Once I bought my first Sprinter van in 2016, I keep in mind feeling excited concerning the freedom of the open highway. I couldn’t wait to lastly go and discover all of the mountain cities, seashores, and desert canyons I had on my bucket listing.
After the primary six months, I spotted that rapidly bouncing from place to the following led to my days feeling jam-packed and rushed. Between testing all of the spots within the place I used to be at the moment in and making an attempt to plan for my subsequent vacation spot, I hardly ever had time to decelerate, chill out, and respect the great thing about the current second.
Now that I’ve lived in three completely different Sprinter vans on and off for the previous 8 years, I’ve realized to embrace the advantages of gradual journey throughout van life. Today after we are touring, Ryan and I normally discover a place we like and keep for just a few weeks, and that potential is without doubt one of the largest advantages of full-time van life.
Going too quick is without doubt one of the most typical errors new van lifers make. I hear tales of van lifers making an attempt to go to each Nationwide Park in a single 12 months or driving from Florida to Washington and again in a matter of weeks. I’m right here to encourage you to rethink your plans and present you why gradual journey as a van lifer will enable you expertise extra.
On this weblog publish, I break down the advantages of gradual journey throughout your van life journey.
This publish might comprise affiliate hyperlinks.
1. Much less Anxious
In my first 3 months on the highway method again in 2016, I visited 6 huge states out West. It was exhausting. Each second that I wasn’t out exploring and checking issues off my to do listing, I used to be sitting on my telephone making an attempt to determine the place I used to be going to camp and go subsequent. I additionally spent a ton of time packing and unpacking the van and driving quite than stress-free and having fun with the place I used to be at. I used to be at all times enthusiastic about the longer term, quite than appreciating the current second.
It left me bodily and mentally exhausted, which undoubtedly results in the one factor most van lifers wish to keep away from… burnout.
Through the years, I realized to ditch the quick journey mindset. Relatively than making an attempt to go to so many locations and experiencing them at a floor degree, I choose 1 or 2 and plan to remain some time. This fashion there may be much less stress round planning as a result of there may be much less planning total.
A gradual journey mindset permits me to be current and make selections primarily based on how I really feel, giving me the liberty to shift my plans to accommodate my (and my member of the family’s) temper and power ranges.
Additionally for the whole lot you may predict whereas touring, there are utterly unpredictable predicaments that may be actually tense should you’re touring on a inflexible schedule. Having the additional time in a spot permits me to cope with them with out ruining my total journey.
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2. Extra Time for Serendipity
One in every of my favourite issues about touring gradual in my van is it leaves room for extra magic. Van life presents me with new and surprising experiences however, for these to occur, I should be open to them.
One time, Ryan and I had been up in northern Idaho biking the Hiawatha Path. At first of the primary tunnel, we met this tremendous good group of individuals. I forgot my gloves within the van, and with the wet climate, my fingers had been freezing. One of many guys within the group graciously provided to let me use his gloves, and we ended up biking the complete path collectively.
As soon as we had been completed biking, they invited us to come back camp with them for the night time. We adopted them down some lovely forest service roads alongside the Saint Joe River that we might have by no means found in any other case. We had an important night time and even joined them for lunch at a brewery the following day.
Gradual journey permits me to say sure extra usually when enjoyable alternatives like this come my method.
3. Deeper Connections with Individuals
Once I look again at my van life recollections, the very best tales are normally those that contain different individuals. Maybe the very best a part of gradual journey is the best way it permits me to forge actual and long-lasting connections with individuals alongside the best way.
A pair years in the past, Ryan and I had been climbing in Telluride after we met a neighborhood man named Mike on the path. We bought to speaking, and we informed him how we had been doing van life and deliberate to camp within the space for a pair weeks.
Subsequent factor we all know, we had been planning to go on a hike as much as Columbine Lake in Silverton. He provided to select us (and our two canines) up in his FJ cruiser so we wouldn’t have to fret about transferring the van. He drove us over Ophir Go, which we unsuccessfully tried to drive as soon as earlier than in our van, and we felt fortunate to benefit from the journey and surroundings alongside the best way.
We ended up assembly up for one more hike and even went out for dinner a few times. He shared every kind of suggestions for exploring Telluride that we wouldn’t have discovered on-line, and also you higher guess that we are going to be reaching out to him subsequent time we’re on the town.
This is only one instance how touring slowly makes it simpler to speak to strangers and ask them about all the issues that make their house so particular.
4. Immersion into the Meals Tradition
Once I’m in a rush, it may be simple to commerce authenticity for comfort and eat no matter I’ve available within the van or rapidly seize some meals to go.
Top-of-the-line components of touring is attending to expertise new locations by my tastebuds. Ryan and I comply with a plant-based weight loss plan, and we love making an attempt out all the domestically owned, vegan-friendly spots.
Gradual journey permits us the chance to take action, and generally we love a restaurant a lot, we change into momentary “regulars.” We additionally wish to make mates with the servers and bartenders, who usually present ideas for off-the-beaten path issues to do.
