Where to Lay Your Head?

On our first trip, I mapped out the places we would sleep for the first 10 days or so, however I quickly learned things are always in a state of flux. It's inevitable you will see something unexpected and take unplanned detours in order to soak it all in.

That being said, we are happier "boondocking," a term we learned when starting van life, which essentially means finding a free place to sleep. Don't get me wrong, there are some great RV parks out there, but for the most part we boondock. Personally I like it because we can choose our views - love a good sunrise in a unique spot! Boondocking does seem to be more common out west where there are more pull outs & camping spots ideal for an overnighter. BLM (Bureau of Land Management) also has free spots in many places. Keep in mind that boondocking is obviously much easier, or at least more convenient, to do when you have a van with a toilet.

Some folks boondock at Cracker Barrel, Walmart, Flying J, Pilot, and Speedway, to name a few. These are safe spots to catch some Zzz's if you arrive in the dark or feel otherwise unsure of your options. You can use the bathroom, fill your van's water tank, & use the dumping stations at a few of these places too. They are usually open all night or have 24 hr security.

Needless to say, we do catch an RV park at least once a week to get a longer shower and do laundry. There are some great campgrounds as well - just do a search for an RV park or campground near you & read the reviews. Some helpful camping apps are: Campendium, Free Roam, Recreation.gov, Harvest Hosts, Boondockers Welcome, RV Parky, The Dyrt, and IOverlander. For weather while on the road we find the Drive Weather app to be very helpful as well.

Our phone's personal hotspots run our internet, but admittedly the service can be very spotty in the mountains, desert, in between places, or once we enter Canada. The Waze app is our go to for mapping out directions along the way. It's important to enter the locations while you have service - Waze seems to keep the navigation going even when cell service cuts out, however once service cuts out it's hard to enter a new location.

Get gas often - some stretches don't have gas stations, or signs of life (haha) for miles. Plus it's always good to get out, stretch, and use the restroom (somewhere other than your van).

As for meals, I cook eggs & bacon for breakfast or we have cereal, then for lunch we have sandwiches. For dinner, I generally cook & freeze a number of meals before the trip that we heat up. When that runs out, we go to Walmart.

Rooms with a view:

Breakfast time: