By Gretchen Trumble
In September of 2023, in between shooting elopements in Acadia National Park. Vincent, Yeti, and I took our van to Prince Edward Island for a few days to explore the island. Vincent grew up going to PEI, and I grew up watching Anne of Green Gables so naturally it made sense. We headed across the US/Canadian border and found a little beach on the Bay of Fundy to camp for the night. Upon waking we realized the sand was this deep shade of grey. We made breakfast and headed to PEI. Prince Edward Island is north of Maine, about 6 hours from the border, and its own province. This is the story of us doing Van Life on PEI.
Day 1: Van Life on PEI
We crossed the bridge and found the closest beach we could. The three of us got out and ran all over the beach, chasing each other. We then headed to a lighthouse to camp for the night. 99% of the time, we camp in free or public campsites, which allows us to travel for longer periods because we do not have to pay for lodging. The views were stunning, but the mosquitos were terrible.
Day 2: Van Life on PEI
We headed to the Anne of Green Gables house and museum to tour the place, as one does when visiting PEI. After the museum, we found one of the few restaurants open in the off-season and headed there for lunch. After lunch, we found ourselves at yet another beach.
Day 3: Van Life on PEI
Day 3 we explored the coastline and visited some small village shops along the way. We ended up at this gorgeous beach in the afternoon and watched the tide go out, went on long walks, made dinner, and went to bed.
Day 4: Van Life on PEI
We woke to the ocean sounding so loud, the tide had come in with the sun and it was just a quintessential van life morning, waking up somewhere gorgeous. Drinking coffee watching the sunrise.
We cut our trip a day short because there was a tropical storm headed for Maine and the Maritime provinces and we did not want to get stuck on the island or drive across the 10-mile bridge in high winds. Overall it was a stunning trip. We were surprised that we hit the “off-season” the second week of September but we are excited to go back sometime soon!
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