How Gal Gone Camping Came to Be….My Story
Hello Friends!
Welcome to my blog, so glad you’re here. If you read the Home and About GGC pages, then you know who I am, where I come from, and what my message is. In this post I thought I’d share with you how and why Gal Gone Camping came into existence.
For a long time I have wanted to get into something online. I’ve had several businesses in the past, all of which offered products/services from an actual brick and mortar storefront or multi-level marketing. I enjoyed that, but had my fill of it and wanted to do something different. Most of all, I wanted to be mobile; something I could do from anywhere. I wanted to write, I wanted to be a Blogger!
A Writer At Heart
I have always been a writer and dreamed about making a living at it, so I began researching opportunities in that field. While there are lots of freelance writing jobs available, I needed something more stable. From everything I read, it takes quite some time to make a substantial income from blogging and e-commerce. So,I figured it would be in my best interest to get started now; building the online business so it would grow and begin producing a supplemental income, and eventually, what I hope to be my main source of income. Besides that, I just wanted to write about what I wanted to, when I wanted to. I’m not good at being on anyone else’s schedule–am getting too old for that and it never did fit me anyway.
Always an Entrepreneur
If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, it never leaves you. For me, it started when I was about 10 years old, selling seeds in our neighborhood. I said seeds…not weed! Over the years my business ventures included beauty products, business advertising items (way before Vista Print
My first business enterprise
came along), antiques & collectibles, weight loss/health products, skin care, a flower & gift shop (which I loved) and lastly, a tour company/travel club (which I also loved). So I started looking at online possibilities. Other people were doing it, I reckon I could too.
Just an Old Dog Learning New Tricks
I’m not techy at all, so learning how to go about blogging, building a website, YouTube channel, online store, or online anything, was somewhat intimidating. So again, I started researching it all. I learned that the first thing you have to do is narrow down your topic. This was kind of hard for me because I have so many different interests! However, it all kept coming back to my passion for writing, my love of travel—-in particular camping, road trips, and my quest for the best deals and a simpler life. So, I decided to tie all that together in a blog.
Get Some Help!
I took a 5 day online blogging crash course which was great, but a huge piece of advice…if you are technology challenged like me, and are working with a more difficult program like I was, get some help! I would still be here this time next year if it wasn’t for my dear techy friend, James Burchett, who is like my brother. THANK YOU JD!!! I owe you dinner for like…a month! I’m learning, but it does not come easy. I am a writer and creative ideas person. The other stuff…not so much.
What Am I Gonna Write About??
I thought to myself—what am I going to write or talk about that’s not already being done? What will make someone want to read or watch it? Well, I just thought about my experiences on these subjects, and it all came back to the #1 rule of writing—-write what you know. No one else can do that. Only you can write your story, and everything can be a story, you just have to tell it. It has to be real, something people can relate to.
So, I started thinking about how I grew up with the love of the outdoors, nature, camping, being creative; making things when I couldn’t buy them, or using something for a purpose it wasn’t intended for. I thought about how I liked to live simply; not needing all the stuff they say you do to be successful and happy. Tinkering with the living off-grid idea and practicing survival skills was always something I was interested in and that directly relates to camping and simple living.
Then, of course there were my travel experiences! I used to write a travel column and LOVED that. I could certainly share many, many destinations, tips, and resources. Coming from a blue collar family who was always budget conscious, then later being a single parent who was always searching for the best deal out of necessity, I figured a lot of people could relate to that!
I thought about being a female who always had a different way of thinking, and no one seemed to understand me or like to do the things I did. Why do people look at me strange because I don’t think anything of picking up and taking off on an adventure somewhere by myself? Apparently in our society, that is frowned upon and not normal or lady-like.
Could there be people out there like me? If so, maybe I could connect with them and perhaps help them at the same time. It is my goal to eventually live and work on the road, and I’m taking steps to put that plan into action. Maybe others are thinking about the same thing and would like to share ideas. I figured I could begin as a part-timer and by the time I saw my way clear to do it full time, I would have a lot more knowledge. For some time now I’ve felt like I was on the verge of something but I just couldn’t put my finger on it.
Following the Signs
Then, in 2017, I discovered Workamper News, a source for those looking to work and travel at the same time. I also began reading a book called ‘The Silent Sales Machine,’ by Jim Cockrum. A short time later, I discovered Cheap RV Living with Bob Wells who became my hero. In January of 2018, during Winter Adventure Weekend at Carter Caves, KY, I was on a group hike with a lady who belonged to an outdoor women’s group called the OWLS—Outdoor Women of Louisville. In March, I attended a Camper College event at Setzers World of Camping in Huntington, WV, thinking I would learn all about campers—which I did, but it was
Girl Camper Janine Pettit and me
there that I met Janine Petit, aka Girl Camper, and what she was doing with her story. That encounter changed everything, and that day I added another hero to my list. While there, I also learned about a group called Sisters on the Fly, the largest all women camping/recreational group in the country.
The Plan Comes Together!
WOW! There really are people out there like me! All of these happenings seemed to be signs pointing in the same direction. After that, things just started falling into place and I realized now where I wanted to go with my blog project.
It would be the same basic interest of 
camping/RVing/traveling, but it would also include the basic principle of simplifying your life. It would also be a different angle. It would be MY experience, MY advice…it would be MY story!
By the way, if you purchase a membership or product from Workamper News, use Code 
AMB147. It will help me out! http://www.workamper.com
Also, if you are thinking about starting a blog, I encourage you to go for it! I will be talking all about blogging later on. I discovered a free 5-day crash course called ‘Start a Money-Making Blog’ by Heather & Pete Reece, which was incredibly helpful.
It Was There All Along!
It was then I realized the first thing I could start writing about. I had been van camping for 10 years and was on my second camper van! I never thought about that before because it was just something I did; it was a part of my life. I attended the camper college event because I was 
looking to move up to a different rig and was exploring my options. So, my next couple of blog posts will be on the pros and cons of van camping, vamping as I call it, along with some of my adventures.
During the first part 2018, I started putting it all together. I just about drove myself insane trying to choose a name for the blog! After bouncing ideas off a few folks that was as crazy as I was, I decided on ‘Gal Gone Camping.’ If nothing else, it would be a writing outlet for me, and a platform to bring together like-minded people who have these common interests… and to send the message that whether you’re male or female, it’s OK to not think like everyone else does. It’s OK if you feel out of place in today’s society and long to escape. Stop by Gal Gone Camping, where you will feel right at home.
Tell Your Story Too!
What is your story? If you think you have nothing to write about–think again! Think about your life. What is your passion? What are your skills and abilities? What have you discovered that can be helpful or of interest to someone else? Remember–Your Life is an Adventure, so tell that story!
Until next time….Don’t Wait to LIVE!
See ya down the road…
Catrina