Hatching a plan for an 8-10ish week, self-contained, van-based cross-country solo journey in 2024 while maintaining a work schedule that absolutely requires me to be connected and on video for scheduled calls every workday. Now in the brainstorming and resource-gathering stages and open to creative ideas and tools. The short version:
Because I'm a worker bee and cannot take all of this time off, I feel like anything like this needs to be fairly well structured, with a good idea of where I plan to land most of the time. This is a really non-specific post, and I welcome all thoughts around apps (e.g., Google Maps with pins, VanAlert, iOverlander, Facebook groups) or other online resources or advice, that will help me plan and execute this.
In brief, the 39yo vanagon has a 100ah LiPo aux battery, a WeBoost cel booster, a fridge, propane heat, a kill switch and good mountain tires. She has a new-ish engine and my dearly departed husband was building her out for work-travel. I'm already set up to plug in and work comfortably from the back seat for a couple of days at a time.
The nitty gritty...
About trip planning:
-starting in the PNW and hoping to route thru New England and California;
-no specific time frame in mind, though I would like to avoid intense heat (no a/c) and extended days below freezing... off the cuff and since summers in the PNW are beautiful, it might be great to stay here and enjoy it while working out kinks with the van, and leave mid August. Loosely aim for a New England fall, down to the Carolinas, return (also loosely) via TN, KY, NM, AZ, and then San Diego and north;
-I'd like to largely avoid interstates, driving in the dark and more than 300-mile days;
-I plan to develop a rough itinerary around the results of outreach to my friend network via social media to ask who would like a visit. Something like: "hey friends, I'm exploring the idea of a big road trip in 2024 and want to know if you'd like a visitor." I would include some language around the fact that I have to work, and probe for what kind of visit they would like, if they could accommodate me and the van, if I could stay/play/work in their house, and if not do they have flat and safe off-street parking, access to an outlet, etc. Your ideas welcome around the framing of that post;
-for the parts of the trip that don't involve friends, I will seek out safe and beautiful camping destinations, stealth camping as needed, forest/BLM land, options that wrap in nature and beauty and hiking and making new friends, iOverlander solutions, driveway camping invitations (I know of just a couple van and women's networks that encourage this), etc;
-I really have zero interest in camping at Walmarts, Cracker Barrels, casinos, truck stops, etc., but I know it's a thing and I will if that's my best and safest option in the moment;
-I have an iPhone and general comfort with tech... is my best bet to create a Google map with pins, or is there something better? Any additional considerations if I would like to wrap in social media to share about my trip?
-I'd kind of love to learn more about driveway camping networks, where people add themselves to a map and welcome travelers to a safe camping spot and a friendly connection. I like meeting people who like meeting people;
-I am aware of networks like trustedhousesitters.com and would be open to engagements like that as I move about.
More about the van:
-I have been setting aside a little fund to add things this year like a suitcase solar panel that trickle charges the auxiliary battery. I don't quite know how that all works, but there are lots of resources out there to figure this out;
-Starlink? I can never not be available to connect for a video call on a workday, I pay extra on my cell phone to use it as hotspot, but that relies on excellent cellular connectivity (the WeBoost typically gets me one extra bar, but often that's not enough. I don't really know if it's supposed to do better than that).
About security:
-the van has a kill switch to reduce the chance of vehicle theft, but of course this does nothing to prevent breakins, theft and vandalization. There is a locking strongbox between the seats to hold my electronics and cash, and a hitchsafe to hold extra keys, ID and cash. I'm thinking I should hide an AirTag or have some other kind of tracking mechanism;
-I don't carry a gun and really don't want to. I have bear spray. I have thought that a trip like this might call for a small InReach or some other gps tracking device;
-as much as I would like to explore urban areas, I would be worried about the van. in the absence of a safe place to park, probably I will base the van outside of a city and take public transit in to be a tourist.
About me:
-50s, fairly extroverted, lover of outdoors, adventurous, though still new to widowhood and discovering a new timidity around taking risks without my adventure partner at my side;
-have driven solo across the country three times, but that was more than 25 years ago and all in less than 10 days;
-not self-employed. I work full-time from my laptop, with a balance of heads-down work and regularly scheduled calls. I also have a fair amount of flexibility in scheduling my day. I'm planning to stretch my PTO around 3- and 4-day weekends when friends have time to play or if I am wanting to linger and explore. I can also imagine on occasion driving for a couple of hours between meetings in the day and making up for it after it's dark and I'm parked;
-not a mechanic, though I can change oil, tires and filters, look up YouTube solutions and follow basic directions (like yesterday, changing an o-ring on my power steering pump). I do plan to take measures in the next year to learn more of the basics of mechanical troubleshooting;
-possess general common sense around safety, and want to take precautions. No plans to install an alarm system or a dash cam.
This is an unreasonably long post, I know. But I figured it couldn't hurt. Seeking your favorite resources for such a trip, your best advice, what do I need to know, what should I be thinking of, etc.