Apps and Resources for Full-Time Vanlife and Car Living

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As a solo traveler and full-time nomad, I’m always finding out about new resources for vanlife, or in my case, car life. Half the time I live and work remotely from my Toyota Tacoma truck bed, and half the time I live out of AirBnBs or other short term rentals. When you’re first starting out with living in your car and boondocking, it can be hard to pinpoint which apps, groups, and organizations are legitimate and will be genuinely helpful. I’ve described my experiences with the online resources below. Some of them are women-only or solo-travelers-only, since I’m speaking to groups I’m personally familiar with – sorry to the boys and couples.

Don’t forget I also have a Resources page that includes additional apps and organizations that will help you travel the world full time even if you don’t live in your car.

Apps for Vanlife

The Dyrt

I use The Dyrt the most for finding free dispersed campsites and Bureau of Land Management land. People leave reviews about their experiences, which can be extremely valuable. They often even note how strong the cell service was for them and what cell carrier they use. This helps me determine if I’ll be able to work remotely or not; good Verizon signal means I can use my wifi hotspot. If you want to be able to filter searches based on things like cell reception, though, you have to have a Pro membership. Without Pro, search a general area on the map and then read the individual campsite details to find this information.

Sign up for a 7-day free trial of The Dyrt PRO here to find free dispersed campsites; PRO allows offline access, plus more advanced search features and map layers.

FreeCampsites.net

Freecampsites.net is a website rather than a phone app. I use this as frequently as I use The Dyrt. It lists free parking spaces in addition to your typical “campsites”, so it will show you truck stops, rest stops, or Walmart locations in addition to more secluded wilderness areas. This is helpful for those in-between days on a road trip.

iOverlander and FreeRoam

iOverlander is basically the same thing as Freecampsites.net but with more search filters for finding amenities that are important to you, such as showers or water access. It’s a free service and there is an app for your phone in addition to the website platform. Since I started out using Freecampsites.net first, I still use it today out of habit. I should probably download iOverlander and make the switch. Another similar app is FreeRoam. There are so many options it’s kind of overwhelming.

I don’t pay for Campendium or Allstays so I can’t speak in-depth about their pros and cons, but they seem to be popular for RV life more than van dwellers. They include information for RVers who need to be able to filter search results by electrical hookups, dump stations, etc.

HipCamp

HipCamp is like AirBnB for campsites. Instead of car camping on federal land, you’ll be staying on someone’s private property. The prices range widely from $15 per night to hundreds of dollars per night, depending on how fancy you want to get and what amenities you need. Having a private site can be good for remote work and for your sense of safety. Booking in advance via HipCamp also guarantees your spot, whereas boondocking and dispersed sites are often first-come first-served.

Use my referral code THEDETOUREFFECT to get $10 off your first camping trip! Or, if you are a landowner and want to host campers, HipCamp a great way to earn passive income and meet travelers – you can also use my referral code THEDETOUREFFECT when you sign up and we’ll both get $100 after you host your first camper.

National Forest Explorer

National Forest Explorer is an official app from the United States Forest Service. This app allows you to search the details of every national forest in the country for information about where you’re allowed to camp and what the rules are about length of stay, natural resources, sanitation, etc. There is an interactive map available for web browsers if you don’t want to download the app. I don’t tend to use this one very often because it doesn’t share information about cell service for working remotely. I could triangulate that information myself by checking the Verizon Coverage Map, but usually I find what I need on one of the other apps first before I need to consider using this one. If I didn’t have to work remotely, this would be awesome for finding more secluded sites. It also seems like a good resource to use if I get confused about where exactly I am – is this patch of trees public federal land, or am I parked on some rancher’s private property right now?

You’re probably already familiar with Bureau of Land Management and National Forest land as potential multi-day or multi-week free campsite locations, but did you know about Long-Term Visitor Areas? If you want to stay multiple months rather than just two weeks, you can apply for a permit which ends up equating to extremely cheap “rent”. A 7-month permit is $180. You can stay or move between different LTVs with this permit.

GAIA and Avenza Maps

There are a lot of apps for downloading offline topographical and trail maps, such as AllTrails, and onX is a similar one for offroading. I mainly use GAIA for my hiking adventures because they have good topo maps, but if I can’t find my exact hiking route on GAIA, I download gpx tracks from AllTrails and upload them to GAIA.

GAIA, Avenza, and onX also allow you to download Motor Vehicle Use Maps from the US Forest Service. MVUM show legal designations where you can travel with various motorized vehicles on national forest lands. The Boondocker’s Bible explains how to use MVUM to find out where dispersed camping is allowed.

GAIA also has a map layer you can download to see cell coverage! I have the Verizon layer, but they also offer map layers for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Southern Linc, US Cellular, or all carriers. I downloaded Snow Depth and GAIA Winter map layers too, so I can check conditions on hiking trails. To get all of these extra map layers you do have to pay for a membership.

Upside

Upside is a free app that gets you cash back on gas and other errands. Especially when gas prices are high, this is a great way to save money during road trips or full-time vanlife. I will admit I don’t use it as often as I could because by the time I’m ready to fill up my gas tank, I’m usually mid-drive and I don’t want to be playing on my phone looking for deals while I’m behind the wheel. It’s best to check for deals along your route in advance before you leave, or pull over to check the app once you get into town.

Use my promo code WPH83B to get an extra 15¢ per gallon bonus the first time you make a purchase!

