We are aware that the majority of what we share about vanlife paints it in a positive light, and that’s because we genuinely love it.
But we also want to be sure we’re portraying things as accurately as possible so that others know what to expect. And there are sh!tty parts too (pardon my language!).
I do want to point out that we’ve spent hundreds of nights in campervans over the years, and these are the only 4 examples of anything uncomfortable happening. But #vanlife is not without its low points and safety concerns. We share these stories not to scare you, but to prepare you and, well, entertain you. Because honestly, some of them are funny (especially after the fact).
Here are a few incidences of uncomfortable parking situations we have personally encountered…
Note: In all of these stories, we were parked legally.
“Neighborhood Watch”: Salt Lake City, Utah
While in Salt Lake City, Utah, we found a spot to park on the city street. It was perfect because we were near a public restroom (this was in our first van without a toilet). As the sun began to set, a police officer knocked on our window.
She said, “You are parked legally here and are fine to stay overnight. But I do want to let you know a neighbor called in your vehicle saying it looked ‘suspicious’ and I’m responding to that call.”
At that moment, we looked up and say a neighbor peeping out of a window, quickly closing the blinds when they saw us look up. Like a scene from a sitcom.
We don’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable, nor do we want to feel unwelcome, so we moved down the block and re-parked. Kind of a hassle, but one that was easily fixed.
“Stinky Situation”: Boulder, Colorado
While parked on a perfectly safe and spacious residential block in Boulder, Colorado, we thought we had found the perfect place to spend the night. But someone must not have liked the fact that we were parked there because around 1 a.m. we woke up to a horrible smell. Like a burning skunk ate a diaper…
We tried to ignore it, but there was no going back to sleep. We ended up moving a few blocks away, and decided that it was most likely a stink bomb set off either by a bored college student (we were blocks from the university) or a nearby resident who doesn’t like vans parked in the street.
“Slither Away”: Boise, Idaho
This one is more funny than anything, but while traveling in Boise, Idaho, we parked near the city zoo one night. At around 5 a.m. we woke suddenly to someone rapping on our window.
I dove deeper under the covers and made Ben go and check what was going on (thanks, Ben!). At our window, was a park ranger clad in a wide-brimmed hat and a tan vest.
“Howdy,” he greeted us with more energy than was necessary at that hour of morning. “Just wanted to let you know you may want to move your vehicle as we’re about to release snakes in the vicinity in a snake and raptor avoidance training.” Upon hearing this, I shot out of bed, we wished him a good day, and we got the F outta there!
“The One When We Got Robbed”: Denver, Colorado
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