Whereas we love consuming out and that’s one technique to assist the locals, it’s not sustainable to take action each single day. As a gradual touring van lifer, nevertheless, there are different alternatives to combine into and assist the area people.
In the event you’re dashing by, you’ll probably miss native occasions like farmer’s markets, summer time outside music collection, and different enjoyable happenings. Whereas touring at a slower tempo although, you may stick round for one thing that’s taking place subsequent week with out feeling strain to maneuver on to the following place.
6. Spend Much less & Save Cash
Touring continuously isn’t low-cost. Once I’m on the transfer, the worth of fuel actually racks up, including put on and tear to my van with every mile.
Gradual journey permits me to get monetary savings whereas dwelling in my van. If I discover an superior free campsite, I can keep for every week or two and never spend a dime on tenting! And the extra you get to know a spot, you study little methods that get monetary savings like the place to refill your water without spending a dime or the place you may rating a limiteless scorching bathe for a couple of bucks.
7. See and Expertise Extra
Once I first began van life, I underestimated how a lot of my day could be consumed by driving from one place to the following. Add within the time it takes me to pack up the van each morning, and there went my complete day! For a lot of van lifers, spending lengthy hours on the interstate seems like a traditional a part of the life-style, but it surely doesn’t should be.
Now that I’ve embraced slower journey in my van, I go to fewer areas, however I now have the time to discover absolutely anything that piques my curiosity. A number of years again we bought an incredible campsite in Olympic Nationwide Park that was proper on the ocean. As a result of we had nowhere to be, we maxed out our 14-day keep.
Our every day routine consisted of lengthy walks on the seaside with our canines and watching the whales spouting offshore and otters taking part in within the waves. We actually bought to know this part of shoreline and its nooks and crannies.
8. Much less Environmental Affect
It doesn’t matter how you narrow it – quick journey consumes extra assets. The quicker you progress, the extra gasoline you burn by. Whereas at this time limit, it’s inconceivable to keep away from utilizing fossil fuels in your van, transferring slower saves fuel (and cash).
Additionally by spending extra time in an space, you may discover ways to make the most of different modes of transportation. I can stroll or bike round a city and see what I discover alongside the best way or make the most of native shuttles to get round.
9. Keep away from Overcrowding
Having extra time in a spot permits me to be extra versatile with regards to visiting fashionable sights, making it simpler to keep away from them once they’re at their busiest.
A number of years in the past, we spent the complete months of August and September in Colorado. Staying there so lengthy allowed us to go to the busiest locations, like Rocky Mountain Nationwide Park, after Labor Day weekend was over.
Overcrowding has change into an enormous drawback in lots of locations, particularly within the Nationwide Park system (should you plan to go to a number of of those in your van, try my suggestions for visiting overcrowded Nationwide Parks).
By visiting fashionable locations throughout much less busy instances, I’m not solely guaranteeing that I’ll have a extra gratifying expertise, however I’m additionally doing my half in making the crowds extra manageable for the workers and the expertise extra gratifying for different visitors. This additionally mitigates a few of the ecological pressure that massive crowds can create.
10. Revisit Locations
One of the crucial necessary points of the gradual journey mindset is working beneath the belief that, wherever I’m, I’ll be coming again.
With this mindset, it’s okay to to not cram all of it in throughout a single fast journey. Actually, I understand I in all probability shouldn’t do all of it so I save just a few issues to do for subsequent time.
Experiencing the identical place throughout completely different seasons, with completely different individuals, as a special model of myself, and even in a special car offers a very completely different expertise.
Incessantly Requested Questions
Gradual journey means spending extra time within the locations you go to to expertise them at a deeper degree. As an alternative of dashing from place to put to verify them off a bucket listing, you decelerate, see fewer locations, and spend prolonged time there. I’ve discovered that gradual journey permits me to kind connections with locals and fellow van lifers whereas gaining a deeper appreciation for the locations I go to.
It depends upon your targets of touring. Do you like to journey to see as many locations as doable? Or do you journey to make new connections, get a really feel for a brand new place, and uncover native gems? I fall into the latter. In the event you really feel your travels at all times contain dashing to locations with out time to chill out or respect them, you might discover that gradual journey is price it.
You can begin embracing gradual journey now – even should you haven’t traveled this fashion earlier than. Strive staying in the identical spot for longer than you sometimes would. For some, this will likely imply staying someplace for a complete week – or perhaps a complete month (or longer)! On this prolonged time you’re there, push your self to speak to strangers, attend native occasions or markets, and attempt to go to much less fashionable locations you won’t have visited in any other case.
The great thing about gradual journey is there are not any guidelines! You get to resolve how lengthy you wish to keep on the locations you go to. So long as you’re deliberately slowing down sufficient to stay within the second and expertise a spot… you’re doing gradual journey!
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I’d love to listen to about your gradual journey experiences or reply any questions you will have about it. Depart me a remark under!
This text was initially written by Jono Melamed and was rewritten by me in 2024.
