- A two-week van trip had me imagining nights in nature and secluded campsites.
- In fact, some nights we took advantage of the picturesque campsite, and other nights we took advantage of the asphalt parking lot.
- Sleeping outside of Walmart and Cracker Barrel was free, convenient, and a true taste of van life.
As I sped down the highway from Colorado in my 75-square-foot van, I imagined the next 12 nights.
I’m renting a camper from the RV rental company Native Campervans, and the Ram ProMaster will be my tiny home on wheels for the next two weeks. It has taken me everywhere from Joshua Tree National Park to abandoned water parks in the California desert.
I imagined spending nights stargazing in empty deserts, camping and bonfires in national forests, and watching colorful sunrises from the back of my van.
And while all that was happening, I also spent nights in asphalt parking lots outside of Walmart and Cracker Barrel.
Convenience and budget led me to the Cracker Barrel parking lot
Day 4 of our trip was spent riding a round trip train from Williams, Arizona to Grand Canyon National Park.
By the time we reached Williams, the sun had set. The next morning I woke up early and planned on heading to Jerome, Arizona.
All we needed was a place to park and sleep. RV parks are scattered throughout the town of Williams, but they were expensive.Cheapest spot nearby KOA campsite was $50 and other RV parks had about the same price.
My van didn’t need any hookups, and I didn’t need RV park amenities like laundry or a pool. It felt like a waste to spend $50 just to park for a few hours.
As I was sitting in my van thinking about where to sleep, I found a Cracker Barrel in nearby Flagstaff on Google Maps.
After interviewing countless people who live in RVs, vans, school buses, and private cars, I know that places like Cracker Barrel and Walmart may allow you to spend the night in their parking lots. I was there.
Sure enough, in Google’s review section, many people mentioned how they successfully slept in the Flagstaff Cracker Barrel parking lot.
I turned on the van and headed there.
I spotted a huge RV before I saw the yellow and brown Cracker Barrel sign. It was clearly a popular place. Even though it was only 7:30 p.m., the parking lot was already full. RVs with slide outs occupied some of the spots. People living in cars filled out everyone else. Also, some were occupied by vans, truck campers, and travel trailers.
It was reassuring to know that many other people were spending the night in the same parking lot. I pulled over, closed the car blinds to block out the light, locked the door, and crawled into bed.
I could hear the sound of cars driving down the nearby road. Occasionally, I could hear trains in the distance and cars honking their horns.
It wasn’t the quiet campsite I had imagined, but it was convenient and free.
Plus, it gave me a taste of real van life. If you want to live out of your van full-time, you’re likely going to need easy, affordable, and free parking.
Later on in the trip, when I needed a rest after driving late into the night, I remembered how easy it was to park at Cracker Barrel.
This time we headed to a nearby Walmart where 12 other RVs were parked and repeated the process again.
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