Thank you for reminding people not to "camp" in parking lots or the side of the road. People leaving trash and food behind why residents and businesses get mad.
I think also checking out state fairgrounds for what events are going on is worthy. Dog show, rodeos, horse reigning events - these all have people who travel in large vehicles or RVs, so you'll blend in. Multi-day sporting events, etc.
Many parking areas at airports that you take a shuttle to, do closely monitor them and won't let you be more than 30 min at your vehicle. Once, we wanted to just sleep for 2 hours in our vehicle before a very early flight. Not allowed. Very strict.
I have successfully car camped at 3 different airports in major cities. I always chose the long term garage parking attached to the terminal. Didn’t have a single issue and I had my dog with me.
I’ve done Thousand Trails in the past, because I got a free one year membership with the purchase of my RV. SO, now, as I prepare for some long term nomad livin’ I’m looking at their cabin pass package. My new camper is much much smaller ( but far more agile and capable of much more off-the-beaten-path exploration!) so I’ll enjoy breaks to stretch out, standup straight while being inside... lol. It’s the little things😄 Anyway, that will be my go-to for when I want a break. 7day max stays with 14 day lock out period between stays. Works for me 👍🏻
Beware of overnight in a parking garage, especially underground. Dangerous gases, most importantly, carbon monoxide can build up. So, you fall asleep and never wake up. The only safe place for sleeping in a parking garage is an open top deck.
Rural and semi rural hospitals and nursing homes are good. Usually the parking lots are for staff and then employees and are not monitored and are free . Visitors will have another lot. Usually the lots are run by the honor system. There are always people parking there 24 - 7, so you can blend in. Also park in the rear ares of car dealerships. You vehicle will look like it there overnight for extended repairs . With that said arrive after closing hours and leave before they open. Gyms that are open 24 hrs/ day are good as well.
Lots of great ideas and I love your hair! One word of warning about renting a driveway-it’s against zoning in some areas to sleep in an RV or any vehicle in a driveway. It’s sometimes okay as long as the neighbors are cool with it, but one complaint to zoning and you’re booted. Check it out before forking over money for long term.
You are my all time favorite RU-vidr to go to about van life! Your account has inspired and motivated me sm and I’m so so excited to start car/van life :))
I've given up on Hipcamp. Most of them are charging way too much. At least in the areas I've looked at. Hardly anything under 50 bucks. And by the way they're not just for tenters many of them accept RVs. For that price though I may as well go to a campground with hookups and showers. I like your idea of the unattended parking lot. I haven't tried it though I have seen some around and they are usually only $10-12 for 8-12 hours and I don't think anyone around cares if you're sleeping in your vehicle. I have a Thousand Trails membership and it is the best bang for my buck. I've been told they are starting to get strict about vehicle dwellers using their campgrounds unless you're actually popping up a tent and sleeping in that. You can take that with a grain of salt though because I don't think anybody's going around knocking on your car or tent after 10pm to see which one you're sleeping in. DIY vans like Allison's are a gray area and just depends on the individual management of each park.
This is a great and informative video. By our lovely Host. With the Most. And to reiterate here. Dry camping. In parking spaces. Can be a lot of fun. Especially when you find. Those very special parking spaces. That no one thinks exists. Because most of the signs tell you not to. But occasionally. Highway departments. Install the wrong signs. And then people don't look at them carefully. Except, Goofballs. Like myself. I love to read signs, carefully. And so? About 30 years ago. I picked up a once a month job in New York City. Shooting a TV show. And we would get up there at the crack of dawn. After driving all night. We would do the show all day. Until the sun went down. We would strike and pack up everything. Then go get some dinner at the Carnegie Deli. When they still existed. And after that. I would go get my Very Special. Overnight Camping Site. It was very special. The camp site I found. Was 7th Avenue South. Between 42nd and 43rd St. What we know as Times Square, New York City. Where there is No Parking Allowed. Except where this sign was posted. It was the wrong sign. And when I saw it. I knew I had hit Paydirt! Jackpot! I would pull my Chevy van right up there. Right in front of a drugstore and storefront pizza place. I would shut down the Chevy van. Put it in park. Turn off the lights. Now I could catch a nap. Before going out for dinner. 