A tourist who went on a trip in a van named her biggest mistake and warned others

Traveler Monica Humphreys set out on a 13-day RV trip to enjoy a solitary vacation that would share the long road and nature. She left Colorado in a Ram ProMaster and on the first night stayed in a familiar area where she had already vacationed with friends.

It seemed like a good idea until she was faced with a lack of connection. Monica told Insider why it's better not to neglect access to text messages and calls on the first night.

Previously, the traveler had been camping on a lawn with friends, so she felt safe and had little concern about the connection.

When she found herself in the same place in the middle of nature alone, she felt that this could become a problem. She used her satellite phone to let her family know she was safe, but it was not enough.

Monica couldn't sleep, listening to all the noises and checking the van. On the first night, she was not prepared to be completely off the grid.

"Every extraneous sound: the noise of a truck on the road, voices from the neighboring campsite, the cracking of branches on a nearby tree - all of this terrified me. I kept looking out of the van windows to see if anyone was lurking in my campsite. I tried to fall asleep, but I couldn't get the deep sleep my body craved," the traveler complained.

Later, this was no longer a problem for her, as the rest of the trip made Monica give up her phone more than once.

However, in the future, she would make this process of getting used to it slower so as not to be stressed by the sudden deprivation of communication with the outside world, and would not stop in such a remote place on the first day.