I love hearing this. I always tell my kids “go with your gut feeling” when I was young it saved me from a couple of events and since then I always preach about it.
Sounds like you got traveling solo figured out well. Great to hear your perspective although being a guy I don't understand the feeling women experience. I know solo exploring you really appreciate things more and I've definitely had a greater connection with nature well hiking. Thanks for sharing Maren🤙
I totally agree. It’s like you have more attention to give to the place itself instead of being distracted by the people you are with… not that there’s anything wrong with a group hike, but it’s just a different experience and vibe even on the same exact trail if you know what I mean. Definitely not enjoyable though if you don’t feel safe, so that’s why I made these videos. Some of it is also just a case of mind over matter. Like what is a real threat vs. what is just our imagination running wild based on a few facts. For example: you hear a weird sounds at night and our brain automatically comes up with many things that it could be.
I am glad have you been ok. Sometimes I think that a van would offer space for a porta potty. It is safer not to get out of your vehicle. Hmmmm....I think I have seen videos about having a porta potty in the car. Maybe see if you can find one. Thanks for the video!!
Thanks for watching & your thoughtful comment. This is definitely an area where a van and having more space offers a clear advantage. I did end up figuring out a system to pee in a bottle after this happened… because I never wanted to be in that situation again but I feel like there’s probably things you can buy that would be better or easier like you mentioned above.
Good eye ;) and good question! I actually have...but as a kid, so I don't think I have the brochure for it. Although they don't all fit in the frame here. Definitely somewhere I'd like to re-visit though as I barely remember it! Any suggestions for what to do while there?
Hey Maren, I lived in a sprinter van for a few years with no heating/AC in some extreme weather so I really feel ya there. You're really personable and I can see how much work you've put into the video editing, thumbnails, and content but I am wondering what the goal is for the channel? Let me know if you want some suggestions.
Hi Teddy! Thanks for sharing you experience. So cool that you did something similar in a van. Thank you so much for your thought-provoking comment. I think the initial goal of the channel was to share some experiences that I felt like I I had valuable information on that other people could benefit from hearing. Oftentimes I felt like I could not find videos that provide this info in a way that I felt like was sufficient or they did it in a way that was so dry and uninteresting that I’d get bored. Quality Info + entertaining was what I wanted to see so that’s what I wanted to create too. That’s kind of how I had the initial idea for the channel was that I couldn’t find videos that were doing this on surprisingly many topics that I was interested in. I have definitely been exploring that concept in different content areas on my channel to see what people seem to be interested in hearing about (and what I actually like talking about haha). When I started I had no idea if I would even like editing videos as creative outlet and If I’d even make more than a few… I think as an underlying message to everything is the fact that when you approach life thinking thinking more creatively and outside of the box it’s amazing what you can do yourself and what you can make happen for yourself…(or at least that’s the message I want to send to the world). Thanks again for your question & always open to ideas…
@@marenmakesit Well I'll kind of itemize a few things and you can pick which ones you like. First is pretty simple, I think a channel name should be capitalized because its a title, if you look around very few aren't and its just how it looks in the thumbnail that makes some difference. Second is that the title should reflect what you generally do. If you want to be a modern nomad, that should be reflected, if you want to be a health and wellness channel then maybe that... and there's no harm in having 2 different channels so people can subscribe and know what kind of content they're getting (not so many people are interested in both eyelash extensions and living in a car). Third gets more into presenting content which on TH-cam which is really competitive. Most channels start with having fun and then figure out how to keep their audience interested with informational content along the way. In general we simple people prefer stories over lectures. For example if you're going to talk about sleeping in a car people would like at least part of the video to be you actually like waking up in your car and making breakfast or going for a hike or something and talking about it while you're doing so instead of in retrospect. Those are the main things, I know TH-cam viewership is also largely about thumbnails and video titles but those are more on a case by case basis which I'd be happy to help you brainstorm if you want. Nobody wants to admit how much time actually goes into that crap but if you want to get your information to a lot of people then it is necessary. So maybe try just going for a hike or whatever outdoors activities you like to do with a camera and filming some small bits of content on the way.
