If you're new to this channel welcome to the tribe.
My name is Kristen Sarah, this is Hopscotch the Globe
and on this channel we talk about living
an alternative lifestyle.
My husband and I live in a 1976 renovated
vintage Airstream.
And when we're not living in that full time
we are traveling the world internationally
and teaching others, like yourself, how to do it.
If you're watching this video I'm guessing that
you are either going to be living this lifestyle,
are living this lifestyle or thinking about
living this lifestyle.
And what I mean by lifestyle is van life,
Airstream life, RV life, tiny house life,
and one of your concerns is how to manage money
on the road.
Well, you're gonna love this video.
In this video we're gonna be talking about
how to get free, that's right, free RV camping.
So sweaty.
Truck stops, one of my favorites to talk about.
Last October my husband, Siya and I drove across Canada.
We went from Ontario all the way to BC and not once
did we pay for accommodations or a place to stay overnight.
We stayed in truck stops the entire time.
If you don't know what a truck stop is
it's literally a place where truckers stop.
These truck drivers are usually commercial
truck drivers that are driving goods long distance
from like, say Canada all the way to the U.S.
and they need a place to rest once in a while.
But, truck stops aren't just for truckers.
They're for RVers, for van lifers, for tiny home owners too
and you can use them completely for free.
But what's really great about them is that they offer
other facilities that you can use like
showers, laundry, and lounge areas.
When Siya and I were driving across Canada
we tried to stick to one gas station
and we stuck to Huskys because there were
a lot of them along the way
and the reason why we did this is because
we got one of the rewards cards.
So every time that we would stop and spend the night
we would fill up our gas as well
and then we would use the points
that we get from gas to use their facilities.
So like a shower would typically cost like $3
but if we used our points we didn't have to pay anything.
So we'd get showers, they would even give us
clean towels, we used laundry with our points
and then the lobby areas were just free access.
You can go watch a movie, just rest on a couch
if you want to.
Before getting into this lifestyle
I didn't know much about truck stops,
but now that I know it completely blows my mind.
Some other gas stations that we used
when we couldn't find Huskys were
Flying J, and Petro-Pass.
But you can find tuck stops in the area
you're in by using a really good resource
called truckstopguide.com.
They will tell you which truck stops are in your area
as well as the facilities that are available to you
and whether you can hook up or not.
Now this is a baby bump.
Next, let's talk about Walmarts and Home Depots.
These are great places to park because
not only can you park there for free overnight
but you can also, in the morning or in the evening,
go in and grab some things that you might need.
Great thing about living on a home on wheels
is once you close the door and you're inside
you could be literally anywhere.
So, there have been times when we parked
in Walmart parking lots and completely forgotten about it.
In the morning we'd get up, walk outside,
and then there'd be like, people coming out of their cars
and you'd see the big Walmart sign and be like,
oh yeah we stayed there last night.
There is a website called, walmartlocator.com
where you can see all the Walmarts that allow you
to stay overnight 'cause some do not
and what's also great about Walmart parking lots
or Home Depot parking lots is they, most of them,
if not all of them have video surveillance
so you can feel a little bit more secure.
Some of them also have night time security
walking around, making sure everything's okay.
And what's funny is before I knew you could park
in Walmart parking lots I never noticed RVs.
Now that I know I'm seeing them all the time.
Like every time I drive by a Walmart or go to a Walmart
I see at least one RV.
Casinos.
Casino, casinos.
Is that like the slot machine?
I have not done this one yet, neither has Siya
but we plan to do it once baby is no longer in my tummy
so that I can get my drink on.
Casino camping is so popular among the RV community
that there is a website dedicated just to it
called, RV Friendly Casinos, where you can see
which casinos will allow you to spend the night
in their parking lot.
This one is extra fun because you're not
just getting free camping overnight,
but you can go to the casino and have a really good time.
Bring like 20 bucks even and see if you can make money
and even if you don't, who cares?
Just get your drink on.
Free drinks at casinos, that is a thing.
And then walk a minute or two across the parking lot
to your own bed for the night.
