcher and taster. But since I've been on the road again, I've seen changes in myself—I'm in a better mood on the road, the freedom of movement brings a permanent smile to my face.

Normal life is not easy: if you have children and a stationary job, you are doomed to settle down. I was able to put my freedom into action only after my daughter was reared. Now I can fulfill my dream of being the stone that rolls. When the rest is growing moss.

The gas plant in the camper—essential in winter and autonomy—because it powers the heating, kitchen, refrigerator and hot water for washing

The world is changing. I think there will be an increase in mobile homes, especially among childless digital nomads, and sedentary people will deepen their reflections on the problems posed by living in big, expensive and crowded cities, living their entire lives in one place, in that crazy Bermuda quadrilateral: store—home—work—school.

The personalization of the space turns an RV into a very comfortable, cozy home, which over time you don't want to swap for another at all

Abandoning my orthodox model for a moment, I'll summarize: it's worth having an RV, trying to get it out of its stationary home as often as possible, building a hybrid model—nomadic and sedentary. It's a nice compromise, because with the nomadic mode it's really a shame to delay until retirement. I also think that the (apparent) convenience associated with sedentariness for most people will, however, obscure the benefits associated with nomadic wandering. This one will remain more of an extravagance for the nomadic few, which I personally enjoy—I like being different. Somewhere in the depths of my soul I have a memory of the Roma, cursed by the settled majority, treated as a disruption of settled civilization. That's why I had the best conversation of my life with a nomadic French family, with five children for three years on the road throughout South America and Africa. And that's why today I know that the chief of the Samburu people in Kenya was right, who looked deeply into my eyes and gave me a new identity, saying: you are nomadic too.

Meanwhile, I'm finishing this text—because I have to move on already. The day before yesterday Warsaw, yesterday Lublin, today work in Hajnówka, tomorrow I'll be in Bielsko-Biala, then I'll drop by Krakow for a while. Eh, I love this kind of life.