How to Prepare for RV Life: What to Do 6–12 Months Before You Go (Part 2)
When you start thinking about van life or RV life — what first pops into your head? A desolate beach somewhere? A mountain vista? Exploring towns and urban landscapes? Something is driving you to think about living on the road. It did for me. Read Why I Started This Whole Thing here.
If Part 1 was about how to think through buying your van or RV, this one is about everything else you should be doing 6–12 months out — long before you ever step foot in a dealership or start scouring Craigslist for a used rig. Read Part 1 first if you haven’t.
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Table of Contents
Top Advice for Starting RV Life!
You Need A Plan Sooner Rather Than Later.
Dream of going to a busy national park or even state park? Want to camp there? So. You need to be planning that today. Each park has a different schedule on releasing campsites, but at even mildly popular parks – campsites often sell out within minutes or days of their release. This means that campsites are often sold out 6 months to 1 year in advance….
Unfortunately, as more and more folks have started to take up RVing (especially those who don’t follow leave-no-trace principles), former free camping is closing at an alarming rate. National Forests that used to allow dispersed camping are forbidding it outside designated areas that come with neighbors and fees. BLM land is closing to camping in certain places. So as demand increases, supply is simultaneously decreasing.
So, as you start to plan your new van or RV life adventure, start thinking about: where do I want to go? Come up with a plan — even a super rough one — so you can start looking for those campgrounds six months to a year in advance.
Now is a good time to check out the rest of this series, too. Click here to read about what to consider when buying your van or RV in Part 1.
Start Noticing Your Habits/Needs/Priorities.
In Part 1 of this article, I wrote “know thyself” and I used it in reference to deciding where you wanted to go and where you would realistically go. Click here to read that article. And I hold that true here. You need to “know thyself” to plan not only where you want to go, but where you realistically will go so you can start plotting your course 6-12 months in advance.
But the other part of “know thyself” is to start taking an inventory of your habits/wants/needs/desire.
The Greatest Gift of Van Life: Forcing You To Get Your Priorities Straight.
My van had 60 square feet of living space. 60 square feet of bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, living area, driving area, dining area, and gear storage. When you have to live full time in 60 square feet — or even in a roomier RV — it forces you to make difficult but important decisions, because you can’t take everything with you. And after you prioritize emergency gear (especially if you’ll be going off-grid in remote locations), you have even less space.
For me, my indulgence was a Wacaco espresso maker with a Nespresso attachment, paired with a Breville milk frother. The frother takes up a LOT of space!!! But good coffee — totally worth it.
However, things I thought I “needed” I quickly determined I never used. A set of mixing bowls? Haven’t touched them once… A bread knife? Seriously???? Why did I think that was an indispensable tool?
So, as you start thinking about van or RV life and your new adventure, start noticing your habits. Little things like: I like to cook X, but that uses a lot of bowls and utensils — how would I make X in a van using only 2–3 small bowls because I have limited water?
Or start thinking about the tradeoffs: am I willing to give up this habit if it means taking substantially less gear, so I have room for something else?
6 Months Ahead: start An Inner Monologue About Your Realistic Fears/Limitations.
When planning your trip, start noticing some of your subconscious fears. Many won’t surprise you. But some will. Have a fear of getting lost – you probably won’t be driving 20 miles down a desolate windy forest service road to find the perfect camping spot. Fear of heights – maybe you won’t be hiking the Grand Canyon after all!
6–12 Months Before Starting Van or RV Life, Start to Notice the Fears and Phobias You Didn’t Even Know You Had — So You Know Your Realistic Limitations.
I know that sounds funny. But let me give you two concrete examples.
Example 1: My Food Insecurity.
I did not know, until I started van life, that I had a fear of running out of food. A deep-seated food insecurity. Not until I was loading the van and quickly ran out of space because of all the food I’d crammed in.
A friend with lots of van life experience was helping, and literally told me, “I’ve never seen someone cram so much food in a van in my life!!!”
That’s when I realized — I have a fear of running out of food. I had over a month’s worth (for both me and the dog) before I ever left Denver, with plans to stop at a grocery store three days later.
When I thought about it, I realized that every time I go to the grocery store, I buy way, way more food than I need… I have full cupboards and a full pantry at home. Had I known this, I could have started dealing with it months ahead of time. Instead, I had to confront a massive phobia I’d had for years while also adapting to van life.
Example 2: My Fear of Getting Lost.
