Sleeping in your car...safe? Yay or nay?

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Originally Posted by Allie

Next Saturday I leave for a road trip (spring break), from Arkansas to Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Boston. I am staying with a friend in Boston and for one night in Hartford, have a motel room booked in Rhode Island, but a night or two I have nowhere to stay and honestly, no extra $$$. Soooo...

What do you think? Is it safe to sleep in your car? If so, where would you recommend parking and sleeping? It makes me a bit uneasy but I've got to sleep somehow, and in my car seems like the only way.

ADVICE???

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Don't expect to get much sleep when you are trying to sleep in your car. Comfort is not there. But, use a truck stop (Love's, Pilot, Flyin' J, T/A, Petro, or any large one) and park in a comfortable spot that does have occasional to heavy foot-traffic nearby. You can trust the truckers. It is the other nut cases you will have to worry about. Just be courteous.

In the old days you could park at a small truck stop and leave a wake-up call at the fuel island. Try that anywhere today and they will call the Nut Farm to come and get you.

Do you have, or could you borrow, a small tent and sleeping bag? If so, check out this site, which I saw someone post recently. You may even be able to save yourself the motel fee.

All the reasons for not sleeping in your car, have already been mentioned, and I would concur with them.

Lifey

Check out:

National Geographic Road Atlas - Adventure Edition [Spiral-bound]


and:


Road Atlas - RV & Camping Edition [Spiral-bound]



I have the Adventure Edition and it is wonderful. It will save our butt on our trip, I am sure! It came HIGHLY recommended to me from a experienced Road Tripper that works at R.E.I.

It shows all of the campgrounds in the state. INVALUABLE!

Hi, have been interested in this thread as we are planning a trip from Portland Maine to Florida. I'd like to sleep
in our SUV at some of the truck stops as its about a day trip and 5 hr naps will do us just fine. Is this safety
precaution mostly aimed at cars/SUV's? what about tag-a-long trailers or Class A motorhomes? Do they
provide enough of a barrier for safety concerns.? thanks for your observations. alehar

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I'd say the advice above would apply in pretty much any situation. Rest areas are not good spots for overnight sleeping, because of safety issues, regardless of your vehicle, and overnight stopping is often illegal there too.

Just remember in a camper, you should not be using slide outs/generators, etc when you are stopped at a truck stop or similar parking facilities that are not campgrounds.

Only in Florida, where you will find armed guards at most rest areas, is it safe to stop overnight. In those exceptional cases, you are actually made welcome. But as mentioned above, just any rest area is often not legal and probably never safe. (FL has provided armed guards ever since a family of four was murdered at a rest stop... some time ago.)

Lifey

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Originally Posted by Allie

Next Saturday I leave for a road trip (spring break), from Arkansas to Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Boston. I am staying with a friend in Boston and for one night in Hartford, have a motel room booked in Rhode Island, but a night or two I have nowhere to stay and honestly, no extra $$$. Soooo...

What do you think? Is it safe to sleep in your car? If so, where would you recommend parking and sleeping? It makes me a bit uneasy but I've got to sleep somehow, and in my car seems like the only way.

ADVICE???

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Personally, I wouldn't recommend you sleeping in your car. Like what everyone else here said, you're not only running the risk of getting caught by the police. You're also exposing yourself to unnecessary danger. I'd recommend to try to bring some extra cash and go to a tent camping ground. It's going to be cheaper than spending a night in a motel. Not to mention it'll be so much safer.

Posting a reply to the original poster probably won't help them - it looks like this trip was taken 6 years ago!

Hi, I'm a newbie here. I really enjoyed reading all the input about sleeping in your vehicle. I've been wanting to travel the road for a few years now and I'm finally getting my chance, only problem is, I won't really be working except for the occasional job along the way, so I need to keep my expenses to a minimum, and sleeping in my vehicle will be necessary. I suppose there's another thread on here about what to expect in the way of budgeting when you're driving the road and sleeping in your car, but I will have to look for that later. I am encouraged by lifemagician since I'm a female in my 50's and plan to travel with my 16 yr old daughter.

I have yet to buy my vehicle to travel and I'm wondering if it would be better to buy a van to sleep in, or if a small car that's good on gas would be just as safe and provide as much privacy as a van could. I don't think my current vehicle is that reliable, not that it's given me any trouble, it just has too many miles on it, and I'd feel safer with a newer vehicle. Any input would be helpful. I need to buy a vehicle in the next couple of weeks and I've been very undecided about which would be best if I plan to sleep in my vehicle while on an extended road trip.

