How to Sleep in Your Car
Created | Updated Apr 17, 2008
Sleeping in one's car may be illegal in some places, especially if the individual sleeping has been drinking. Further, in some geographic locations, sleeping in one's car may be a dangerous practice as there is a possibility of being mugged or even killed However, if you can overlook these minor shortcomings, sleeping in one's car is a useful tool for one's "bag of tricks" on road trips.
Sleeping in one’s car on a weekend trip is a good practice as it allows one to save money that would be use to pay for a hotel room and avoids the possibility of unsafe driving after a good night on the town. However, sleeping in one’s car is not as straightforward as it may seem. There are some certain tips that will help one get a better night’s sleep in their car.
Don’t Expect a Good Night’s Sleep
Despite the fact that it is possible to sleep in one’s car, one must realize that an automobile is not designed for sleeping. Rather, it is designed for transportation. Thus, most car manufacturers have not designed cars with sleeping in mind. For example, the default position of a car seat is upright (preferred for driving), not lying down (preferred for sleeping). This steams from the mere fact that attempting to drive and sleep at the same time is a rather dangerous practice. Therefore, when you do decide to sleep in your car, please make sure that the car is parked. Accepting the fact that one’s car is not a conducive environment for sleeping is something that one must accept before attempting to get a good night’s sleep in a car. If this is not heeded, you will be very disappointed.
Put the Seats in the Reclining Position Before Leaving the Car to go Drink
If you are attempting to sleep in your car, chances are that you have spent the better part of the night drinking alcoholic beverages. Attempting to adjust the seat of a car from the upright to lying position after several drinks can range anywhere from challenging to impossible. Therefore, in order to avoid the frustration of seat adjustment as you wander back to your car, it is a good idea to adjust the car seats to a position conducive for sleep.
Select a Spacious Car to Sleep In
If you attempt to sleep in a vehicle such a Ford Ka, you will most likely not get a good night’s sleep. Such a vehicle is small and has thin doors that do not keep the heat in very well. A larger vehicle, such as the Honda Passport, offers superior sleeping ability and a spacious interior.
Park the Car in a Warm Place
Due to the fact that the Earth rotates on its axis, and for several hours a day (the actual amount of time depends on what part of the world you are in) the location on Earth upon where your car is parked will face away from the sun, making it rather cold and dark. As most people sleep at this time, you will be sleeping in a vehicle that may get rather cold on the inside. Therefore, it is preferable to park the car in a building such as a parking garage, which is warmer than parking it near a river, for instance. Ensuring that you have a blanket in your car ahead of time will also help ward off the cold.
Remember Where Your Car is Parked
This is not an easy task, especially if you decided to drink alcoholic beverages before attempting to sleep in your car. This s doubly true if you are in a city that you are unfamiliar with. So, in order to avoid wandering around at 5 am on the streets of Luxembourg searching for your vehicle/bedroom you need to remember where your car is parked. A good way to do this is to get a map from the city’s tourist information center. If you are in a foreign country, you can attempt to speak their language to ask them for a map. This usually will result in amusement (best case) and utter confusion (worst case) at the individual that you are asking a map from. The confusion will be compounded upon if you are asking for a map in a place you think is a tourist information center but in fact someplace that is totally something different, such as a bar. However, you would also be surprised to find out how many bars in western Europe have tourist maps.
Another technique for locating your car is to take a picture of it after it is parked with a digital camera. This technique may also fail as you carry the digital camera with you throughout the night, you will inevitably take more pictures and probably, in some state of mind altered by potent beverages, decided to delete the silly picture of your car in order to make room for some more juvenile picture.
Overall, sleeping in one’s car is not a bad idea. It provides an (albeit uncomfortable) alternative to sleeping in an overpriced motel or hotel.
