Hey there! This is an updated article originally written for the Autogenic Amusements blog. Definitely still relevant and updated to include a few more years’ worth of van life experience. We are still hanging out in Florida with family (time’s short though!)
Our plan was to be snowbirds. Living in a van in winter weather was not for us. 25 years of New England winters seemed like enough. Snowbirding in a van seemed a great way to spend a challenging season on the road. But staying warm on the road in winter is harder than it seems. We hope this article will point you towards your own sunny winter dreams.
As van-life newbies, we’d heard the RV trope about “chasing 70 degrees” and this seemed like a great idea to us. There’s this nifty map making the rounds on the interwebs and we figured to stay warm all winter following near-perfect 70 degree weather around the country.
How’d it turn out? Welllll… let’s just say we’ve learned a lot since then.
Caught in the Snow!
After our September start date, we headed west with a loose itinerary. We were going to hang out in the canyons of Utah for as long as possible, then scoot south to the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico before the weather turned. Then we’d head for the gulf coast of Texas, and finally, reconnoiter with family in Florida. Sunny days all the way! Right?
Well, it didn’t work out exactly as we had planned. We had a few chilly, sleety nights in Colorado before we headed for Southern Utah. It was a tad chilly, but we were staying ahead of it.
Or so we thought.
We were living the dream, parked up in Utah on the rim of a dramatic, sunny canyon overlook waaay off the pavement when the weather caught up with us. A winter snowstorm storm was headed our way.
We had to scoot – and fast!
Unfortunately, the 30 miles out were so rutted and washboard-y our escape was in slow motion. We crawled along the corrugated mess of road, looking for the smooth spots where we could coax the van up to, um, 15 MPH before we started to shake ourselves to bits. (Imagine Star Trek’s Scotty hollering “She’s breaking up captain, she can’t take much more of this!”)
We watched the dark clouds gather to the west and slooooowly bumped along. Lucky for us, we made it to blacktop, and to Torrey, Utah when the storm caught up to us.
In blizzard conditions, we holed up in a private campground while our van was buried. Those few days of snowy, 18 degree temperatures in our lightly insulated low-top van taught us a thing or two about how NOT to snowbird.
It’s been a few years since that miserable snowstorm, and we’ve learned a lot about nomadic living. In this article, we’ll share some tips for happy snowbirding, i.e. staying warm while living the van life in winter.
Watch the Weather
One key to van living in winter is knowing what to expect when. Nobody wants to be taken by surprise by a sudden snowstorm – or any other kind of storm – on the road. We recommend using at least one weather app. (Our go-to was Clime, NOAA’s weather app, but they hiked the price to $99.00 a year and we bailed. We now use Apple’s weather app, and also Windy. But there are many others to choose from.)
However you do it, accurate information about impending snows and storms is crucial. With weather, it’s definitely better to know what’s coming.
When planning to camp remotely, always double check the weather while you are still in cell range. In our second year, we’d planned to camp on a beautiful beach on the coast of Washington state, but a quick weather check told us that it would be a super-stormy stay. The road down to the beach had signs of past flooding: no thank you! We headed inland.
Flexibility is Key
As with so many aspects of nomadic living, flexibility is key. If the weather shifts, you must shift with it. When people ask us where we’re headed, our answer is usually a little vague. This is because we generally have a direction rather than a destination. We plan a “bookend” visit with family or an event to attend. But we make our more day-to-day travel decisions over breakfast. If the road ahead is sweltering or freezing, rainy or tornado-prone, we plan a different route.
Yes, there are times when reservations are more convenient, but there are at least as many times that being locked into a specific place is a real drag.
When your home has wheels, you can move if you need to. That’s one of the best parts of van living – and the number one reason to be a snowbird to begin with.
How to Be a Happy Snowbird
So, with all that in mind. Here are a few tips to keep ahead of the weather.
Change Elevation This is especially useful in the hot weather. Even on the hottest days, campsites up in the mountains will be cooler.
We use the “elevation trick” quite a bit out west where the mountains are tall enough to make a real difference. Shady, high elevation campsites, especially near water, are wonderful when the valleys below are sweltering.
In contrast, balmy winter digs in the desert, might be too chilly at higher elevations.