There is no way even one person can sleep comfortably in a small car, much less 2. Even a minivan with all the back seats removed is going to be very cramped for 2 people to sleep in.

Hi, and Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum.

Unless you are considering purchasing a brand new vehicle, I suggest you think twice about buying another vehicle for a roadtrip. It is never a good idea to go on an extended roadtrip with an unfamiliar vehicle. You would probably be better off having your current vehicle checked out by a good mechanic with whom you can discuss your plans. A well maintained vehicle is preferable to an unfamiliar vehicle, no matter how many miles it has on the clock. I have read about roadtrip vehicles with a couple of hundred thousand miles, and still going strong.

And as for two of you sleeping, even in a conversion van.... all I can say is, I hope you get on well! It can be most comfortable for one, but with two..... Where will you put all your bits and pieces to make sufficient room? If this were me, I would go on a few weekend and / or week long trips first.

For budgeting tips, check out these threads.

Lifey

I'm sorry if I sound harsh here, but I really question if you have given anywhere near enough thought to the plans you are proposing.

A car does not make a great bed, but it can work for some solo travelers looking for a cheap place to get off the road. As Lifey mentioned, Sleeping in a car is a challenge for 2 people, even if you get a larger vehicle like a van.

The fact that you'd even consider getting a compact car that you'd both sleep in, to me is a big red flag. The issue isn't privacy, its comfort, the ability to get your needed rest, and to actually be able to have any fun!

On top of that, the fact that your co-traveler is your teenage daughter complicates matters even more. Personal space is always needed on a roadtrip, but when teenager children are involved, triple it! I frankly, can't imagine any trip with a teenage child where sleeping in any car is an option, at least not one where you'd finish the trip with good memories.

I'm not trying to kill your dream of getting on the road, but I'd really think long and hard about your plans, and what you will actually get out of it. I have a feeling, you would be much better off if you waited a little while longer to save up some additional funds, or until you can take this trip yourself.

Thank you for your responses, I appreciate your advice. I used the fuel cost calculator on the website to figure out my cost on a 2500 mile trip with a small car getting about 40 miles a gallon and came up with a $300 result. With a car that gets less miles to a gallon, like a van, that would give us more room to sleep (with a rack on top for our stuff), it would cost about $187 more. Figuring about 7 nights, that could be a pretty penny in hotel costs, even with the cheapest rates. If we could manage to sleep in our car, at least a few nights, it would help with the cost.

My daughter and I took a road trip from CO to CA in Feb. 2010. We drove through a horrible snow storm getting out of CO through the mountains, ended up getting lost at the grand canyon after dark and driving for miles in what seemed like a circle, and finally ended up in Las Vegas where we had bid on a room on Priceline, and stayed at the Stratosphere for like $29. It was quite an adventure but we finally made it to San Diego. We bid on another room there, and paid about $27 per night. We had no deadlines to get anywhere, really, just had a lot of fun, tried to rescue a stray dog in Arizona who wouldn't cooperate, haha had a lot of fun with that, and my daughter and I got along great, throughout the whole trip. We were having too much fun on our adventure, I think, to be moody or grouchy. She slept when she was tired so I had solitude at times, which helped with my mood. I love driving a long stretch of road, it is so calming. When she wanted to be in her own little world, she put her earphones on, and since she does online schooling she occupies time with that. We made the trip in my current car, a mid-sized vehicle, and we slept in the car at truck stops a few nights as we went along. It wasn't awful uncomfortable, and the weather was mild (outside of CO), so we did fine in our bucket seats with a blanket. I had made some black curtains that gave us some privacy.

I've contemplated buying a brand new car, and looked at a used 2011 with only 14,000 miles on it and they both have full warranties with roadside assistance, but boy, are new cars expensive these days. I know roadside assistance could be a pain, especially if my cell phone won't work, etc. I will find it necessary to keep my costs down, have to budget well, because we prefer to spend more on recreation and amusement parks than on food and lodging.

Determined Duck

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Originally Posted by DuckInTheLake

Thank you for your responses, I appreciate your advice. I used the fuel cost calculator on the website to figure out my cost on a 2500 mile trip with a small car getting about 40 miles a gallon and came up with a $300 result. With a car that gets less miles to a gallon, like a van, that would give us more room to sleep (with a rack on top for our stuff), it would cost about $187 more. Figuring about 7 nights, that could be a pretty penny in hotel costs, even with the cheapest rates. If we could manage to sleep in our car, at least a few nights, it would help with the cost.

