With the purchase of his bright orange 1976 VW Westfalia, outdoor photographer James Barkman set off immediately to travel the nation. Ever since he's been all over the place on his trusty Yellow Submarine, he lives in the west of the United States and travels there frequently to go surfing, climbing, and snowboarding.

Yet, he has also travelled as far north as Tofino, British Columbia, and south as Mexico, 500 miles from the border. I don't keep track of mileage, he says. Instead, he keeps track of how many times the van's engine has been swapped out.

Read Before Leaving

Barkman just made his first trip to Wyoming by car. His favourite place is an old-fashioned truck stop restaurant on the road, so he naturally made a pit stop at one. After several hours on the road, he took a detour to a hot spring to relax his mind and body.

While such discoveries may be made by chance, Barkman prefers to plan and learn as much as possible about his travel destinations and the areas he would be passing through. He argues that plunging into knowledge on the web and reading all you can find is the best way to learn.

Barkman spent hours poring over maps and atlases, marking the quaint seaside villages and scenic parks he planned to see on his upcoming vacation to New England.

Carry Your Maps Off The Grid

Most of us now turn on Google Maps to locate anything from campsites to cafes. Everything is fine until you lose mobile service. When Barkman goes somewhere, he knows he won't have service; he downloads the entire region on Google Maps to utilize it without an internet connection.

Ensure your phone has enough capacity since larger maps might be more than a gigabyte. Barkman's go-to app for regional and local mapping needs is now Maps. Barkman claims offline maps provide the essentials and download faster over a cellular connection than Google Maps, and you may download a larger region than with Google Maps.

The Finest Hotspot Is Your Phone

Barkman uses the mobile hotspot on his smartphone to continue working while travelling. "I've never had another hot spot for everyday use," he says. "Most of the activities I need to do on my phone can be accomplished with the data I have on my phone."

Whenever Barkman wants to transfer a sizable file via Wi-Fi, he usually makes a beeline for the nearest Starbucks. "Starbucks is always the call for me and other itinerant geeks since there is always a Starbucks nearby, and they always offer decent free Wi-Fi."

When Barkman travels to isolated locations, he brings a satellite hot spot. For his internet needs, he subscribes to Somewear Labs, which, when combined with a smartphone, allows him to send text messages to any location in the United States or Canada and emails to any location in the world.

Engage Strangers

Barkman enjoys striking up conversations with locals wherever his travels take him. These often lead him to life-changing adventures. Although he encounters people wherever he goes, he has found that others with similar interests prefer to congregate in the same locations he does, such as pubs, restaurants, ski resort parking lots, and trailheads.

Finding common ground and actively listening to the experiences of others are two easy methods to start discussions with strangers, two things Barkman recommends for those who find it difficult to do so on their own.

Go In Search Of A Park And Ride

Barkman's impulsive travelling style often means he parks far from his intended overnight location. He advises that if you must spend the night in a place that isn't an approved camping location or where camping is forbidden, you should blend in as much as possible. I put up all the shades and attempted to be conservative with the lighting. Park-and-ride lots are his go-to camping site. You can locate them with little effort on the internet, and he's never had any problems throughout his brief stays there.

Become A Burrito Expert

A simple diet that doesn't necessitate a lot of dishes is ideal for a nomadic lifestyle. Barkman adds, "As long as I don't have to clean dishes, I don't care what it is." His Westfalia has a sink, but he never uses it since "it's little and bothersome." Consider alternatives such as toast with mashed avocado if you're feeling fancy.

Barkman proudly proclaims, "I'm a huge burrito person." Beans, avocado, eggs, and meat, usually wild game, are staples in his kitchen. He likes storing meat like deer and elk during hunting season and eating it all year.