Polish van lifer explores some of the least visited US states, checking into the world’s largest truck stop in Iowa along the way – complete with 900 parking spaces, cinema and dentist

Ever heard of Wasta, South Dakota?

Well, neither did 32-year-old globetrotter Eva zu Beck before she set out on an epic road trip to explore some of the least visited states in America.

In a new YouTube video, Eva begins her journey with a tour of Wasta, explaining that the small town has only 65 full-time residents and the limited spread of facilities, including a gas station, motel and characterful bar.

A resident she meets at the bar named Jerry, who owns a farm and a barn, reveals that crime is not a problem in the north central state as a whole and that the most important values ​​are: ‘family, religion and freedom.’

When asked if people should come see South Dakota and some of the smaller communities, Jerry says, “I would encourage them to explore South Dakota, but I hope they leave their values ​​behind and don’t move to South Dakota with the wrong implications. values ​​here.

‘Respect the environment and you will have a good time in South Dakota.

‘We have ‘The land of infinite diversity’, is the state motto. It is beautiful here and we enjoy every day.’

Another local Eva who speaks to Crystal describes South Dakota the same way as Jerry. She muses: ‘[It’s] peaceful, serene and the wide open spaces are priceless. It’s also a very diverse state.”

After checking out of Wasta, Eva is seen visiting one of South Dakota’s biggest attractions; the Wall drugstore.

According to the store websiteit started as a place that sold free ice water and today, more than “two million visitors a year stop at the popular roadside attraction for a meal or activity, 5-cent coffee and ice water – which is still free.”

Filming herself walking through the cavernous drugstore, Eva is clearly bewildered by the place.

She tells viewers, “So what exactly is Wall Drug? I’m still trying to wrap my head around it, but it’s basically kind of a truck stop, but more of a theme park, slash souvenir shop, slash novelty shop, slash restaurant [stop]’

The other offerings include “art galleries and all kinds of crazy Americana vibes.”

In one clip, a wall of stuffed animals can be seen, while in another, an animatronic dinosaur installed in the store roars at Eva.

Despite the randomness, Eva describes Wall Drug as “amazing” and seems to enjoy her visit to “the most famous store in the middle of nowhere in all of America.”

The next state Eva visits on her video tour is Iowa.

She says this is a state she’s only heard about because of its corn and agriculture, “but that doesn’t necessarily mean [for its] natural beauty.’

The avid traveler decides to visit one of the state’s biggest attractions, the largest truck stop in the world.

Iowa 80 in Walcott sits on a 225-acre parcel with 100,000 square feet of retail space, 900 parking spaces and serves approximately 5,000 customers per day.

As Eva enters the building, she says, “So this truck stop, as soon as you walk in, it’s just huge. It’s absolutely huge.

‘And at first glance it feels a bit like a souvenir shop. But if you look a little deeper, it has a lot of infrastructure and a lot of other things that you could probably do, I think you could enjoy yourself here for at least 24 hours.”

Walking around the truck stop, Eva discovers an impressive mix of services, including a dentist, a driver’s lounge, a movie theater, a chiropractor, a “quite large” laundromat, an arcade, and a hairdresser.

After giving the visitor attraction a try, the travel professional, who has more than 843,000 followers on Instagram, says: “So for me, as a European, there are a lot of things about this truck stop that are just… astonishing.

‘And size is certainly one of them, because we simply don’t have such large truck stops anywhere in Europe, you know?

“But the craziest thing I just learned is that this truck stop hasn’t closed once in 59 years.

‘Not once. I mean, that just goes to show how essential transportation and trucking are to the world we live in today.

‘I received a sticker and it certainly deserves a place on the wall of fame.’

Before Eva leaves the truck stop, she discovers a dog wash and decides to give her dog Milk a cleaning.

As she continues her road trip east, Eva tells viewers that her visits to lesser-known states like South Dakota and Iowa were “pretty eye-opening.”

She concludes, “After all, this is the heart of the US, the areas that produce the most crops, the lands that feed the nation, the highways that connect two sides of a vast and diverse continent.

‘You can not ignore it. It’s better to embrace it. As far as traveling here goes, I think as long as you have people to talk to and learn from, any place can become a pretty fascinating travel destination.

‘After all, traveling is not just about places, but about the people you meet along the way.’

After a year and a half of traveling around the US in a van, Eva reveals in a new YouTube that she has decided to return to Europe to find a more permanent base.