Best tools:

iOverlander app – This tool is key! It lets you look for the nearest campsite (or whatever you set it to look for) and once you’ve downloaded the province or state (or multiples) you can use it offline, which is key!!

I set my filters to look for legit campgrounds, and other areas where you can park and camp overnight without issue, and where the closest sani-dump is, and fresh water tap.

And every one of the places on the map has reviews from travellers! So you know if the bugs are hideous, or how much it costs, or what the showers are like, if there is wifi, even if the hosts or owners are nice.

The app (look for it as “iOverlander 2” in the App Store) is absolutely hideous (intrusive ads) until you pay for it. It is subscription based app, so I’m paying a monthly fee of $13 while I’m on the road. This is worth every penny! You can be offline for days and it’ll still know exactly where you are to display the relevant information.

You can also add your apps and verify each place if the information is still valid. I made a few updates and left reviews for everywhere we camped. Then the next time you are on wifi, it’ll sync the database and your submitted content.

BC Backroad Map books – I bought Jeff the full set of these BC road maps. They are very useful! They are organized into sections of BC. While Jeff drives, I navigate (which I argue is a far more stressful role!)

These maps make it easy to follow along the road where you are, and look ahead for rest areas or just interesting things (like the name of the peaks, etc). I found some inconsistencies, especially in northern BC and the Stewart-Cassiar highway, where it said there would be a rest area but there wasn’t. But I imagine keeping all the data of the entire province up to date takes a bit of effort! Overall, I’d recommend these maps. They also have nice metal ringed spines making it easy to flip the page.

Offline Games – No WiFi Games – We both love this app. It is full of games with thousands of levels and it all works with no wifi. I purchased the app (one small payment) to get rid of the ads forever. It’s so handy to just have something on your phone to do when you’re jonesing for wifi but you have none.

My other tips:

• Pack light. You can buy anything anywhere. It is more stressful to sift through too many supplies or too many clothes (I still packed too many clothes). Just do laundry once in a while.
• We prepared almost all our own food. Sometimes a day of snacks and fresh fruit is nicer than a big meal anyway.
• I’m ridiculously terrible at pooping while on the road. I made an accidental discovery – a handful of dried mango slices are 100% better than any prune regimen 😊

Jeff’s advice: slow down more, relax more, don’t have a plan.