5 tips for Surviving Van Life

I travel at least once a month to go explore a region so having a van to just GO and not book hotel rooms or have a timeline has always been a dream to try. I tried to do a little research before setting out on our first van life attempt and really went in with zero expectations or real knowledge of how it would work. I’m a learn as I go type. So I wanted to share my first experience with you.

• Go in with no expectations. This is a life hack for all things I do. There’s no disappointment if I go into it with an empty bucket of what to expect. It’s all just an adventure, good and bad. The journey.
• Have a van with all the things you know will keep you comfortable. For me, sleep and coffee is all I need. I looked for a van with AC (although we only used it for one night), and had a comfy bed and coffee pot. From there I can make do with all things.

• Download IOverlander, Campendium, and FreeRoam. I used IOverlander the most, but the others did show a few spots not seen on IOverlander. I would zoom in on the map of the region we would be, copy the coordinates in my maps, SAVE them in a folder for the region. That way I could quickly grab assuming we would lose service. (and out in the boonies, that’s typical for sure). We had a great experiences at all the free stays. Not one night did we stay at an actual RV site. Being totally off the grid was friggin AWESOME. Just remember to clean up behind yourself and leave the area better off than you found it. We saw a lot of trash from the people before us at most places unfortunately.

• Download GasBuddy or a gas app to show you the nearest gas prices. You would be amazed at the price fluctuations of just a little travel. Ten minutes drive to save .50/gallon? Yes please.

• Determine roles. I think these just evolved. But since I wasn’t driving, I would navigate/research next spots to sleep. He could be swapping out propane or blown fuse, and I would be organizing and cleaning. We each had opposite roles to compliment the other. Teamwork.
• Honor alone time. I am a human that loves to be with other people but also desperately needs space. Being together 24/7 can be taxing so honoring each other’s space when needed is key.

• Take the days needed to get a real shower, laundry, and do a deep clean to the van. About half way through our trip we were at Grand Canyon North. Paying $4 for clean clothes and bedding at the laundrymat in the campground was was EPICCC. And the $6 hot shower was amazing. Our van had a hot water heater and indoor shower. I’m not complaining. I’m just noting it was great to shower inside, get out and have really clean clothes, and we did an overhaul deep clean on the van when all laundry was in washers. Ahhhh it felt amazing. I didn’t feel bad at all for taking a morning to rest and recover from hiking to a refresh reset of our living quarters.

• Cook meals! Our van can with a fridge and freezer and a 2 burner stove. I think we ate out one meal for our entire travel, and I loved that. I’m so funny about my diet so keeping my health a priority on travel was essential. Protein powder mixed with greek yogurt and breakfast. I would pack so meal prepped meat and fruit for lunch in my pack for hikes. Whatever dinner we wanted that night. It was easy.

Van:

I used Bolt Adventures. Trust me I did a TON of research on vans to rent. This is the solid choice for all the things. https://www.azboltadventures.com. I used outdoorsy.com to rent. They secure the transaction between the owner and renter. You also purchase an insurance policy when booking through outdoorsy just in case anything happens on travel.

I called my insurance company (progressive) to see if I could just add on the van temporarily or if like other rental cars it would be covered. It’s a no go. If the van has been changed at all to be livable, it no longer is covered under an auto policy you already have. So having the additional policy through outdoorsy was essential. Thank you outdoorsy for facilitating that.

This trip was EPIC. We started in Phoenix. Next was Sedona, Zion National Park, Bryce National Park, Grand Canyon North Rim, Grand Canyon South Rim (our off grid campsite had HORSES), back down to Sedona for our last night then flew out of Phoenix.

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Tonya Beaver Photography Studio Location: Jacksonville Beach, FL

318 First Ave N

Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250

Tonya Beaver is a photographer located in Jacksonville, Florida specializing in newborns, weddings, families, engagements, and boudoir photos. She typically reserves at least one week each month to travel somewhere in the world and follow her dreams of seeing this whole world. After begging people to travel with her, she finally decided in 2018 to start solo travel. Finding new places, cultures, and memories to make is her goal.

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