Sleeping in the Prius

You don't have to stop if you don't want to. Pack the car the day before, have it all set up to go, including a full tank of gas. Wake up, eat a light breakfast, and go. Have a small bag of snacks and cooler with some drinks on the passenger seat. I drove from CT to CA with only one overnight stop and that was 3,000 miles! I did it another time, with another driver with no overnight stops. I have done CT to FL a couple times straight thru. And all of that was before the invention of RedBull. Just start fresh, don't over eat when you eat as it will tend to make you drowsy. Don't stop just to eat, try to limit your stops by combining gas, food, peeing in the same stop when possible. When you do stop, get out and get some exercise, walk around, jog in place, jumping jacks, stretch, whatever, to get the blood flowing and to fight fatigue. Don't use caffine early in the trip, as you then will have a drop in energy later. Don't drink sugary drinks, water or Gatorade is better. Lighter foods are better, heavy pasta dishes are not a good idea. When you go to sleep the night before, don't set an exact departure time, don't set your alarm. Leave when you wake up, wake up when your body says it has all the sleep it needs. Most of us are awake for 16 hours a day on average, so 19 isn't really pushing it too much. If you can of course, we are all different and you need to be honest with how you are. Me, if I pull over I can't sleep anyway as my mind is going over the next day's drive and I just can't shut down.

 

The sun shields, offered in the online shop, fit completely around so no one can see in. Also a good spot is a hospital parking lot, because relatives are visiting patients at all hours.

 

HAH. I'd rather eat a Big Mac and coke, and sleep.

 

Sometimes a nap in the the car on a long lunch break! If ya know what I mean,Eddie Bauer travel pillow a must!

 

I would not recommend walmart parking lots. Not in a car.. Camper, maybe...

You would be supprised at how cheap some of the hotels/ motels can be if you need to. I would definitely put a cooler / thermos in the car to cut down on food stops (of course the restroom may increase....:lol:

Good luck on your trip and let us know how it works out...

 

I've driven down the coast a few times, and there are some rest areas I don't trust in the daytime, let alone parked overnight. If I really had to drive that kind of distance in the shortest possible time, I'd find a trusty co-pilot to share the naps and the conversation, along with the driving.

Loud music is essential, as are copious quantities of caffeine. Naturally, that means more frequent stops....

 

I have did this for 10 years with the dog. From 100f+ to -20F. Rest areas and turnpike plazas (assuming I 70). I found the western attitude to be if your tired park it and take a nap and don't worry about it it's the safer thing to do. If your on a road in NF or BLM land just pull off where there is room. I have had the Rangers take a drive by look (Its their job) but never had a problem. Thermarest deluxe self inflating mattress works well. If you crack the windows on summer nights the mosquitoes might be a problem.

 

No chance for a cheap motel instead???

 

I just completed my Summer trip from Massachusetts to Las Vegas and back(over 90 hours driving). I went from 2500 miles to over 9000. I slept in the prius a handful of times. Sleep at the rest stops on and just off the highways. Many have eateries and facitities that are open 24/7 with many truckers and travelers coming and going at all hours of the night. Park in a well lit area and keep your doors locked. Nobody messed with me. The one drawback is, I didn't want to have to toss and turn in the back seat of the car for hours, so I had to drive until I was pretty tired, which can be dangerous. My sneakers also put a few black scuffs on the back of my drivers seat and interior when I was climbing around back there.

 

When I die, I want to go peacefully in my sleep - just as my grandfather did, and not like the screaming passengers in his car..............

Keith

 

Walmart has an agreement with the RV community, they will let people with campers set up in their parking lot (presumably not in a prime parking spot) and spend the night. I would think somebody in a car would be fine too, as long as you don't look like a homeless person and you're in a hoity-toity town (in Nebraska, not too likely...)

About the rest stops, I understand people's perception of stranger danger, but really I think that's overdone by all the crime shows on TV and the news' incessant obsession with violent crime, no matter where it happens. You have a chance to get robbed any place, any time, I don't think rest stops are any more dangerous (particularly in the Midwest/Great Plains) than any other place. Safer than driving while drowsy, that's for sure.

 

The only exception to this is where it is prohibited by law. There are a few locations where overnight parking is not allowed, even in a privately owned parking lot.

Tom

 

Is there a good list somewhere of these places? (I'm also making a similar trip soon so am curious)

 

The advantage of a 24 hour WalMart parking lot is that you have what I call the WalMart alarm clock. Just before dawn, their parking lot sweeper fires up. WalMart misses a marketing opportunity because I've gone in looking for coffee but they don't serve coffee early. Their McDonalds or Subway don't open until later.

I can afford a motel but sometimes all you need is about 4 hours of sleep and you don't know where you will get really tired. We're going to make a one day 1000 mile trip Saturday in our Prius III but I think I can make it without a stop. Been there when I felt like I need a touch of sleep to continue on.

I don't consider 4 hours to be over night. When they have overnight laws, I think they are thinking of RVers spending a week in a parking lot in a prime vacation spot or during an event.

 

I can't see a cop making you leave a parking lot. If you tell them you were to tired to drive anymore and had to get a few hours of sleep. I don't see them saying to bad now keep driving.

 

Not that I know of. Generally the prohibition is only in swank towns where they don't want to risk raising the crime rates by allowing poor people to camp.

Tom