A tour of the Eurovan

For anyone unfamiliar with the joy of Eurovan camping, I thought a little pictorial tour might be helpful. I'm traveling in a 1999 VW Eurovan Winnebago Camper. I bought it on E-Bay from a dealer in Atlanta, and drove it home in November 2007. It had 93K miles when I bought it and 98K miles when I started this 2008 road trip (and yesterday it turned over 105K).

Amenities
The interior is equipped with a sink, double-burner propane stove, 3-way refrigerator (AC, DC or propane), propane heater, 12-gallon fresh water tank, 8-gallon gray-water holding tank, two double beds, two folding tables, swivel bucket seats, and a surprising amount of interior storage. The van top pops up to provide plenty of head room to stand while cooking, plus screened windows that unzip for ventilation. Click here for a pictorial review. It is a fairly comfortable set-up, especially for one person. The only thing I don't have is a toilet, and fortunately they're not too hard to find. (I keep a jar handy for emergencies. Click here if you need more info...)

Parking
Mostly, I park at visitor centers, tourist information centers, and rest stops. They're free and quiet and generally have a restroom. Occasionally I'll stop at a truck stop or Wal-Mart; they're also free but tend to be noisy. Free overnight spots are pretty easy to find and easy to use, following a few basic guidelines. If I'm desperate for a shower or WiFi access, I'll pay for spot at a private campground (e.g., KOA, avg. $35/night). Public parks (state, national) are cheaper (avg. $15/night) but more difficult to find and don't have WiFi and sometimes not even showers.

(Photos)

Summary
I often feel like I'm traveling in a space shuttle. The shape and color are somewhat similar, sure, but the bigger reason is that I'm sealed inside this climate-controlled, screened-in, locked-up shuttle craft in which I can see the environment I'm passing through, but don't have to touch it if I don't want to, and nothing out there will be able to get at me. After talking with Dan and Danny (hitch-hikers from Medicine Hat to Calgary), I feel that my trip through Canada so far could just as well have been a movie: pretty pictures seen through my window, but not really experienced. For the last part of this trip, I'm determined to get away from the van and stomp around on the dirt a bit. And talk to more people!