If you are a #vanlifer, or are on the pursuit to be one, there’s a 99% chance you have been asked the infamous question:
So where do you sleep?
This question is one that I researched heavily before finally pulling the trigger to purchase my van. I am a solo female about to commence on my journey of living full-time in my van, a Ford E250. The factor of where I would sleep was an extremely important one.
When most people (myself in the past, admittedly) think of van lifers, images of waking up alongside the Pacific Coast Highway overlooking the beach tend to come to mind.
Yes, some mornings will look like that here and there (the dream, right??). The reality, however, is that a good chunk of your mornings will consist of a view of the Walmart parking lot that you stumbled upon late last night.
Instagram and Youtube make van life look extremely glamorous – waking up on the beach, cooking breakfast outside surrounded by pristine mountains, doing yoga next to a lake you have all to yourself. It is important to consider what day-to-day life living in your awesome rig will realistically consist of, and this includes the constant hunt of “where will I be sleeping tonight?”
Don’t worry! We will cover places to park overnight and sleep, what stealth camping is, and how to be safe while doing it.
This is simply just a reminder, do not let this dishearten you in any way. It’s all part of the wild adventure
Stealth Camping
When it comes to sleeping in your vehicle, being able to be ‘stealthy’ is a huge advantage. Stealth camping is known as sleeping in your camper van or car without attention being drawn to yourself. It comes in handy when camping in more urban areas.
When stealth camping, you have to worry a little less about finding a place to sleep because you can blend in… meaning you can easily find overnight parking near you.
Stealth camping is best done in cargo vans, mini vans, and basically any vehicle that could pass as a work van/car that doesn’t look like someone could be sleeping in it. For example, cargo vans are considered to be extremely stealthy, while a decked out VW Westfalia is typically not.
When choosing a vehicle, stealth is way more crucial on some people’s criteria list than others. As previously stated, I am a solo female. I chose my van mainly because of the stealth factor it has. I definitely didn’t choose it because I liked the fact that it looks like a plumber’s van.
I knew if I was going to be sleeping alone many nights, I wanted to draw as little attention as possible to the fact I will be sleeping in my van. There are pros and cons to many different types of vans, but I believe that stealth factor is definitely a major pro.
Safety While Sleeping in Your Van
The safety aspect of parking in public areas tends to be people’s biggest concern, and with good reason. The most important piece of advice to follow when crashing somewhere is to trust your gut. If you feel unsafe at any point or are getting bad vibes from a place, get in your car and keep driving until you find a spot you feel more comfortable in.
Check out our post “10 Tips for Living in Your Car“
Personally, I’d rather drive through the night than stay somewhere I didn’t feel comfortable because my anxious-ass most likely wouldn’t end up getting much sleep anyways.
Here’s a few more safety tips while parking overnight and sleeping in your van (or car)
- Always park in well lit areas
- Switch up spots often in public areas and neighborhoods – every couple of days if not every day
- Don’t make it obvious you’re sleeping in your van (aka don’t bring it up to a random guy in the Walmart bathroom)
- As always, keep your keys in an easy to reach spot
- Arrive late, leave early
Whether you’re traveling via Sprinter van or simply in the back of your Toyota Highlander, a lot of times you simply just need a convenient, and legal, place to crash.
The following list compiles some legal spots to park your home on wheels. As always, make sure to check local laws of the area you will be in beforehand in order to avoid the dreaded 2 a.m. knock on the window by a cop (an inevitable occurrence).
A List of Place to Camp and Park Overnight
1) National Parks
National Parks are federally regulated land and will often cost you in order to camp overnight there. These places are an absolute must to visit, but I wouldn’t recommend them for frequent places to crash unless you stumble upon one of those 14 day dispersed camping mecca’s.
It goes without saying that most people living out of their vans are doing so in order to not have to pay for somewhere to sleep every night. This is why National Parks won’t be your best option… for the most part.
What is highly recommended is getting an annual pass for $80 which grants you free access to hundreds of National Parks as well as discounted camping at some of the parks for pass holder
2) BLM Camping
BLM is the Bureau of Land Management and serves as a great source for parking overnight if you’re down to be more off-grid! This land is known to be the public land that isn’t designated as a National Park/Forest or privately owned land.
BLM areas are typically only regulated by length of stay and are a great resource for a free place to park overnight and catch some Z’s. You can stay parked on BLM territory for up to 14 days without a permit before having to move spots, which is allowed as long as it is at least 25 miles away from your previous spot.
These areas tend to be located more in desert regions and in the Western United States. The Public Lands App is super helpful in showing you what land is what, as well as assistance in figuring out where you can/can’t park without a permit and much more.
3) Dispersed Camping - Boondocking
Dispersed Camping is defined as camping on public land outside of designated campsites. Boondocking is defined as camping without being connected to water, electricity, etc. It can be done anywhere (like parking lots), but in order to disperse camp, you will be boondocking because with disperse camping you won’t have access to water, electricity, etc. Does that make sense? Now I’m just confusing myself…
This type of camping is widely done on aforementioned BLM lands. Something to consider is that these types of land won’t have the facilities that you’d normally find at a designated campsite. No running water, bathrooms, or places to plug in for electricity. This means you should plan to make all of your necessary stops beforehand as you may be a ways away from any stores/gas stations/restrooms.
You should also make sure you have everything you need, because these places can often be pretty hard to reach.
4) Moochdocking
Being able to see your friends and family. Not having to worry about parking somewhere for a short amount of time. What could be better than that?!
