7+ Reasons Why Denver is Great for Digital Nomad Van Life This Summer (2023)
Technically, I live in Denver and grew up here. However, I’ve visited 45 of the United States, love road trips and work online. Denver is a great temporary home base for digital nomads looking to experience a digital nomad friendly city with access to the outdoors. Finally, Denver is great for van life especially during the warmer months of the year.
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You’ll find that you don’t have to spend a lot of time explaining van life here in Denver-people get it. In fact, I’m counting on the fact that there are locals reading this post too and looking to see if they agree with the examples I’ll share about why Denver for digital nomad van life this summer.
Denver is a Great Home Base
If you’re a digital nomad deciding on your US summer base, Denver is a fantastic place to hangout for awhile. There are so many reasons why and I thought I would share a few of them below.
- Access to an international airport with direct flights to numerous locales around the world. Denver International Airport is a 37 minute train ride from the airport to Union Station or vice versa.
- So many freaking things to do in town. I’m happy to report that Denver is back to its pre-COVID vibes. There are so many things to do in Denver and I often find myself trying to decide between 3 or 4 fun things to do on the same day. During the summer there are a number of activities that you can take advantage of ranging from roller skating around town with Denver Urban Skate, riding bikes through town with Denver Cruiser Ride or Viva Streets Denver or catching a baseball game at Coors Field. Farmers markets, live music, hiking and more round out that list.
- If you live within walking distance of the light rail, it’s super easy to get around town. Or, you could opt to live close to downtown.
- The weather is usually pretty nice. It’s important to note that the entire western United States has been dealing with a massive drought, so it will likely be dryer than you’re used to if you’re from a humid location.
- There is (finally) a consistently good food scene. BUT, please do not compare the food here to the following cities: Los Angeles, Portland, New Orleans, Chicago or New York. Not a reasonable comparison. I will say that I love the current energy that is happening around the food styles: Asian, African and Mexican. Please note: Colorado Mexican food is not the same as Southern Californian (SoCal) Think more like the food that you would find in New Mexico.
Rent an RV
If you’re looking to explore the state of Colorado throughout the summer, Denver is a great launching point for those adventures. One thing I love is the availability of so many RVs and camper vans in the Denver metro area via Outdoorsy. If you want to fly in, have a license and a great driving record you can rent an RV or camper van and explore the state. Don’t forget to purchase insurance for your rental. Click here for more details about van insurance coverage.
Denverites Work to live
We don’t live to work. We like to make our money and then do other things. I think this approach to living really lends itself to making the city welcoming to people who are on long visits as they make their way across the US.
Denverites are Friendly
I can’t emphasize this enough Coloradans are really friendly. It can be a little unnerving to experience if you’re not used to random conversations with strangers in coffee shops, long conversations at events with people new to you and dancing at a concert with strangers. We’re not overbearing, but, we are consistently friendly and I’ve had friends from other states confirm that this has been their experience when in town.
Join a Meetup group, workout with The November Project or just become a regular at a coffee shop. It’s pretty easy to meet people participating in these activities. I even give some tips on how to make friends in Denver in a previous short podcast episode.
Great Access to Internet
Digital Nomads and remote workers are always making sure that they have access to the internet. Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to find places to work around town that have consistently good internet access. From local coffee shops to great co-working spaces.
Denver is Close to Numerous World Class Destinations
If you love the mountains, wild untamed outdoors beauty and would like to live in some of the most beautiful spots in the United States, Denver is a fantastic home base. I regularly go on road trips to the following destinations:
- Breckenridge
- Salida
- Crested Butte
- Winter Park
- Telluride
- Taos
- Santa Fe
This summer I’m also heading to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a retreat. There are a few towns that I don’t consider destinations and think of more like suburbs or an extension of the Denver Metro area. Those towns include: Boulder, Colorado Springs, Golden and Fort Collins. Those towns are between 40-85 minutes away from Denver depending on traffic.
