A Kansas roadtrip anyone?  I was driiving down Route 83 towards southern Texas which took me through the northwest corner of the state. Having never been to this state before I decided this was a great opportunity to explore.  In the little research I did I found a few popular sites in the northwestern part of the state near Oakley that I wanted to see.   The first on my list was Monument Rocks. After a 15 minute drive over gravel road I saw the huge rocks in the distance.  The unique formations stood in stark contrast to the flat prairies surrounding them, it was a cap ..read more

Is a vanlife homebase necessary? Vanlife is a popular choice for those wanting a sense of adventure and freedom. There are many advantages to having a home base while living a nomadic lifestyle. For me I love to come back to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  I have lived in this area for most of my adult life.  It is lovely to connect with family, friends and walk my old neighbourhoods.  Having reliable and trustworthy businesses to help with van maintainence is also a huge plus. I am a part owner of a family acreage in Northern Alberta.  This is the place I en ..read more

Van life budgeting effectively requires careful planning and consideration of various expenses. Here’s a guide to help you budget for your vanlife adventure: 1. Calculate Your Expenses Start by listing all your potential expenses, including vehicle purchase or rental, fuel, insurance, maintenance, food, camping fees, entertainment, and miscellaneous costs.  Even though vanlife is promoted to be less expensive it may not be, so consider all the extra costs to have a realistic idea of what you will need.   Truthfully my expenses are not much different than when I lived in my ren ..read more

Here is my list of the top 10 roadtrip accessories I have used while travelling and living fulltime in my van. Hearing horror stories of older vans breaking down with huge costs to fix made finding a newer van my prioity when starting my vanlife travel journey.  Not being mechancially inclined I felt having a van with potentially less maintainence was truly my best choice.  In 2021 I purchased a 2020 Promaster, the newest van I could afford.  I haven’t had any major breakdowns which I attribute to the newer van and I am religious about doing regular maintainence.  Regul ..read more

Free camping etiquette starts with having respect for the enviroment you are in and the people around you.  I travel on a budget and want to keep this kind of camping option available to me and others.  Knowing and respecting the rules of these areas is important. I don’t often have fires,  I keep my site clean, pack out my garbage and am friendly if I have neighbours.  One of the best things of boondocking or dispersed camping is I am often alone with nature.  These are massive areas and usually have many options to finding a spot to stay. My 7 Free Camping Etiq ..read more

My roadtrip to explore Nebraska started along Highway 83 from South Dakota into the “Heart City” of Valentine.  Every year on Valentine’s Day the city transforms and celebrates the day of love.  A beautiful little city with a very welcoming visitor center giving me lots of suggestions on what to see in the area.   Smith Falls State Park My first day was a hike to Smith Falls.  A natural spring fed waterfall down a 70 foot high rock face, the highest falls in the state.  Travelling about 5 miles on a bumpy muddy road making it an interesting drive to get to the ..read more

Several South Dakota attractions were on my “must see list”.  Deciding to stick to the western part of the state I wanted to visit the Black Hills, a mountain range with forests, waterfalls and the famous Mount Rushmore.  Then on to the Badlands National Park to see the rugged terrain and canyons that I had read about. Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway Bridal Veil Falls, Spearfish Canyon I entered the state from western North Dakota along highway 85 into the Black Hills.  My first scenic roadtrip was through Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway and a stop at the historic D ..read more

Van life gifts ideas for your nomadic family and friends.  What do you buy for a person who is travelling and who lives in a tiny space?  When living in a small space like a van or RV something that is useful or needed is always the best gift option.   In my experience when living small everything needs to have a place to call home.  If something new is brought into my space then something old goes out.  This is basically how I have been living for the last 2 1/2 years in my Promaster van.  Everyone is different in what they feel is a necessity however smal ..read more

Would you find van life beach camping amazing or would it be too scary for you?  My first initiation to beach camping was last year in southern Texas.  From ioverlander I decided to head to a spot on the beach.  It was late in the day and was close to getting dark so I parked on what looked like a good spot.   I woke to torrential rain in the middle of the night.  After several hours of heavy rain I began to worry.  Was I going to be washed away? Or get stuck in wet sand?  I decided at 2 am to leave the spot and found a nearby gas station to spend the res ..read more

Staying happy and healthy in van life has its challenges.  I love exploring new places so I am often driving every day, which means finding a new spot to sleep everyday, not exercising enough and picking up a not so healthy snack along with gas can add challenges to my van life.   Being a solo female traveller can bring up other issues of boredom, loneliness and safety concerns.  Different weather conditions can add stress in driving.  Staying warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather can also hinder the joy of travelling in a van.  I am generally healthy but I ..read more