When you’re just starting out in van life, things can seem really overwhelming really quickly. How do I find friends? Where do I park? How on earth do I know what potable water is? I have to fill up my gas tank this many times?! When we were first transitioning to life on the road we had SO many questions, but luckily over the last year we’ve collected a handful of apps on our phone that help us answer and solve just about anything that gets thrown our way. Below are some of our absolute essential apps to download when you’re starting out van life!
iOverlander (Free)
I don’t know if it was just me, but prior to moving into my van full-time I had no idea that you couldn’t just park overnight pretty much wherever you wanted. That is until we got our very first knock within the first week telling us we had to move from where we were. I started hearing people online talking about BLM or Public Land, which I was so excited to find, but I had no idea how to. That’s when I found out about an app called iOverlander and my overnight parking troubles were solved immediately.
iOverlander is basically a boondocker’s dream, especially because it works without service. When you open the app, it will show a map of where you are based on your current location from your phone, and then you’ll see tons of little icons surrounding you. These icons range from where to find free parking, paid campsites, water fill ups, dump stations, and so many others. You can also filter the icons so the app will only show you exactly what you’re looking for, which I used a lot when I first started.
One of my favorite features of iOverlander is that you can check in and leave a review of the overnight campground, parking spot, etc. This is a great way for people to give fellow travelers a heads up if the area felt unsafe, if they got a knock, or if the water was potable (drinkable) or not!
Sekr (Free)
Even if you have every logistic figured out about van life travel, one of the hardest obstacles people run into when they get onto the road and drive away from their old lives is finding community and friends. For the first two months on the road, my partner and I didn’t make a single van life friend. We would park at campsites, surrounded by other campers, but had no idea how to approach them or strike up a conversation. Sometimes the start of van life feels a lot like the first day at a new school, a bit awkward and just trying to find a place to belong.
I found out about an app called Sekr about two and a half months after living in my van, and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of it sooner! Sekr is essentially the van life Facebook, connecting nomadic people together with the ease of a friend request.
All you have to do after downloading is make a profile which asks you about some of your interests, the type of rig you travel in, a picture of yourself, etc, and you’re good to go. Then, when you are in different areas, you can open up the app and see if any other traveler’s profiles are nearby, send them a friend request, and start up a conversation! I love Sekr because, chances are, if someone is on the app they are likely looking for friends so it takes away the hesitation of walking up to/starting a conversation with a complete stranger.
Sekr also recently added a calendar feature where you can find out about Van Meetups, Caravans, etc, and get all the info you need about them at the tip of your finger. This is such a great resource for any traveler, and I really cannot recommend it enough.
Upside & Gas Buddy (Free)
There is nothing better than moving into a van and realizing you don’t owe a landlord or a bank a single dime of rent or mortgage. That is, until you realize your new landlord is a gas station. Okay it might not be as bad, but it sure can feel like it sometimes. Of course, having a gas budget and understanding that if you travel slow, your “rent” is going to be less is important, and you’ll catch onto that quickly, but there is one app that I cannot recommend to enough people: Upside.
We didn’t know about this app until we were gearing up to take our van across the country for the second time, and we were dreading how much money we were about to spend on gas. Essentially, Upside is a cash back app where you can find gas stations in your area and upload your receipts after you fill-up and you’ll get cash back within 2-3 business days! Within our first two weeks, we got about $100 put directly back into our bank account. Sounds to good to be true, I know.
There are a few apps similar, like GasBuddy, which also offer cash back and have a similar set up. I prefer Upside because I tend to think they have better cash back options, but I like to have them both downloaded so I can always compare!
Harvest Host ($90/annually +)
Public land is just about everywhere when you’re out West, but if you are anything like us, sometimes your travels take you away from the West and away from the luxuries of BLM land. Of course, you can always stealth camp or pay for a campground, but that gets old fast and sometimes you just want to park up in a beautiful spot, open your doors, and enjoy yourself.
This is how we discovered Harvest Host, at $99 annually this app is beyond worth the ticket price. It allows you to connect with properties such as breweries, wineries, farms, and other businesses, and stay overnight in their fields and lots. We have stayed at some of the most amazing places since getting our Harvest Host membership, such as wineries in Washington State, horse farms in California, and beach side breweries over in North Carolina.
The “Hosts” or places you stay, do ask that you try and purchase something when you stay overnight on their property, but it’s usually a great way to try local goods and replenish some kitchen necessities. If you’re a traveler outside of the West, I really recommend checking this app out!
Roadtrippers (Free with upgrades available for $15)
There’s a certain level of planning you’ll need to adapt to with life on the road. I’m not saying you need to be a Type A planner (cough cough, like me), but every night you need to make sure you have water, have food, have enough solar, and have a safe place to sleep. Now add into that the hope to see some beautiful sights along your travels, and in comes the app Roadtrippers. I found this app about 8 months into my travels, when I got sick of trying to plan our travel routes around cool places to be able to see and cross off our list.
Roadtrippers allows you to plug in your route and it will pull up different pit stops along the way, such as landscapes, famous restaurants, historic landmarks, beautiful hikes, pull-offs, and even the cheapest gas. You can also browse through pre-made road trip plans that will lay it out for you. For example, if you’re hoping to do the PNW roadtrip and make it the most worth your while, you can look up an itinerary that was made by someone else and immediately save it and plug it into your own Google or Apple Maps.
This takes the planning a road trip so much easier for those of us who love to plan, but hate opening up one million different apps and tabs to do so.
OpenSignal(Free)
A ton of people who live on the road either full or part-time rely heavily on working remotely. Whether you work a 9-5 or do freelance, service is usually a large part of how we navigate where we are going to visit and sleep for the night. Prior to finding OpenSignal, my partner and I really relied on trial and error to find the perfect spot where we could work and set up our wifi. There were certain days where we found ourselves driving hours, to multiple campsites, just to find one with enough service that we could work.
OpenSignal is essentially a map that shows you what areas have good service using a Red-Orange-Green color map. It took SO much of the guess work out of our daily routine and it’s completely free, which is such a plus.
Van life can be really hard for a multitude of reasons, but we’re so lucky to live in a time and age where there is truly an app for everything. I’m sure there are even more helpful apps for nomads that I haven’t even discovered yet so please leave them in the comment if you have any that you love!
Shay Edwards
Author