Road Trips as a Black Woman in Colorado
One of the most reassuring things about taking a road trip throughout the state is that the main roads are freaking busy. Colorado is wildly popular and that translates to pretty busy highways throughout the state. I’ve never gone to a Colorado town and been the only Black person in the town. HOWEVER, some towns (depending on time of year) I may be one of a few Black people in town. I’ve never had a problem in the towns that I’ve listed above. But, I clearly can’t guarantee that a visit will be problem free. We’re dealing with humans.
Denver has Tons of Co-Working Spaces
I use a great product called Deskpass. I’m able to reserve a spot at my favorite co-working spaces around town. There are so many interesting spaces in Denver and I definitely have a number of favorites that I’ve had a chance to work from. Here are a few of my favorite spaces in Denver.
- VentureX-I actually like all of the locations in Denver.
- Candy Factory CoWorking
- WeWork Union Station and Financial House Locations
- TARRA (stunning space)
- Alchemy Creative Workspace
Each one of these spaces are very easy to get to, have unique communities and I think all offer coffee and have solid internet connectivity.
Denver is Friendly to Content Creators
Besides being pretty friendly to small businesses, Denver is very welcoming to content creators. Most people have somewhat of an understanding of nomad life, content creation and how people are leveraging their skills to grow a content creation business. You’ll find most residents to be very accepting and interested in the type of work you’re doing. They may also share cool events, activities and resources.
Denver’s Weather is Consistently Pretty Nice
I’m at the point now where I troll people on Twitter by sharing. videos as I walk around pointing out that there’s no snow. While I hate how mild our weather has gotten, it’s hard to argue with how nice the weather is throughout the year. I even enjoy working from patios all year long on nice days. As far as the best time to visit, I think it really depends on the types of activities you’re interested in.
- Fall-September and October are two of my favorite months. Not too hot, you may get a random snow day and there’s so much to do. Denver Startup Week, The Great American Beer Festival and football kicks off again.
- Winter-October(ish)-April. Yes, you read that correctly. But, don’t freak out. I lived in upstate New York for 4 years and when I tell you that Colorado’s winter is incredibly mild in comparison-believe me. And you can hang out in the mountains and go skiing/snowboarding. In 2022, I drove down to Santa Fe and Taos (New Mexico) basically, the winters here are very manageable and the snow melts quickly
- Spring-Technically, it begins in March but we get the most snow in March and April. So, we’ll have a large snow storm then it will melt and then we’ll have a whole bunch of really cool events. Spring type weather basically ends mid-June.
- Summer-July through Mid-September. Hot as hell, potential for wildfires. Not a lot of rain in recent years, but if it does rain it usually happens in the afternoon. There are so many fun things to do at this time of year.
Some Downsides to Denver
There are a lot of upsides to spending time in Denver, but I think it’s important to share some of the downsides.
- Lack of water-If you’re a beach baby, water person, Colorado will likely be too dry for you. You will find yourself moisturizing all the time. Lip balm, lotion and drinking water all day long.
- Fire season during the summer-I’m always crossing my fingers and hoping that we don’t have a bad fire season. By bad, I mean, seeing the smoke and fire in the distance.
- So many people in the mountains-This is a blessing and a curse. I’m so excited that people are enjoying the mountains and the outdoors. But, there are so many freaking people!
- Cost of Living-Denver is not a cheap city to live in. You have to really think about your budget and how it will change as you live in Denver. It’s likely that you’ll find yourself participating in a lot of activities and experiences that might not be available in the previous town that you were in.
- Diversity-Unfortunately, Denver is not as diverse as other cities. But, it’s next to Aurora which is one of the most diverse cities in the United States.
Denver is Great for Van Life
If you’re looking to spend a couple of months in Colorado and looking for a great starting home base to launch your Colorado adventures-Denver is a great place to start. Spend your time exploring the state, meeting new people and having a good time.