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You might find that your estimate is a little optimistic. I doubt you would get 20 mpg out of a conversion van. I have been advised by many, during my search for a vehicle, to think more like 12 - 15 mpg. And if you then plan to put luggage on top - altering the aerodynamics of the vehicle - you would need to drop that even further.

The only other question I have is, if you do not have the necessary funds to pay for even a cheap motel for the two of you, how are you going to fund an unexpected breakdown? No matter how well the vehicle has been maintained and checked over, it can happen. It happened to me, in Alaska. Three days and $800 for the repairs, before I was on the road again. Meanwhile I had to pay for taxis, accommodation, etc. That was in a well maintained vehicle, completely checked over before departure and only 55000 on the clock.

From your first post....

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I've been wanting to travel the road for a few years now and I'm finally getting my chance, only problem is, I won't really be working except for the occasional job along the way ...

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What sort of work, and where? From what we are hearing down here, work is not exactly plentiful at the moment, in your country. It may not be something on which you want to rely.

As for finally getting the chance.... you might like to note that I was a senior citizen before I ever hit the road in the US. Now, a decade and almost 100000 miles later, I am planning my fifth trip. Why not work and save till you can do it without financial concerns. You may still choose to sleep in your vehicle - as do I - but it will at least be worry free, knowing there is a fund to cover any and all emergencies.

Lifey

If we have waited until we had sufficient money to create a business, RoadTrip America would never have been created. The original co-founder and I decided to launch RTA and all that comes from it with no discernible financial support. The same is true with a number of road trips I've personally embarked upon. For me, the risk of running completely out of money, was part of the appeal... I'm less comfortable with the concept these days, but my basic approach to business decisions hasn't changed all that much. Now, here's a book review about by Jeff Blumenfeld's book "You Want To Go Where?: How to Get Someone to Pay for the Trip of Your Dreams," that you might find interesting. It's not entirely a perfect match for your plans, -- but if you read it -- I think you'll know why I recommended it to you.

The RoadTrip Advisors and Enthusiasts who have responded to your questions have all raised valid and important issues -- and I hope you're able to use their hard-earned advice and expertise -- But there is also something to say for just doing it anyway and see what happens....

Mark

BTW, thanks for welcoming me to RTA.

I was thinking more of a minivan than a conversion van, and the ones I've looked at were listed as 28 mpg highway, and the middle and back seats fold down below the floor,providing an area comparable to a full-sized bed, fine for two people to sleep comfortably. My daughter and I are fairly petite, so we would fit just fine. We certainly aren't strangers to sleeping in a car, and have had our share of fairly comfortable beauty sleep in reclining seats. I just have to decide what I should do, buy a used minivan that won't do as well on gas but will offer a more comfortable place to sleep (and more private, too), or buy a new or nearly new car that does much better on gas, giving us maybe a few more dollars to spend on hotel rooms along the way. It's hard to figure out which would be better. We looked at a car yesterday that does up to 50 mpg on the highway, and boy was that tempting.

I am in the very beginning stages of planning this trip, and I don't even know which way to head first, east or west, but I know I have to do the northern states pretty soon before the snow comes. We can leave Alaska to next summer. I would like to get on the road by the end of October.

Over the years, since I was in my 20's to the present, I've driven to Cali probably 6 times and Florida 3 times, and if I add in my weekly trips somewhere for two or three days just because I love to go, I guess I have a bit more miles experience under my belt than I put on my profile. I remember one trip my daughter and I took to Dallas one time, when she was about 5. I was driving an old 1982 Chevy pickup that swallowed gas and wasn't very reliable. Haha, what a risk I took, but we did fine, and being totally short of funds, we slept in the truck with makeshift curtains to give us privacy. We didn't have the luxury of reclining seats, and I woke up with swollen ankles one morning, but other than that, we did fine. I always chose well-lit truck stops and 24 hour gas stations to park at. No one ever came pounding on the window to ask us to leave. I still had the same truck in 2008, and used it on a trip to Albuquerque, and hit a horrible snow storm on the way back, where I could only drive about 30 mph. Haha, at least it saved on gas! I remember times when we were sleeping in the car that I turned on the motor because it was freezing cold in the middle of the night, falling back asleep and waking later roasting because the heater was on high. Luckily, carbon monoxide didn't do us a job. Oh, does anyone have any advice about safe heating while sleeping in a car? And, how to do this without killing the car battery and being stranded in the morning?

