When I got my first Sprinter van in 2016, I remember feeling excited about the freedom of the open road. I couldn’t wait to finally go and explore all the mountain towns, beaches, and desert canyons I had on my bucket list.
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.
Now that I’ve lived in three different Sprinter vans on and off for the past 8 years, I’ve 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.
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’m here to encourage you to rethink your plans and show you why slow travel as a van lifer will help you experience more.
In this blog post, I break down the benefits of slow travel during your van life journey.
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1. Less Stressful
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’t 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.
It left me physically and mentally exhausted, which undoubtedly leads to the one thing most van lifers want to avoid… burnout.
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.
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’s) mood and energy levels.
Also for everything you can predict while traveling, there are completely unpredictable predicaments that can be really stressful if you’re traveling on a rigid schedule. Having the extra time in a place allows me to deal with them without ruining my entire trip.
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2. More Time for Serendipity
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.
One time, Ryan and I were up in northern Idaho biking the Hiawatha Trail. 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.
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.
Slow travel allows me to say yes more often when fun opportunities like this come my way.
3. Deeper Connections with People
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.
A couple years ago, Ryan and I were hiking in Telluride 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.
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’t 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.
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’t have found online, and you better bet that we will be reaching out to him next time we’re in town.
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.
4. Immersion into the Food Culture
When I’m 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.
One of the best parts of traveling is getting to experience new places through my tastebuds. Ryan and I follow a plant-based diet, and we love trying out all of the locally owned, vegan-friendly spots.
Slow travel allows us the opportunity to do so, and sometimes we love a restaurant so much, we become temporary “regulars.” We also like to make friends with the servers and bartenders, who often provide suggestions for off-the-beaten path things to do.
While we love eating out and that’s one way to support the locals, it’s 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.
If you’re rushing through, you’ll likely miss local events like farmer’s markets, summer outdoor music series, and other fun happenings. While traveling at a slower pace though, you can stick around for something that’s happening next week without feeling pressure to move on to the next place.
6. Spend Less & Save Money
Traveling constantly isn’t cheap. When I’m on the move, the price of gas really racks up, adding wear and tear to my van with each mile.
Slow travel allows me to save money while living in my van. 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 for a few bucks.
7. See and Experience More
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’t have to be.
Now that I’ve 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. A few years back we got an amazing campsite in Olympic National Park that was right on the ocean. Because we had nowhere to be, we maxed out our 14-day stay.
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.
8. Less Environmental Impact
It doesn’t matter how you cut it – fast travel consumes more resources. The faster you move, the more fuel you burn through. While at this point in time, it’s impossible to avoid using fossil fuels in your van, moving slower saves gas (and money).
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.
9. Avoid Overcrowding
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’re at their busiest.
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, after Labor Day weekend was over.
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).
By visiting popular places during less busy times, I’m not only ensuring that I’ll have a more enjoyable experience, but I’m 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.
10. Revisit Places
One of the most important aspects of the slow travel mindset is operating under the assumption that, wherever I am, I’ll be coming back.
With this mindset, it’s ok to not to cram it all in during a single quick trip. In fact, I realize I probably shouldn’t do it all so I save a few things to do for next time.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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’ve 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.
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.
You can start embracing slow travel now – even if you haven’t 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 – or even a whole month (or longer)! In this extended time you’re 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.
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’re intentionally slowing down enough to live in the moment and experience a place… you’re doing slow travel!
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I’d love to hear about your slow travel experiences or answer any questions you may have about it. Leave me a comment below!
This article was originally written by Jono Melamed and was rewritten by me in 2024.