Moochdocking at a friends house is a great way to have a place to sleep and park overnight.
I plan to take FULL advantage of this when I head out West next month (if any of my West Coast friends are reading this- will offer big hugs for a spot in your driveway ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ).
When you know you’ll be in a specific location which also happens to be the hometown of some of your buddies, hit them up and ask if you could stay in their driveway/apartment complex parking lot. You may even get a hot shower and home-cooked meal out of it, which we all know is a luxury after weeks on the road.
5) Retail Stores: Walmart, Cracker Barrel, Cabela’s, etc.
Thankfully, some of the US’s most convenient chain stores and restaurants allow you to utilize their parking lot as a place to sleep! These spots are great for last minute places to stay and park overnight, but do keep in mind that all locations for all chains tend to have different rules and policies regarding overnight parking.
It is always recommended to check ahead of your planned arrival, whether it be a day or an hour. Wherever you decide to park, be extremely respectful during your stay and even pop in to thank someone if you’re feeling grateful!
Walmart
Good ole’ Wally World. What doesn’t this beloved American chain have?? A lot of Walmarts allow overnight parking, which is super comforting because we all know how many Walmarts there are here in the U.S.
Walmart is great because some are open 24/7, have literally any and all essential items you may need to restock on, and also tend to have well-lit parking lots.
As previously mentioned, the majority of Walmarts allow staying overnight in their parking lots. That being said, check beforehand to make sure your designated Walmart allows overnight parking to be on the safe side. It is ultimately up to the store manager as well as local laws and city ordinances. Walmarts that do allow overnight parking often have designated areas they wish you to park, so it is imporant to ask.
Cracker Barrel
Though Cracker Barrel doesn’t directly advertise that they allow overnight parking, they are extremely welcoming to overnight guests. They even have designated RV parking where you can park overnight with bigger vehicles.
Just like Walmart, different CB’s have different rules, so call the manager the day you plan on arriving and check that it’s okay for you stay there overnight as well as check for availability.
A nice thing to do in the morning is stop in and grab breakfast as a thank you.
Cabela’s
Cabela’s is a chain of outdoor outfitters and equipment stores and are known to be very welcoming towards overnight parking.
They typically have signs for designated RV/overnight parking, but it’s a good idea to check ahead of time. They also are not open 24/7, so make sure to use the restroom elsewhere before settling in for the night
Other
There are many other stores that occasionally allow, or overlook, overnight guests; such as Home Depot and Lowes. Now these places might not be AS welcoming as the local Walmart so it’s always important to follow the stealth camping best practices.
If we left out any other big chain stores, let us know in a comment below!
6) Religious Buildings/Hospitals
Some churches/religious buildings are known to allow overnight guests, as long as you are not in the way.
However, these places are private property. If they don’t want you there you could be considered trespassing and wake up to a 2am knock on your door by the police.
7) Truck Stops/Gas Stations
Truck stops are a great option for finding overnight parking. However, they do vary from area to area. TA’s and Petros are said to be of better quality and cleanliness. Love’s, Pilot and Flying J’s vary in that sense based on location.
Sometime’s you will come across a huge Flying J’s with plenty of parking, or a much smaller one with a much smaller lot. Some of these do offer showers for $7-10 (towel included) with no time limit which is definitely useful if it’s been a few days and you’re wanting to treat yourself! Definitely sport some shower shoes.
Bonus: Some of these places even have free WiFi as well as restaurants, bathrooms, laundry services and stores.
8) Rest Areas
Some people don’t consider rest areas as the best option, but they will definitely get the job done if you need to find a place to park and sleep overnight. It is important to be on guard while staying at one as they are more prone to crime than other options.
Practice safety and follow a few of these tips when sleeping overnight at a rest area:
- Look for rest areas that are busier. The more truckers and people sleeping in their car, the better.
- Don’t make it known that you are traveling alone (especially if you are female).
- Try not to use the facilities at night or before sleeping. Save those trips for the morning when you are about to leave.
Also, look for signs around the rest area as they typically will let you know whether overnight parking is allowed/how long you can stay.
9) Neighborhood/Residential Parking
You need to take special precautions when choosing to sleep overnight in a residential area.
People pay for their place of residence, and some of them aren’t cool with someone parked outfront of it. This will also result in an extremely heightened risk of getting the cops called on you, which is never pleasant. Not gonna lie- the outside of my van def gives off kidnapper vibes and I’d probably call the cops on myself if I saw it sitting outside of my house.
If you do have to resort to parking somewhere like this, leave as early as possible and follow these stealth camping tips:
- Arrive late and leave early
- Don’t draw attention to yourself.
- Use the spot only for sleeping. If you are going to cook dinner, play video games, or watch TV then do that somewhere else before arriving at your designated place to sleep overnight.
- Do not stay at the same spot for multiple nights. This isn’t a place for living, it is for sleeping and parking overnight.
- If you get spotted, it is best to leave.
- Be respectful, if you are asked to leave… leave!
10) Other Places to Sleep in Your Car or Van and Park Overnight
These types of places really will vary. Bars, casinos, local stores, 24 hour gyms, and places similar which are open 24 hours sometimes allow overnight guests.
Resources to find overnight parking and places to sleep in your vehicle.
In Conclusion...
Having to figure out where you will be parking your home every night may seem like a lot, but there really are so many options out there. You are guaranteed to figure out some of your own preferred spots and get in the groove of finding places and what works best for you. Follow these tips along with your common sense and you’ll be a pro when it comes to parking overnight in your home on wheels.