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These are a few things I found to be helpful while living on the road on the cheap.

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MY FAVORITE APPS

 

Flush — perhaps the most essential app, Flush brings up a map showing your current location and all the public restrooms nearby. Occasionally, it would take me to a restroom that required a key or key code, which would require me to buy something from the business in order to use it.

 

PRIMO — OK, this is not an app, it’s a website (it really should be an app), but it was one of the most helpful tools for me on the road when I needed to constantly refill gallon water jugs: primowater.com/find-shop. It shows you a map of where you are and where the nearest water refill stations are located. I tried water refill apps and never found one to work, but this website does the trick.

 

Wifi Map — This app was free when I used it in 2019 but now requires a paid subscription ($35/year in 2022). If wifi is that essential to you, it’s probably worth it, although I found the app to be a little inconsistent.

 

USFS & BLM Campgrounds — find dispersed camping on an interactive map

 

BLM Campgrounds — not as good as the above app, in my opinion, but you can search by state to find various campgrounds and day-use areas.

 

BoonDocking — similar to the BLM Campground apps, this shows dispersed camping sites but is user-generated and includes sites outside of BLM land, such as business or abandoned parking lots, so it covers a broader region, as BLM land is found primarily in the Western states.

 

ONP Walmart — shows you which Walmarts allow camping in their parking lots, usually in the back of the lot. The app is updated regularly by users who tell of their experiences at various Walmart parking lots.

 

Hipcamp — paid campsites in people’s yards and farms, usually at a modest rate.

 

 

MY FAVORITE CHAINS

 

Trader Joe’s — Trader Joe’s snacks (and prices) really can’t be beat, and they can be found in most major cities. A stop here provided an affordable bag of road food every time, along with a few fresh items I could eat within a day.

 

Super Walmarts — We can shun things like Walmart and Amazon and Starbucks, but when you are driving for days on end and need a smorgasbord of essentials—food, toilet paper, camping gear, rubber bands, sunglasses because yours broke, and so on and so forth—there is only one place I know of that is likely to have everything on your list. I gained a new appreciation (well, frankly, just an appreciation) for Walmarts, especially Super Walmarts, while living on the road. After days or weeks in a tent, walking through those sliding doors was like entering civilization again every time. And, like Trader Joe’s, their prices really can’t be beat. And some Walmarts allow you to “camp” in the parking lot.

 

Starbucks — caffeine and free wifi is a magical combination on the road, and both were essential to me as a freelance writer/editor. McDonald’s and some chain restaurants like Chilis also offer free wifi.

 

 

MAPS

 

Pick up hard copies of local and regional maps at welcome centers, libraries, state parks, or wherever you see them. They usually sometimes show parks, camping spots, coffee shops and the like. Besides giving you ideas for places to see or camp or roads to take, they are especially useful if you are deep inside a National Park and no longer get cell service.

 

 

FREE RESOURCES

 

Libraries! One of the single best (and free) resources during my time on the road were libraries. Every town has one, most have a wealth of books (and pamphlets and magazines) local to the place you’re visiting, and they all offered free internet.

 

 

INTUITION

 

By far, my greatest asset on the road was my intuition. When I followed it, magic happened. When I disregarded it, things went askew.

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