VanLife FAQs
When I tell people I have been doing vanlife, I usually get the same questions. Here is my collection of them & my stock answers.
How do you get your mail?
For mail, I use Escapees RV Club mail service located in Livingston, Texas. When I receive mail there, they scan the outside of the envelope & I get an alert. I tell them to either shred it, save it or open it & scan it. I usually have them bundle up my saved mail and send it to me around 4 times a year.
For packages, if I know the service it is being shipped from (USPS, FedEx, UPS, Amazon), I will give the address of one of those locations nearby & just go pick it up.
Some RV campgrounds will also accept mail at the office or at your actual site.
Where have you been?
Most of the first 5 years of Vanlife were all on the West Coast. I started from Nebraska & I usually make a trip back there every couple of years to visit. When I first hit the road, I immediately went down to Texas to establish my domicile. In 2022, I drove down to the bottom of Baja, Mexico for the winter. In 2023, I traveled across the south, over to Florida for the winter. I’ve driven in my van to around 25 States. Outside of the vanlife, I have been to 39 States.
Where is your favorite place you have been?
I’ve been to a lot of magical places but the most magical place has been Black Rock City (a.k.a. Burning Man). When people ask me this question & I give that answer, it doesn’t seem like they want accept that as a valid answer, lol. So, I usually give in & give them physical locations they can go to.
For starters, I am a beach person. Any place with a beach & I’ll usually be happy. In the summer, I love the cute little beach tows along the Oregon coast. For winter, I love driving down to the beaches in Baja, Mexico. As far as cities go, I love: San Diego, Palm Springs, Dallas, Las Vegas & Chicago.
When people ask me this question, I also assume they are looking for me to say a hidden / remote location or a National Park. Sadly, I’ve only been to 4 National Parks so the verdict is still out on that. Out of the 4 I have been to, I really like Joshua Tree.
What is your least favorite place you have been to?
I didn’t really have a good answer to that question until 2023 and the award goes to: Lake Havasu, Arizona! Lake Havasu is very popular for hosting RV events there. I have been to this town for events around 6 times in 5 years. On top of that, the times that I have been there, it is usually rainy or cold. Last winter, I left 70 degree weather & the beaches of Mexico to go there. I’m over it. 🫠
How long can you camp for?
On average, I usually pack up and move on day 5 or 6. Sundays are usually my travel day and by the time Friday rolls around, I am ready to go explore via van. When I move my van, I always dump my black tank. I have a 5 gallon cassette toilet and by day 7, it is usually nearing capacity. The great thing about a cassette toilet is, I can dump it in any toilet or porto. I also don’t need to move my van, I can pop out the cassette tank and carry or wheel it, if the toilet is somewhat nearby. I do need to move my van to dump the grey tank, which is usually nearing capacity every 2-3 weeks. I’m usually running low on fresh water and food by week 2 or 3 also.
What else?
Do you have a question that you would love to know the answer to? Hit me up here!