So I bought a bad-ass adventure van. Totally off-road capable. And totally overkill for me — because I never realized how pervasive my fear of getting lost is. I carry multiple GPS units (2 + a phone) when I hike. Even on hikes I’ve done multiple times before…
So what am I saying? The reality is, I’m not likely to go too far off an established forest road — especially if it’s not a straight path. LOL. Which means I might have bought a different rig entirely!
Or I would have started confronting the issue many hikes ago. As it turns out, I’ve started to learn some simple tricks that help me feel less insecure about my awful sense of direction. I turn around more often. I note major landmarks and what they should “look like” coming back. I may even leave myself some non-permanent, non-electronic breadcrumbs on my way out to find my way back. But either way — I wish I’d confronted this fear 6–12 months before beginning van life.
The Devil Is In the Details: Logistics Planning 6-12 Months Before Starting Van Life.
Ahh the thrill of the open road. Freedom! Independence! No Responsibility! Living Day to Day!! Right???..
Wrong!
The amount of logistics that goes into planning Van Life, particularly if you will be off grid for long periods of time, is astronomical. Here are but a few of the considerations you should be thinking about and starting to plan well before you even start looking at buying Van.
Mail.
Mail is important. More than you think. Buying new van? Better do it with enough time to get the vehicle registered, title issued, and get your license plates.
And it’s way more complicated than you think. Thinking of using a PO Box. Good luck. They will hold for 30 days or you have to submit a new form. What about packages? You can string together Amazon lockers, Thousand Trail parks etc. But many parks won’t receive packages and some that will require you to be checked in and have a site number. So unless you will be there a while — that may be a no go.
Maybe a friend or relative? If it’s in another state will you be establishing legal residency in that State? If so where will you title and pay taxes on your new Van?
Health/Health Insurance Medications.
Where/When/How will you get those. What if they need to be refrigerated for a while? What if the medication often has to be ordered days in advance or the pharmacy/insurance company limits the amount they will dispense at a time? This may seem like a minor issue. But it isn’t. You need to be thinking about your health/health insurance/medications months in advance.
Budget.
I know. Budget. But I’m going to submit this to you now. Van Life costs a lot more than people think. The number of free campsites is quickly diminishing. The number of cities downright hostile to stealth camping and people being in Vans is increasing. The cost of campgrounds – even state parks – can reach $75.00 or more a night with a typical campground being north of $30.00 a night. Gas. It’s expensive when you drive a very heavy very large van over 1,000+ miles a month.
So. My advice. Start your budget planning NOW! Setting a budget of $30.00 a night for camping – great. How are you gonna offset the $75.00 a night you paid in Florida for a week?
Route Planning.
I will do an entire video on this. But route planning is key. You have to take into account not only where you want to go, but when you want to be there (seasonality – especially if you have limited battery supply to run AC), if what you want to see is open (some things only open on weekends or may be closed for part of the year – especially campgrounds), and the most efficient way to get between those points.
So my advice. It is never too early in your Van Life/Mountain biking Adventure to start route planning. I literally spent days inputting things into google map just to be able to plan efficient routes (don’t worry – Ill be updating this post with a how to video in the coming months – stay tuned).
I hope you found this useful. Check out my YouTube channel, Live Free RV, for more — I take you along for the adventure. In the meantime, may you
Go Well. Be Well. Live Well.
~Ty
Chasing great mountain biking, camping smart, and living full-time in an RV. Hard-won wisdom. Zero fluff. Live Free. Adventure Often
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Other Newbie Content!!
Be sure to check out my Van Life Page by clicking here for Other Great Content, trip reports, advice, and life lessons I learn along the Road!! Or see some of my latest posts below:
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My New Van Life Blog: Why I Traded in The Ritz for a Van!!
Welcome to my new Van Life blog. In this post, I’ll tell you what this blog is about and why it is different then most van life blogs. My focus is a tad different and hopefully will work for you!
A Little Bit About Me.
I started writing this blog as a way to capture the adventurous and free lifestyle I’m privileged to live. I’ve traveled to over 28 countries and 35 U.S States. I’ve lived aboard in multiple countries and averaged over 100 days a year of travel for work. I’ve skied and hiked all over the world – and my new obsession is mountain biking.
What I bring to you isn’t AI generated. It’s based on my feet on the ground – or sometimes conversations with locals. Click here to read more about me!
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I never thought I’d be full time in a Van/RV traveling this great country. This was supposed to be a 1-2 year thing… Along the way I learned so much And I share that wisdom with you. I made that mistake so you don’t have to!