The Smart, Scrappy, Freedom-Fueled Guide to Budget Van Travel in the United States

This book is not about luxury rigs, $120-a-night RV resorts, or pretending you need marble countertops to enjoy the open road.

This is about van travel the way it actually works: affordable, flexible, a little scrappy, and wildly freeing.

If you’re traveling in a van, you already figured out the secret most people miss, smaller equals smarter. You can park where big rigs can’t. You can pivot plans without losing deposits. You can chase weather, avoid crowds, and say “sure, why not?” to places that would be a logistical nightmare for a 40-foot RV.

This guide exists for one reason:
👉 to help you see more of the United States without draining your savings account or your sanity.

Why Van Travel Wins (Especially on a Budget)

Van travel sits in the sweet spot between camping and full-time RV life.

You get:

• Lower fuel costs

• More campsite options (including free ones)

• Easier city access

• Faster setup and breakdown

• Fewer “this campground can’t accommodate your rig” moments

You lose:

• The need to plan your life around reservations

• The pressure to stay in expensive, crowded parks

• The illusion that travel has to be complicated to be meaningful

A van gives you choice, and choice is the most powerful budget tool there is.

What This Guide Is (and Isn’t)

This guide IS:

• A practical, real-world companion for budget-minded van travelers

• A curated list of 500 destinations across all 50 states that are worth your time

• Focused on places where you can camp nearby affordably and explore easily

• Built for short hops, scenic routes, and flexible plans

This guide is NOT:

• A list of overpriced RV resorts

• A “drive nonstop and check boxes” itinerary

• A fantasy version of van life with no rain, bugs, or bad coffee

We’re here for the good stuff, not the Instagram lie.

How to Use This Book

You don’t need to read this cover to cover like a novel (unless you’re stuck somewhere with no signal, in which case, welcome).

Here’s how it works best:

1. Pick a state or region

2. Choose a few nearby destinations

3. Camp just outside the expensive areas

4. Day-trip like a genius

5. Move on when it feels right — not when the reservation says so

Every place listed was selected because it:

• Works well for vans

• Offers value for the cost

• Is interesting enough to justify stopping

• Doesn’t require luxury gear to enjoy

A Quick Reality Check (Because Honesty Matters)

Van travel is incredible, but it’s not always glamorous.

You’ll deal with:

• Weather that ignores your plans

• Restrooms that are… character-building

• Mosquitoes that believe you are the main course

• Days where everything goes wrong and then somehow still becomes a great story

And yet, you’ll wake up places most people never see. You’ll drink coffee with views people pay thousands for. You’ll remember how little you actually need to be happy.

That’s the trade-off. And it’s worth it.

Final Thought Before You Roll

This guide isn’t about doing van life “perfectly.”
It’s about doing it intentionally, affordably, and on your own terms.

Use it to wander.
Use it to pause.
Use it to build a life that fits inside a van, and still feels expansive.

Now let’s get you on the road.