{"id":661,"date":"2024-07-08T18:43:41","date_gmt":"2024-07-08T18:43:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loose-productions.com\/?p=661"},"modified":"2024-12-11T19:08:37","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T19:08:37","slug":"10-reasons-to-embrace-slow-travel-during-your-van-life-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loose-productions.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/08\/10-reasons-to-embrace-slow-travel-during-your-van-life-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Reasons to Embrace Slow Travel During Your Van Life Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I got my first Sprinter van in 2016, I remember feeling excited about the freedom of the open road. I couldn\u2019t wait to finally go and explore all the mountain towns, beaches, and desert canyons I had on my bucket list.<\/p>\n

After the first six months, I realized that quickly bouncing from place to the next led to my days feeling jam-packed and rushed. Between checking out all the spots in the place I was currently in and trying to plan for my next destination, I rarely had time to slow down, relax, and appreciate the beauty of the present moment.<\/p>\n

Now that I\u2019ve lived in three different Sprinter vans on and off for the past 8 years, I\u2019ve learned to embrace the benefits of slow travel during van life. These days when we are traveling, Ryan and I usually find a place we like and stay for a few weeks, and that ability is one of the biggest benefits of full-time van life<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Going too fast is one of the most common mistakes new van lifers make. I hear stories of van lifers trying to visit every National Park in one year or driving from Florida to Washington and back in a matter of weeks. I\u2019m here to encourage you to rethink your plans and show you why slow travel as a van lifer will help you experience more.<\/p>\n

In this blog post, I break down the benefits of slow travel during your van life journey.<\/p>\n

1. Less Stressful<\/h2>\n

In my first 3 months on the road way back in 2016, I visited 6 big states out West. It was exhausting. Every second that I wasn\u2019t out exploring and checking things off my to do list, I was sitting on my phone trying to figure out where I was going to camp and go next. I also spent a ton of time packing and unpacking the van and driving rather than relaxing and enjoying where I was at. I was always thinking about the future, rather than appreciating the present moment.<\/p>\n

It left me physically and mentally exhausted, which undoubtedly leads to the one thing most van lifers want to avoid\u2026 burnout.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over the years, I learned to ditch the fast travel mindset. Rather than trying to visit so many places and experiencing them at a surface level, I pick 1 or 2 and plan to stay a while. This way there is less stress around planning because there is less planning overall. <\/p>\n

A slow travel mindset allows me to be present and make decisions based on how I feel, giving me the freedom to shift my plans to accommodate my (and my family member\u2019s) mood and energy levels.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Also for everything you can predict while traveling, there are completely unpredictable predicaments that can be really stressful if you\u2019re traveling on a rigid schedule. Having the extra time in a place allows me to deal with them without ruining my entire trip.<\/p>\n

\"Kristen
Relaxing with my partner Ryan and our son at a campsite<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. More Time for Serendipity<\/h2>\n

One of my favorite things about traveling slow in my van is it leaves room for more magic. Van life presents me with new and unexpected experiences but, for those to happen, I need to be open to them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One time, Ryan and I were up in northern Idaho biking the Hiawatha Trail<\/a>. At the beginning of the first tunnel, we met this super nice group of people. I forgot my gloves in the van, and with the rainy weather, my hands were freezing. One of the guys in the group graciously offered to let me use his gloves, and we ended up biking the entire trail together. <\/p>\n

Once we were done biking, they invited us to come camp with them for the night. We followed them down some beautiful forest service roads along the Saint Joe River that we would have never discovered otherwise. We had a great night and even joined them for lunch at a brewery the next day. <\/p>\n

Slow travel allows me to say yes more often when fun opportunities like this come my way. <\/p>\n

\"group
I love how slow travel in my van allows me to be spontaneous and go wherever, whenever I want<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Deeper Connections with People<\/h2>\n

When I look back at my van life memories, the best stories are usually the ones that involve other people. Perhaps the best part of slow travel is the way it enables me to forge real and long-lasting connections with people along the way.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

A couple years ago, Ryan and I were hiking in Telluride<\/a> when we met a local guy named Mike on the trail. We got to talking, and we told him how we were doing van life and planned to camp in the area for a couple weeks. <\/p>\n

Next thing we know, we were making plans to go on a hike up to Columbine Lake in Silverton. He offered to pick us (and our two dogs) up in his FJ cruiser so we wouldn\u2019t have to worry about moving the van. He drove us over Ophir Pass, which we unsuccessfully tried to drive once before in our van, and we felt lucky to enjoy the ride and scenery along the way. <\/p>\n

We ended up meeting up for another hike and even went out for dinner once or twice. He shared all kinds of tips for exploring Telluride that we wouldn\u2019t have found online, and you better bet that we will be reaching out to him next time we\u2019re in town.<\/p>\n

This is just one example how traveling slowly makes it easier to talk to strangers and ask them about all of the things that make their home so special.<\/p>\n

\"Man
Ryan at the top of Ophir Pass<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Immersion into the Food Culture\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n

When I\u2019m in a rush, it can be easy to trade authenticity for convenience and eat whatever I have on hand in the van or quickly grab some food to go.<\/p>\n

One of the best parts of traveling is getting to experience new places through my tastebuds.\u00a0Ryan and I follow a plant-based diet, and we love trying out all of the locally owned, vegan-friendly spots. <\/p>\n

Slow travel allows us the opportunity to do so, and sometimes we love a restaurant so much, we become temporary \u201cregulars.\u201d We also like to make friends with the servers and bartenders, who often provide suggestions for off-the-beaten path things to do.<\/p>\n

