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You don't camp at parking lots and rest stops, you stop there to rest up and continue to your destination.
People don't camp at rest stops, but some people essentially camp in Walmart parking lots.
It used to be more popular than it is now. Not as many Walmarts as in the past encourage it or are okay with it.
Cracker Barrel parking lots have also been a thing.
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Why would anyone have a parking lot as a destination?
People do, at least for overnight and some daylight (not to leave things set up as a campsite 24/7).
It is often free.
Some people manage to set up their vehicles (not just RVs) as being self sufficient.
There are some casinos in Las Vegas with RV/oversize parking and no hookups (people sleeping in the RV anyway) with some of those being free and some charging for the space.
Car campers "have fun" saving over $100/night while on vacation in order to "have fun" spending that money on other vacation activities. Camping in a tent would not be a fun vacation for me, personally. But different strokes!
Yep.
And there are some people who started just as a lark/for the adventure and put it on YouTube (some putting it on YouTube just for their own pleasure). For some it has really become a business where they have hundreds of thousands (and some even more) of followers on YouTube and they're making well into six figures and more.
So let's say you pick one of your options, Cracker Barrel. This is where you stay for a couple nights? How do you bathe and brush your teeth?
Are you going to go into the restaurant with your toiletries and change of clothes?
The places you listed are known for allowing vans and RVs to overnight, but many of them do not anymore. Overnighter's are advised to call ahead to ask. Someone sleeping in their car is more likely to get the police called.
Many rest stops do NOT allow overnight parking, law enforcement will come and ask you to leave.
Planet Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, and other club memberships.
Truck stops have shower facilities where you can pay to take a shower (a number of people on YouTube, who aren't commercial truck drivers, do that)
I haven't done it, but you can go on YouTube channels that have continuously up for years and see that people are documenting that they're doing it.
Ya'll act like I invented this or you've never heard of it, lol. Again, there are whole message boards and FB pages devoted to it. One common practice is to have a Planet Fitness gym membership and shower there. You can also shower at travel centers/truck stops. That's what truck drivers do. Many alternate car camping with a hotel stay (not everyone feels the need to shower EVERY day); you still save 50% on hotel bills. And CB, WM, and rest areas do still allow it. Granted, if you're the "Ew, cooties!" type, it's probably not for you, but there's no need to be insulting about it. (This post was directed at those who actually car camp, but apparently there aren't any of those on C-D.)
Most states allow overnight parking at rest areas, but some don't have statewide laws or regulations. These states include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. In these states, rules can vary depending on posted signs.
No, not all Walmart stores allow overnight parking. More than 1,000 of the 4,000 Walmart stores nationwide prohibit overnight RV parking. This is due to local ordinances that prohibit overnight RV parking. Some Walmart stores, especially those in big cities and popular destinations, do not allow overnight parking in the parking lot, in a car, or in a travel trailer.
Most Cracker Barrels allow overnight parking, but some do not. You should confirm this with the specific Cracker Barrel you plan to visit. You can call the restaurant ahead of time or go inside. The restaurant manager can show you where in the lot you can park overnight and answer your questions.
Could it be done? Yes. Would it be an enjoyable vacation? You seem to think so, and I guess that's what matters.
It is less "camping" than "sleeping in your car while on vacation."
If the parking lot Walmart or Cracker Barrel is not open 24 hrs. where will you use the bathroom in the middle of the night?
I googled car camping because I never heard of it. All the sites on the first two pages are how to go to a CAMP site and stay in your car. Camp site as in the woods, mountains, lake, river and/or beach. These are designated campgrounds. That I've seen.
You can also stay on BLM lands for free, and other gov type properties.
IIRC, it's close to free (under $200 for 6 months, IIRC). A City Data member ('meo') does it for multiple months each year, and her thread is years long.
A preference for clean, warm, dry, and safe accommodations while on vacation as opposed to sleeping in your car in a parking lot and showering at a truck stop isn't really about cooties. I guess if I felt I needed to save money that badly, I'd figure out a different kind of vacation or just not go.
Some people do it because they like their own particular brand of freedom...nothing to do with saving money.
Some have spent quite a bit having someone design and execute the interior of their vehicles, or have self designed and paid others to execute the design.
You're in a sealed, locked car; you don't need "shelter from the rain"... It's obvious that no one here knows what I'm talking about, LOL.
I do.
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You're usually stealth when car camping, which means you don't set out awnings, camp chairs, or grills; most deeply tint or even cover the windows so no one knows you're in there.
And some people put rain guards on their doors along where the top of the window would rest so they can crack the window open a little bit for ventilation and not get wet if it happens to rain.
Otterhere, have you ever been real car camping? Have you ever slept in a tent and cooked over a fire? I wonder what would happen if someone showed up at a Cracker Barrel parking lot with a Coleman stove, a portable fire pit, and a camp chair. You might make a few new friends if you have marshmallows.
I've had some unconventional overnights in my past. I slept (in a tent) in a train yard one night. Slept in a car at truck stops and rest areas a few times. Slept in a car parked on residential streets. Some of these were money saving exercises, but most were due to poor planning on my part. Except for the train yard, where I slept like a baby, these tended to be nights of inadequate rest.
Different strokes for different folks. I personally feel a lot safer sleeping at a state park than I would in a Wal-Mart parking lot (or probably a $100 hotel room, haha). Most times I've planned a trip with overnights along the way I've had no problem finding campgrounds. You do need to plan, however, and not just "wing it".
On my first trip to Europe (with a friend...in the 1980s...his 5th trip, and we both had Eurail passes) we, not intentionally, fell asleep on a train. Every other train I've ever been on in Europe (except for the TGV and equivalents)....if I was getting off at the last stop.....the ticket taker/conductor would rouse anyone who had happened to fall asleep...and it's 'everyone off'.
We woke up in the middle of the night, in the middle of a dark train yard, and we had no idea what city we were in.
The employee had missed 'waking up' our car.
We hung off the edge of the last step of the car and dropped to the ground. (about 3-4 feet). We saw a light off in the distance and started walking towards it...sometimes along tracks, sometimes over, trying to proceed as safely as possible. We eventually saw that the light was coming from a little hut and that there was a man standing in front of the hut. We eventually reached him. He spoke French, and my friend spoke enough French to be able to communicate with him on a basic level. We were near Gare d'Austerlitz in Paris, and the man told us how to get out and up to street level.
So there it is. Being a mooch and a bum is now "camping" and because some idjits on the Tube of You said so, it's true.
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