Honest guides for life on the road.
2026 and 2027 events and caravans, free camping on public land, where to spend winter, where to sleep, water and showers, safety, van build planning, how to meet other vanlifers, and which vanlife apps closed and what replaced them. Written by Evan, who lives on the road and builds RME. Every fact about another app links to that company’s own page.
- Events & caravans
2026 vanlife events: find your next gathering before the year ends.
Find 2026 vanlife, RV, bus and nomad events by month, with dates, locations, organizer links, late-year highlights and clearly marked past gatherings.
- Events & caravans
2026 caravans to join: find a road crew or a guided trip.
Find 2026 caravan options: late-year RV tours, a guided car trip, HOWA camps and public RME travel crews. Check dates and joining details with organizers.
- Life on the road
What is Trailprint? Reveal the roads you have traveled.
How RME Trailprint clears fog a mile each side of your route, records distance and state visits, and lets you control, export or delete your history.
- Life on the road
Why I built RME: the hardest part was finding my people.
Evan started RME in July 2021 after looking for other vanlifers on a trip to Idaho. The story behind an app still built from his Ford shuttle bus.
- Life on the road
Vanlife with dogs: plan a trip your dog can enjoy too.
Plan vanlife with a dog: heat and supervision, pet rules, restraints, veterinary records, event etiquette and a practical travel checklist.
- Life on the road
Internet on the road: Starlink, cell service and a backup plan.
Plan vanlife internet around your work: phone hotspots, cell boosters, Starlink, power needs and a tested backup connection for remote work.
- Life on the road
What does vanlife cost per month? Build your own budget.
Build a realistic vanlife, RV or bus budget with transparent fuel and camping calculations, an illustrative monthly worksheet and a free calculator.
- Life on the road
Crossroads alternatives for vanlife community and meetups.
Compare RME, Meetup and iOverlander for community, local activities and campsites. A sourced comparison without an unverified Crossroads shutdown claim.
- Life on the road
2027 vanlife events calendar: RV, bus and nomad gatherings.
Browse 2027 public RME gatherings by month. Live listings, unconfirmed-date labels, past events and links to join the conversation in the app.
- Life on the road
2027 caravans to explore: RV tours, travel crews and routes.
Explore 71 researched 2027 caravan departures with dates, route areas, organizer links and eligibility. Confirm bookings directly with each operator.
- Sēkr alternatives
Sēkr has closed. Here are the best Sēkr alternatives in 2026.
Sēkr, the vanlife community and campsite app, has closed. What happened, and which apps now cover its campsites, people map, events and caravans.
- Free camping
How to find free dispersed camping on BLM and National Forest land.
How free dispersed camping works on BLM and National Forest land: 14-day stay limits, Motor Vehicle Use Maps, distance from water and Leave No Trace.
- Meet vanlifers
The apps vanlifers use to meet each other in 2026, compared.
RME, Crossroads, nomatch, Vanderlust, aki, Nomadtable and Meetup compared: how you meet people, location privacy, price and platforms. Checked Oct 2026.
- Vanlife events
Vanlife gatherings for winter 2026–2027, with dates and costs.
Nomads Eve, Pride in the Desert, Quartzfest, Skooliepalooza, the Truck Camper rally and more: dates, places and costs from each organizer, checked Oct 2026.
- Winter in a van
Where to spend winter in a van: the desert Southwest and LTVAs.
Wintering in the desert Southwest: BLM Long-Term Visitor Area permits and seasons, free 14-day camping, the 2027 Quartzsite RV show and what to bring.
- Overnight parking
Where can you sleep in your van? Overnight parking options and rules.
Public land, Walmart, rest areas, Harvest Hosts, campgrounds and city streets: the rules for sleeping in your van overnight, from each agency and company.
- Road essentials
Where to find water, showers and dump stations on the road.
Where vanlifers shower, fill up with drinking water and empty tanks: gyms, truck stops, state parks and directories, plus the federal rules on waste water.
- Caravans
How to caravan with other vanlifers: a practical guide.
Plan a vanlife caravan that works: routes and dates, group size, meeting points, group chat, location sharing and etiquette, plus how caravans work in RME.
- Safety
Vanlife safety tips: sleeping, meeting people and sharing your location.
Carbon monoxide and smoke alarms, safe heat, propane leaks, remote-trip plans and meeting people safely, with guidance from U.S. fire and park agencies.
- Van builds
How to plan a van build layout before you cut anything.
Plan a van conversion in the right order: measure, choose the bed, place heavy and wet items, track weight against payload and build safety into the floor plan.
- Closed apps
Vanlife and RV apps that shut down, and where their users went.
Sēkr, FreeRoam, RVillage and the Ultimate US Public Campground app have closed. What each did, what happened, and where their users went instead.
- FreeRoam alternatives
FreeRoam is offline. The best free camping map alternatives.
FreeRoam, the free nonprofit boondocking map, went offline in early 2024. Apps that replace its BLM overlays, cell coverage and free campsite map.
- iOverlander alternatives
iOverlander alternatives for camping spots and community.
Park4Night, The Dyrt, Campendium, Hipcamp, Harvest Hosts and RME compared with iOverlander: coverage, price and what each is best for. Checked Oct 2026.
- RVillage alternatives
RVillage closed. Where RVers and vanlifers find community now.
RVillage, the RV social network with about 500,000 members, closed in March 2023. Where RVers and vanlifers find community, events and caravans now.
- Location sharing
Life360 alternatives for vanlifers and road-trippers.
Life360, Apple Find My, Google Maps, Crossroads and RME Friends Map compared for travelers who want to share an approximate location, not a campsite.
- Vanlife community
How to find vanlife community in 2026 (and keep it).
Where vanlifers meet in person, which online groups and apps help, and how to keep vanlife friends after you drive in different directions.