In 2024, van life isn’t limited to months-long excursions and expensive builds stuffed to the gills with fancy equipment. Alternatively, you might find minimalist car camping a lot more fun and fulfilling than staying in a distant hotel. Swap the competitive stress of booking expensive flights, a hotel, and a rental car for the quiet, customizable packing list to hit the road for a few days. You can stay as simple or get as outfitted as you like with this vacay style.

What’s more, car camping doesn’t mean you have to actually cook every meal and otherwise exist at a remote campground. Of course, you can certainly use your car camper to “rewild.” If your agenda is more focused on exploring cities, though, you can limit car camping to sleeping and washing up. In the morning, just hop into the driver’s seat to explore nearby restaurants, shopping, and entertainment.

Steve Moore, the founder of Camp N Car, recently shared several of his own reasons why car camping could be better than hotels for many folks.

Flexibility

Stay anywhere as long or as short as you like without being tied to booking systems. If you want to stay an extra night in a national forest, no sweat. If a place doesn’t feel right, you can easily move on without a large monetary loss.

You have more control

Decide where you go, what you do, and how your space feels. This doesn’t have to remind you of those cramped and uncomfortable family trips from childhood. You can “decorate” your car camper however you see fit, including bedding, string lights or battery-powered paper lanterns, dining vibes, and more. Avoid loud neighbors and uncomfortable or strange-smelling hotel accommodations, like questionable mattresses. Since you’re in control of your car’s vibe, you can customize it to your taste and comfort.

It’s cost-effective (once you’re established)

After the initial setup costs, which could run anywhere from a few hundred bucks to thousands of dollars, you save money by avoiding expensive flights and hotels. You can even park for free in various public lands, including some rest stops and larger commercial parking lots, like Walmart.

Everything you need is in one place

Pack as much or as little as you want, avoiding the stress of forgetting essentials or overpacking. With all your gear in your vehicle, you’ll know you have everything you need and nothing you don’t right there with you.

See more on your trip

Without strict schedules, you can make multiple stops on your own whims. You might even stay longer in interesting places.

Experience local life

Take less-traveled paths and meet locals, escaping the typical tourist routes. Spend time in small, unique areas most travelers miss. This is where you might find the best diner pancakes, quirky museums, or neat little shops.

Get out more often

Once your vehicle is set up, spontaneous weekend trips become easier and less restrictive. This freedom makes frequent, easy travel possible.

Of course, it’s important to make sure your vehicle is fit and reliable enough to avoid repair and maintenance snags. After that, quick-start your car camping season by bringing just the essentials on an overnight trip. Think pillows, blankets, rollup sleeping pad, clothes, cookware, fire tools, lights, backup batteries, and vittles. When you’re ready to upgrade sleeping and storage amenities, you can build or install a pre-fab car camping kit. These convert your truck, SUV, or van into a cozy, well-organized living space when you’re ready to rest.

Watch YouTuber Rob Pelton explain his basic Subaru Crosstrek camper below. The SUV has fold-flat rear seats. He built a simple bed platform out of birch plywood and uses a collapsable storage crate, for instance.