Town and Country If you can’t outrun it, plan to ride out nasty weather in a convenient spot. When we were faced with that blizzard in Utah, we hunkered down in a small town campground: Not our usual kind of spot, but it was terrific to have a nearby cafe to warm up in, a covered cooking area, even readily available hot cocoa!
Follow the Sun This is the biggie. To be a happy winter traveler, plan to camp where it’s warm, namely: the South. I mean, you could outfit your van for winter and endure stretches of below freezing weather but…… why?
Head south! When you’re enjoying T-shirt weather in January, you will thank yourself for it. We have found that some places are easier to snowbird in than others. In three winters on the road, we’ve spent months in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, and Florida. There are definite pros and cons to each of these places.
While, I’ll go into the particulars of each spot below, generally, when you head south, you are looking for places with good infrastructure to support van life: access to reasonably priced camping options, water, laundry, and shopping nearby.
Where to Snowbird while Living in your Van in Winter
Some states are more welcoming of snowbirds than others. These provide inexpensive LTVA (Long Term Visitor Areas) for nomadic folks. (LTVAs provide trash receptacles, water and porta potties and for a small fee, you can stay put there for months.) In these areas, you’ll find large communities of snowbirds, and welcoming small towns, happy to have you around.
Some states are not as “van-friendly” or easy to navigate. On the west coast of Florida, where we spend the majority of our winters, parks close at sundown, towns and beaches bristle with “No Overnight Camping” signs. Even highway rest areas have a four hour time limit (though it doesn’t seem to be enforced).
We understand why a place like Florida might want to regulate camping; in the winter, they’d be swamped. But, Jeez! If you are going to Florida, make sure you have a plan.
Snowbirding in Arizona
Arizona is a great choice for winter van living. There are public lands everywhere, as well as many campgrounds that cater to seasonal campers. The town of Quartzite is known as an inexpensive and snowbird mecca. Here, you can park with like-minded folks and enjoy the desert. There are also many less well known BLM lands available.
Arizona has many inexpensive water refill stations (just search “water near me” on Google maps). It also has large, inexpensive laundromats, and beautiful parks. In short: it’s a compfy van-life spot, and you will definitely meet others who are escaping the cold of northern winters.
While in Arizona, we found that some free areas were busy and social and some were quieter and more remote. All, however, were warm and starkly beautiful. We’ve camped outside of Lake Havasu City, in Quartzite, in Yuma, and – our absolute favorite – in the KOFA wildlife refuge. And also enjoyed the area around Tucson, the Madera Canyon area, and so many more parts of the state.
In Arizona, there are endless desert vistas open to boondocking – either through the LTVA program or free with a 14 day stay limit. After your 14 days are up, you can switch locations and continue enjoying those sunny days.
But before you take off down those desert roads, make sure you have a solid vehicle with high clearance, a detailed map, and apps such as iOverlander that can point you in the right direction.
In addition, US Forest Service ranger stations are treasure troves of useful boondocking information. Rangers tend to know the roads and areas better than anyone and they can help you find a site that matches your rig’s capabilities.
If you enjoy more services, there are many developed campgrounds that cater to snowbirds in Arizona. In addition. We really enjoyed the campgrounds in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, and Chiricahua National Monument, and the national forest campgrounds outside of Tucson was a great cheap place to camp within 30 minutes of Tucson.
In addition, the town of Bisbee was welcoming of van campers. We were able to boondock in one of their city parking areas, close to bars, art galleries, restaurants and coffee shops. We also visited Hot Well Dunes BLM campground (free). This spot caters to the off-road crowd and has natural hot tubs – along with miles of sand dunes and desert vistas. If you are a rockhound, the Gila Box National Riparian Conservation Area and the Black Hills Rockhound Area Outside of Wilcox is another beautiful, free option. You might even find some fire agate while there!
Truly there are so many free or inexpensive snowbirding spots in Arizona. So much of the state is public land and available for camping. It’s hard NOT to find one that matches your needs.
Snowbirding in New Mexico
New Mexico is one of our favorite places. But it’s not as well known as a snowbirding spot… probably because it is not as reliably warm and sunny as its neighboring state, Arizona. However, there are some great things about wintering in New Mexico.
We’ve visited the southern part of the state three years in a row and found many wonderful spots to explore. They were definitely a bit more chilly though.