Facebook Groups for Vanlife

For Solo Female Travelers

Solo Women Van Dwellers

So far the Solo Women Van Dwellers community is the most relevant Facebook group I’ve found because members stick to the program…usually. It’s for female solo travelers who camp in their vehicles, though I have found that not everyone in the group is actually full-time. A good majority are, though, so you will find like-minded people here.

Road Trip Her

The women in the Road Trip Her group let each other car camp for free on their property during road trips, which is so amazing! Women helping women. I had a good experience parking on someone’s property in North Carolina. There is a map of all the possible locations alongside contact information for the property owners. You would reach out to them about your dates and coordinate your stay directly (at your own risk; it’s a Facebook group, not a sanctioned business with background checks). Road Trip Her is also an advice group where women can ask each other for travel and camping recommendations.

Solo Women Travelers

I like the Solo Women Travelers group because the admins toe a hard line when it comes to making sure members stay on topic. The title “solo” really means solo. You can not post about group travel, family travel, or couples travel in this group, or ask about coordinating meetups with the other members. It’s for people who actually want to be solo, not begrudgingly. However, this group is not exclusive for full-time travelers or car living.

Women’s Vanlife Collective

There’s the regular Women’s Vanlife Collective group that spans 99 countries, and then there’s also the Canada, Europe, and UK groups. This group has massive membership, so I haven’t joined due to the assumption that it’s probably not exclusive to full-timers or solo travelers. There must be a lot of people aspiring to vanlife in this group.

SUV/Car Living & Camping Women Only

I think I used to be in the SUV/Car Living group and I can’t remember why I left. It was probably because in groups that are not specific to full-timers, you often see a bunch of copycat posts every day about the same topics such as “how to stay safe while female?” because people can’t use the search function. But I do remember getting some really good tips about how to maximize space in my truck bed and protect valuables in my car.

For Everyone

Outsiders, Together: Outdoor Solo Travel Community

The Outsiders, Together group has a very loose mission of connecting people who enjoy the outdoors. Based on the description I thought it was going to be more for solo travelers specifically, and because of the emphasis on getting “outside” I figured it would naturally end up being a lot of vanlifers who travel for the purpose of adventuring outside. It turns out it’s all kinds of people who just like nature, and the “solo” aspect translates mostly to single people who are looking to date each other. They schedule a lot of meetups which do look really fun, so if you are social you might enjoy this group. It is not for full-timers though, and people post just as often about family travel, couples travel, and wanting to travel more while not currently being in a place to do so.

Car, Truck, & Van Camping – Living

I am not in this group, but the description says it’s for people living permanently in their vehicles. I might leave one of the other more generic groups and join this one instead. I prefer practical tips about living in your car and finding good campsites, as opposed to groups where people have not yet made the leap to start living out of their cars yet.

For Older Women

Vanlife with Senior Women / SOLO…TRULY SOLO VanGals over 50

I’m too young to join these two groups, but they were recommended amongst the members of the Solo Women Van Dwellers group, so I trust that they’re probably useful. I think it’s awesome that there are resources specifically for older women living in their cars, as I’m sure they have unique concerns and perspectives not reflected as often amongst the younger generations.

For Finding Work While Living Nomadically

Basecamp: Outdoor Jobs and More

Basecamp Outdoor Jobs is the best job posting and career advice group on Facebook for outdoorsy professionals. Some of the postings are for regular brick and mortar jobs, but others are for seasonal gigs or remote work. There is also a lot of advice and support offered to job seekers looking to beef up their resumes or make a career change, and general discussions about ethics and best practices in the outdoor industry. They have an Instagram page and website too.

Workampers

The Workampers group is for “discussing workamping jobs, seasonal, and/or remote onsite employment for RVers.” Did you know a lot of people who live in their vehicles make a living by traveling the United States and taking seasonal gigs as camp hosts? Some campgrounds may expect hosts to clean, do maintenance, or help guests check in and out. I have also seen postings for kitchen cooks and hotel receptionists. On my travels, I have met Park Service volunteers who live this way – folks who are not official rangers, but who do interpretation in exchange for a place to park and live for a few months.

Digital Nomad Jobs – Remote Work from Anywhere

I’ve only recently joined the Digital Nomad Jobs group, but it seems more legit than other remote job boards. Remote job listings are often sketchy for some reason. They’re always for companies you’ve never heard of that do some type of third-party booking or sales. This particular group has rules against posting MLM, crypto, or affiliate links and it’s geared towards those living a nomadic lifestyle.

It’s so encouraging that we’re starting to see more and more useful apps and resources designed to help vanlifers and nomads living in their cars! It’s an interesting time in history to be partaking in this lifestyle. More people than ever are making the same choices, so on one hand, that means less privacy, more environmental impact, and fewer camp spots to go around. With time, I’m sure car living will become less and less “alternative”. On the other hand, this means more businesses are cropping up to help facilitate the nomadic lifestyle and accommodate our needs, and there is a welcome change in the general public’s attitude towards nomads. That said, thankfully there is still an element of vanlife being the “Wild West”. There is no one caravan route that everyone has to choose, and there is a lot of trial and error involved in finding ideal campsites using the apps listed above. Half the fun is puzzling things together for yourself.

Try not to download more than ~3 apps so you can keep yourself on your toes – where’s the adventure in mapping out your entire itinerary down to the minute? Leave plenty of room for detours!

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