Comments by "freedom dove" (@freedomdove) on "Van Life: Gas stations can be deadly places for solo females/ Tips for staying safe" video.

  1. Because of the larger size of my SUV, I almost always have to be able to pull all the way up to the front pump. 3:04 mark: If you're pinned in by other people who are fueling up, then it would be an embarrassing travesty to our society if you couldn't just yell out to them for help if you were in that situation. 🤦‍♀😠😔 I have my head on a swivel whenever I'm at a gas station. I'm always casually checking out my surroundings. Never on my phone (except a couple times when I was lost and had to text friends who I was going to visit--but especially then I was watching the environment, and I wasn't busy pumping fuel). I never pay attention to the stupid mini TV screens some of these pumps have. I'm always looking around me, and often pace around my vehicle while the fuel is pumping--checking my tires and my surroundings. I keep my head held up high the whole time and I take note of everyone around me. I don't come off as nervous, because I'm not. I'm just confidently attending to my rig. One time (on my way to the M24 meetup) I had a stranger stop on his way out of the station and admire my Suboverland because he was a fan of Suburbans, and I was low-key on high alert the whole time (without giving that impression, of course). It was one of those two times when I was lost and wasn't pumping fuel, btw. He seemed to be a bit "rough around the edges" with no vehicle of his own in sight, so I just made sure to be normal and confident (aka, not an easy target/victim). He turned out to be a decent person who honestly did just like my rig, and I'm glad that maybe I was able to make his day by offering a short conversation and some smiles to someone who doesn't always get that from people (his situation seemed not that great). Always listen to your intuition! If I had felt any kind of nasty butterflies in my stomach when he was approaching/talking to me, I would have immediately gotten away from him. 4:21 mark: Absolutely not!! Most of the pumps in this country are incapable of printing out a receipt so I'm used to having to collect my belongings and take them in with me when I have to go in and request one from the cashier. If I couldn't take my keys out with me while just pumping gas (for lack of pockets in the summer), I always kept them in the driver's seat and I would roll down the window for easy access to the area. I never strayed away, so I was able to keep an eye on everything. Now since I bought a locking gas cap, my keys are always with me when I'm outside the vehicle since its key is on the same keychain as my rig's starting key/fob. 4:54 mark: I admit that I don't always lock my rig if/when I have to go in quickly for a receipt (presuming my intuition and common sense says that I'm safe), but that's always locally and during the daytime if/when I can have my eyes on my Suburban when I go inside. Any time I know I can't see it, or need to go in and perhaps go to the bathroom, I will lock my doors--and definitely at night will I lock them no matter what. 6:00 mark: I totally agree, Carol. I would say, however, that you should trust your instincts all the time. If you ever pull into a gas station that feels "off", then drive away to the next one if at all possible (half tank is my new "empty" for multiple reasons--lol). People don't listen to their intuition enough these days. I think the digital age (mostly social media) is to blame for that. It seems to have dulled our senses, unfortunately. 9:50 mark: LOL! Well, you're just stating everything that I mentioned so far in this comment. Great minds think alike, for sure! 😁👍💯 11:03 mark: My rig very much does NOT look like it belongs to a woman. It's a big overlanding beast that looks like a man should be driving it. I'm the only feminine part about it. Lol. 12:37 mark: Real life experience here from last year. I was shopping at a grocery store in my current local community (as I do every week). I came out of the store and a woman approached me as I was nearing my vehicle. This was very odd, as this has never happened to me in my whole life in this city (and I'm no spring chicken--lol). She was asking for money and I could tell that she was homeless, though she didn't outright tell me that at first. I was on my guard, but after making conversation with her I could tell she was in need for whatever reason (it was the worst, as far as I could tell--but she was very polite and not pushy). After questioning her lightly, she admitted that her male partner was waiting for her in their vehicle, which made me a little apprehensive--but she did seem kind (according to my "spidey senses"). I was completely honest with her and told her that I was getting ready to be homeless in my rig. This literally caught her off-guard. I told her I was also broke, and explained my situation (recently divorced with nothing but my rig to my name). I did give her the few dollars I had in my purse after I told her about nomadic living and Bob Well's channel. She actually seemed interested, which confirmed my suspicion that they were homeless and living out of their car. I just hope she used that small amount of cash for food or gas instead of you-know-what. Great video, and great advice, Carol. 🙏🙏
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