Las Cruces is a great town to snowbird in. There are easily accessible dispersed sites very close to town and many more spots out in the desert on all sides. We especially enjoyed camping in the beautiful Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument which surrounds this town and has some amazing hiking opportunities. Check out this post for more info on the awesome state of New Mexico.
In New Mexico, it does get down in the low 30s and below at night, and wind is a real issue along the I-10 corridor. The northern section of New Mexico, though sunny, can be a bit cold for snowbirding. On the plus side, it is possible to buy an inexpensive New Mexico State Parks Camping Pass and spend the winter traveling between state parks.
Snowbirding in Texas
Unlike New Mexico and Arizona, Texas has virtually no public land. (Yes, this is one of my pet peeves.) That doesn’t mean that it’s a terrible option for snowbirds. The state has a huge stretch of beaches along its gulf coast, and many allow camping.
In our first winter on the road, we started our Texas boondocking adventure along the beaches on Padre Island National Seashore, which allows camping along a 60 mile stretch of beach from Corpus Christi to Brownsville. We’d planned to boondock on the beach at Padre Island, but got cold feet after stopping by the ranger station. The usually firm sand at the beach entrance was loose when we were there and people were getting stuck. (Last year, we did manage to get bogged down in exactly this kind of deep sand.)
The Texas beaches are beautiful– and warm! We ended up camping at Malaquite campground, which costs $14, with friendly hosts and easy access to a wide stretch of beach. Wild Camping on the beach at Padre Island is free with a park pass.
From Padre Island, we followed the Texas coast east, camping for free at Magnolia Beach and Crystal Beach, and paying for camping in a state park in Galveston. This winter, we stayed at free beach parking Matagorda.
Free ferries connect all the barrier islands along the coast and there is lots of room to spread out on the hardpacked sand.
There are so many free options along the Texas coast– all warm and accommodating of snowbirds. If you want to spend your winter on the beach, Texas is a great option for you.
And Big Bend National Park is a must-see, er– Must-camp. We spent a full week exploring it and could have spent even longer if we’d had the time.
Snowbirding in Florida
Florida is a van-living challenge. It is beautiful, sunny and warm, with miles of lovely beaches, amazing wildlife, and gorgeous rivers. But the coasts of Florida are built up and there is not much room for beach camping. And Florida has recently changed its laws to make it even harder to free camp in the Sunshine State.
Generally, the lovely beaches and county parks close at sundown – and police take notice of vans and van-lifers. There are many many terrific state parks, with lovely campgrounds, but spots are reserved months in advance.
In short, if you are snowbirding in a van in Florida, plan ahead! Make some reservations at the gorgeous Florida State Parks and expect to spend at least some time in close quarters with others. The parks in this state are spectacularly beautiful, and we found we enjoyed our stays in them, despite the cost and crowds. But, because we hadn’t planned ahead, we had to haunt the reservation systems looking for cancellations and on the weekends, forget about it!
There are a few less expensive options for camping in Florida: Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission Lands (FWC) and Florida Water Management District Lands are free and available, but there is some bureaucracy involved in registering and reserving sites. And there is National Forest Land (mostly in North and Central Florida) with cheaper, less crowded campgrounds and boondocking options. In addition, some counties have campgrounds as well. We especially loved Fort Desoto Campground in St Petersburg. Each of these options requires a little preplanning and leg work. While wintering in Florida last year, we found we loved the wild interior but the quality of camping here really varied. Many campgrounds gave us access to beautiful, warm, wild places. None of them, aside from Fort Desoto, was on the beach.
If you are on a budget and set on snowbirding in Florida, you will likely have to do some stealth/urban camping. But… it isn’t a great option. Lots of people try it and lots of police are looking to “tresspass you”, as the Dunedin sheriff put it when we asked about overnighting on a Florida causeway.
While in the sunshine state, we camped at fishing piers, rest areas, Cracker Barrel restaurants, and on the streets of smaller town centers. It is easy to blend in on the streets of Florida. There is so much, well, EVERYTHING there. But our van is not designed for stealth and we found it was not the most relaxing way to spend the winter.
Another option is to book a place in a Florida RV park for the winter. Often, these parks are close to the water and they cater to the needs of snowbirds. They are not for those on a strict budget though. We were shocked at the nightly rates for RV parks in Pinellas County.