@@thestranger535 wow thanks for the thoughtful feedback & insights! I really appreciate it. First one - easy enough . will do. Great point 👍 Second - yes I see what you’re saying here. This is something that has dawned on me recently too… that the audiences for these topics are so different. Honestly though it’s hard enough to make content for one channel consistently, so I’m not sure how’d I’d ever manage two… Third- interesting that you say this because this is contrary to advice I heard and received about starting a channel. Basically the advice I felt like I was reading/watching everywhere was that one of the biggest mistakes that you new TH-camrs make is assuming people care about you & what you do. Basically people being too presumptuous in assuming that people are gonna care about their morning routine or personal stories early on in a channel (unless they are like a celeb or already famous for something). So instead the advice was to provide practical information so you’re giving people value. I don’t know if there’s a way to privately message people on TH-cam but otherwise if you want to message me on Instagram @marenharcken or @marenmakesit_ that would be cool.
@@thestranger535 I don’t know how you know so much about TH-cam but these insights are really good & I appreciate you taking the time to write all this out. Truly thanks!
@@marenmakesit I don't have as much experience with TH-cam but I spent 3 months full time streaming on twitch where I studied both the Twitch and TH-cam spaces but I quickly learned it takes a long time to learn how to edit videos and make thumbnails so I stuck to Twitch. TH-cam is diverse, people who do car/van life tend to care about the people they are watching are what they doing, the purpose is typically a story or adventure and the informational part is secondary. You'll find that a lot of former van life creators eventually moved to creating content about building or renovating houses after a couple years and their following stays with them (Nomadic Movement, Eamon and Bec, Nate and Kara are going the opposite way, and SVDelos used to be an adventure channel and is now a family channel). They tend to slowly evolve and if they don't get too stuck on one project or idea then it stays interesting. For health and wellness they probably don't care about your day to day life but they still want to see demonstration of the content (cooking meals, going through a shopping list, shopping, planning exercise). Same probably goes for beauty/makeup/clothing spaces, they want to see putting on makeup, buying clothes, and looking good. Its not necessarily the mundane parts of life to show, like nobody cares that you somebody made breakfast, but with Eamon and Bec they made a different vegan meal in their van in most episodes or occasionally went to vegan restaurants which was interesting to some segment of their audience and then eventually they made a cookbook out of it. With Nomadic Movement they kind of showed their struggles with staying afloat financially and that was a recurring theme. And then with pretty much all of them (even cooking channels and poker channels, engineering channels, etc) they have some kind of imagery of sunsets and sunrises in between talking segments of their video with either silence or copyright free music which actually is pretty nice even though to a content creator it may just feel like fluff. So like when I say what's the purpose of the channel, maybe I mean whats the recurring theme.
carry some bear mace for intruders, and bears. Also if you go on long hikes in bear territory doesnt hurt to have a bear grenade you can throw to distract the bears, "A Can of Skippy Peanut Butter", they will sit there until their tongues literally clean out the jar. Doesnt hurt to take a can on long hikes as well as bear mace.
I did have mace actually but I’ve never heard of this as a “bear grenade” but I love this idea!! Brilliant! Going to start doing this in the future. Thanks so much for sharing & watching my video!
@@strykerhalo yes I got that! Sorry now re-reading my response I see how that was confusing. I meant that I had thought of the mace part & had that but never heard the PB idea before. But I like it! Sorry for the confusion.
You have amazing situational awareness and very smart ideas and advice. The fake label and duck tape are so innovative. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, this is such a genuine and thoughtful comment to read
I love hearing this. I always tell my kids “go with your gut feeling” when I was young it saved me from a couple of events and since then I always preach about it.
