- Travel light - less is more on the road. Everything I own has a place in my van. If there isn’t a place, it gets given away or sold.
- Get AAA if you're traveling in the states - it saved my ass plenty of times.
- Find ways to make money while you're on the road, whether it's playing music in a square, selling jewelry, or working on a farm come harvest season. Talk to people you meet, let them know you are open to part time work and ask if they know of any. I am always looking for ways to make an extra buck - It can turn a month road trip into a six month life changing journey.
- Get rid of the cooler - unless it’s for beer. Buying ice every other day can get pricey and there are plenty of things you can eat that don’t need to be refrigerated. I eat very well and even healthier than I did when I wasn’t traveling, and I have never used a cooler. Oh, and stop buying those chips and candy bars at the gas station every time you fill up... it adds up quick!
- Don’t pay for campgrounds. If you can stealth camp in a van or car you are wasting your money by paying for a campsite. It’s a sure way to blow all your savings within the first month. To this day, I have never paid for a site unless its a National Park - even then I’m paying for a cheap back country pass. You can find plenty of places to park for the night, the side of a quite road, trail heads, logging roads, BLM land, Wal-Mart. Get creative depending on where you are.
Follow Dylan and his van life travels @myamericandreamtour & @vivlavacay
Odds are that you are gonna find others like yourself who like to campout on the side of the road
"Although I enjoy traveling by myself, it gets tough not being able to share beauty and experiences with others. I'm taking full advantage of that this time around. Crater lake, Oregon last weekend with friends." -Dylan
"We may be living the dream, but it's quite possible we have less in our bank accounts than you do. That's ok though, you can't buy life's memories at the store." -Dylan Phillip
From Texas to Baja for some surf. Dylan Phillip waxing up next to his Van called "Pearl" Photo by Sam Matthews