Tried sleeping in a hostel parking lot in my car to save money... didn't go as planned

I was driving from Denver to Salt Lake City last month and figured I'd save 60 bucks by crashing in a hostel parking lot instead of booking a bed. Found a spot that said 'no overnight parking' but I saw other cars there so I thought I'd risk it. Around 3am a security guard knocked on my window and told me to move or he'd call a tow truck. Ended up driving 20 more miles to a Walmart lot but I was so tired I barely slept. Turns out hostels around here check their lots pretty carefully in tourist season. I learned the hard way that paying for a cheap bunk is way better than getting woken up and having to drive half asleep. Has anyone else tried stealth car camping near hostels or hotels?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse_fisher12d agoMost Upvoted

My stealth camping game is so weak I got nervous sleeping in my own DRIVEWAY once after a late shift. All that paranoia and zero sleep makes the $60 savings feel like a bad joke on yourself. Ive learned that paying for a crappy mattress in a dorm is still cheaper than a therapy session for my parking lot anxiety.

uma_johnson12d agoTop Commenter

You know whats funny, I once tried the Walmart parking lot trick during a cross country move with all my stuff crammed in a minivan. But the Walmart in question was in a pretty sketchy part of town and I spent the whole night waking up every time someone walked by the van thinking they were about to break in. Didn't help that the fluorescent lights in the parking lot were brighter than the sun at noon. Between the paranoia and the light show I got maybe an hour of sleep total. Sometimes the cheaper option ends up costing more in peace of mind if you know what I mean.