Prepare your van for Snowbirding
Van Build Considerations
Plan to follow the good weather? Great idea! But, as they say, expect the best, plan for the worst. In other words: There will be rain. There may even be (god forbid!) snow, scorching heat, the works, really. Best to prepare for that stuff. And a good time to start is when you’re building your van (or selecting a previously built van).
Insulation: Where insulation is concerned, we believe in a happy medium. If you insulate every square inch, your van will be warm in winter. But when the summer heat gets in (which it will) it will stay. Here’s what we did:
Floor & Roof: We are happy with our floor insulation, a 4 inch thick sheet of polyiso We lightly insulated the roof, too, adding a layer of Reflectix between the wood ceiling and the roof. (Remember to leave a gap with Reflectix. It only works if there’s an air pocket between it and the thing it is insulating. Cramming it between stuff doesn’t actually do much.)
Sides: We made Reflectix window covers backed in black fabric (Crucial as our van, Stevan, has MANY windows). And we also have a windshield screen that reflects heat. We did not insulate the sides much. This makes for a “3 season van.”
Generally, our van is cooler than the temperature outside, but we need to park it in the shade and use our window covers to keep it that way. It is warm enough for happy vanning down to 30 or so degrees. In winter conditions, it’s bearable-ish, but it isn’t great. If you plan to stay warm in colder winter conditions consider insulating more.
Inside Space
No matter how much you enjoy the outdoors, there will be times you really need your van’s inside space to work. Imagine the worst weather situation you can: days of torrential rain, a snowstorm. Would you be okay hanging out inside if you needed to? This question is not hypothetical; it will happen. Design your van for the worst days.
For example, our front seat swivels to give us a little sitting room. And the bed has comfy, lounge-y pillows for exactly those kinds of days. A table/desk or workspace is another feature you might want to build in for those rough weather inside-forever days.
Fan Hot weather is not always your friend. It can be oppressive, especially if you have pets. If you want to be comfortable on the road, a ceiling fan is not optional. We use our Maxxair fan every single day. In addition, we have a 12v clip-on fan for extreme heat. It was a game changer when we were snowbirding in the Florida heat.
Weather-Related Gear
Now that you’ve built your van for three seasons, turn your attention to gear that will make snowbirding easy. Plan to manage extreme heat and some degree of winter cold. Those deserts will throw it all at you! Here are a few items that stretch our ability to enjoy the weather wherever we are.
Sleeping bags. We have high quality sleeping bags that we use quite a bit… and they squoosh down really small when we don’t need them. They are, hands-down, our most important winter van feature. With the addition of our comforter and warm pajamas, we are comfy in bed no matter how cold it gets. But the mornings can be a bit rough when it’s below freezing.
Awning In the desert or in heavy rain, we really enjoy our Roam Awning. It was a big splurge (well, a birthday present actually) and it doubles our living space in hot or rainy weather.
Screenhouse Bug season is for real! When we set out, we weren’t sure we’d use a screenhouse, so we bought a cheapish one. Turns out that it is great in buggy weather! We use it a lot in spring time… and in the upper midwest (Looking at you, Wisconsin!) In addition, a screenhouse gives you added living space in good weather. During weeklong stays in the desert, we used it like a living room. Makes being a snowbird a bit cushier, we think!
Clothing Make sure to pack as we would for a backpacking trip: with layers! We have cold weather clothes: puffy coats, long underwear, mittens, wool hats, washable wool long sleeve shirts and sweatshirts, wool socks and comfy fleece slippers. …And we have hot weather clothes: Bathing suits, t-shirts, sun hats and light weight long sleeve shirts. In addition, we have rain gear, sandals and waterproof hiking boots, even an umbrella. Sure, this gear takes up a bit of room, but with it, we are able to manage whatever weather the road throws our way– and (mostly) enjoy it!
Have a Great Winter!
Snowbirding in a van is a great way to spend a challenging season on the road. Staying warm in winter is definitely easier when you head south. The states of the Southwest US, especially Arizona, cater to the needs of snowbirds with many free and cheap places to camp and endless, desert vistas. Texas is another good snowbirding option. And Florida, though more difficult to manage in a van, is a beautiful consistently warm place to spend the winter.
Wherever you go, keep in mind that, the weather can throw you a couple of curve balls. But if you are prepared for them, winter can be a great time to be on the road.
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