Rent a post office box or a Private Mailbox (PMB). Although PMBs tend to be more expensive, you can receive packages at them and some services will let you use an address format that makes it appear to be an apartment; this can be useful when someone requires a physical address. Sign up for a gym membership, or, if a gym is too expensive, a more affordable alternative is (depending on your location) to enroll at a local community college where you’ll then be able to use their gym facilities. Renew any paperwork that will require an address to process soon. Put valuables in a safe deposit box at a bank. If you have friends or family who can’t (or refuse to) help you with your living situation, or you refuse to ask them for help, think about at least asking them if you can use their address.
Church car parks are often quiet during weekdays. If you check around, you may find a church that is less used than others. This could be a good place to park, and you may be able to ask for assistance at the church. You might even attend the church to gain rapport, but wait a while before telling others about your situation, and tell only those who seem trustworthy and willing to help. [4] X Research source Industrial estates and business parks are often noisy by day, but very quiet at night. Small ones close to residential areas are best. They have to be quiet at night. You may encounter security in some places like this, but if you are honest, saying you are just sleeping the night in your car, they usually won’t bother you. Their main role is to protect the property. University car parks. This is okay if you are a student, but not so good if you are not associated with the university. You may be required to get a parking permit. [5] X Research source Camping grounds are another option, although they usually have time limits and some are almost as expensive as a hotel room. Some offer a shower for a nominal fee. National Forests have some free camping with a limit of 14 days. Yacht harbors are notoriously ‘free zones’—given the nature of fishermen and boats, so marinas offer a lot of services, like hot showers and transient vehicles. If the season is high, larger boats from out of state show up and stay for months along with their respective crews, all of whom are ’transients’ providing excellent cover for you and your vehicle. They don’t know or care, and if they find out they still don’t care, being a ’little wild’ themselves. Hang around on the weekend and meet someone who wants their boat washed and waxed—that’ll do it, from there on in you’ll have a gate/shower key and legitimacy. If there’s no restroom, having a creek nearby helps for rinsing purposes. Know how to safely defecate outdoors and make a poop tube. Five-gallon bucket with a lid and lye for odor can also work. A free hospital parking lot is another option. If approached by a guard, you can say that you’re waiting to visit a sick relative. [6] X Research source However, note that in Australia, due to past murders of nurses, you may attract police attention by parking in a hospital car park. You may be asked to move on by security. [4] X Research source If you can establish rapport with the manager of a retail store or restaurant, they may not give you problems about staying overnight, especially if they see your presence as a form of overnight security. Try a hotel parking lot. Hotels and motels along the interstate allow cars to park until 11:00 a. m. the next day (checkout time). As long as your seat reclines fully, no one will notice you. However, you’ll need to keep moving on. Once you find a spot, try to arrive late at night, and leave before 7 am. This will draw as little attention as possible to yourself.
Gyms can be an expensive option. Many gyms range in cost from $35 a month to a more typical cost of $55 a week. This is pretty expensive just for a shower. Many councils, churches, and support organizations have free showers. It can be a false economy to use a gym just for showers, particularly as there are many free ways to keep in shape without a gym. [7] X Research source Try to remember the flip flops or water shoes as not to get a foot fungus and let the towel dry out in the car. Community or Recreation centers that have gyms and showers are a cheaper option than the nationwide chains. Many Rec or Community centers yearly memberships cost about the same as the monthly memberships at a national gym. You may not be able to store your items as safely in these places though. The next best choice is to check into an affordable caravan park one or two days a week. These usually range from about $18-$26 a night in Australia, possibly more in the U. S. You will have a spot to park your car, you can do laundry (usually an extra fee), fill up on water, have a shower, and even pitch a tent if you have one. They usually have powered sites, so you can recharge your electrical devices or run a fan or heater. [8] X Research source Another option, though possibly more expensive, is to book into a cheap motel or hostel once or twice a week and clean up thoroughly there (if you can afford it). Swimming pools have showers, depending on whether they have private stalls or are set up gang-style, they may provide a discreet place to shower. Another option to consider- when you can’t shower, use unscented baby wipes to clean up or take a “bum shower” in a public restroom where you feel comfortable doing so. You also could learn about local establishments that have single-person restrooms. Use them to washing your hair or face. Bring a towel to dry your head and the sink area, and be quick. Alternate between establishments. At a truck stop, you can ask around for a shower coupon, if you feel safe allowing people to know that you’re without a place to stay. Truck stops are good to sleep at too. Truck Stops can be noisy at night though, so earplugs are recommended. [3] X Research source Some toll roads, especially state turnpikes, have large rest areas with free showers for truckers. Since these are usually open 24 hours, these plazas are also good places to sleep. Sometimes you can take a single class for a nominal price, thus becoming a legitimate member of the college community, with access to their gym, library, WiFi, employment office, and other resources (in addition to learning something).
Rotate among several parking locations to avoid getting noticed. When you move around in the parked car, move slowly to avoid rocking the car. When it’s sunny in the daytime, use a sunshade for the windshield. You may find that you need and want more privacy than windows offer. There are a few cheap ways to gain this privacy. Reflective window shades in your back and front window help. Similarly, fold-up shades on the side windows are good. You can also buy some cheap cloth and either stuff them in the windows, tape them in, or hold them in place by magnets. [9] X Research source Black cloth is best for privacy and blocking out light. If you can afford it, and local laws allow, and you don’t mind driving with it, get your windows tinted as dark as legally possible. This along with the front sunshade and dark cloth or towels can provide a lot of privacy. If you hang a towel or cloth on an untinted window, it screams a homeless person. You hang the same on a tinted window it’ll be impossible to see inside and won’t draw attention. Keep the windows cracked open while you sleep, not wide enough for someone to reach in, but enough to allow fresh air and reduce condensation on the windows.
A cheap cooler will help make life easier. The main thing the cooler needs is to be waterproof. Cold food will cause condensation, while ice will melt. You don’t want that water inside of your car. A cooler will help keep your perishable food cool. It will work most efficiently when full, so add bottles of cold water to it as you take out food. If you choose to buy an electric cooler, it will need good ventilation to work. For this reason, it will not work well in your car’s boot. It is best placed within the car when running. Make sure it is only running when the engine runs, or use a low voltage cut-out device, as explained below. Make sure the cooling vent grille is not touching anything as it exhausts waste heat and may set some things on fire. One essential item, if you can afford it is a Porta-Potty, a chemical toilet. These devices can really make living in a car bearable. They can be purchased for under $100 new these days. If you can’t afford a Porta-Potty or don’t have room for one, you can pee into wide-necked bottles like Gatorade bottles, or make an improvised bucket-style toilet. [10] X Research source
A good buy for any car dweller is a low voltage cut out device. [11] X Research source This device protects your car’s battery by cutting off the electricity once the battery reaches a voltage where it can still start the car, but can’t really run plug-in devices much more. These usually retail for about $25-$40. They are a very good investment for a car dweller, as continual flattening of your battery will damage it, resulting in a costly replacement, and inconvenience of not being able to start the car. An alternative to electric cooking devices is to use gas for cooking, but do not use this inside the vehicle for safety reasons. There are many dangers associated with cooking inside your car: unstable surfaces, fire hazards, burns from hot metal or spilled liquids, carbon monoxide build-up, smells. Cooking is for outside of the car. If you live in a van with a stable set up for cooking, then cooking inside is okay, provided there is ventilation.
