# Advice for sleeping in your car. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 7, 2010, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-sleeping-in-your-car/549510 "2010-08-07T12:56:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-sleeping-in-your-car/549510/21 "2010-08-08T12:36:36Z")
I had to sleep in my car (no money) when I was visiting my kids in upstate NY after my divorce, and I got rousted by the cops for sleeping while parked on a residential street (which was weird because I was driving an old van, and you really couldn’t see inside–someone must have seen me park, and not get out, and dropped a dime, I guess.) Eventually, I figured out that if I drove to the nearest rest stop on the Thruway (about twenty miles from where my kids lived), I could take a “nap” from midnight to six a.m. like any other tired motorist whose eyes were getting heavy, and who could complain? Got a superhighway with rest stops anywhere near you? ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-sleeping-in-your-car/549510/22 "2010-08-08T13:30:41Z")
Thanks for the replies. I think the nearest thing we have to a “truck stop” in England is a Motorway Service Station, (with a hefty fine for spending more than 2 hours), but there are a couple of ASDA Wal-Marts nearby, so that seems like a good idea. No hostels nearby, but I’ll check up on Ximienean’s lead. £11-12 per day, (when was that?) for a straight room would certainly beat the hassle of finding somewhere to be undisturbed. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-sleeping-in-your-car/549510/23 "2010-08-09T06:50:07Z")
If you’re in England, be sure that you’re not mistaken for someone “dogging” car parks. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-sleeping-in-your-car/549510/24 "2010-08-09T14:34:29Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > Don’t you have a single friend or family member in the area with a driveway? Surely they can give you that much. > > If there are any 24-hour businesses in your area, you might consider one of their parking lots. Plenty of cars and activity around, so you might be safer. Something like a Denny’s might be better than a strip joint. Don’t park in the same one every night for two weeks, though. > > If you’re in a very small town, you might even be able to go down to the local police station, explain your situation, and ask if you can park across the street from the station. I’m not aware that sleeping in your car is illegal, so that might be enough. That might count as vagrancy. A person on another message board I participate in renovated a white used commercial van into a camper, and lives in it. He decided that it was too expensive to live in an apartment, and felt that if he had his van turned into living space he would save a lot more money and not have to worry about being fired from his job, or having to work more than one job. He belongs to a health club and in addition to working out, he uses it to shower. He parks it near businesses that also have the white commercial vans so he sort of blends in. He uses a set of batteries to provide power to his computer and a couple low wattage lights, and goes online near free wifi hotspots. He charges his batteries at his parents house every few days. I know that back in the 80s in Virginia Beach there was some law that if you had a trailer park, you had to have some sort of bathroom facility available to RV type people, and one or two short term spaces for RV types in addition to the usual living trailers. ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-sleeping-in-your-car/549510/25 "2010-08-09T14:44:21Z")
definitely call around for weekly rates - there are some great deals out there. Check online for coupons and discount codes as well. Search for cheap college student rates. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-sleeping-in-your-car/549510/26 "2010-08-09T20:21:26Z")
Actually, the idea of sleeping in a hospital waiting room isn’t a bad one. I know when my mother was very ill, hopsitals are used to having people sleep there, waiting for word on loved ones. Many have chairs that fold out into almost-beds and will hand out pillows and blankets to the families. Some have showers that family can use. It’s a depressing place, since most people aren’t waiting for good news, but it’ll get the job done. StG ---
**Author:** ![Caveat\_lector\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@Caveat\_lector\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caveat_lector_1)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-sleeping-in-your-car/549510/27 "2010-08-10T00:54:36Z")
You have different hospitals then the ones around here. All the chairs in the easily accessible waiting rooms have awful chairs for sleeping. I think it is to discourage what you are proposing. I don’t know about the ones on the upper floors though. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-sleeping-in-your-car/549510/28 "2010-08-10T01:19:01Z")
**Caveat Lector** - There are often “family areas” on the upper floors, especially outside trauma departments, ICU’s, CICU’s. Unfortunately, I have too much experience with this. StG ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-sleeping-in-your-car/549510/29 "2010-08-10T05:01:49Z")
> [@melodyharmonius](#): > > definitely call around for weekly rates - there are some great deals out there. Check online for coupons and discount codes as well. Search for cheap college student rates. Just about all hotels/motels that I know of have weekly or monthly rates. Usually you have to ask, but it might be a better idea than trying to sleep in a car. ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-sleeping-in-your-car/549510/30 "2010-08-10T05:58:37Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > As of 5 September I will be leaving my current place due to rent increases. As of approx 20 September, I’ll be moving into my newly owned flat. This leaves about 2 weeks gap that I don’t want to spend much money on. I already have a membership at the leisure centre at which I can shower. Other than that I’m perfectly comfortable sleeping in my car. Trouble is I can’t think of how to locate a spot that is not going to be interrupted by idiotic drunks or police officers. What’s the best type of spot to get an uninterrupted sleep? Alternately Travelodge offer a room for £19 per night, which is still more than I’d like to pay. Any way to get a roof for cheaper than that for 2 weeks? I’m in Oxfordshire, UK for reference. [Hostel.com](http://www.hostels.com/findabed.php?ChosenCity=oxford&ChosenCountry=england&Search=1) has got dorm rooms from £15, which isn’t quite the £11 mentioned before, but still saves you a few ££ over the 2 weeks. Although not sure where in Oxfordshire you are - this may not be convenient. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-sleeping-in-your-car/549510/31 "2010-08-10T06:55:02Z")
There are a couple of cheap hostels in Oxford itself, but the OP has a car. The cost of overnight parking is probably more than the cost of a bed. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-sleeping-in-your-car/549510/32 "2010-08-10T08:41:56Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > There are a couple of cheap hostels in Oxford itself, but the OP has a car. The cost of overnight parking is probably more than the cost of a bed. And you could get a suite with the money you spent paying for parking overnight in a hospital car park. There is no free parking at hospitals in the UK. I’ll pay £3.50 this evening for a short visit (30 min max) to have some bloods taken and collect some drugs at Southampton General. Si ---
**Author:** ![Caveat\_lector\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@Caveat\_lector\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caveat_lector_1)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-sleeping-in-your-car/549510/33 "2010-08-10T15:58:10Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > **Caveat Lector** - There are often “family areas” on the upper floors, especially outside trauma departments, ICU’s, CICU’s. Unfortunately, I have too much experience with this. > > StG Sorry to hear that. I think their locations would make it hard to use as a place just to crash though. I’d bet the staff would pick up on it pretty quickly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-sleeping-in-your-car/549510.md?page=1)