So while some casinos only offer free overnight camping
others will also offer hookups.
I mean, they want you to come and gamble, right?
So they're gonna be as accommodating as possible.
You can find all that information whether they offer
just the overnight parking or the hookups
as well on that website I mentioned.
Although the website that I mentioned is really great,
it's a great resources and I will leave a link to that
in the description box below
along with the other websites that I've mentioned
and will mention in this video,
I also just like calling the casino ahead of time
to make sure that you can stay.
I like talking to someone to get that confirmation.
If you are living the RV, tiny house, van life lifestyle
or you're planning to
be sure to get the Allstay app on your phone immediately
because it will be so resourceful for you.
You will use it all the time.
It is probably my favorite resource to find
free camping and overnight parking.
Boondockers Welcome.
That was so cheesy.
Boondockers Welcome, this one's so awesome.
It is like, couch surfing but for RVs
where you can spend the night
or even a couple of nights on private property.
Basically, if you've never heard of couch surfing
it's the same concept where you connect with a host
who will allow you to stay at their place, on their property
for usually like, one to three nights for free.
You may be wondering why someone would allow you
to stay on their property for free.
Well, ask yourself that question.
Would you allow me and Siya to stay on your property?
Now you may be asking, why would someone just allow
anyone to, that they they don't know to
spend the night to their property using their electricity
or whatever and for a lot of us it's a simple answer
of just because we want to connect with people
from around the world.
This community is really open minded and likes to
make new friends.
Just connect with people.
I love this concept because of that.
I love that sense of community and open mindedness
and just connection.
How this works is you buy a membership to
Boondockers Welcome and if you are someone
who wants to stay you're gonna spend $30
for an annual membership
and if you're someone who wants to host it's $22
and that is cheaper than spending a night,
just one night at a campground.
Okay, shower curtain, officially,
should have done that in the beginning.
FreeCampsites.net.
This resources is great because it is
connecting you with your fellow RVers
so it's basically a forum where you can go on
other people can go on and share where you have found
free campsites, free places to spend the night.
And rate them as well.
You can share your knowledge of where they are
'cause some of them can be pretty hidden
which is always nice because it's like
a little secret within the community.
And it's a great place to just connect with
fellow RVers and find those places that
you wouldn't typically find for free to spend the night.
Right Atlas?
Atlas always has to make an appearance in our videos
because look at this face.
Harvest Hosts, it is similar to Boondockers Welcome
but it's staying in more unique places
like museums and orchards, wineries and farms.
It's another yearly subscription to be part
of this community but it's super affordable
at $44 for an annual membership.
It's like, equivalent or even cheaper than spending
one night at a campground.
Most hosts don't offer water and electricity
but some do, and you can check that on the website
when you are searching for hosts.
And in exchange for staying at one of these properties
it's nice to buy a bottle of wine
if you're staying at a winery.
It's nice to give back if someone's helping you out
and giving back and offering you these beautiful
places to stay.
Why not do something for them and,
well kind of do something for yourself
and a bottle of wine is always nice, right?
Campendium.com.
It is similar to FreeCampsites.net
but it is a newer website,
a newer resources so there isn't as much information
but the great thing about it,
especially if you're a visual person like myself
is there are pictures so you can see pictures
of places people have stayed for free,
whereas FreeCampSites.net there aren't really any pictures.
You can really see this bump now.
Side angle.
Restaurants.
I've only found one so far that allows this
but I'm sure there are others.
Cracker Barrel.
They'll let you spend the night in the parking lot
sometimes will even let you hook up.
All you gotta do is call ahead of time,
talk to the manager, and maybe buy a meal when
you're there, it's pretty good.
As you can see from watching this video
there are a lot of options
when it comes to free, overnight camping.
I hope you found this super helpful,
whether you're just planning a trip
or you're thinking about this type of lifestyle.
There's a lot of perks and a lot of them are free.
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That is it for this episode of Airstream-A-Thon
and we will see you next time.
If you're wondering what this big
Buddha belly is, I'm preggin, preggin?
I'm preggin.