Outland Adventures

  Abandoned Wonders: Exploring Forgotten Places There’s something oddly captivating about places that time forgot. 🏚️ When you spend as much time on the road as we do, you start noticing them everywhere—old motels with faded neon signs, boarded-up diners that probably served a thousand cups of coffee a day, and quiet little towns where the main street feels frozen in another decade. These abandoned places aren’t just empty buildings. They’re stories. Traveling in Wildebeest , our trusty 1990 Ford E350 shuttle bus conversion , we’ve rolled past more forgotten places than we can count. Some sit quietly along backroads, slowly surrendering to weeds and rust. Others are tucked just outside thriving small towns, like ghosts of a previous era watching life move on without them. The Allure of the Forgotten Part of the magic of RV travel is that you’re not limited to the big tourist stops. Sometimes the most interesting discoveries happen when you take the slower road and stumble ont...

  The Great Roadside Snack Test Thursday, March 5 – Outland Adventures There are two types of road trip people: The ones who pack sensible snacks… And the ones who slam on the brakes when they see a neon sign shaped like a hotdog. You already know which ones we are. As full-time travelers, we pass hundreds of diners, snack shacks, gas station grills, and mysterious “World Famous” food stops. Some look questionable. Some look legendary. Some look like they haven’t changed since 1974—and that’s either a red flag or a glowing review. So we decided to put them to the test. Welcome to The Great Roadside Snack Test . 🧪 The Official (Very Scientific) Rating System Every stop gets judged on: ⭐ Flavor (obviously) 🧂 Seasoning confidence 🧼 Cleanliness vibes 💵 Price vs. portion 🚐 “Would we pull Wildebeest over again?” No mercy. No nostalgia bias. Just honest, road-weary tastebuds. 🍔 Stop #1: The Neon Burger Barn You know the place. Giant glowing cow on t...

  Hidden Gems of the Midwest Tuesday, March 3 – Outland Adventures When most people think about travel, they think beaches, mountains, or big cities with skylines that scrape the clouds. But some of our favorite places? They don’t make the brochures. They’re tucked between cornfields. Sitting quietly along two-lane highways. Blink-and-you-miss-it towns with one gas station, one diner, and one really weird statue no one can quite explain. The Midwest is full of hidden gems — and we live for finding them. The Towns You Almost Drive Past You know the kind. Population: 642. One flashing stoplight. A mural on the side of a brick building that hasn’t changed since 1978. And somehow? It ends up being the highlight of the week. These towns aren’t trying to impress anyone. They’re just… themselves. Local cafés where the pie is homemade. Antique stores packed floor to ceiling. A barber shop that still uses a striped pole out front. We’ve learned that if something makes us ...

Outland Adventures Blog: March 2026 Schedule A new month is here, and we’ve got a full lineup of travel stories, tips, and quirky roadside discoveries coming your way! We post every Tuesday and Thursday , so those are the days to check in for something new. Want to follow us elsewhere? linktr.ee/outlandadventures March Schedule Tuesday, March 3 – Hidden Gems of the Midwest Discover offbeat small towns and roadside attractions that often get overlooked by travelers. Thursday, March 5 – The Great Roadside Snack Test We hit up quirky roadside diners and snack shacks—what’s worth stopping for, and what to skip. Tuesday, March 10 – Abandoned Wonders: Exploring Forgotten Places From shuttered motels to ghost towns, these are the eerie spots with stories to tell. Thursday, March 12 – Spring Kickoff: RV Life Prep Tips for getting your rig ready for the first spring adventure of the year. Tuesday, March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day Mini Road Trip Green beers, charming parades, and festive stops...

  How We Find Interesting Stops Between Destinations Finding hidden gems is one of our favorite parts of traveling. Some of the best memories come from unplanned stops, quirky roadside attractions, or charming little towns we stumble upon. Over the years, we’ve developed a few tools, tricks, and habits that help us uncover local treasures between destinations—and we’re excited to share them with you! 1. Use Apps Beyond GPS While Google Maps is great for getting from point A to point B, we often dive deeper with apps like Roadtrippers , Atlas Obscura , and TripAdvisor . These platforms highlight unusual attractions, local landmarks, and even small-town festivals you might otherwise miss. One more that I think gets easily missed and we use often- Facebook Events . We've found local library book sales, festivals, field days, etc just checking on Facebook. 2. Follow Local Recommendations We love checking out local visitor centers , small-town newspapers , and community bulletin ...

Mooch Docking in NE Tennessee! Life in a Shuttle Bus Conversion: What Surprised Us Most When we decided to move into a 1990 Ford E350 Shuttle Bus conversion (affectionately named Wildebeest ), we knew it would be different. We had spent 15 months living in Brunilda , our 1991 Chevy G20 van , so we knew what tiny-life challenges looked like. Wildebeest was an upgrade in space, but even with the extra room, surprises awaited. Here’s what caught us off guard — both the challenges and the perks — of life in a former EMS mobile command unit turned tiny home on wheels. 🚐 1. How Little Space We Actually Need You hear it all the time in the RV world: “You don’t need as much as you think you do.” After living in Brunilda , we thought we had a handle on minimalism . Moving into Wildebeest was bigger — more room to stretch, more storage, and a vastly more functional kitchen. But even with that extra space, living in a bus still forces intentionality. If it doesn’t serve a purpose or...