Picture this: It’s 9 PM, we’re leaving for Canada in less than 12 hours, and we’re frantically realizing our “perfect” packing system might not be so perfect after all. Sound familiar, fellow travelers?
If you’ve ever found yourself in a last-minute packing panic, wondering if you’ve forgotten something crucial (spoiler alert: you probably have). We’re taking you behind the scenes of our final prep night before heading to Canada – and trust us, it wasn’t nearly as smooth as we’d hoped it would have been with the hours of planning we put into it.
The “Oh Crap” Moments That Every Traveler Knows
Despite our meticulous checklists and detailed planning, we managed to forget some pretty essential items. Batteries for our devices? Almost left without them. Diesel exhaust fluid (i.e. DEF) for our van? Nearly overlooked that too. And don’t even get us started on the insurance cards that were literally expiring the day we planned to leave.
“Worst thing to be out in the middle of nowhere and then have your remote die,” we realized as we scrambled to grab spare batteries. It’s these real moments – the ones that don’t make it into the polished travel blogs – that we wanted to share with you.
Testing Our Systems (And Our Sanity)
One of the biggest questions we had was whether our storage solutions would work when put to the test. We’d spent weeks planning our organization system, but adding that last-minute diesel fluid container and extra food storage? That’s when theory meets reality.
Trying to fit everything while maintaining our organizational system became a bit of a comedy show. I was probably a little over-ambitious, thinking I had time to design and sew a custom food storage bag for our trip. Time ran out, leading to a last-minute switch to a Kelty organizer that actually ended up working better than expected.
The Van Anniversary We Almost Missed
Here’s something that made this trip extra special – we discovered our van insurance expires the day we leave, which means that day marks our one-year since we purchased the van! Talk about timing.
This trip is the perfect way to celebrate our van anniversary!
Real Van Life: Where 9 PM Packing Sessions Happen
Let’s be honest – if we were full-time van lifers, we probably wouldn’t be packing at 9 PM the night before a big trip. But that’s the reality for many of us who van life part-time while managing regular life responsibilities.
The frenetic energy of last-minute prep, the forgotten items, the “will this actually fit?” moments – it’s all part of the authentic van life experience that doesn’t always make it into the highlight reels.
What’s Coming Next
Ready to see the reality behind the van life planning? This gives you an unfiltered look at pre-trip preparations, complete with forgotten items, and our custom storage solutions that kind of work.
Check out our complete Maritime Canada journey:
Check out our latest video on our YouTube channel and let us know in the comments what you always forget when packing for trips!
Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the actual Canada adventure – because after all this prep, we’re dying to know if it actually works.