We live in CO, but want to move somewhere warmer, want the ocean an hour or two away. We've thought about moving to CA, FL, or GA, but so many other places could fit the bill, too, we just don't want to settle in and find we live where the humidity is totally unbearable like some places tend to have. Our adventure is to visit the parts of the US that my daughter hasn't seen, and many that neither of us have seen, and we're always in search of the fastest roller coaster ride. We also want to visit the areas we "think" we'd like to live in, spend some time there to see how we truly like it.

I've been a professional for 30 years, and can stop and work along the path, if I absolutely need to. And, now that I really think about it, I guess we have a little something in monthly income to depend on, but not a whole lot. My house will also be up for sale, which means we may have to fly back if I get a buyer, and I'm clear across the country.

Now, about my budget, I have the funds to buy a new or decent small car or a used minivan, and the rest, about $10,000, is for my trip and to also get settled somewhere else. I do want to travel for awhile, plan to be touring the deep South during the winter months, but we want to see the Redwoods in northern Cali and Niagara Falls, the Dakotas, Minnesota and DC and Virginia, and sometime during our adventure see the caverns in NM and the Grand Canyon. I'd like to check ship records to find some ancestors, too. We aren't on a time frame, we're just going to wander, but I need to watch my budget because I won't have a job right away when we settle down. We've slept in our car at Walmart or at truck stops, and have done it a couple nights in a row, just reclining our front seats. It helps to have a small bench that is padded with a folded blanket to put on the floor so our feet don't hang down while we sleep, and push the steering wheel all the way up. I'm thinking if we can spend every other night in the car and spend one night in a hotel room that we bid on, like on Priceline or another like Expedia (we've gotten some really good deals that way, like $29 per night at some nice 3-4 star hotels) or two nights sleeping in the car to every one night in a hotel, we could keep our expenses down. The only thing about some of these nicer hotels is they charge a fortune to park and we had to find a parking spot on the street a block away and walk in the dark, kinda scary, but... We've never stayed at a campsite, and I'm not real keen to outdoor cooking on the road, seems too messy and I don't like cooking anymore, anyway. We can carry those microwavable heat in a bottle soups, and some hotels have kitchens if we need that one hot meal to keep us from going crazy for a decent meal. I'm more of a coffee only for breakfast person, and my daughter isn't big on breakfast, either. We want to spend more on things to do, than on food and lodging.

What kinds of things can a person do to be safe when sleeping in a car besides making sure the doors are locked, valuables are hidden, and putting up curtains for privacy? I'd hate to have a steel bat or something for personal safety, but have it turned against me if someone decided to break in! I guess car alarms might help?

Determined Duck

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I was thinking more of a minivan than a conversion van, and the ones I've looked at were listed as 28 mpg highway

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You will never see 28 mpg in a minivan in the real world.

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We looked at a car yesterday that does up to 50 mpg on the highway, and boy was that tempting.

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You will never see that in the real world either.

My daughter and I have slept in both a small car and a minivan, and being petite, we fit comfortably.

The mpg of a vehicle also depends on what you are carrying in the the vehicle. If we travel light, this will help. We won't have to carry tent equipment, and the heaviest item would be a small cooler for cold drinks, etc. We will just have to watch that we don't carry too many heavy cans, etc, so we don't hurt our gas mileage.

Determined Duck

DuckInTheLake,

It sounds like you have plenty of on the road experience.

One thing you did not mention is the quantity of stuff you plan to bring along. I have used minivans (Some of my best memories are from a 1980 road trip in a 1968 volkswagon van) and they are great but I currently use a hatchback and would recommend a small station wagon if you are not taking a lot of stuff.

I have been taking on and off road trips for over thirty years and the majority of the time I sleep in Interstate Rest Areas. This practice is not recommended on this forum for a number of good reasons. Although I can now afford to stay in motels/hotels, I still use rest areas because it is convenient and it is a tradition I don’t want to give up. I try to stay at campgrounds when it is practical. If car camping, you don't have to erect a tent of cook by campfire; just treat the campground space as a parking space. One of the benefits about campgrounds is the number of great people you will meet. I am not totally anti social but I will not generally start a conversation. Plenty of times the people in the nearby campground will notice that I am not setting up a tent or cooking (I am usually reading one of the travel guides I picked up, writing in a journal or filling out postcards) and come over to talk to me and offer to feed me.

You mentioned a few good ideas about privacy and security at rest areas. I use pieces of cardboard, painted black and cut out to fit the inside of the window as screens. Just like a tent, vehicles are very poor insulators against heat and cold. Research the equipment used by backpackers and look at closed-cell foam mattresses and sleeping bags rated for low temperature. Backpacking equipment is actually great for car camping as they are designed for light weight and space spacing.

