Winter in the Van

I’m sure this is a contested opinion, but I see winter as a magical time. I love the glistening snow, experiencing the thrill of skiing, and enjoying hot chocolate (with booze, let’s be real) by the fireplace.. but things change when you live a van during the winter time. It can be just as magical, but there’s quite a few challenges in guaranteeing comfort. Of course, warmth is the first thing on your mind, then there’s navigating more difficult weather, and finally, you’ll have to figure out where to park since many campgrounds close for the off season. So I’m here to help you out a little and give some insight into how we survived living in our van in the Rockies last winter. 

So last winter, ‘17-’18, was a LOT of fun, and yes it was hard but it didn’t matter because it was truly living the #vanlife of my dreams. We got to be the ski bums we always wanted to be, driving to ski resorts, parking there and sleeping overnight, and waking up to a glorious day that we’d spend on the mountain. We had the Ikon Base Pass, so it allowed us access to mountains all across the country, but we stuck to the West. We started in California, going to Mammoth then Tahoe, then we booked it across Nevada to Salt Lake City, Utah where we skied Alta and Park City.

Van Life FAQ

Alright folks, here it is. The Frequently Asked Questions on Van Life... as it has been in my experiences thus far. We are one year and a few months into our life on the road, and I’ve definitely learned a lot about how to do it efficiently, and especially how to slow down and laugh more at life’s inconsistencies. Living in a van is not always glamorous as some may see on social media. There’s a lot of planning involved, and of course plans fail sometimes. But I'm going to share with y'all how I’m doing van life. Read on if you want the inside scoop.

How I live an eco-vanlife

Hello lovers of the world! Are you feeling the desire to make your routine more earth-friendly? I put together a small but mighty list of the best tips and hacks for an environmentally-conscious life. All of this can apply to vanlifers, campers, travelers, and homesteaders alike! This isn’t an exhaustive list, I’m sure you’ve heard and read a lot about eco-living and don’t need a list of 50 actions to do. And I realize that there are a million articles and blogs already out there that give great advice on this subject, but it’s hard to know what’s right for you to do, and what fits in best with your lifestyle. We’re all well aware that we can’t be perfect, so rather than not try at all, we pick what life tips can be best applied and do them right. So to give y'all some inspiration, I'm sharing the eco-actions that I do, and I hope you'll feel welcome to adopt too in "greening" your life 💚.

"Where do you shower?"

Although I love being in the van, I don’t necessarily want to look like I live in a van (down by the river). When planning for van life, I knew hot showers and hot water would become more of a rarity, so I had to get creative when it came to hygiene while living on the road. All while following my rule for vanlife: keep stuff to minimum and make sure it’s worth it. Lucky for me I didn’t have to adjust too much since I wasn’t a product junkie before, but I did have to make decisions such as “bring nail polish or not?” and “do I really need both day and night moisturizers?” (those answers were no and yes). But I did manage to cut back on my beauty and bath supplies by a LOT, and I made some swaps to make my routine more efficient. So I’d like to share what I have learned, and what I do to make myself look and feel my best for good van living. 😘

Cooking in a Van

I love to cook, always have and hopefully always will. But when I moved into a van, I knew that my cooking style and habits may need to change a bit. For starters, the less pots and pans used, the better; cleaning dishes in my tiny sink is not ideal. I also wanted to limit the number of ingredients I’d keep on hand since we only have so much room to store them. And finally, I wanted to prepare relatively easy meals, but were still full of flavor. I’m a bit of a foodie- pasta with sauce wouldn’t cut it for most nights. Now that it’s been over a year of living in the van, my cooking game is strong. So now, I’d like to share with y’all what I’ve learned! I’ll be reviewing my favorite gadgets, what key ingredients I keep on hand, and a few of my favorite recipes.

Favorite stops on our road trip

“What have been your favorite places?” is the second most asked question we (Alisan and Theo) get when people hear that we’re living on the road, traveling North America in our VW van. 

I’ll give a broad overview of where we’ve been one year into our journey… We started in California, then went north to Oregon, spending time on the coast, Eugene, Portland, Bend, and then we drove east to explore more of the American West: Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, and Utah. We even drove way up north to Banff, a 16 hour day’s drive that I will never forget. 😝

Allow me to introduce you to my favorite places that I've been along the way. And the winners are...

Favorite national park: Yellowstone, WY
Favorite campground: Devils Garden, Arches National Park, UT
Favorite public lands campground: North side Snake River, Twin Falls, ID
Favorite drive: Oregon Coast
Favorite detour: National Bison Range Scenic Byway, MT
Favorite small town: Jackson, WY

"Why do you live in a van?"

First day of our journey was to Quincy, CA
High Sierra Music Festival 💃🕺. instagram

Quick facts to start you off!

Me: Alisan Amrhein, 31 y.o. traveling across North America

Start Date: July 4, 2018 

Where we’ve been: 2 countries, 29 states, 2 Canadian provinces

Travel companions: my partner Theo and our dog Noah, a long-haired Rottweiler

Driving: 1983 VW Westfalia Vanagon

Howdy! Hello! How’s it going?! I am super glad that you (yes YOU) are here reading my new blog about my van travels across the U.S. and Canada. I have been living with my boyfriend Theo and our loyal pup for a little over a year, traveling to iconic destinations, exploring cute small towns, and seeing the country from the comfort of our Westy home.

Finding Maine's Magic

Ah Maine, you are a beautiful state. It’s known for its rocky coastlines, maritime history, and magnificent natural areas, especially their offshore islands of granite and spruce trees. There is so much seafood to eat, so of course I had it at almost every meal.

We were there in October 2019, and I fell in love with all the fall foliage- such brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows! And the temperatures were just right with mostly sunny days and a slight chill to the air; I personally love Autumn camping more than any other season. Acadia National Park is certainly one of the highlights of Maine, as is Portland, so we knew those two locations would be on our road trip list, as well as Bar Harbor, a town super close to Acadia. We also had plans to visit friends in Scarborough, and planned a stop in Rockport to visit a campground we’d heard a lot about. I’m going to give y’all recommendations on where to camp, hike, eat, and drink from all of these locations. But first, a little background on the places we explored in Maine.

Three Days in Nova Scotia

 

Canada is awesome! If you haven’t yet visited, I urge you to go. We always have the most fun crossing into the Great White North. The natural scenery is otherwordly, expansively gorgeous, and makes you want to cry with joy at the fact that you are witnessing that view right then. 

Now, for transparency's sake, I’ve only been to Banff and Nova Scotia, and my travel partner has also been to Whistler, so we’ve only seen a small fraction of this beautiful country. Still, I’d like to share one of my journeys with you, a fairly short one, of our three day road-trip through Nova Scotia. We loved this country— the scenery, the friendly people, the cute cafes and small towns, and oh yes, we loved the poutine as well.