Nomadland: Nevada to the Badlands

Fern's story begins in Empire, Nevada, a company town of the US Gypsum Corporation. In the film she loses her job when the plant closes in 2011; she had worked there for years with her husband, who recently died. The real plant shut on 31 January 2011, eliminating 95 jobs, and left a large shuttered plant that made the town seem almost like a ghost town. The film was partly shot in Empire, and Fern comes back at the end to the factory and the home she shared with her husband.

Location precision: The film does not single out one building; the pin marks the town of Empire, not the plant itself.

Fern's friend Linda invites her to a desert rendezvous in Arizona organized by Bob Wells, a real van-dweller who plays himself in the film. There Fern learns basic survival and self-sufficiency skills for the road. At a later gathering the nomads pay tribute to Swankie's life by tossing stones into the campfire. Wells's real Rubber Tramp Rendezvous is held in Quartzsite each January; by 2018 it had drawn over 3,000 participants.

Location precision: The film says only "a desert rendezvous in Arizona"; the pin marks Quartzsite, home of Bob Wells's Rubber Tramp Rendezvous.

Visitor guidance: The Rubber Tramp Rendezvous takes place in Quartzsite each January; Quartzsite is a popular RV camping area for winter visitors.

Fern takes a job as a camp host at the Cedar Pass Campgrounds in Badlands National Park, South Dakota. Dave, a nomad she met and danced with at the desert gathering, works there too. When he falls ill and has emergency surgery, Fern visits him in hospital. The park protects sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles, and Cedar Pass is one of its two campgrounds, beside a lodge with modern cabins and full-service dining.

Visitor guidance: Cedar Pass is one of two campgrounds in Badlands National Park; the nearby lodge offers cabins and dining.

Fern and Dave take restaurant jobs at Wall Drug, the roadside attraction in Wall, South Dakota. One night Dave's son turns up looking for him, saying his wife is pregnant and asking him to meet his grandchild. Fern encourages him to go; Dave suggests she come along, but she declines. The film also has its main characters visit the dinosaur statue, an 80-foot brontosaurus sculpture. Wall Drug still offers free ice water.

Visitor guidance: Wall Drug is a roadside attraction in the town of Wall; free ice water is still on offer.

Fern later visits Dave and his son's family in Point Arena, California, where Dave has decided to stay with them long-term. He admits to having feelings for her and invites her to stay permanently in a guest house, but she leaves after only a few days, heading to the ocean. The town is built around Arena Cove, a small natural harbor.

Location precision: The film names the town but not the house; the pin marks the centre of Point Arena.

Visitor guidance: Point Arena is built around Arena Cove, a small natural harbor.