How we find places to sleep as van lifers without the KNOCK

One of the most asked questions we get as van lifers is how do we find places to sleep at night, and not get the dreaded KNOCK. The answer is not as simple as you might wish because we have multiple ways to find places to sleep. My first go-to when looking for a safe place to sleep for the night is an app called The Dyrt.

The DYRT

The Dyrt is a great app to find free dispersed camping as well as free overnight parking. It is a paid app and costs $59.99 a year. This app is my go-to for looking for free places to park the van overnight. This is how we found so many of our longer-term sites. Dispersed campsites, unless stated otherwise, are mostly 14-day stays. That does not mean you have to stay 14 days, but you can stay up to 14 days. This is perfect for spending a week or even a couple weeks inside a park or place you want to explore. I love using this app to find spots that we can either come back to if it is more of an open field or gravel lot situation, or the other way is pitching the tent and coming back.

The DYRT link: https://thedyrt.com

iOverlander

iOverlander is the next app I use when I am looking for dispersed camping. I do tend to take this app with a grain of salt because I believe this one is more public areas where people have gotten away with camping rather than them actually being able to sleep there. iOverlander costs $59.99 for the year or $9.99 for the month. Typically, when I use this app, I only let it show me places that people have been at for the past 3 months and have photos. This feature helps me regulate down to something I know will be safe. With safety being the number one priority when going to bed in your van.

iOverlander Link: https://ioverlander.com

Harvest Host

The third option that we heavily relied on in the beginning but is becoming less and less is Harvest Hosts. We loved this in the very beginning because we always knew we were going to be sleeping somewhere safe, and possibly meeting other campers. Harvest Hosts is a yearly membership to sleep at local farms, vineyards, breweries, and local attractions. When Jimmy and I signed up, we got a deal for a year for only $159. With our membership, we also got access to Boondockers Welcome and golf greens. Harvest Hosts has a lot of awesome people on it, and we have met a ton of amazing people. We really relied on it when we were just starting and when there is no free public land. The other upside is when we want to see a local place or stay in town, this is a great option because we know it will be safe. Harvest Hosts does ask that you spend around $30 if you are staying at a local spot to support the farm or location you visited to basically say thank you for letting us stay here. We have had some awesome local food and treats, meals, and drinks though doing this program. Some of our favorite locations were in Kansas and Colorado, where we got some homemade goat cheese, drizzled with olive oil and Italian herbs, and in Colorado, some pepperoni-flavored beef sticks fresh from the freezer.

HARVEST HOST LINK: https://www.harvesthosts.com

Public Camp Grounds

The last option that we try to stay away from is paid campgrounds. Sometimes you will get lucky and find a paid campground that is only $5-$15, but that is not the normal. Normally, to camp in local campgrounds, it is $30-$50 a night. RV parks are around $60-$200 a night. This is always a last resort when looking for options, but it is sometimes the only option. We have stayed in a handful of campgrounds during our trip, and we have enjoyed them when we have, but spending money when we can find free or can support small business is so much better.

Overall

We have slept in so many awesome places during our adventure so far, some we will 100% try to snag again and some we never want to see again. Really, the main goal when looking for a place to sleep is, is it under $30 or free, and is it a safe area? If all else, some places are reviewed on social media and on websites online. I also do like to check out the BLM land area maps that help us make sure we are able to find somewhere safe to stay.