Van Life: 5 basic rules for parking.
There’s no definitive answer, but a few factors to consider, and a few rules to respect to feel safe and be correct with your new garden!
This night I had strange movements in the surroundings, let me tell you I was happy to have a massive American Bully with me 😂
Believe me, I need to remind people: don’t park where it’s written that you can’t park! And neither where you feel it isn’t safe to park.
Don’t be too afraid either, be respectful of your surroundings and other people property, but take it easy, you are living the van life, worst-case scenario you move to an other spot.
Be ready to move in case you park in a spot where it could be possible someone asks you to leave: this means you don't leave on your Furniture stuff that could fall of the possible park in a way that allows you to leave easily(do the maneuver when you arrive, not when you leave).
If you park in nature, you don’t arrive too late in the evening and the weather allows it: pick up trash around you, you will feel great because you have done something good, and you will be seen as a good person who paid the full price for her accommodation.
PS: I’m thinking about a design to print as a stickers that explains universally, that we keep the spot clean, and therefore to think twice before annoying van lifers.
If someone passes nearby, be kind, wawe or smile, you don’t necessarily need to talk or invest more time in being kind. But show that vanlifers are good people, so that the next person who will park there will be well seen.
The Gold Standard in Europe for parking your Van for the night is the application “Park4Night”, this has been really helpful in the first steps into Van Life, but keep in mind, park4night, is just an application and a suggestion from other people, use also your imagination, creativity to find new spots.
There are plenty of tools, like Google Maps, or making friends in a bar, people are often willing to help finding good spots. Remember, many people envy van lifers, because we found the courage to do something that others are afraid to do!
Feel free to write us further tips and ideas, we’ll be happy to post them :-)