I like sleeping at gas stations and as sketch as that sounds I am still going to share my reasons with you and by the end of this video maybe you will want to sleep at a gas station too. I am mainly going to focus on Flying J’s because well, they are my favorite, with the convivence of a one stop shop and how they are usually an easy on/off from the highway and for the amenities they offer us as RVers.
Starting with they typically have dedicated RV parking spots, that are separated from the big rigs, these spots vary from station sometimes they are roomy and other times not so much and they can be a snug fit for the width of our RV.
They also always have dedicated fuel lanes for RV’s with no overhead clearance issues, also in these lanes you can typically find a dump station to empty your black and gray tanks. There is also usually a freshwater fill station, but that is not always a guarantee.
They typically have a propane fill up station, this might not sound like a big deal for all RVers like towables who can remove their propane tanks, but for some of us that have fix tanks like we do, this is a big win since they are certified to fill those fixed tanks.
Every location has a convenience store, most of which are very large with a wide variety of snacks, drinks, tools and supplies and since they are open 24 hours a day, I can get that late night snack any time I want.
Laundry and showers, I have only used the showers once, but I have taken advantage of the laundry facilities a few times, this is a great time saver for me as I will be parked at this location overnight anyway with no place to go, it works out perfect to sit here and get my wash done.
There is also almost always a restaurant on property, usually it is a Denny’s, but I have seen Ihops and Huddle Houses as well. This is a great way for me to start my day after waking up in the morning. Usually, Belle and I will split some eggs and pancakes.
Speaking of starting the day there are no check in or check out times, you can come and go as you please, but generally there is a 24hour rule, meaning they would like you not to stay longer than a 24hour period, similar to most rest areas.
Some people might be fearful of staying in a Flying J lot overnight, but I can tell you after 7 years and 120,000 miles of traveling and staying at I’m guess over 70% of Flying J’s in the country we have never had a problem and for a few reasons, they are open 24/7 which means there is always staff and people coming in and out all night, they have security cameras and the lots are usually well lit.
With all that said though, Sabrina and I do have a rule if either of us ever has a bad feeling about a location we will move, it only takes one of us to vote to go for us to leave. In all these years and miles we have only left two parking lots one being a Walmart and the other being a Flying J. Just a bad feeling at both of them.
So really that is it! It just comes down to convivence of all these amenities and how easy it is for us to stop the night and then just keep on going in the morning.
I will say that recently I have been staying at more and more Love’s travel centers and they have been slowly winning me over with their gas stations as they offer a lot of what the Flying J’s do plus a lot of them are adding dog parks which Belle really appreciates.
Let me know what you think, have you slept in a gas station before? How was the experience and would you do it again, of course you can also like, share or dislike this video.
Safe travels all and I will catch you next time!
6 сен 2023
