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Am I the only one who tried sleeping in my car to skip a motel and ended up $40 ahead in Flagstaff?
So last spring I drove from Phoenix up to Flagstaff for a weekend hike and I was dead set on not paying $85 for a motel room. I pulled into a truck stop off Route 66 around 11pm, folded the back seats down in my Corolla, laid out a $12 foam pad from Walmart, and figured I'd sleep terrible and just deal with it. Woke up at 6am feeling surprisingly okay, grabbed a $3 coffee from the counter, and hit the trail by 7. Here's the weird part: I ended up spending less on gas that trip because I wasn't idling the car to stay warm like I thought I'd need to. My buddy who got a room texted me at 9am saying he overslept and missed the sunrise, and I'd already been on the ridge for an hour. Total spent on the overnight setup was about $15 versus his $85 plus late checkout fee. It's not glamorous and I get why people hate it, but for one night on a road trip I'm honestly sold. Has anyone else done the truck stop sleep thing, and did you pick spots based on showers or just safety?
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christopher_kim6d ago
That line about being "honestly sold" after one night really hits home for me. I used to roll my eyes at the whole car sleeping thing, figured it was just something broke college kids did and that I was too old for that nonsense. Then last fall I got stuck driving back from Sedona way later than planned and every motel in town wanted $120, so I gave the truck stop a shot out of pure spite. Woke up stiff but fine, saved the cash, and got on the road before sunrise which actually made the drive way better. I still grab a room when I'm traveling with my wife or staying more than one night, but for a solo quick trip I'm a changed man. Your call about safety over showers is the right one too, I always pick a well lit spot with other cars around and skip the shower question completely.
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