So… we booked a cruise. In 2019. It was canceled due to Covid restrictions days before the scheduled March 2020 sailing. We rebooked twice, and the third time was to be the charm, just in time for our 30th wedding anniversary.
Since we had gotten away from commercial travel in favor of Van Life since the original cruise booking, we decided we could still get some van time in before hitting the high seas. We drove the van down to Galveston via back roads as much as possible, planning to camp on the beach in Galveston Island State Park.
Well, it turns out that “on the beach” means different things to different people. We anticipated being on the sand, waves lapping gently up to our campfire while we roasted marshmallows and watched the sun dip below the horizon. OK, not so much. Our “primitive” campsite was a paved pad alongside many other paved pads, a short hike over a sand dune from the waterfront. The hike wasn’t a big deal, but the water was not even within view of our campsite (or any of the other primitive sites).
Not to be deterred, we went for a walk along the seashore, played in the waves, and headed back to the van for dinner. In the quickly spreading darkness, we made a campfire and set up our chairs around it. Sweat began seeping through our shirts, and mosquitos beat us to dinner… choosing to dine on us! So did the creepy crawly bugs in the grass next to our chairs. Honestly, it was a little bit UGH, which probably explains why we were one of only two campers in the primitive section! BUT, here’s the thing. It finally hit us. WHY we were suffering outside in the Texas heat, being eaten alive, trying to cook in the dark with no beach view or sunset to enjoy, when we had the van???
So, we moved our whole operation inside (except for the fire) and enjoyed dinner in the air conditioned, bug free interior of the van. We used the generator to keep the AC running the whole night so we could read, binge watch Netflix, and chill in comfort. The next morning, with fewer bugs around, we managed to get in another beach walk before cleaning up and heading to the cruise terminal. Our cruise ship cabin might have been bigger than the van – but not by much!