In October, I left for my first solo road trip: driving through six states for two weeks in a van.Before hitting the road, I asked other people living in vans for their advice. I used one nomad's top tip everywhere: park facing the campground exit for a quick getaway.

In the weeks leading up to my first solo road trip, I called up a handful of experienced nomads and sought out their advice.

While I've traveled by myself plenty of times, this two-week trip would be my first journey alone on the road. I planned to cross six states, cover 3,000 miles, and do it all by myself.

And if solo trips have taught me anything, it's that every adventure, destination, and method of travel is different.

So while I have my own strategies for tackling solo trips, I wanted to hear what experienced travelers living in vans would recommend.

Their advice was invaluable, but one tip stuck out.

The author's van backed into a campsite.




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One woman living in a van recommended always facing your vehicle toward your campground's exit

I spoke to seven women who shared a plethora of advice. Everyone agreed I should listen to my gut. They recommended sharing my location with friends and family and having a plan in place if something went wrong.

Hearing these tips was a welcome reminder. But many of them were just that, a reminder.

When I spoke to Christian Schaffer, she mentioned something that hadn't crossed my mind when it came to traveling in a van.

"I'm parked facing my exit," Schaffer, a 38-year-old digital nomad who has lived in a van for more than four years, said. "When it gets dark out or when I'm going to sleep, I'll make sure that I have everything somewhat in a position that if something happens, I can just take off, and I don't have a really difficult exit."

The author's van parked at a campsite outside Taos, New Mexico.




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I pulled into my first campsite with Schaffer's advice on my mind

I left Denver in my Ram ProMaster and headed to Taos, New Mexico.

Just as I arrived at my campground for the night, the sun was setting.

I pulled into my campsite and initially parked facing away from the exit. Then, I remembered Schaffer's advice.

It took me just a minute or two to reposition my van toward the exit.

As I scoped out the small campground, I realized I didn't have cell service, and there wasn't another vehicle in sight.

I initially thought I'd love the isolation, but I soon realized it was a bit unsettling for my first night in the van.

Knowing that my van was positioned for a quick getaway gave me a boost of confidence. I knew it was extremely unlikely an emergency would force me out of the campground, but my preparation helped ease my mind.

Plus, the task of preparing took just a minute or two. This didn't matter as I was getting settled for the night, but in the event of an emergency, I realized a minute could make all the difference.

So for the next two weeks, I listened to Schaffer's advice and always strategically parked.