Episode 7: What is Boondocking? How to Find Free Campsites with Marianne Edwards

So, you’ve heard of boondocking but aren’t quite sure what it is. Or maybe you want to try, but don’t know the best ways to find free campsites. And is boondocking really safe?

In Episode 7 of The Wayward Home podcast, we break down exactly what boondocking is, how to do it, boondocking etiquette and finding water and dump stations while boondocking.

Listen here:

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In this episode, we’ll cover:

How boondocking has changed over the years
The best apps to find boondocking sites
How close you should camp to other people who are boondocking
Boondocking etiquette – pick up your trash!
Is boondocking safe?
Is boondocking getting too crowded?
Where to find water and dump stations when boondocking in your RV

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Who is Marianne Edwards?

Our guest on episode 7 of The Wayward Home podcast is Marianne Edwards, a seasoned boondocker and founder of Boondockers Welcome.

In 1999, Marianne and Randy decided to celebrate the new millennium by quitting their jobs, putting everything into storage and buying a 1986 Roadtrek Class B campervan for $4,000. Their goal was to travel for a year as frugally as possible, without needing to stop and work.

Their total cost for that first year in 2000 was only $7,500, which included fuel food, camping, entertainment, entry fees, repairs and extended-travel medical insurance for Canadians.

A lot of their success in RVing on a budget had to do with boondocking, which Marianne and Randy first learned about in the U.S. They asked questions of fellow travelers and used paper maps to get to the best boondocking sites.

Marianne kept meticulous records of her favorite campsites, which she used to write six boondocking guides called The Frugal Shunpiker’s Boondocking Guides. There are guides for California, Arizona, Utah New Mexico and Texas.

Marianne and her daughter also founded Boondockers Welcome, which for an annual fee you get to park in people’s driveways and on private property as much as you want.

She loves the freedom, spontaneity and beauty boondocking offers, and hope you enjoy it, too!

Links Mentioned in this Podcast:

Here are the links mentioned in Episode 7:

Download my free Boondocking Starter Kit

If you want to get started with boondocking, download my starter kit here:

Other podcast episodes to check out:

Episode 62: The Secret to Zero-Cost Van Life with Van Builder Nate Murphy

The idea of living zero-cost van life may seem too good to be true, but we learn just how possible it is if you select the right van and build it out in a way that allows you to break even, or potentially make a profit, when you sell it a few years down the road. Van builder Nate Murphy tells us how!