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The answer is no for myself. But I do know someone who considered doing it and even now occasionally sleeps in their car to save money on a late night commute.
If you want to try it, just be advised that MANY cities have laws, mainly targeting class A, B and C motorhomes....many times making it illegal to park on
public-roads for more than a couple of hours.
I've thought about this often. I can't do it currently, with some family obligations. But if I just had myself to think about, and had the luxury of doing so, I would probably want to try living out of a converted Sprinter or a mini-sized RV where the driver and passenger's seats are accessible from the back, and there's a fold up table and seat for meals or working from my laptop, and a space for a twin bed perhaps. Also some place to do some light cooking and a fridge. A little bathroom would be good too. Or if I had to, get a gym membership to 24 hour fitness and take showers there, get work outs, go swimming, etc.
I'd drive across the country and just explore and tour the different states. I'd probably also venture into Canada.
If I could work remotely and do that would be idea, since I could feasibly do it for a year. Otherwise, I'm not sure how much time I could afford to take off to do something like this, unless it were just on weekends.
Also, I'm not sure how I'd like it long-term. One of the concerns I have is finding safe and reliable parking each night, where I don't have to worry about vandalism, theft, and other dangers. But I think it's hard to find a designated spot and feel confident that it's safe if you're traveling cross country and may be at a different city each night, taking what spot you can find that looks reasonably safe. Ideally, there could be a Walmart with a 24 hr fitness near it in every city visited, and the Walmart would let you park overnight without harassing you.
The savings may not be as great if you're touring the country, as that's a lot of gas money. If the RV stayed in one place a lot, and you didn't have to pay a monthly lot fee, then I could see some fairly significant savings.
Sorry I am late, but I AM doing that right now. Dodge B1500 Van
First regarding repairs. The shop I have dealt with puts it out at night so I can sleep in it (We have done this 3 times)
Next I work graveyard and so sleeping during 80+ heat is "At times" difficult, but with my medication I use (High blood pressure, past heart issues) the pills along with some "Sleep helpers" can knock me down and by attaching a small ice pack to my neck I can withstand major heat. I have taken a motel room when it hit 103-105 last year...Yes I wimped out :P
I find showers at my local community center and have workouts...Plus right next to them is the library with FREE internet.
Many places (Even Walmart) now are chasing people off if you have a dumpy looking RV.
I FINALLY got my head out of my rear and now am committing to pay off $15K in debt. Snowballing three cards. I am clearing some small $100-$250 debts first, they'll be clear next paycheck. Then it's 50% or more of each paycheck to one bill....I stopped looking at replacing my current vehicle after a Mental sit down with my other internal self.
I couldn't understand why I couldn't make up my mind whether to get a RV, Shuttle bus, regular van or box truck. I sat there (Imagining I was sitting across from myself) and said "Why are you against this?"
The response was simple. "We go deeper into debt and what happens if job is lost?"
That was the wake up I needed. I make (Well, I like my job) $30K a year (Gross) without OT and with a little I can make $35K. With $15K in debt I can or should remove it inside of a year. That's the only goal now.
When I retire, I'm fairly sure I'll have to watch my money even more, but maybe I'll work PT just to supplement my income. There's several groups who have members living out or vehicles, RV and some are quite impressive (One former trucker has a semi special custom job done) it's really up to the person and their tastes...
Many years ago we used to travel the US on back roads, one month a year, and to save money, we alternated one night in a motel, one night sleeping in car. DH had no problem, I hated it. Couldn't get comfortable, no privacy, no AC or heat. Sleeping in the front seats in a VW Golf.
Still it was fantastic seeing the country. To the PP who said they saw 20 states and it was all the same -- HUH???? gotta get out of the midwest. We covered all the lower 48 several times. Amazing. And we met some wonderful people.
BTW, we sought out large travel plazas (truck stops) to sleep in and never had a problem. They are used to people pulling over and sleeping in their cars or trucks. And the bathrooms are open all night.
I think it's a great idea if you know how to do minor/major repairs, have a second vehicle to scoot around in, can take your pets, can feel safe. The last, it seems to me would be a toss up these days...so many crazy people out in the world.
Yeah, I have been in my van and off/on in budget motels for over a year......not bad at all. I have seen a lot of the southwest. I am currently in a desert-area of southern California....the heat, wow, staying in the van is not going to work.
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