I try not to stay at rest areas that are near cities, which is easy since most rest areas are not located near cities. I have only felt uncomfortable about three times and it was just a sixth sense feeling about another car/person in the rest area parking lot. In those cases, I recommend that you listen to your intuition and look for another place to stay. Most rest areas are paired with another stop across the Interstate for traffic going the opposite way. I would rather take the time to drive to the other rest stop then to tempt fate. You will encounter undeveloped rest areas along the highway. They might be as simple as a dirt pull out with a metal trash can or a paved area that is also a posted as scenic viewing area. I strongly recommend that you do not sleep at those types of rest areas.

Another option that is gaining popularity is couch surfing. There are internet sites where you can find people that will let you sleep on their couch and generally all they want is to hear tales of your adventure. I also suggest that you research internet and blog sites of bicyclists traveling cross country. They have lots interesting solutions to finding places to stay the night. One group was generally successful in small towns by asking around and getting permission to camp in churchyards and public parks.

Just to be clear, the reason is that we recommend strongly that people do not sleep in rest areas because there have been many cases of serious and violent crime against travelers.

Rest areas by their nature tend to be a long distance from populated areas and see relatively little patrol. On top of that, their locations right along the a freeway are an ideal target for criminals because it provides the perfect opportunity for a quick getaway. A sleeping traveler is just about a perfect target for a criminal, and putting up shades is practically an invitation that a defenseless victim is inside.

Florida now has armed guards patroling their rest area, because of the murder of several travelers a number of years ago, but almost nowhere else offers such security. There have been several other cases of robbery, rape, and arson throughout the country, and most of those cases are never solved.

I would never tempt fate just for tradition sake, especially since there are so many other options - like truck stops - where you can pull over to sleep, in a much safer environment.

Interesting. I would have thought that putting up shades would not only give you some privacy, but would also make a criminal think twice because they can't see inside to see if they will be dealing with the terminator or minnie mouse, and they might pass up the opportunity.

Do campgrounds have security? I would feel less safe in a tent than sleeping in my car.

Determined Duck

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... dealing with the terminator or minnie mouse ...

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A criminal would know the value of surprise and a half asleep occupant of a vehicle. This will always give them the upperhand.

Many campgrounds have security, especially the commercial ones. They often have gates with swipe cards or such.

But even when they don't have lockable gates, the very fact that they have the plate number of every vehicle on their register, and they ask for ID when you book in, is a measure of safety. And of course, you will rarely find a campground which does not have a manager onsite. That in it self gives me a feeling of security.

Besides, you get to know the people around you, when setting up a tent, cooking a meal, etc. The better you know the person(s) camped near you, chances are the safer you will feel. In the very remote chance that something could happen, you know they will hear and come to your assistance.

Funny part is, when I stay in a motel or hotel, I always make sure there is a safety chain on the door. Only then do I feel safe.

Lifey

In many states there are signs....prohibiting sleeping in State rest stops. New York is one state where you can almost be guaranteed that a state trooper will rap on your window and remind you that the rest stop is for resting only --Sleeping is not allowed.

Mark

I completely agree with Lifey, the very nature of a campground makes them much more safe.

First, many of them do have gates or 24 hour security, and nearly every developed campground will have a campground host that actually lives in the campground.

On top of that, a campground by its very nature means neighbors, many of whom are also sleeping outside and/or in a tent. A criminal looking for an easy opportunity, isn't going to target someone when a simple scream will likely be heard by a couple dozen other people.

And one other big difference between campgrounds and rest areas is location. While they both are typically far removed from cities, Rest areas offer the perfect opportunity to get back on a freeway and be miles away within minutes. Campgrounds on the other hand are typically located at least a bit of a drive away from the highway, meaning that it requires a rather significant effort to both get there and get away.

Its not to say that crime can't happen or never happens at a campground, but its much more rare, and requires much more effort by a would be criminals - and even dumb criminals usually know to look for the easiest possible victims, which won't be in a campground.

Much is said for the location choices of sleeping in the car, but not on how to sleep comfortably in the car. What if you want go to toilet in the middle of a freezing night? Or where to take shower? I am in CA and the rent is simply too high so I plan to buy a big SUV and just sleep in the car. Is this feasible? I have parking sticker in the university where safety is not a big issue.

Welcome to the forum, Bob!

