Ocean — Ad-van-tures — The Vanimals

21 for 2021: New Years Resolutions for Travel and Vanlife

Traveling more is a common New Year’s resolution for many people. Every year, we use the New Year as a opportunity to reset and reevaluate our goals when it comes to living a life of adventure. We’ve got 21 ideas for New Years resolutions for travelers and vanlifers to make 2021 the best year yet!

Bike Touring, Free Camping, National Parks, Roadside Attractions, State Parks, Travel, Van Conversion, Vanlife, YukonKaylee ThornleyDecember 29, 2020Kayaking, Canoeing, New Years Resolutions, Illinois, Kansas, Little Grand Canyon, Giant City, Monument Rocks, Arches, Arches National Park, Backpacking, Beaches, Bike Touring, Bikepacking, Biki, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Books, Camp Food, Camp Stoves, Camping Gear, Canada, Canyons, Car Art, Cathedral Gorge State Park, Cooking, Couch Surfing, Desert, Food, Free Camping, Frugal Travel, Gitchi-Gami State Trail, Great Lakes, Hair Washing, Half Dome, Health, Hiking, Hot Springs, International Car Forest, Kaskawulsh Glacier, Kluane National Park, Lake Superior Circle Tour, Lake Superior, Minimal Living, Mountains, Mystic Hot Springs, National Parks, Ocean, Oregon Coast, Photography, Public Land, Road Trip, Roadside Attractions, Running, Saving Water, Shore Acres State Park, Snow Canyon State Park, Sprinter Repair, State Parks, Sunrises, Trail Running, Trails, Travel, Travel Planning, Travel Apps, Temperance River, Yukon, Van Conversion, Van Kitchen, Vanlife, Vanlife Hacks, Vanlife Showers, Vanlife Tips, Warmshowers, Wawa Goose, Wilderness, Winter, Winter Travel, William B. Umstead State Park Comment

Our Favorite Places in North Carolina

North Carolina is a state of great contrasts. In the west, there are smoky blue mountains and twisting mountain roads. In the central part of the state, you’ll find financial centers and the “Research Triangle.” Along the coast, are white sandy beaches and colorful condos on stilts. There’s a lot to be discovered in this diverse state. Ian and I spent a couple of weeks traveling through North Carolina in February. Here are our favorite spots!

Cities, Free Camping, National Parks, North Carolina, Roadside Attractions, State Parks, Travel, VanlifeKaylee ThornleyJune 14, 2019Appalachian Mountains, Art, Art Loeb Trail, Asheville, Backpacking, Beaches, Beer, Biking, Black Balsam Knob, Blue Ridge Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Chainsaw Art, Charlotte, Cheap Eats, Cities, Durham, Ferries, Food, Forest Service Land, Free Camping, Frugal Travel, Haw River, High Point, Metalmorphosis, Mountains, Museums, National Forests, North Carolina, Ocean, Ocracoke Ferry, Ocracoke Island, Ocracoke Lighthouse, Outer Banks, Pigsah National Forest, Public Land, Raleigh, Road Trip, Roadside Attractions, Running, Shining Rock Wilderness, Wilson, Shipwrecks, State Parks, Summit, Tennent Mountain, Trail Running, Trails, Travel, Travel Planning, Urban Parks, Vanlife, Vollis Simpson, Whirligigs, William B. Umstead State Park, Winter Travel, World's Largest Chest of Drawers, Mallard Creek GreenwayComment

The Outer Banks of North Carolina in a Camper Van in Winter: A Case of Bad Timing

The Outer Banks are one of the biggest travel destinations in North Carolina. White sandy beaches stretch into the distance. Colorful houses stand on skinny legs ready for flooding. And blissful buttery seafood abounds. That said, there are some places that are just not conducive to traveling in a camper van. The Outer Banks in winter just might be one of those places.

10 Essential Stops on the Southern Oregon Coast

We ended our Oregon Coast Highway 101 vanlife road trip on a high note on the southern border of Oregon. With rugged cliffs, natural arches offshore at Samuel Boardman Scenic Cooridor, 19th-century lighthouses at Cape Arago, and strange formal flower gardens that once belonged to a lumber baron at Shore Acres State Park, there are lots of great spots to discover in the southwestern corner of the state.

