THE STOPS ALONG THE WAY

GETTING STARTED​
While some trips have a run destination in mind, others are more meandering and less destination-focused. So how do we find where to stay for the night? One of the biggest stressors about vanlife (especially in the beginning) is finding places to stay. There are lots of resources out there and just a little planning can take most of the stress out of finding somewhere to stay. I'll share the process and some resources we use to find spot in a below, but first some advice I wish I would have known to start out.
  1. Its ok to be nervous -- Finding places to stay can be stressful. At the beginning it was a bit intimidating to pull into a spot somewhere we had never been before and feel comfortable calling that place "home" for the evening. And to be honest, that feeling has never really completely gone away. But don't fear! Use those nerves as a guide -- if something feels "off" or just not right, you can always drive away and find somewhere else. It's making over that initial hump of nerves that's the hardest part.
  2. Start small -- To help combat some of the stress and fear of the unknown, start small and close to home! To test out various features as we were building out our van we slept in the driveway a few times. This gave us confidence in the van, helped to establish what worked and what did not, and cut through that initial unknown because we were less than 20ft from the comfort of our own home. Taking shorter day/night trips to local campgrounds or state parks can help to try out your setup in a more controlled environment where finding a place to stay isn't your number one worry.
  3. Have a plan -- A little bit of planning can take a lot of the stress out of finding a spot to stay for the evening. Having a "goal" area or spot in mind can be helpful...utilizing the resources (below) can help you narrow down a location (or even a specific spot) so you can pull in with confidence.
  4. But also have a backup -- Flexibility is key! Didn't get as far driving as you thought you would? Perhaps a spot you scoped out is already taken. Maybe that road you thought was passable is to rutted out to drive down. It's ok! Having a backup (or two) in mind means that you don't have to stress after a long day of driving to find somewhere last-minute or in the dark.
  5. Go for it -- The first "real" night out we learned a ton! Ultimately you will just have to take the leap and figure it out as you go.
  6. It's not all rainbows and puppies -- Let's face it, not every spot is one you will want to return to. You won't always have the Instagram-picture-perfect view, and that's ok. Learn from the duds and be grateful for the hidden gems you uncover along the way!

FINDING A SPOT
There are several factors to consider when looking for a spot and many of them have to do with your individual goals or requirements. Some vanlifers need a good cell signal for remote work, others want proximity to trailheads, while others want an easy in/out to continue on their journey the next morning. While each trip will vary, in general we are looking for:
  1. Safe & accessible -- First and foremost is finding a spot that we can actually get to (with 2WD) and feel safe spending the night. We have a low risk tolerance when we travel, so if it doesn't feel right or looks too challenging for our van or driving abilities, we'll find somewhere else.
  2. Price -- There is so much public land (especially out West) its relatively easy to find great free spots, so in general we are almost always looking to pay nothing. In some parts of the country it can be a bit more challenging, or for places we really want to visit, finding spot can come with a small fee (usually $5-10). We tend to avoid RV parks and most public campground where the cost is much higher and we don't get the solidarity we are looking for.
  3. Close-ish to main route -- For trips where we have a specific destination in mind, we are typically looking for spots that are close or on-the-way to the main destination. It's all relative that could be 30 min off the interstate, or maybe a couple hours out of the way if there is an area we want to explore. On more leisurely adventures this isn't a concern at all, we'll pick an area to explore and anywhere in there is fair game.
  4. Accessibility to trails -- Many of the trips we take have to do with running, so being close to a trail system is a real plus. It's allows us to stretch our legs in the morning before getting back in driving mode, or after a long day at the wheel.
  5. Dog friendly -- While this isn't a concern on most public lands, in many state or national parks pets are restricted or not allowed, so finding a place that is ok with our furry companions is a must. 
  6. Easy in/out -- Sometimes we just want a quick and easy spot to spend the night. During winter when the days (and driving hours) are shorter, it's dark when we leave and dark when we arrive, so the views or the perfect location aren't necessarily a priority.

HOW WE PLAN
There are many resources out there to help find places to stay. We tend to use a combination of apps, maps, and planning to get ourselves to a location each evening. While each day can look a little different, in general this how we plan:
  1. ​Estimate the amount of driving we will do that day (+/- a hour or two). This gives us a general area of where we want to look for spots. As the day goes on, we re-evaluate where we are and what spots are looking realistic for that day.
  2. Look in Google maps/Gaia to see what interesting areas may fall within our target range. Often time there will be a national forest/grassland or other public land in our target area.
  3. Use a combination of apps to view the target area and narrow down to a more specific area or location. If we see a specific spot that looks awesome, we'll plug that into our GPS and head there. If not, we'll pick a general area (like part of a national forest) and head that way and look for spots along the way. Unfortunately there is not "one app to rule them all" here, so it's a bit of a process to search and cross reference locations in multiple apps, but they are useful and can provide some key information (like road type, accessibility, cell coverage, elevation, cost, etc) about specific locations.
  4. Use Gaia (with specific filters) to help navigate public lands. Gaia is simply fantastic. It has many useful layers showing USFS roads, BLM land, Motor Vehicle Use Maps, etc, all of which can be used to help navigate on public lands, and find roads that are suitable for our van. It's also helpful to double check that we are indeed on public land (or where we think we are) when we are boondocking.
  5. If we are really organized, sometimes we will call or email a ranger station in a national forest on our route and just ask for suggestions. These folks know the area best and can give some great tips on less popular areas and give more up to date information on road conditions or other things affecting the area.

RESOURCES
Apps (Vanlife, Campendium, iOverlander, freecampsites.net)
Gaia GPS (USFS, BLM, MVUMs)

WHERE WE HAVE STAYED

Here's where we have stayed thus far. We will add more locations to our map as we continue to adventure!