Thanks so much for watching it means a lot to me! 🥰Such underrated advice right ?! Lmk when I can come for a touch up ;)
Sounds like you got traveling solo figured out well. Great to hear your perspective although being a guy I don't understand the feeling women experience. I know solo exploring you really appreciate things more and I've definitely had a greater connection with nature well hiking. Thanks for sharing Maren🤙
I totally agree. It’s like you have more attention to give to the place itself instead of being distracted by the people you are with… not that there’s anything wrong with a group hike, but it’s just a different experience and vibe even on the same exact trail if you know what I mean. Definitely not enjoyable though if you don’t feel safe, so that’s why I made these videos. Some of it is also just a case of mind over matter. Like what is a real threat vs. what is just our imagination running wild based on a few facts. For example: you hear a weird sounds at night and our brain automatically comes up with many things that it could be.
I am glad have you been ok. Sometimes I think that a van would offer space for a porta potty. It is safer not to get out of your vehicle. Hmmmm....I think I have seen videos about having a porta potty in the car. Maybe see if you can find one. Thanks for the video!!
Thanks for watching & your thoughtful comment. This is definitely an area where a van and having more space offers a clear advantage. I did end up figuring out a system to pee in a bottle after this happened… because I never wanted to be in that situation again but I feel like there’s probably things you can buy that would be better or easier like you mentioned above.
@@marenmakesit Congrats on using the bottle! Great job!
@@rustykatt3870 haha thanks 😂 feels like a camping rite of passage or something
Love your videos and definitely just subscribed 😄💓
Aww thanks so much for watching & subscribing. Makes me happy to hear you’re enjoying my content 🥰
I love your channel because I have an 04 e320 (non hatchback version) and you really highlight car camping in a sedan!
Thanks for your comment! Yes it’s totally doable! Have you ever camped in it ?
Have you been to "The Grand Teton's" in Jackson Hole Wyoming?👈🤔 I see you have other brochures of State Parks on your wall.🤗
Good eye ;) and good question! I actually have...but as a kid, so I don't think I have the brochure for it. Although they don't all fit in the frame here. Definitely somewhere I'd like to re-visit though as I barely remember it! Any suggestions for what to do while there?
Hey Maren, I lived in a sprinter van for a few years with no heating/AC in some extreme weather so I really feel ya there. You're really personable and I can see how much work you've put into the video editing, thumbnails, and content but I am wondering what the goal is for the channel? Let me know if you want some suggestions.
Hi Teddy! Thanks for sharing you experience. So cool that you did something similar in a van.
Thank you so much for your thought-provoking comment. I think the initial goal of the channel was to share some experiences that I felt like I I had valuable information on that other people could benefit from hearing.
Oftentimes I felt like I could not find videos that provide this info in a way that I felt like was sufficient or they did it in a way that was so dry and uninteresting that I’d get bored. Quality Info + entertaining was what I wanted to see so that’s what I wanted to create too. That’s kind of how I had the initial idea for the channel was that I couldn’t find videos that were doing this on surprisingly many topics that I was interested in.
I have definitely been exploring that concept in different content areas on my channel to see what people seem to be interested in hearing about (and what I actually like talking about haha). When I started I had no idea if I would even like editing videos as creative outlet and If I’d even make more than a few…
I think as an underlying message to everything is the fact that when you approach life thinking thinking more creatively and outside of the box it’s amazing what you can do yourself and what you can make happen for yourself…(or at least that’s the message I want to send to the world).
Thanks again for your question & always open to ideas…
@@marenmakesit Well I'll kind of itemize a few things and you can pick which ones you like.
First is pretty simple, I think a channel name should be capitalized because its a title, if you look around very few aren't and its just how it looks in the thumbnail that makes some difference.
Second is that the title should reflect what you generally do. If you want to be a modern nomad, that should be reflected, if you want to be a health and wellness channel then maybe that... and there's no harm in having 2 different channels so people can subscribe and know what kind of content they're getting (not so many people are interested in both eyelash extensions and living in a car).
Third gets more into presenting content which on TH-cam which is really competitive. Most channels start with having fun and then figure out how to keep their audience interested with informational content along the way. In general we simple people prefer stories over lectures. For example if you're going to talk about sleeping in a car people would like at least part of the video to be you actually like waking up in your car and making breakfast or going for a hike or something and talking about it while you're doing so instead of in retrospect.
