One of the most common misconceptions I've encountered when travelling through North America surrounds car camping in suburban areas. Many people seem to feel that creating a super stealth camper and staying hidden is the way to go. While this may be the case for certain unsafe neighbourhoods and no overnight parking areas, we actually found the opposite to be true. As long are your slowly travelling there's a typical rule in States like California that you can park in any roadside for up to 5 nights as long as there are no signs.
"At first I feared they were like all the other tickets and warnings I've received on my vehicles throughout my life. But these were different, they were letters full of positivity and love, thanking us for parking in front of their house, and sending us all the best vibes on the road."
We preferred rustic campsites so would use the IOverlander map for nice rivers, lakes and beach side locations near town. For the rare times we stayed in town we would find a safe quiet street and sleep on the floor with no curtains. By keeping it open we just looked like any other parked vehicle and it invited the neighbours to have a peek and connect. Most times that we camped in cities we woke up to notes on our windshield. At first I feared they were like all the other tickets and warnings I've received on my vehicles throughout my life. But these were different, they were letters full of positivity and love, thanking us for parking in front of their house, and sending us all the best vibes on the road. Others would even offer travel information and advice, or share their amenities. This really blew my mind and painted a whole new picture of American culture. It confirmed for me that the West Coasts culture of peace, love and freedom is still alive and thriving. We felt right at home wherever we went, and this continued into Mexico where we met road angel after road angel. Always smiling, welcoming and carrying the rad flames of stoke. One of the things I enjoy most about travelling is that it proves the voices in our heads wrong and reminds us how happy, peaceful and loving the majority of the Earth's population is. It's so easy to get caught up in the fear what the main stream media is perpetrating and through exploring the earth we find this deeper truth.
