Karsten, did you get your ERA? And if so, have you liked it? In comparing it to the Roadtreks it seems pretty good, but just wonder how it stacks up. My wife and I are leaning towards a Ideal model, as my wife wants to drive it and seemed a bit intimidated by the size of the Adventurous.
We went to an RV show yesterday where they were supposed to have Roadtreks, but none showed up (!). Only ERAs. Which look nice, but...
Anyone have any thoughts on the comparison between the two?
As to the 20 year old, I spent a lot of time in my early 20s hitchhiking across America, and then owned two VW Vans. As a single man, you can do just about anything you want, if you lower your expectations and enjoy whatever comes. There are lots of surfers, hikers, skiers, and many others that started the way you did. The famous ski movie maker Warren Miller started out in Sun Valley in a tear drop trailer where he (and a another ski bum!) camped all winter while he shot his first films! If you have never seen his early work, you ought to check it out. His camper was buried in snow for the whole season. My first wife and I were ski bums and we often camped in marginal areas just below the snow line so we could ski the first powder. One night a storm hit, and our tiny tent was caved in by the weight of the snow, and trees were crashing down in the night around us. That was using a Mazda front wheel drive car, with set of chains. We are so spoiled these days by all the amenities that our campers have for us. It's a better world, but...it comes at a mental cost.
The only advice I might give you is to make sure you have some buffer, in case your used jewel dies in an unexpected place. You want to be able to get it back on the road quickly.
I had some amazingly wonderful experiences back then, and some nightmares to be sure. A good humor and desire to just get through the bad times will lead you to some great memories.
Alf