Having a Successful Vanlife Experience as a Remote Video Editor

Coffee Shops/Public Wifi

Visit the cafes that look most promising for work locations, and run an internet speed test, as well as a test upload. Bonus points if it’s an undiscovered gem where you can always find seating. Personally, I like places with a variety of seating (namely some couches and some tables at standing desk height), places that feel homey but are large enough that you can blend in a bit. Pay particular attention to the upload speed. I’ve never seen internet with fast upload and slow download speed, but good upload speed is rare. I sometimes upload these internet speed tests as photos in google reviews for that cafe. That being said, the coffee shop business is tough. The menu items cost less than restaurants, and the turnover can be very slow. So I’m not saying it’s wrong to buy a coffee and stay for hours - that’s kind of my M.O. - but be aware of what you’re doing, maybe get a muffin or a breakfast burrito as well, and tip your baristas. 

Family

My family gradually lost their minds as I spent longer and longer living in the car out West, venturing further on backcountry adventures. I was pushing my comfort zone in terms of what I was comfortable doing in the backcountry, and I had my own insecurities about what I was capable of. I couldn’t take the outside noise and concerns, so I communicated less with them. I love my family, but I’ve decided that (at times) when they are worried and they don’t understand, I am on the right track.

Gyms/Yoga Studios

Lots of gyms offer a free first day if you’re a local which I suppose you could try and lie about. Aside from that, I tend to search Google Maps not for a gym, but for a sauna, then I go to the gym that has a sauna. GMaps has a great search functionality. You can search for and find things you wouldn’t think you could, like specific menu items at restaurants or coffee shops you can search for and find a place based on that. For Yoga Studios, I use the Mindbody App to book classes. This was often my go-to if if the timing worked out to hit a class when I passed through a city. Sometimes your first class is even free.

Airbnbs 

I thought at the start that any decent airbnb would be the best option for me to get my work done and to upload large files, not so. If it’s possible for your airbnb host to run an internet speed test for you before booking, I recommend it. But they probably can’t because they don’t live there. Just because “lots of people have worked remote” from there, doesn’t mean those folks were uploading 4K video. 

Communicating with Clients

Set realistic expectations with your clients, and honor them. When you can’t honor those commitments, communicate that reality early and often.

Living in your car 

I was on the road from June until November, 6 months. I ended up spending long periods of time in a few cities, Boulder Colorado, Durango Colorado and Missoula Montana, with some time in Arizona, New Mexico and California in between. I called it in Mid November when it was below zero in Missoula, and I felt about done. I visited family for Christmas in Tennessee, and got an apartment in Durango Colorado, where I am now in mid February. 

I spent the first couple months sleeping outside the car in various ways, I started off in a tent and gradually simplified, down to a pad and a bag on the ground. A tarp over me when it rained, which I would close in the two passenger doors and then stake into the ground, ideally then prop up in the middle with a stick or a trekking pole, sometimes a camping chair, which helped to stop water from pooling on the tarp in the rain. Sometimes a hammock. I camped in a variety of spots, from as backcountry and gnarly as my Crosstrek would allow, to a trailhead parking lot right in town. No one ever asked me to move or gave me trouble of any kind. The best spots are generally down forest service roads. Low traffic, and plenty of spots to pull over. In my experience, any of the western cities with lots of public land around are easy and friendly to vanlife. 

This is where OnX maps comes in. I have the OnX Hunt Maps app, and I have the premium subscription which is $100 a year, and gives you access to maps for all 50 states. OnX will highlight public and private property boundaries and also display forest service roads in highlighted purple. Public lands are owned by US citizens, and managed by government agencies. The land is yours, but there are terms to your usage. OnX can’t tell you everything about camping restrictions. Personally, I camped anywhere I liked and could fit my car. Leave no trace, bury your poop. 

When you’re looking for a place to sleep on public land, especially in areas you are unfamiliar with or when you’re transiting a long way, I like to use Google Maps or Waze in tandem with OnX. As a quick aside, in terms of Google Maps vs Waze, the ONLY thing Waze has going for it is the location of cops along your route. That’s not nothing, but Google Maps is superior in every other way. I hear good things about the Valentine series radar detector, although I’ve never tried it myself. And on long western trips, the functionality on Google Maps for searching for restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations etc along your way is much better than Waze. But here’s how I use Google maps in conjunction with OnX. 

With Carplay connected through USB, I have Google Maps displayed on the Subaru’s screen for directions. Then the phone goes on the magnetic windshield or air vent mount, with OnX. By cross referencing your projected route on google maps with the public land boundaries on OnX, you can find likely camping spots for that night. 

OnX allows you to download maps ahead of time. I also have a Garmin InReach, which I maintain a subscription on. << Preposition. 

People can tell you’re living in your car, but as long as you’re kind and presentable there isn’t a stigma surrounding this out west. Especially in the summer, there are lots of people living in vans all over the Western US. And somehow, you will spot each other from a mile away. I told people I was doing vanlife, even though I was living in my Subaru. Not to lie, just for simplicity’s sake. Subielife. 

I gravitated towards other folks doing vanlife, just like you might relate to anyone who shares your lifestyle. Even before you arrive, you’re already home. 

Batteries 

I recommend as many portable batteries as you can muster, to keep things charged overnight. I also keep a portable battery jumper in my car. I have used it several times and wouldn’t want to be caught without it. Keep it charged. I have never had success with a store-bought inverter that converts your cigarette lighter into a plug, they just don’t work. The more sophisticated hardwired inverters seem legit although I don’t have personal experience with them.