Ever heard of Assateague Island?

Assateague is a 37-mile the barrier island extending down the Delmarva (Delaware-Maryland-Virgina) Peninsula. The island is owned and managed in its entirety by 3 angecies: the National Parks Service, Maryland State Parks, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The Virginia section contains the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

The island plays host to a year round population of native ponies which roam freely, claimed to be the descendants of domesticated horses brought over from Europe and shipwrecked on the island centuries ago. Assateague also provides an important refuge for a number of native and migratory birds.

Assateugue offers a variety of camping options including backcountry and car camping sites. Due to its popularity, summertime campsites are often booked up several weeks or even months in advance! Assateague is lovely during the summer, but we like it even better in late spring or early fall when the crowds and mosquitos have both left.

There are no shortage or recreation options available at Assateague: hiking, swimming, sunbathing, and kayaking are all very popular. The NPS also permits off-road driving on the beach! You must be driving a permitted 4x4 vehicle with equipment necessary to self-rescue if stuck in the sand and access is limited to a specific number of vehicles on the beach at any one time.

Assateauge makes an awesome long weekend trip from New York City! At about a 4 hour drive, getting to the island from NYC isn't much more difficult than getting to East Hampton on a summer weekend, and it sure is a world apart.

Check it out!

It's creeping up on that time of year.... Music festival season!!

If you're used to tent camping, elevate your experience this year by attending you favorite music festival in the comfort of one of our Campervans.

Don't us wrong, we love roughing it as much as anybody else, but taking a Campervan makes the festival experience undeniably better. All the high points of tent camping without the hassles: No roasting in your tent the moment the sun comes up, no crazy noise while you're trying to sleep, no tent tie downs and stakes to trip over! Our Campervans come with queen-sized bed, a full kitchen set up, and refrigerator! 

Why pay hundred or thousands more per attendee for VIP camping packages when you can be twice as comfortable at a fraction of the cost?

Keep an eye out for Wayward Campers Camper vans at your favorite festival this year - We're already booked for Mysteryland, Mountain Jam, and Firefly!

A little Sunday travel inspiration for ya!

We sure do love roadtripping through California. We spent a few nights doing some dispersed camping (check out our post on dispersed camping if you don't know what that's all about!) in Los Padres National Forest this past fall. Big Sur is an incredible place and wonderful to visit in September-October when the crowds have left and you feel like you have this very special corner of the Earth (almost) all to yourself.

We get asked a lot about Campervan camping during the cooler months. Winter does present a few challenges that don't exist the rest of the year, but none of these is insurmountable! Here are a few strategies for keeping yourself comfortable and warm at night in your Campervan:

Layers - This won't come as a shock to most people, but wearing layers of clothing is a time-tested and proven way of keeping your body insulated and warm. Something as simple as an undershirt can make the difference between a comfortable night's sleep and waking up feeling chilly.

High Quality Blankets - Another no-brainer, but often overlooked. A high-quality blanket or duvet goes a really long way to trapping body heat and keeping you cozy! During the winter months, you might want to upgrade your normal blankets to a proper duvet. Some of the new synthetic down alternatives aren't cheap, but they work great and wear well.

Keep Your Extremities Warm - The first parts to get cold are always your fingers and toes! Always pack a pair or two of warm socks to sleep in, a pair of slippers if you want to get fancy. The idea of losing "50% of your body head heat through your head" has been debunked many times, however a decent hat or beanie will indeed keep your head warm and trap a ton of body heat if the rest of you is covered up!

Yeah, most of this stuff is common sense but sometimes common sense seems so simplistic that we look past it in search of a more complex answer. We've spent many nights in temperatures down in the teens without experiencing any discomfort using nothing more than the ideas outlined above! Stick with what works.

Are we missing something? Feel free to add your own advice below.

Ah, the Hudson Valley... Where do we begin?

We really, really, really love the Hudson Valley. Beautiful, relaxed, and quirky, the area immediately north of New York City is a great place to spend a few days cruising around!

We're regularly amazed by how many City residents haven't had the opportunity to explore the Hudson Valley. Here are a couple of our favorite spots to check out:

New Paltz - Vibes? We got vibes, man. New Paltz is one of the the more peculiar and amusing villages in the area. Known for its eponymous State University and as a hippie haven of sorts, the town has a varied cast of characters, but it seems most everybody is cool. New Paltz is home to a ton of great restaurants, bars, and shops and makes a great place to spend an afternoon walking around before camping out in the Mohonk Preserve.

Storm King - Taking its name from the mountain just to its east, Storm King Arts Center is home to the most impressive collection of outdoor sculpture most of us have ever seen. With dozens of oversized works spread over 500 acre of grounds it is easy to spend the an entire day drifting lazily from piece to piece, stopping occasionally to try and take in how beautiful your setting is. Then there's the mountain itself, which offers several hiking routes and incredible views of the Hudson River and surrounding land from the top.

Minnewaska State Park - Minnewaska is a special spot. Lakes, waterfalls, swimming holes, and tons of hiking opportunities with 2000' in elevation change. The Park is also a very popular rock-climbing destination and is well-known for its Trapps and Near Trapps climbing routes. New campgrounds opened in 2015.

Tip: You don't have to go far from NYC to do some pretty intense leaf-peeping come Fall. The Hudson Valley is a great place to spend a long weekend in October or November. The weather is cool and crisp but still very pleasant and the whole region looks like a painting.