I'm not sure I am completely following your plan, but if you are thinking of this as a long term living situation (aka choosing to be homeless), I'd very much consider it a last resort.

On the road, Truck Stops are a great place because you have restrooms, showers, etc available. I'm going to doubt that you'd have that available at a university unless you are living in a dorm. Additionally, while you may have a parking permit, I'd be a bit surprised if you didn't end up with a security guard waking you up in the middle of the night if they notice you sleeping there.

Finally, what will you do when you are not sleeping? Again, this is a case where if you are looking just to get off the road and sleep for a night, its not much of an issue, but it is something to think about if you're going to chose to make homelessness your lifestyle.

Thanks Midwest Michael, for your thoughts and information.
This is some sort of mid-term plan, I'd like to try it out for a couple of months. I can hold pee during the nights, and do it morning in the building, but shower would be a problem. I know some water-free hand washing stuff but not sure for body. In winter it'd be fine if not exercise much, but can't avoid in summer.
For security guard, I can put some nice curtains on all side and rear windows and sun-shade on windshield, or alternatively go to highway rest areas every night (which would be legal for 4 hours according to the lengthy discussion here?).
Regarding the rest of the time in a day, I simply stay in office.

You're right, this is more a matter of lifestyle choice, i.e., I find this idea appealing since I was college kid but never had a chance to practice. Now this forum gives a practical guide.

As has been said many times in this thread, a highway rest area is not a safe place to sleep in your car, even in areas where it is legal.

I supposed I could ask, if you can spend 16 hours of your day in your office (the time you are not sleeping) when why not just sleep there too? That however, is more of a rhetorical question as your plans are really extending beyond the scope of this forum.

Best Wishes.

The point is that it's a shared office. Alternatively, rent someone's driveway for the nights and park the car there. If I were the owner of the house, it would make no sense if I turn down such an offer for making extra bucks. Of course this is beyond the scope of this forum, as you said.

Now for those on the trips, parking at legal rest areas doesn't sound that bad, to get away from the criminals, why not put some funky tattoos (washable) and get a couple of inflatable guys from adult shops and place them in your front seats with proper dressing, and hats? This is no kidding. Criminal are rational, they wouldn't jeopardize themselves for (possible) small amount of money from a tough victim. I suppose placing some toys in the car isn't against the law.

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Originally Posted by Bob Don

Now for those on the trips, parking at legal rest areas doesn't sound that bad, to get away from the criminals, why not put some funky tattoos (washable) and get a couple of inflatable guys from adult shops and place them in your front seats with proper dressing, and hats?

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Not likely to help and much more likely to attract attention from peace officers. There are very few legal rest areas that allow sleeping and since there are so many safe alternatives, it just seems unnecessary to tempt fate.

mark

There is a HUGE difference between sleeping in a SUV and sleeping in a conversion van or small Class B motorhome. If you are looking to experience the mobile lifestyle, get the right vehicle.

Certainly sleeping in a conversion van or RV is much better. But it would look awkward and suspicious for a single man to bring a big RV everyday to work.

I didn't say a "BIG" RV.......

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But it would look awkward and suspicious for a single man to bring a big RV everyday to work.

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I would also think that turning up to work day after day, after a period of time sleeping in a car would be a hard fact to hide. How are you going to keep clothes fresh and hung when living out of suitcases in the back of a car ? You maybe able to hide it for a short while, but I would imagine you will eventually start to look like you are 'homeless' no matter how hard you try.

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Alternatively, rent someone's driveway for the nights and park the car there. If I were the owner of the house, it would make no sense if I turn down such an offer for making extra bucks.

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I can honestly say that I do not know of anyone who would be willing to let someone live in a car on their driveway for "a few bucks" over an extended period of time. Anyone willing to do that would probably rent you a room of the house on the cheap

In my opinion and if you are planning on doing it long term, it's going to be a lot tougher than you could imagine. At least in a small van as suggested by glc you can have a small stove, heat water, wash and hang clothes, but even that could get old real quick.

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Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

... but even that could get old real quick.

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I'll vouch for that!!

As one who uses a conversion van for extended roadtrips (several months), there is no way I can sleep in it every single night. My nights are interspersed with nights in motels, hostels and campground cabins, as well as family and friends.

By all means, go ahead with your experiment. Maybe someone will start taking bets as to how long it will last.

Lifey

Just a FYI

All Arizona rest areas allow overnight parking. They are well lit and kept clean. I slept well in my Subaru Forester and I made my coffee on a Colman propane burner. Worked great! :)

Only one problem with that - there are very few rest areas still open in AZ!