Typically I do not write travel pieces unless to discuss awesome plant based food options. However, I just returned from a 2 week road trip exploring the North-Western part of the United States, exploring the beauty of Utah, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Oregon and thought that perhaps others would appreciate some of the things I learned along the way.

I have been curious about van life for quite some time. It felt like an exciting way in which to explore the world we live in while providing that escape from our everyday that we all crave. I was also aware that perhaps I was romanticizing it, the gorgeous instagram pictures and vanlifer blogs painting this picture of peace and tranquility that I may just not find on the road. So my partner and I decided to rent a van and try it out for ourselves!

Sue from all her angles!

We rented our girl, ‘Keeping it Real Sue’ from Escape Camper Vans in Salt Lake City. They made the process super easy and the van was a champ and had everything that you could want; a sink, fridge, camp stove and bed. Many RVers are turning to vans as they are more fuel efficient, can fit easily on tent camping sites and have off-road clearance for dispersed/wild camping while having all of the features of home.

toilet shots! you can’t beat the view!

To help get our trip off to a good start I ordered a portable toilet (I love this thing!), solar shower, and shower wipes to an amazon drop box near the rental place, then scheduled a food and necessities pick up order for our day of arrival from Walmart. This allowed us to hit the road faster and provided us with all we needed for our 2 weeks including healthy snacks like nuts and fruit, hardy vegetables like peppers and baby carrots as well as coleslaw mix since cabbage lasts a lot longer than lettuce, canned beans and a few veggie burgers. We did hit up bakeries, wineries, creameries, farm markets and restaurants in larger cities to make sure we got a taste of the local scene but wanted to have the essentials on hand to eat healthy meals at the van 80% of the time.

If you are planning a van life trip like this one there are a few things that we wish we had known/brought with us.

Lotion!! We live in Florida so the air is always moist, out west it is dry, dry and more dry. our noses, skin and especially our feet dried out super quick and never really got used to the climate.
a Hand Broom would have been super helpful for keeping the van clean
Sweatshirts. In our minds it was summer, why would we need sweatshirts. It gets cold at night and at the start of our trip we definitely had a few chilly days.

My google maps is my best friend for planning a trip. My partner hates planning, he is a fly by the seat of his pants but I like to have an idea of what is available to see and how to make the most efficient use of my time. I used google maps to add my points of interest, roadside attractions, our camping spots and mandatory local food eats that we had to try in order to get an idea of our route. This map changed about 4 times as our trip evolved but it is a great tool to help you keep track of what you want to see and to help you remember all of the places you visited.

To help find dispersed camping sites, the app iOverlander was amazing. It can be used without internet or data service and has a lot of great reviews from other campers. To those of you new to dispersed camping, they are free camping sites that have little to no amenities. Some are in amazing locations and others are just pull off on the side of the road that you can spend the night in a jam. We really weren’t aware of this before heading out there and on our 2nd night we called a fly fishing shop and asked about camping and as Cole, our helpful fishing friend said, “welcome to Idaho! You don’t pay for camping here.” From then on out we were determined to find the best places to camp the main criteria being a place to fish! This sometimes led to dried up lakes and road side stops but added to the overall adventure.

Living this way was a welcome change from our overcharged, busy lives and put a lot of things in perspective. Don’t get me wrong, It wasn’t without snafus - locking the keys in the van was the least fun experience although it did restore our faith in humanity, 3 hours in the desert DOES start to make you insane, trains are not pleasant sleeping mates and why oh why are dirt roads so bumpy and yes we somehow wound up on a dirt road at least once a day- poor Sue!

But nature is amazingly resilient and often surprises you in unexpected ways. Waking up and going to sleep with the sun resets your internal clock, not always worrying about how you look or even having a mirror around allows you to become comfortable in your own skin while hiking everyday makes you appreciate your bodies abilities. Having a goal of experiencing something new daily becomes your job and it was really nice to not have phone service for 90% of the trip. So if you are thinking about doing a trip like this, I would highly recommend it!

If you are interested in our itinerary so that you can start planning your trip just let me know and I can send it off to you! Happy travels and remember to eat healthy!