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PLEASE don't coach surf. You don't know what type of people that live in the homes of the places you're going to.
ETA: Instead of waisting money on sitting in a car all day long, why not go to the spa for a day and then a really nice lunch. I'm sure you can find something on Groupon.
What?! You couldn't pay me to do a spa day. But I'd do a driving trip in a heartbeat. You're not just sitting, you're seeing the country. You can't even compare the two.
I've been hassled at a rest stop in NC, but I wasn't trying to sleep. I was using a pay phone but I had parked my car illegally in front of it. It was 1am and I felt uncomfortable walking from the parking area which was a distance from the phones. The cop wasn't willing to escort me either, so I didn't move the car till my party answered.
I've stayed at Super 8 and EconoLodge down south for about $60/night. Campgrounds are much cheaper. I traveled for a week on your budget.
My budget is kind of low, since I'm out of work right now. Can you sleep in your car at highway rest areas to save money on hotels?
Wait a minute. You're out of work yet you want to blow money on a road trip???? Seriously? What's so important that you must take a trip when you don't have a job?
And I've done road trips on far less than $500-700. I've done day long trips, weekend trips, and long weekend trips. Subway makes for a cheap lunch or dinner.....or both.
I certainly would not ever sleep in a rest area. Far too much can happen. People are murdered, robbed, and kidnapped all too often. I don't even like stopping at them when it's dark out. Motel 6 is CHEAP. If you book ahead, you can find rooms for under 50 bucks a night frequently. I'd be looking for a job instead of road tripping.
I got super tired and nosed into a line of cars and vans at a truck stop on I-44 off the main parking lot traffic zone. Folks were sleeping in all the cars and it was fairly quiet and dark if you faced away from the building. It was good for a couple hours until the sun came up. On reflection, I'm not sure this was the safest arrangement but it was better than driving while asleep. I once camped at Colorado campsite that Ted Bundy was prowling through so I wonder about other campers sometimes. I think those other folks were sleeping.....I hope they were sleeping...
I can think of quite a few legit reasons to take a road trip while unemployed. One is to scope out a new city which may have better employment prospects. I have done this myself, several times. I had played out my string in the places I lived - I felt they had started into decline. In the first place I left, three of the town's major employers were on life support. Kodak was asleep at the wheel when digital photography emerged into public consciousness. Don't know what happened with Xerox and Bausch and Lomb, but they appeared to be sliding down as well. It was not a good vibe - people started walking differently, shifting their eyes away at the grocery store. I simply did not want to be there anymore.
Had to get out of there before I got cemented in. The first step was research, research, research. Demographics, education level, median income and unemployment stats (relative to where you are now; state; and national) give a profile. Since it's never ALL about the numbers, it's also necessary to feel the vibe and to see for yourself. In my case, I did not want to head out into a mecca for service jobs, or to a place where peoples' idea of the good life was square miles of identical boxes.
Each of the places I explored was quite a distance away. Seeing the unknown made it easier to launch off into the unknown. At least I knew what I was heading toward.
My flight stories had good endings. In every case where I researched better prospects, and actually drove there to see if I could bring myself to live there, I wound up better off than if I had stayed in the place I left. It didn't even take long. A difference of even 1% in FT unemployment makes a huge difference to the feeling of vitality in an area, and in the quality of life. People lose the edge of desperation that turns to meanness on a dime. I moved away to places that had 2% lower unemployment rates.
Much, much better to get out of Dodge on the first wave, than to spend your savings trying to hold on, only to wind up sinking with the ship. Even if you own a house - if you're the first one out the door, and tell your realtor you want to price it to sell fast, you'll get a decent price. The real estate agents will keep the "prosperity" price pumped up with smoke and mirrors for as long as they possibly can. Once the man on the street wakes up and smells the coffee, the second wave is a mad rush for the exits that drives housing prices down by 30%. There is no third wave. The ones remaining are stuck, out of savings, unable to sell, unable to refinance, and trying madly to make it all work with multiple part time jobs and renting out the empty bedrooms.
IMHO, I can think of at least two other scenarios where a road trip while unemployed makes perfect sense. Personally, I cut the OP some slack. I've been there, got the T-shirt.
I think the OP should be more worried about crazy people in rest areas than whether or not its legal to do it. The police will just tell you to move on if its not legal. If crazy people find you sleeping in your car it will be a lot worse. Cheap motels can be had in most areas. Pick up those coupon books in state welcome centers, often you can sleep for 40 a night, maybe even less. You might get some bed bugs, maybe a roach or two, but at least you wont wake up looking and some nutcase whos fixin to put an end to you.
My budget is kind of low, since I'm out of work right now. Can you sleep in your car at highway rest areas to save money on hotels?
After you blow the $500-700 on gas and food, how much will you have left? Will your trip be one-way?
I couldn't live like that, but can understand if you are making the trip for a job interview.
My experiences are a bit different than the others.
I have had problems with people at rest areas. I caught a nap at one on US-395 three hours south of Reno one night and some guy tried to put his fist through my window while I was sleeping. I was driving a boring Avis rental that trip.
I am not real keen on the truck stops either. The real large ones bring out a good number of prostitutes and other problems.
If I had to sleep in my car, I might do Walmart in a suburban area. I might also do a hospital parking lot as generally, someone sleeping in the car is NOT too far out of the ordinary., Also, who goes around hospital parking lots at night besides security.
Has anyone who is not a professional trucker actually taken a shower at a truck stop? I ask because most of the ones that I and my drivers have frequented limit the showers to people buying diesel. On occasion, some of them have taken a shower without a purchase but they are well known at those stops,
I live in a suburban area. our hospital has free parking, and security. Security is not going to allow you to sleep in your car all night in the parking lot. The cops don't bother people at WalMart unless they look like derelicts. They will only let people stay one night so it doesn't become a vagrant hang out--and they do keep track of comings and goings.
I took a shower at a truck stop about 10 years ago after my niece got car sick all over my lap. They had no problem with selling me a shower while my husband used a washer and dryer to clean our clothes.
Once, when I could not stay awake I parked in the parking lot of an all night restaurant and went to sleep. Woke up an hour later and continued on my journey.
Once, when I could not stay awake I parked in the parking lot of an all night restaurant and went to sleep. Woke up an hour later and continued on my journey.
This is a good option.
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