Money is meant to be spent on bike parts, not on campground! After two years of full time vanlife, here is our total campground budget (excluding when we had friends visiting us):
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It's really not that hard to find free overnight spots... Here is how we do it!
1- iOVERLANDER
1- iOVERLANDER
In A Nutshell
iOverlander is a crowdsourced database of places for overlanders and travelers. It includes camping, hotels, restaurants, mechanics, water, propane filling and many other categories. Details are listed for each place, including amenities, photos, date last visited and GPS coordinates.
In addition to finding places, you can add new places, record your trip, and share places with friends or other travelers. All of these features will work offline, except you will not be able to view the photos.
What We Like
- The App works flawlessly and is smooth to use.
- It has to most complete database of all similar apps.
- Works offline.
What We don't like
- Because it's quite popular, there's a good chance you won't have a spot to yourself...
2- FreeCampsites.net
2- FreeCampsites.net
In A Nutshell
FreeCampsites.net is similar to iOverlander: it’s a crowdsourced database.
Over the past two years, we feel like iOverlander is getting more attention than FreeCampsites.net, probably because their user interface is not great and there’s no smartphone app…
What We Like
- The database is quite extensive.
What We don't like
- There's no smartphone App.
- Doesn't work offline.
- The user interface needs a lot of love...
3- Google Maps
3- Google Maps
In A Nutshell
Google Maps needs no introduction. It’s the best app for step-by-step navigation.
It’s also neat to find overnight spots! Switch to “Satellite” mode to spy for overnight spots (backroads, in the forest, near lakes, etc.). It’s not as straightforward as iOverlander or FreeCampsites.net and there’s a learning curve to get proficient with it, but it opens new possibilities and finding your own spots mean you’ll most likely have the spot to yourself!
What We Like
- Find your own spot = no crowd.
What We don't like
- Gates or barriers are hard to see on the map, so we sometimes have to back up because the potential spot is not accessible.
4- Public Lands
4- Public Lands
In A Nutshell
In the USA, the majority of public lands are held in trust for the American people by the federal government and managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or by the United States Forest Service (National Forest). Unless posted otherwise, dispersed camping is generally allowed for up to 14 days. You can use iOverlander or FreeCampsites.net to find dispersed campgrounds, or use this app to find the boundaries of the BLMs and National Forests near you:
US Public Lands
In Canada, Public Lands are generally referred to as “Crown Land”. OffTrackTravel.ca have an excellent guide about free camping in Canada, so we’ll leave it to them 🙂
5- Trailhead
5- TrailHead
In A Nutshell
If, like us, Vanlife is about being out there in the wild, then keep your eyes open! We very often find overnight spots while heading to the trailhead, or while we ride our bikes. After some times travelling, you’ll find yourself constantly scanning for good camping spots (or water faucet) even when you don’t need one; it becomes natural, no need to think about it! 🙂
Be aware that most trailheads have “No Overnight Parking” sign; please respect it…
What We Like
- Wake and ride!
What We don't like
- Very often, trailheads have "No Overnight Parking" sign.
6- Residential Streets
6- Residential Streets
In A Nutshell
Sleeping in residential areas is definitely not a Vanlife goal, but it’s always the best fail-safe last resort option. It’s quick and easy to find a spot.
Remember that you’re an uninvited guest, so respect the neighborhood:
- Arrive late, leave early.
- This is not a camping spot; stay inside your van (no table and chairs outside!).
- Never sleep twice at the same spot.
- Be self-contained (no grey water waste outside the van. See our water system).
- Be stealth (we install our window covers right away) and keep a low profile.
- As a general rule: if we make eye contact with a neighbor when parking, we find another spot.
What We Like
- Quick and easy to find a spot.
- Very high success rate.
What We don't like
- Not epic by any mean.
7- Walmart, Cabelas, Sam's Club, etc.
7- Walmart, Cabelas, Sam's Club, etc.
In A Nutshell
The following stores generally allow overnight parking, but it’s a good practice to always ask permission before:
- Walmart
- Sam’s Club
- Flying J Truck Stop
- Cabela’s
- Some rest areas and Visitor Centers
- Others (ask permission)
There’s a reason why it’s last on our list: it’s noisy (truck idling, RV generators, etc), there’s a lot of people coming and going (especially at 24h stores), drunk people like to hangout there for some reason, etc… Needless to say, we normally avoid it!
What We Like
- Useful during long distance drives (highway).
What We don't like
- Very Noisy.
- Very Crowded.
8- Winter
8- Winter
In A Nutshell
For us, Vanlife is also a way to chase the snow during winter. Finding free overnight camping is definitely more challenging during winter… Actually, everything is more challenging! For this reason, we wrote an exhaustive Winter Vanlife Guide:
Here are some other options to help find places to sleep. I have not personally used any of these yet:
Harvest Hosts/Boondockers Welcome (www.harvesthosts.com and http://www.boondockerswelcome.com): These two sites are owned by the same company. There is a yearly membership, but once you pay the yearly fee, they claim “Get unlimited overnight stays at thousands of unique and exciting locations, with no camping fees.”
For the Harvest Hosts, they typically encourage buying something from the host. Hosts are wineries, breweries, farms, so it’s not a bad deal to get a nice drink or meal for your money instead of spending it on a camp site. I think Harvest Hosts is also limited to one night per location. After the one night you are required to move on unless the host offers additional night(s).
Trusted Housesitters: Requires yearly membership fee. This is not for camping, but if you are wanting a break from the van for a few nights, you could do so by staying at someone’s home and watching their pets while they are away. There are nice homes all over the world.
When in a city or medium sized town, we search for van builders which are generally in a light industrial park setting. The bigger builders will often park vans outside so we can blend in when we park. We do this more on weekends when they aren’t working, or leave before 7 am on weekdays.
what if the dealership traps you in with a chain across the in/out?
Here’s a new one for you, did it in Buffalo (NY) last week: Pull into a Ford Dealership, park next to a Transit and go dark…
Make sure you wake up early enuf so they don’t sell your vehicle from under you!
Yep, parking near Ford dealerships work most of the time and some of them have free WiFi 🙂
Glad you’re making the most of it, enjoy the road!
antoine
Love your site. Good work, very helpful.
good inf0
Hello Isabelle and Antoine,
Thank you very much for all the information and a great website. It is wonderful that you have shared all this with everyone.
Namaste ✌️