The Girl’s Guide to Campervan Travel around the USA

By Shilo Urban, intrepid world traveler.

There’s never been a better time for an expedition across America with your besties. Rent a campervan and head towards the open road – but first, make plans to pack smart, be safe, and stay friends during your trip. 

What to Pack: Look Good & Keep Clean

• Pack as light as possible, but make sure that the clothes you bring are high-quality. One excellent coat is worth ten crappy sweaters. You can probably get away with changing clothes less often than you think.
   
• Consider taking a battery bank and portable Wi-Fi hotspot to secure your connection with the outside world. Bring a power strip so you can charge all your devices from the same outlet.
   
• You’ll essentially be living out of a suitcase; keep things organized with packing cubes, compression bags, and Ziplocs.
   
• A portable shower can be a valuable asset when you’re faced with a dark and sketchy campground bathroom. It can also double as a clothes-changing closet when your campervan gets too cramped You can also rent a solar shower if a portable shower is unavailable.

On the Road: Be Smart

• Give someone back at home your proposed itinerary, even if it’s super vague. Check in periodically with an update.
   
• Take care of yourself. Eat, drink, sleep, shower, and brush your teeth when you need to. Pulling off the side of the road for a cat nap is safer than driving while fatigued.
   
• Travel with a roadside emergency kit plus a stash of water, food, and first-aid supplies.
   
• Don’t trust people too quickly. Being nice is not more important than your safety.
   
• If you must ask for help, approach families or women with children instead of men. That cute, well-dressed gentleman could be the next Ted Bundy.
   
• Lock your doors while driving

At Your Campsite: Sleep Safe

• Carry a personal safety alarm, which emits an incredibly loud siren that deters attackers and alerts others nearby. They start around $10.
   
• If you can, park for the night in official campgrounds instead of random hideouts. Choose campsites near families.
   
• Always have a backup campground in mind in case you cover more or less ground than you thought you would, or if your original campground turns out to be full or just plain freaky.
   
• When possible, arrive to your campsite before dark so you can get a true sense of your surroundings. If your gut tells you that something feels weird, listen to it and get out of there.

Stay Friends: Plan Ahead & Go Far Together

• Before you ever book your campervan rental, it’s crucial to get together with your girlfriends for an honest discussion of each person’s expectations for the trip. Will you be traveling on a shoestring or indulging a little? Moving a lot or taking it slow? Who will drive? How will you decide where to stay? How will you handle the problems that inevitably arise? Get it all out into the open before you’re stuck in a campervan together.
   
• Manage your own money. Throwing in as a group on food or campgrounds can be convenient; just make sure that you even things up every couple of days. Don’t let two weeks go by and then blow up about always buying the gummy worms. Alternatively, the group can appoint one person as the trip accountant to keep track of everything on a smartphone.

Plan the Ultimate Campervan Girl’s Trip with Bakpak

Need help turning the road trip of your dreams into reality? Contact Bakpak Dave for expert advice and amazing deals on USA campervan rentals.