Have you slept at Rest Areas (bringing, driving, spring, Colorado Springs)

[jlawrence01]

I used to sleep at resta reas. However one night, I was parked in a rest area north of Bishop, CA on US-395 sleeping away when some clown tried to break into my car by knocking out a window. I woke up, flipped the keys on and sped out. There are too many crazies.

If I had to sleep, I would sleep in teh parking lot of a hospital. It is generally quiet and very well patrolled.

[Nomadicus]

I only sleep in ones that have night time security. Usually only a couple of hours to refresh.

[Finger Laker]

i've had better luck with walmarts in semi-rural areas than any reststop ...... truck stops can also work

my buddy recently did the vagabond thing staying at cheap hotels when he could (he could often find them mid week between $5-$15), sleep in his truck at 24 hours spots like wal-mart or what I thought was a pretty smart idea was sleep at state/county parks

some have admission, some don't - but finding a campsite even with a fee would often be under $15 and the ones that are just open land (which is a lot of northern AZ) you just need a vehicle that can get you in and out (which you have)

he had a sleeping bag and bag pad that he'd roll out into his truck bed if the bugs weren't bad

[Oildog]

Yes, but not for a full night, usually a couple hours. I tend to prefer truck stops and Walmarts.

[sarahkate_m]

Originally Posted by 6 FOOT 3

I may be traveling from Albuquerque to Jacksonville, Florida which is a 2,000 mile trip. I'll be traveling by myself and thought about saving motel/hotel money for the 3 day drive by sleeping at Rest Areas. I have an Ext Cab truck so i can lower the seat back to sleep.

Just curious if anyone has ever done that before with good or bad experiences.

Yes, I have but not alone. I've done it with my son & with my daughter when I knew my son was nearby.

If I were a man, I would have no qualms about traveling alone, as long as I wasn't in a forlorn place where I was almost the only one around. It's a bit squeamish going to the restroom alone in the middle of the night. If I had a big dog, I'd be cool, as a woman, travelling alone.

Kate

[jtur88]

All the time. My wife doesn't like them because the lights are too bright, she likes to sleep in dark places. But they don't bother me. In about half the states, it his theoretically illegal to sleep in rest areas, so truck stops are a better choice. Pull in between a couple of idling Peterbilts and let them hum you to sleep.

Some years ago, I went on a two-week excursion to go to a minor league baseball game every night in a different city. I slept 15 nights in a row in the parking lots of minor league baseball teams. I don't like to drive after dark, so I just told one of the stadium staffers that and asked for permission to sleep in the lot. I was only turned down once, in Greenville SC, where they said they lock up the lot after the game, and I'd be locked in.

Another option is hospitals in small-to-medium sized cities, where they have free parking. People with family in the ICU are always coming and going in the middle of the night, so a sleeping tourist would not look suspicious.

Public fishing docks and boat ramps are good places, too. Fishermen fish at night, so a car parked there is never suspicious.

[Jaggy001]

I did several cross country trips when we moved from NY to AZ. Now, I am happy to drive 15 hours a day and did so several times. But, at the end of the day I want a comfortable bed and a nice dinner. So sleeping in a rest area just doesn't cut it for me.

[jenniferprestia]

I often sleep for a couple of hours or so at PA turnpike rest stops. I regularly travel down to see my daughter in VA and sometimes on the way back, I just feel too drowsy to continue without a nap. I don't think I'd do it (as an unaccompanied female) somewhere where there wasn't constant in and out traffic though.

[decafdave]

I'm not a truck driver but yes I've slept in a rest area. I wasn't alone though. Some friends and I were taking a road trip up the East Coast and wanted to save some money so we slept for a few hours in a rest area North of NYC in Yonkers.

It was very miserable since there were 3 of us in one mid-sized sedan and the temperature was below freezing outside. Looking back, the weather probably worked in our favor in discouraging anyone from messing with us. Still, I'll never do it again-the car battery died at some point which I discovered when I woke up around 5AM freezing cold and wanting to turn on the heat.

[sarahkate_m]

I don't know if this has already been mentioned: you can pack some "heat"... if you don't have a large dog. Myself, I think I'd prefer the dog since no one could hurt me with it...by taking it away. Probably not a problem you'd have, though.

As far as bad experiences: it was only bad in that it was summer at the time: hot. And it wasn't very comfortable in the car... Sport Explorer. I did sleep in the back one time: we took turns, to stretch out more (not as tall as OP, though!). And going to the restroom at night gave me the heebie jeebies. On the upside: I appreciated the motels when we were able to stop in one & I loved getting home.

Kate