Free Camping, Oregon, State Parks, Travel, VanlifeKaylee ThornleyJanuary 28, 2019Beaches, Cape Meares, Flowers, Food, Forest Service Land, Free Camping, Frugal Travel, Geology, Heceta Head, Highway 101, Hiking, History, International Rose Test Garden, Lighthouses, Main Streets, National Forests, Ocean, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Photography, Public Land, Road Trip, Roses, Running, Sea Stacks, State Parks, Tide Pools, Trail Running, Trails, Travel, Trees, Vanlife, Wildlife, Yaquina Head, Coos Bay, Shore Acres State Park, Simpson Reef, Cape Arago, Charleston, Cape Blanco, Port Orford, Ophir Beach, Gold Beach, Samuel Boardman State Park, Wildfires, Shipwrecks, Arch Rock, Arches, Secret Beach, Thunder Cove, Natural Bridges, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Elk River, Brookings, Siskiyou National Forest Comments

The John Dellenback Dunes Trail is the Best Day Hike on the Oregon Coast

Ian and I have been traveling for almost a year now, and we have hiked thousands of miles of trails across the country. The Oregon Coast was one of the most unexpected places that we have discovered during our travels. The biggest surprise of all was the John Dellenback Dunes Trail, which is one of our favorite day hikes we have ever done.

National Parks, Oregon, Travel, VanlifeKaylee ThornleyJanuary 17, 2019Beaches, Frugal Travel, Geology, Highway 101, Hiking, John Dellenback Dunes Trail, Ocean, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Oregon Dunes, Photography, Public Land, Road Trip, Sand Dunes, Trails, Travel, Trees, Vanlife, Florence, Reedsport, Coos Bay, Sunsets Comment

4 Destinations We Love in Western Oregon

We love western Oregon and the Oregon Coast. Heceta Head Lighthouse and the Siltcoos Lake Trail in the Siuslaw National Forest are great destinations on the coast. There’s a lot to love inland too! Take the Umpqua River Highway inland to spot some elk in the Dean Creek Elk Viewing area. Then get your bike out for a ride on the Covered Bridges Scenic Bikeway.

A Day of Vanliving on the Central Oregon Coast

The central Oregon Coast is one of the most unique and surprising places that we’ve visited. We explored the solitude of sandy beaches and investigated colorful tide pools and polished black rock at Seal Rock State Park. We discovered some cheap eats on Walport’s Main Street. At sunset, we watched the Pacific drain at Thor’s Well. Plus find our recommendation for camping for free on Highway 101.

Four Reasons You Have to Visit Yaquina Head Lighthouse and Outstanding Natural Area

Yaquina Head is a basalt peninsula that stretches a mile into the Pacific Ocean near Newport on the Central Oregon Coast. On the tip of the basalt headland stands the tallest lighthouse in Oregon. Below lies a black polished cobble beach and tidal pools teeming with sea creatures.

Oregon, State Parks, Travel, VanlifeKaylee ThornleyJanuary 6, 2019Beaches, BLM Land, Geology, Highway 101, Hiking, History, Lighthouses, Ocean, Oregon Coast, Public Land, Road Trip, Sea Stacks, Tide Pools, Trails, Travel, Vanlife, Wildlife, Yaquina Head, Quarry Cove, Cobble BeachesComment

Cape Kiwanda State Park and Hart’s Cove at Cascade Head

With sandstone cliffs sculpted by wave action and Oregon’s largest sand dune, Cape Kiwanda State Park should not be missed on any Oregon Coast road trip. Nearby Cascade Head and the Harts Cove Trail is the perfect experience to discover a mossy, green coastal rain forest and to hear sea lions barking.

Strange Trees and Secret Beaches: Cape Meares State Park

While Tilamook might be most famous for its cheese, Cape Meares is also well worth a visit while in the area. Cape Meares like many Oregon Coast state parks has a beautifully preserved historic lighthouse, and just a short walk from the lighthouse is a very oddly shaped tree called the Octopus Tree. Before we left we even saw a pod of gray whales that were feeding and breaching fairly close to shore!