How To Get Good Sleep In A Van?

US camper van sales are up 90% over the previous year as a result of the novel Coronavirus as people look for safe ways to travel and enjoy the outdoors during the pandemic. For van lifers, sleeping in a van is typically not a problem. There will always be some places that are unsafe, but for the most part, you won’t need to worry. But how can you have a sound sleep in a van? Here are some pro tips for you.

Places To Sleep In Your Van

• Bureau of Land Management (BLM) areas, National Forests, and National Grasslands
  In all but one of these locations, you are free to camp outside of the designated campground. You must adhere to a few rules, though. You can read those here: Dispersed Camping Guidelines
• Certain city parks, county parks, and wildlife management areas (WMA): Parking is free in these places. There will be a higher chance of getting in for free if you are camping in a remote area, though chances will obviously vary depending on where you are.
• Walmart: The vast majority of Walmarts offer free overnight parking, but check this list to make sure the one you choose won’t get you into trouble.
• Parking lots at hotels and motels: Avoid staying at large hotels and motels because their security will check license plates. However, avoid staying at a small one because you will stand out like a sore thumb.
• Apartment Buildings: If an apartment building doesn’t demand parking permits, this is a great chance. People will just assume that you reside there.
• Hospitals: You should be able to get some sleep as long as you don’t interfere with anyone who needs emergency medical care.
• Small businesses: You should exercise caution when dealing with them, particularly if you have a van that is obviously used for sleeping.
• Rest Areas: If you plan to spend the night at a rest area, make sure there is 24-hour security present. Due to their higher risk of robbery, this is probably not your best choice. Rest areas are frequently located far from cities and close to major highways, making them convenient for criminals to flee.
• Bars, clubs, and casinos: People frequently leave their cars at bars, casinos, and clubs overnight when they are too drunk, making this a great place for van lifers to blend in.
• Airports: If there are any airports nearby where you’re going, this is a convenient place to spend the night in your van.
• Churches: You can easily find churches, and they are usually quite quiet.
• Online resources: To find free camping spots in your area, use websites or apps like AllStays, freecampsites.net, or iOverlander.
• If you have any friends or family in the general vicinity of where you are staying, we are confident that they will be happy to let you park your van in their driveway for a couple of nights.

Ways To Get A Great Night’s Sleep In A Van

Pick A Spot Where You’ll Feel Safe

Croom had to learn this lesson the hard way. Sometimes he would simply lack planning and wind up in a Walmart parking lot. Sometimes he had a plan, but when he arrived at the campground, he discovered it wasn’t what it had appeared to be online. In both cases, he said he slept “with one eye open,” which isn’t conducive to good sleep. Even though you might technically nod off, you won’t actually get any rest.

“That anxiety can create a situation where you’re spending time in lighter sleep, and it’s a deep sleep that restores us,” Dr. Winter explains.

Move if you have any concerns about where you have parked for the night, advises Croom. Prior to the pandemic, Jessica Tran spent six months living out of her van. She says she increased her sense of security by hanging black-out curtains and making sure she could access the lock and unlock buttons from her bed.

Keep It On The Level

Every new van owner makes the same mistake, according to Croom and Tran, and it only happens once: parking the van in a spot that is just slightly off-kilter. “It feels really awkward if your head is slightly lower than your feet,” says Tran. Or, if you spend the entire night defying gravity by attempting not to roll out of bed.

Croom advises taking a look at the location before parking. The best way to determine whether it is actually level is to do that. Then, lie down in bed to ensure that gravity is not working against you. It takes a lot of effort to secure everything once the rest of your belongings have been unpacked in order to move your van.

Keep Your Camper Van Bed Consistent

Having a familiar sleeping environment is recommended by Dr. In the winter, a van always outperforms a hotel. By purchasing the same mattress, bedding, and pillows that you have at home, you can take advantage of the ability to customize your camper van bed. You’ll feel more relaxed if you can slip into some familiar sheets.

Customize Your Space

Tran started by utilizing a friend’s car when she first started living in a van. But her friend was significantly taller. Given that Tran was only using a portion of the van, the bed taking up the majority of the back seemed absurd. She decided on a smaller bed and a larger living area when she bought her own set-up.

The cool thing about the popularity of mobile living is that van companies now provide a wider range of options. In Blue Springs, Missouri, VanDOit, a van conversion, and rental business, provides two main design packages that can be combined in any way. No matter what size mattress you prefer—a queen or a twin—you can find a van set up that meets your requirements.

Combat Light And Noise

Because van walls are so thin, you don’t always have control over what your neighbors are up to in a campground. Because some people worry that earplugs will prevent them from hearing an alarm, we advise against using them and instead suggest using a white noise app. (And worry keeps us from sleeping.) Blackout curtains can help block out light, but keep a sleep mask on hand just in case some stray light manages to sneak in through a window.

Maintain Your Cool

When trying to get to sleep, temperature matters more than you might imagine. In general, sleeping is much easier when it’s slightly chilly outside than when it’s too hot inside. Many vans lack air conditioning that operates separately from the engine. Thus, before going to bed, you should make every effort to thoroughly cool your van.

Sleep And Safety Tips

• if you’re a stealth van living in an urban area, it is best to get fully ready for bed (ie brush your teeth, make your bed, close your blackout blinds) in a different location to where you are sleeping. Even nearby is preferable to nothing! In this manner, it will be much less likely that anyone will realize you are actually living in your van because you can move to the location where you want to sleep for the night and jump right into bed when you are fully prepared for bed.
• Avoid sleeping in areas where there is evidence of a party, such as beer bottles and trash on the ground. Sleeping there will make it more likely that someone will try to break in. In the event that it’s against the law to sleep there, the police may kick you out if they notice that people are frequently partying in the area.
• Know where you stand. Find it on a map, if possible. It’s best to use your phone to drop a pin with the “mark my location” feature on Apple maps or “set as parking location” on Google maps.
• If you or a friend/family member is ever lost, you can use the “share my location” feature on maps as well.
• However, if you do choose to spend the night in a big city, try to find a location with street lights and security cameras. Big cities are typically not very van-friendly.
• Think about spending no more than one night in a single place. The next night, thieves might prey on you if they notice your pattern of sleeping.