10 Best Places to Sleep When Living in Your Car

In this video, we list the top 10 best places to sleep comfortably and safely when living in your car.

Thanks for watching!

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Jason Hanson is a former CIA officer and the New York Times bestselling author of "Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life." His company trains celebrities, high-net-worth individuals, and everyday Americans in escape and evasion, hand-to-hand self-defense, evasive driving, firearms, home defense, and more.

#carliving #carsleepingspots #jasonhanson

[geobloxmodels]

Agreed. I would add auto repair places like Firestone. A car in the lot at 0300 will just look like a car left overnight waiting for repairs. I saw a 'homeless' woman do this for years in Austin. She had a nice van and a membership to the gym right there. At night she would sometimes park at the Firestone. She had a good job, but preferred to live this way. She told me she had tons of money because she was saving so much this way. If a winter storm came she just went to a motel for a few days. She just lived simply and was happy. And as a Texan, she was also armed and ready to defend herself.

[brucemartini]

sad thing is, society is getting more and MORE NOSEY. not because they're concerned for your "Safety", they must Know your Buisness😒

[DPM-dpon]

Consider a YMCA membership and toss a sticker on your car. You can go into any YMCA as a guest member for around $5 and use the facilities…gym, pool, locker rooms and showers.

[Hat]

I lived in a station wagon for three or four years. I had a membership in a gym, but one night I slept in their lot and had someone come out and order me to leave. Truck stops are good usually, industrial areas are good, and rest stops. At one point I had a little camp trailer and parked it in a industrial area that didn't have buildings yet in most of the lots. It is best not to park right in front of an active business. In the LA area there are swap or flea markets that are open every day of the week. People sleep in their vehicles overnight in a line to get an unused space the next morning. I made a living selling at them so it was a natural for me, sellers look after each other, and you could stay in the line and then "change your mind" about a space the next morning.

[jacegallagher]

The truck stop one is tricky. People have caused issues there. I lived out of my car November and December of last year and rotated between 3 truck stops. Things went well the first 2 weeks, but then some people in campers decided to argue at a TA truck stop so the security made ALL of us leave. The guard then told me that, technically, he is supposed to kick people without CDLs off the lot after 4 hours but was not enforcing it until the argument happened. Truck stops are becoming less and less friendly for people without CDLs.

[ej]

The last few times I slept in my car, it was in front of the house or at the office.

I was having a gall stone attack (it's removed now so no longer a problem). Nothing was at all comfortable, but the driver's seat in my car was the best I could find.

[katherineb.]

I used to work at Bucees. It is NOT a truck stop. They do not allow semis. Also if you are going to sleep there in parking lot you need to notify management.

[knslingley]

Buccee's does NOT allow sleeping in cars/campers. You'd think you could get away with it because their parking lots are massive. Security drives around looking for cars that are parked for an extended period. A 2 hour cat nap ... maybe.
Many hotels have Security doing the same. That's why they ask for your vehicle info when you check in.
My favorites are anyplace that's open 24/7; primarily for accessibility to a clean bathroom. Just look for signs that say 'no overnight parking".

[TheNinjaPicker]

I think I speak for everyone when I say you should trim up that foam between the doors 😄

[dsveo]

There is no safe place to sleep in your vehicle. There is always a risk.

[cwahoo]

In my younger years I kept a plastic tarp in my trunk. It turns any picnic table into a tent.

[minxella]

Be careful with rest stops, many have signs no camping or staying overnight. Yes I've seen some iffy ones myself.

[VTPSTTU]

Thanks for the video.

I haven't seen a Walmart open 24 hours in several years. If I found one, I'd agree that parking there all night would be a good idea.

I've slept at truck stops a bit on long trips. Often, I try to set my schedule so that I'm stopping at five or six in the morning and sleeping for just five or six hours. That makes me look like a tired driver catching a nap and not someone trying to find a camping spot for free. I always try to buy stuff in the truck stop before I go. Right now, I'm wearing a T-shirt that I bought in a truck stop after napping for a bit.

I understand that rest areas can be a riskier choice. I've never been bothered at a rest area, but I know that some of them are dangerous. I generally try to keep my rest area naps to an hour or two, and I often try to take those naps during the day.

I live next to BLM land, and I feel pretty safe here. I'm less confident about advising people to camp on just any BLM land. The likelihood is very high that no one will even notice that one is camping on BLM land. The problem is that if the wrong person notices, then help will never arrive.

[davemckee]

More and more seniors are living in their vehicles now because cost of living is so high, hard to keep up on social security.

[IbelongtoJesus.]

Okay Truck stops are dangerous for a woman by herself, and I'm in Commifornia. Most of the places here you mention to park are not okay. The police check everywhere, and my car looks homeless.

[crashandersen]

Where the hell was this video when I needed it 6 years ago?

[MindGarden]

Very tough to park overnight anywhere in PA. Lived in my car over a year after Covid because apartments were impossible to find. Had a regular spot until the neighbors figured out I was there behind a rarely used home.

[wingandhog]

My pickup has an insulated shell and a bed and shelving that I built out for very cozy sleeping. I use it extensively for solo fly-fishing trips in the mountains, but I have used it for several cross-country trips to visit family. I don’t like to stay in Walmart parking lots that others like, but I have stayed in hotel parking lots occasionally and truck stops primarily. Problem with truck stops is that they are very bright and noisy, but convenient because of 24hr restaurants and showers as you mentioned.

[InjunOutdoors]

Went to Houston to pick my sons up at the airport. I stopped in a parking lot hotel to google map the airport and security rolled up on a golf cart asked if I was a guest, told them no I was checking my GPS, was told only guests were allowed and had to leave. Be aware of your surroundings always

[scenicdriveways]

Cabela's allows travels to overnight in their parking lots, and so does Cracker Barrel.