Those are the main things, I know TH-cam viewership is also largely about thumbnails and video titles but those are more on a case by case basis which I'd be happy to help you brainstorm if you want. Nobody wants to admit how much time actually goes into that crap but if you want to get your information to a lot of people then it is necessary.
So maybe try just going for a hike or whatever outdoors activities you like to do with a camera and filming some small bits of content on the way.
@@thestranger535 wow thanks for the thoughtful feedback & insights! I really appreciate it.
First one - easy enough . will do. Great point 👍
Second - yes I see what you’re saying here. This is something that has dawned on me recently too… that the audiences for these topics are so different. Honestly though it’s hard enough to make content for one channel consistently, so I’m not sure how’d I’d ever manage two…
Third- interesting that you say this because this is contrary to advice I heard and received about starting a channel. Basically the advice I felt like I was reading/watching everywhere was that one of the biggest mistakes that you new TH-camrs make is assuming people care about you & what you do. Basically people being too presumptuous in assuming that people are gonna care about their morning routine or personal stories early on in a channel (unless they are like a celeb or already famous for something). So instead the advice was to provide practical information so you’re giving people value.
I don’t know if there’s a way to privately message people on TH-cam but otherwise if you want to message me on Instagram @marenharcken or @marenmakesit_ that would be cool.
@@thestranger535 I don’t know how you know so much about TH-cam but these insights are really good & I appreciate you taking the time to write all this out. Truly thanks!
@@marenmakesit I don't have as much experience with TH-cam but I spent 3 months full time streaming on twitch where I studied both the Twitch and TH-cam spaces but I quickly learned it takes a long time to learn how to edit videos and make thumbnails so I stuck to Twitch.
TH-cam is diverse, people who do car/van life tend to care about the people they are watching are what they doing, the purpose is typically a story or adventure and the informational part is secondary. You'll find that a lot of former van life creators eventually moved to creating content about building or renovating houses after a couple years and their following stays with them (Nomadic Movement, Eamon and Bec, Nate and Kara are going the opposite way, and SVDelos used to be an adventure channel and is now a family channel). They tend to slowly evolve and if they don't get too stuck on one project or idea then it stays interesting.
For health and wellness they probably don't care about your day to day life but they still want to see demonstration of the content (cooking meals, going through a shopping list, shopping, planning exercise). Same probably goes for beauty/makeup/clothing spaces, they want to see putting on makeup, buying clothes, and looking good.
Its not necessarily the mundane parts of life to show, like nobody cares that you somebody made breakfast, but with Eamon and Bec they made a different vegan meal in their van in most episodes or occasionally went to vegan restaurants which was interesting to some segment of their audience and then eventually they made a cookbook out of it. With Nomadic Movement they kind of showed their struggles with staying afloat financially and that was a recurring theme. And then with pretty much all of them (even cooking channels and poker channels, engineering channels, etc) they have some kind of imagery of sunsets and sunrises in between talking segments of their video with either silence or copyright free music which actually is pretty nice even though to a content creator it may just feel like fluff.
So like when I say what's the purpose of the channel, maybe I mean whats the recurring theme.
carry some bear mace for intruders, and bears. Also if you go on long hikes in bear territory doesnt hurt to have a bear grenade you can throw to distract the bears, "A Can of Skippy Peanut Butter", they will sit there until their tongues literally clean out the jar. Doesnt hurt to take a can on long hikes as well as bear mace.
I did have mace actually but I’ve never heard of this as a “bear grenade” but I love this idea!! Brilliant! Going to start doing this in the future. Thanks so much for sharing & watching my video!
@@marenmakesit LoL. The Can of Peanut Butter is what I was referring to as the Bear Grenade, lol.
@@strykerhalo yes I got that! Sorry now re-reading my response I see how that was confusing. I meant that I had thought of the mace part & had that but never heard the PB idea before. But I like it! Sorry for the confusion.
your so beautiful! XD
Thanks for your kind comment!