10 feet away from my car. But people would roll up behind me. Start honking. I would ignore them. They would get tired after a while. And go around. But then cops were coming up to my window. Knocking on my window. Telling me I can't park here. I asked why not? They told me to read the sign. I told them I did read the sign. It says I can park here. I wish I had a camera with me every time this happened. The expression of the cops was just, precious. Their mouths would fall open they would realize I was correct. The sun was wrong. But it was the sign that was posted. Telling me I could park after, 10 PM and until 6 AM. I could camp out in Times Square New York City. The only person on earth ever allowed to do so. Talk about off grid camping? I was in the middle of the grid! The gridiron? Something like that? I wasn't from New York City. I just thought that was terribly funny. And this went on for 8 years running. Every month I would be camping out in Times Square. Once a month. It was hilarious! But then there was that fateful day. When on the 9th month. My sign had a baby. It was the right sign. I could no longer camp out in Times Square, New York City. But I did so for 8 years running. It was so funny. All you have to do is look up and read the signs, carefully. Later I would go down into West Greenwich Village. Where you usually could find no parking spaces. I always found choice parking spaces also. Where people thought you could not park. No. You could definitely park. Until 8 AM. Where you would then be ticketed if you did not move. For street cleaning. As that was also no problem. As I would travel back to the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Where I was Attending the Audio Engineering Society, Conventions. And they had a parking lot directly across the street. It was $60 per day. Camping in New York City for $60 per day! Right across the street from the Jacob Javits Convention Center. What better parking could there be? And camping! This is Urban Camping. At the highest level. In the biggest city of, East Coast, USA. It was so much fun. I didn't need a Hotel. I had a Chevy van. With all the interior trimmings. A double bed. A killer sound system. What could be better? So yeah yeah yeah! This video is where it's at! But it can become a grind. Finding a new parking space every night. Unless you are traveling for fun. And that's where Truck Stops are the Best! And say total Microcosm of a City, Town, unto itself. Everything you need for everyday life is there. Grocery store. Convenience store. Clothing store. Electronics store. Game stop. Movie theater. Barbershop. Dr. office. Hotel. It's all there. I used to have fun with my diesel box truck. Nobody knew what was inside. It wasn't merchandise. It was like a Motorhome with no windows. And with a Killer Sound System. It was a Recording Studio. Control Room On Wheels. I had built. And called it the CROW. As an acronym. And at those Truck Stops. You can park your commercial truck. With all of the other truckers. And instead of paying the overnight fee. If you spend a certain amount of money. At their facilities. Your overnight camping is free. And a few hundred feet away. You have your bathrooms and your showers. Motorhomes, today. I am not certain of? I think it varies with the truck stop. And their, parking availability. It's first and foremost for the Truckers. Lord knows they deserve it. But my Monaco Motorhome. Is actually bigger than my diesel box truck. I think one must inquire at every truck stop. What is the provisions for Motorhome? As my Monaco, Knight. Ain't no truck. Ain't no, Tour Bus. It's most obviously a Motorhome. And I love it. It's a Diesel Pusher. And I can really no longer hear the engine.. Driving is quite quiet and relaxed. It's like a Cadillac on the wheelbase of a Shopping Center. And when you get to the campsite. It gets 3 hard ions. It's very exciting. As it grows in depth and girth. It's very exciting. Where was I? RemyRAD
The first 3 and a half years while I was starting my business I lived in the back of my store. It's located in a Kroger shopping center and that's where I parked my car every night for free. It worked out fine. No one knew or cared. I realize that my situation is different than this video, but if you need some free time try a grocery store shopping center.
If I decide to live in a van and stay in town, I can park in my Church’s huge parking lot . Every day any day . If a cop does come, I’ll just give them my Church deacons phone number to call them. But I don’t want to be stuck living in one place . I know most everyone in my Church and many won’t let me live in my van, they’ll ask me to move in with them. Which I won’t do coz I like my privacy . Over the past 25 yrs I’ve been used to being alone . Married but alone. I can’t be around big families with kids . I want to be left alone. After work I’m tired. I just want to eat my dinner, and read my Bible. It’s exhausting to have to interact with ppl. Unless it’s someone like me who will leave me alone while I’m in same room.
I thought you quit van life. I guess you couldn't leave it behind after all. It must have been tugging on your heart after you got rested at your friend's house.
I have lived on the road for nearly a year. I am done with this lifestyle. It was a good experiment, but I value a good life without constant road noise, cramped parking lots, lack of overnight parking and especially having to deal with drug addicts, mentally ill and just the lack of freedom. Living on the road in my opinion has too many constraints and zero value.
I looked up Harvest Hosts and their website now says they take schoolies and truck campers but not tents or pop up tents. Your rig needs to be hard sided and self contained with a blackwater tank or bladder
My sister told me not to cry and worry that I’ll be homeless coz as long as I have family, I’ll always have a home . Yeah well I don’t have any kids. She has 3, who she lives with . I have cats. I don’t know anyone who will let me move in with them. My mom just lost her husband and she is selling the house to move in to a one bedroom condo. And i would not be able to live with her. Otherwise my mom is great, I’d love to move in with my mom.
Nowadays, I wouldn't think a lot of those places are safe. How do you stay safe? Anyone could break in. They would know I was in there be cause I snore, lol.
