Creating Our Van Life Itinerary

I have always been a sucker for a good itinerary. Researching the area I’m planning to visit and finding all the best spots gets me excited for my trip. Plus, the preparation lessens any anxiety I have about going to a new place. It’s a win-win, really. But boy oh boy did van life take my itinerary planning process to the next level. 

There are so many more factors to consider when you are sleeping, working, and showering in a new place every week. After a few months on the road, it finally feels like I have a good system going for planning our van life itineraries and I thought I’d share that with you!

Mapping Out the General Route

First things first, where do we want to go, and how long do we plan to travel? Our timeline is somewhat infinite at the moment, (which is the most incredibly magic thing I have ever had the privilege of writing) so I map out our itineraries based on prior calendar commitments. 

For example, we knew when we left Pennsylvania in early January that we would have to return at the end of February for a wedding. We also knew that we wanted to get to the West Coast on this leg of the trip. A quick look at flight prices out of LAX told us we should aim to land in Vegas by the end of the month. 

Armed with a destination and a timeline, it’s time to open the beloved Google Maps. Without thinking about any specifics, we find a basic route from Pittsburgh to Las Vegas: Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Nevada. Our general rule of thumb when traveling in a campervan is to stay South in the winter and head North in the summer. Spoiler alert: it’s not that simple.

Finding Verizon 5G Coverage en route

Although our life is full of adventure and exploration, we are still working (if anyone is looking for a freelance writer please hit me up, thanks). Our jobs require a good, stable internet connection so we make that a top priority when making our itineraries.

After determining the general route we want to take, the first step in finding a campsite is looking at the Verizon coverage map. This narrows down our route from states to cities! For this trip, we landed on: Dallas, La Union, Tucson, Coachella, Ridgecrest, Vegas. Personally, we don’t like to relocate in the middle of the work week. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. 

Adding Campsites to the Itinerary

Now for the nitty-gritty of it all. This is where things get both fun and frustrating. I typically bounce around between 3 or 4 different maps: the Verizon coverage map, Google Maps, iOverlander, and some other user-generated camping maps. 

A lot of the true campsites do not have good service. When we do find a spot within a 5G zone, we read the reviews and look it up on Google Maps to try and get the lay of the land. Can we make it in our Ram Promaster without 4WD? Is it safe? Are there pit toilets? Okay, that one’s not a necessity for us, but it’s always a huge plus. 

Oftentimes it takes a bit of searching to find the small section where a city’s cell coverage overlaps with the public camping lands. However, we have both been pleasantly surprised by the cool spots we have found with dang good service. It just takes time and patience. Other times we just accept the fact that we will be commuting to work at the nearest coffee shop and going back to our off-grid campsite after logging off for the day. 

Pro Tip: Share your camping coordinates! It’s always a good idea to tell someone you trust where you will be, just to be safe. Plus, my mom is a worrier and it keeps her sane while saving me from a daily “where are you now” phone call.

Visiting National Parks and Other Epic Places

Now for the best part! With a safe place to sleep and good service for work taken care of, it’s time to add some fun to this itinerary. Fun for us means outdoor activities with Meeko! 

We use All Trails to search for dog-friendly hikes in the area. I also spend lots of time searching the internet for recommendations on where to see the best sunsets or most epic views. We are also trying to stop at all the National Parks we pass along the way. Unfortunately, there are not many dog-friendly National Parks, but that’s a story for another time. 

Planning Around the Weather

The weather can change quickly and sometimes the plans need to change with it. You may assume places like Arizona and Southern California are hot and sunny year-round, but that is not the whole truth. Elevation is a huge factor when it comes to temperatures, especially in the winter, and there is no shortage of epic mountain ranges out West. There is also a lot of desert which is typically warm and cozy, but temperatures drop quickly when the sun goes down.

At the start of our trip in January, we planned on spending 2 weeks in Texas. Instead, we stayed all of 5 days and had to peel out of there at full speed before temperatures dropped to below freezing, which would not only be uncomfortable but likely freeze our pipes as well. Then again in Southern California, we had planned to be in the desert for two weeks but an atmospheric river decided to roll in and we spent a week in town sleeping at the local hardware store instead. It’s been an eventful winter, to say the least, and monitoring the weather has proven to be far more important than we ever anticipated. 

Never Write a Vanlife Itinerary in Permanent Ink

At the end of the day, flexibility is key. There have been plenty of times when my perfectly planned itineraries went straight out the window because of a change in weather patterns or the guttural feeling of unsafety. It’s truly a balancing act. Planning far enough ahead that you can relax and enjoy the moment without planning too far ahead that it’s unlikely it all plays out. Life’s a balance baby, and it’s okay to fall over sometimes. 

If you’re living on the road, or just planning a road trip, and need some help crafting an itinerary feel free to reach out! I’d be happy to help and cannot wait to hear all about your epic adventures!