\"\"
I love trying new vegan restaurants on the road<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. Support Locals & Integrate into the Community<\/h2>\n

While we love eating out and that\u2019s one way to support the locals, it\u2019s not sustainable to do so every single day. As a slow traveling van lifer, however, there are other opportunities to integrate into and support the local community. <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re rushing through, you\u2019ll likely miss local events like farmer\u2019s markets, summer outdoor music series, and other fun happenings. While traveling at a slower pace though, you can stick around for something that\u2019s happening next week without feeling pressure to move on to the next place. <\/p>\n

\"Kristen
Sitting outside Santa Barbara\u2019s<\/a> Public Market in California<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

6. Spend Less & Save Money<\/h2>\n

Traveling constantly isn\u2019t cheap.\u00a0When I\u2019m on the move, the price of gas really racks up, adding wear and tear to my van with each mile. <\/p>\n

Slow travel allows me to save money while living in my van<\/a>. If I find an awesome free campsite, I can stay for a week or two and not spend a dime on camping! And the more you get to know a place, you learn little tricks that save money like where to fill up your water for free or where you can score an unlimited hot shower<\/a> for a few bucks. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

7. See and Experience More<\/h2>\n

When I first started van life, I underestimated how much of my day would be consumed by driving from one place to the next. Add in the time it takes me to pack up the van every morning, and there went my whole day! For many van lifers, spending long hours on the interstate feels like a normal part of the lifestyle, but it doesn\u2019t have to be.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now that I\u2019ve embraced slower travel in my van, I visit fewer locations, but I now have the time to explore just about anything that piques my interest.\u00a0A few years back we got an amazing campsite in Olympic National Park<\/a> that was right on the ocean. Because we had nowhere to be, we maxed out our 14-day stay. <\/p>\n

Our daily routine consisted of long walks on the beach with our dogs and watching the whales spouting offshore and otters playing in the waves. We really got to know this section of coastline and its nooks and crannies. <\/p>\n

\"man
We stayed at this campsite in Olympic National Park for 14 days and loved every second of it<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

8. Less Environmental Impact\u00a0<\/h2>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter how you cut it \u2013 fast travel consumes more resources.\u00a0The faster you move, the more fuel you burn through. While at this point in time, it\u2019s impossible to avoid using fossil fuels in your van, moving slower saves gas (and money). <\/p>\n

Also by spending more time in an area, you can learn how to utilize other modes of transportation. I can walk or bike around a town and see what I find along the way or utilize local shuttles to get around. <\/p>\n

\"\"
Getting ready to ride my bike to explore the area instead of using my van<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

9. Avoid Overcrowding\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Having more time in a place allows me to be more flexible when it comes to visiting popular attractions, making it easier to avoid them when they\u2019re at their busiest.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A few years ago, we spent the entire months of August and September in Colorado. Staying there so long allowed us to visit the busiest places, like Rocky Mountain National Park<\/a>, after Labor Day weekend was over. <\/p>\n

Overcrowding has become a huge problem in many destinations, especially in the National Park system (if you plan to visit several of these in your van, check out my tips for visiting overcrowded National Parks<\/a>).<\/p>\n

By visiting popular places during less busy times, I\u2019m not only ensuring that I\u2019ll have a more enjoyable experience, but I\u2019m also doing my part in making the crowds more manageable for the staff and the experience more enjoyable for other guests. This also mitigates some of the ecological strain that huge crowds can create.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"
Rocky Mountain National Park in September when we were easily able to find camping and uncrowded areas of the Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

10. Revisit Places<\/h2>\n

One of the most important aspects of the slow travel mindset is operating under the assumption that, wherever I am, I\u2019ll be coming back. <\/p>\n

With this mindset, it\u2019s ok to not to cram it all in during a single quick trip. In fact, I realize I probably shouldn\u2019t<\/em> do it all so I save a few things to do for next time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Experiencing the same place during different seasons, with different people, as a different version of myself, or even in a different vehicle provides a completely different experience. <\/p>\n

\"White
Driving Olympic National Park\u2019s dirt roads in my first Sprinter Van. I\u2019ve been back to this National Park many times in my newer vans and also with my son.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n
\n
What does slow travel mean?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

Slow travel means spending more time in the places you visit to experience them at a deeper level. Instead of rushing from place to place to check them off a bucket list, you slow down, see fewer places, and spend extended time there. I\u2019ve found that slow travel allows me to form connections with locals and fellow van lifers while gaining a deeper appreciation for the places I visit.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Is slow travel worth it?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

It depends on your goals of traveling. Do you prefer to travel to see as many destinations as possible? Or do you travel to make new connections, get a feel for a new place, and discover local gems? I fall into the latter. If you feel your travels always involve rushing to places without time to relax or appreciate them, you may find that slow travel is worth it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

How do you embrace slow travel?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

You can start embracing slow travel now \u2013 even if you haven\u2019t traveled this way before. Try staying in the same spot for longer than you typically would. For some, this may mean staying somewhere for a whole week \u2013 or even a whole month (or longer)! In this extended time you\u2019re there, push yourself to talk to strangers, attend local events or markets, and try to visit less popular destinations you might not have visited otherwise.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

What are the rules of slow travel?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

The beauty of slow travel is there are no rules! You get to decide how long you want to stay at the places you visit. As long as you\u2019re intentionally slowing down enough to live in the moment and experience a place\u2026 you\u2019re doing slow travel!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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More Van Life Tips<\/h2>\n
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