Sometimes if we take a road trip we might find really cheap accommodation along the road, meaning we can travel with no destination or at least with no plans and just sleep in the last place we find until we get tired. Have you ever done this? It's in fact cheap or not really?
It's a good idea to only do this in the summer, or if you live in a warm climate, as it can get quite frosty and miserable if you have to spend the night in your car and aren't well prepared for it. Depending in what places you travel, you can even take a tent along and camp in a National Park. There are many possibilities to save money and spend a safe and comfortable night as well.
I don't think I'd do this, sure you can find a cheap place to sleep but it's also possible that you don't. That cheap place you find is also cheap if you book in advance so I don't see a downside in having a plan already when you start your trip.
When you said sleeping on the road, I thought you meant literally. Anyway, I don't mind sleeping at inns and motels on roadsides even if they are not that good. To me, anything beats sleeping in a car. I slept in a car once and woke up the next morning aching all over. I've done it a few times already, some of them Bed & Breakfast ain't too bad.
I'm not really the adventurous type, so most likely I would pass up on this. Besides, it can also be risky sleeping on the road, because I have read some stories where people had their cars stolen at gun point when they slept on the road inside their car, so I think sleeping in motels would be the safer option.
It can be either cheaper or more expensive. It depends on where you end up at night. If you drive into a small town then quite obviously you wouldn't pay much for accommodation but should stop in an expensive city then quite obviously you'd pay more. When taking road trips you need to take a map with you so you know where to stop for the night lest you end up spending more than you planned to.
Are you talking about sleeping along side of the road in your car? Or are you saying what I think you mean is just stopping at any inexpensive hotel on a road trip with no particular destination? If you mean sleeping in your car, I wouldn't do it although I had thought about it a few times just to save some cash but it can be dangerous. If you meant the other, then I have just stopped at the nearest hotel or motel that looked decent when going on a road trip but do always have a specific destination I'm going to.
The only problem with staying just anywhere is you may end up on the wrong side of town! That could be dangerous. Plus some of those cheap places could have bedbugs, and or roaches. Too many variables for me YUCK!
I don't think it's a problem, however if you look for places that are too cheap it might not be so safe. If you're sleeping on the road, it's important to find a safe place to sleep at all times. If you look for cheap, it might get expensive should you get robbed or have something done to you or your car.
No question there, safety comes first and sometimes to be safe it costs more than we are willing to give. Either cases I think that if we just drive and sleep where we feel tired can give a trip a freedom sense and can be a good experience comparing to having all programmed, it's something that is maturing in my head.
I'd be way too scared. It seems pretty unsafe but I'm probably being overcautious again. I'd check the mirrors in case they were two way at the very least, because I'd otherwise not be comfortable showering or changing in such a place.
Well, I would not go that far Serenity, some places might look dubious, but other places might be perfectly safe. I mean, if we are in a small town we just might get lucky and find simple, but decent accommodation and great food, how many times haven't we eaten great food in small towns?
I have never done this before but I think it is the strange idea to just drive on the road and at night sleep where ever you want. It seems to be less scary and unsafe. I think we should have made a plan for this purpose and go out for with any skilled driver who knows about all the ways and road conditioned otherwise it could be harmful not only for you but also for your companions.
I don't know if you read the first post Ashlee, but the idea is no to sleep just anywhere, but in a hotel or motel or something like that that you spot when you are driving, but already feeling like having a rest, it's really practical IMO.
I think this idea is quite crazy, but at the same time also fun and exciting. I think this would work for only a night, and not for more nights if you want to make the most of your vacation, because you would also need more a base where you'd be able to comfortably redress up yourself and regain your energy you would use to enjoy the next day. Of course, you wouldn't wanna feel like dying out of weakness when you are doing the activities you went for that vacation.
I will sleep off a turnout, road, or parking area when traveling in my car a lot. It saves time and money. Sometimes, if there's a Wal-Mart parking lot near the freeway, I go and park in their lot - FYI people driving RVs and Trailer home are allowed to stay at Wal-Mart stores legally.
I haven't done this personally but my friend did and though it was cheaper, it somehow made him feel bad because he thought he looked like a pauper doing it. Worse, he was alone and wasn't sure whether his pocket money was going to last until the day of his departure. He went to Germany on a business trip and squeezed in a visit to France despite limited funds. He slept in a hotel only after one night. The next two days outside NOtre Dame cathedral
That line of thinking just seems highly irresponsible. Especially if you're travelling in areas you aren't familiar with, I'd much rather plan out where I'm going to be staying and try and get a general idea of where I'll be during the trip. What if you end up at an extremely shady looking motel because that's the last place you found when you got tired? Being spontaneous and just going might be more exciting, but I'd rather just plan out my trip in advance.
This may seem strange but we've traveled a lot by car and never made a reservation. Having an ultimate destination is fine but but planning out each day's travel and stops is too methodical and takes all the fun out of it. In recent years we've stayed in motels, even shopped around a bit if the town was big enough to have several motels. We've never had a bad experience. When we were young, we drove up the Alaska Highway when it was still gravel, to Anchorage and on down the Kenai Peninsula to Homer, Alaska and then back to southern New Mexico. We were traveling in a van with three kids, a dog, and a cat. We tented all the way, first in organized campgrounds, then along likely-looking creeks or lakes on the Alaska highway. We stayed in a motel every three days or so for shower and to do our washing. That was fun then, it would be a hardship npw, and a great adventure for the whole family.
I've slept in my car in parking lots during my college days whenever me and my friends went on long trips, but if don't think I'd do it now. Back then I just didn't care as much but now I think it's actually kind of dangerous because you're sleeping out in the open. If I found a good spot then I'd consider it but generally I don't think it to be too much of a good idea anymore.
