Sleeping in a van

Just found this interesting thread, ironically after just returning from a short trip where I slept every night in my car. Yeah, car, not even a van or SUV, just a nice, comfortable Volkswagen Jetta.

I'm surprised about the comments about sleeping in rest areas; I do this routinely. It's very rare that I'm the only one there doing it, too. Even in Pennsylvania, where it's technically illegal (there is a 4 hour limit, as I recall), a lot of people do it and I've never had any trouble. I've also slept in truckstop parking lots, but I'm actually less comfortable in those. I've never tried to sleep in a store parking lot or anything like that; I wouldn't go somewhere that I'm not supposed to park.

As for a shower, you can get one at most truckstops. Any TA TravelCenter has them available for $7, clean and convenient. I keep a spreadsheet on my laptop with all their locations, you can download it from their website. They're like Mecca. Seven bucks is a lot better than paying for a motel room, when you're really just paying to have a bathroom in the morning. Plus, they're available 24 hours a day, so you don't have to stick to motel check-out-time schedules. The showers aren't prominently advertised, but you'll find them in the "trucker area" of the facility. A towel and soap are provided, but no shampoo or anything else.

It's also worth noting that, at truckstops, the bathrooms for the truckers in the back are usually much nicer than the crappy ones they give the regular people (and no one will think anything of it if you're brushing your teeth or shaving in that bathroom).

Truckstops are truly one of the great American inventions. Allow yourself to fit into the trucker culture, and you'll regret all that money you've wasted on motels over the years.

[margot]

&gt; I am also planning to take a roadtrip in my van <BR>
&gt; this summer. The comments here have helped me <BR>
&gt; know where I could sleep at night, but does <BR>
&gt; anyone know if there are places with public <BR>
&gt; showers that I could use, or would you suggust <BR>
&gt; staying in a motel every now and then? Any advice <BR>
&gt; you could give would be appreciated. Thanks <BR>
<BR>
If you're passing thru a college town, a lot of times they leave their gyms open for students and community members to come in and shower. Completely free, and usually not too icky. The ones I've been have all been pretty nice. Some places say you have to have some special gym card or something, but that;s usually just for using the weight room, etc. They usually have a back door that they leave propped open by the locker rooms...or, just say you're a student of faculty member and you forgot your card, most places don't care at all.

I've heard this works for highschool gyms too, but I wouldn't want to try that, seems like they have a lot of security tese days, and it;s a little sketchy for strangers to be in there taking showers...

You could alwasy just go to the local gym, and ask for a free trial pass, get in a workout while you're there!

good luck!

[margot]

If you're passing thru a college town, a lot of times they leave their gyms open for students and community members to come in and shower. Completely free, and usually not too icky. The ones I've been have all been pretty nice. Some places say you have to have some special gym card or something, but that;s usually just for using the weight room, etc. They usually have a back door that they leave propped open by the locker rooms...or, just say you're a student or faculty member and you forgot your card, most places don't care at all.

I've heard this works for highschool gyms too, but I wouldn't want to try that, seems like they have a lot of security tese days, and it's a little sketchy for strangers to be in there taking showers...

You could alwasy just go to the local gym, and ask for a free trial pass, get in a workout while you're there!

good luck!