It's a beautiful day in NYC!

As the days get longer, temperatures get warmer, and the flowers start coming up, it's time to start thinking about getting outside!

Take 10% off any Campervan rental booked between now and March 15th for travel during the month of April.

Just enter SPRING10 in the comment field of our booking page when making your reservation!

It's not easy finding a concise and accurate guide to dispersed camping.

Let's try to demystify the art known as "boondocking":

What is "Dispersed Camping"?

Dispersed camping, boondocking, wild camping, or free camping are all terms used to refer to camping in the backcountry, outside of organized campsites.

Sounds interesting, but what's the appeal?

1) Dispersed camping sites are often some of the most beautiful to be found.
2) Flexibility. You make your own site.
3) These sites are free.
4) Unique terrain, and sites are typically low-traffic.
5) Dispersed camping allows for as much solitude as you desire.

 Cool! Where can I find these dispersed camping sites?

Short answer: the best place to start looking for dispersed sites is on land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or US Forest Service (USFS). Camping is permitted on BLM land and National Forest land unless specifically noted otherwise. Always make sure to check with the local office that deals with the area you are interested in camping in. Visit the BLM and USFS links below for help obtaining information:

                           www.blm.gov                               www.fs.fed.us

Any rules to follow?

Common sense rules, but rules nonetheless: Do not camp within 200 feet of a water source. Make sure no part of your vehicle is parked in a road (many areas require you to be a specific distance from the nearest road). Always carry out 100% of your trash and dispose of waste properly, leave no trace. Use established trails and campsites if at all possible. Always use your head, beware of bears and other wildlife. Be extremely careful with campfires and try and reuse existing campfire rings if you can find them.

What else do I need to know?

If you're going to give boondocking a shot, it is essential to make sure your vehicle is equipped to handle the variable terrain these sites offer. 4x4 is highly desirable although not always a must. Ground clearance is essential. Be sure to bring an off-road self recovery kit just in case. Also be mindful of rain - inclement weather can turn your nice dry campsite into an inescapable mud pit if a storm comes rolling through.

ALWAYS respect the land and ALWAYS be good stewards of the environment! If any particular area is marked as closed to camping, there is a reason for it. Practice Leave No Trace principles at all times. Be aware of and respect the boundaries of privately owned land.

If you've never tried dispersed camping, you are missing out on an enormous freedom! These public lands belong to the people and are ours to enjoy. Respect them, and they will remain wild and free for generations to come.

Whether on the road or not, getting clean sure does feel good! Here are a few tips on where you can grab a shower while traveling in your Campervan:

• Campgrounds - Most organized campgrounds have showers, hot water is harder to come by. All KOA campgrounds have a shower.

• Use your gym membership - Are you a member of a national gym chain? Most of these chains offer an all-access membership option that will get you in to use the facilities at any of their locations.
  

• Hotels near major attractions - A lot of these hotels have figured out that they can make a few bucks off campers. They often have pay-per-use shower facilities. These run the gamut from nightmarish quarter-fed ice-cold closets to large, well-kepy bathhouses. Cost on average between $3-$7.
  

• YMCA - It's not just a fun dance move... Most YMCAs will let you come and check out their facility for the first time for free. These are typically really nice and have wonderful hot showers.
  

• Flying J or other truck stops - Some truck stops have showers for truckers that you can pay to use. These are often more luxurious than you'd guess!

• Solar shower - Never seen one of these? They're nifty. Basically a high quality PVC bag with a nozzle that can be filled with water and left in the sun to provide a brief but welcome hot shower anywhere you choose.

• Swim. Find a river, lake, waterfall, or ocean and let nature cleanse you, no shower shoes needed.

With exception to the last instance listed above, we recommend bringing shower shoes, a towel, and your own soap.

We get asked all the time about urban camping...

Is it safe? Is it smart? Is it even legal?

Broadly speaking, the answer to all three of the above is often "yes". 

Let's start with the most fundamental of these questions: "is it legal"?

While there are still plenty of municipalities that have laws on the books making sleeping in a vehicle illegal, the trend over the past few years has been towards repealing these laws. Despite insane rents and looming affordable housing crises, sleeping in your vehicle is now legal in San Francisco and even New York. Who'd have thought, huh? A judge in Los Angeles recently overturned a 31-year-old law making it illegal to sleep in your car, rightfully pointing out that the law clearly discriminated against the economically disadvantaged, the poor and the homeless. 

As to the questions of safety and intelligence, a little due diligence goes a long way. Survey the area before picking a spot to spend the night. Listen to your street smarts and don't make yourself a target. Try and spend the night in populated neighborhoods and try to park on streets with decent lighting. If a certain neighborhood looks suspect, move on. Listen to your gut. If you are planning to spend the night in a quiet residential neighborhood, be sure to be mindful and considerate of your neighbors, and respect private property. Don't remain in any one place for an excessively long time. And make sure you pay attention to parking regulations, nobody wants to get a ticket! 

So, next time you find yourself wondering whether or not to give urban camping a shot, take a few minutes to read up on the laws in your chosen city... you might be surprised to find out it's neither as difficult or as scary as you thought!

Lastly, always be mindful of the fact that if you are intoxicated and asleep in your vehicle, there is a chance you can still be charged with DUI. Even if the charges are dropped, it really isn't worth the hassle. 

Questions/thoughts? Let us know in the comments.