Overnighting in Rest Areas?

[Chuck]

Do you occasionally spend the night in a highway rest area in your RV? Do you feel safe? Ever had any problems? Would you share your experiences with other RVers here? I believe there are many RVers who are unsure about whether it's wise to stay the night in a rest area.

Chuck Woodbury, editor
RVtravel.com
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Chuck Woodbury is the editor of RVtravel.com

[sundevil6]

Sometimes we stop at a rest area for a few hours and have never felt unsafe. We park in the RV/truck area with the longer parking spaces, and while maybe a little noisier, I feel it's safer. I know if another RVer or trucker was having a problem with someone, I'd sure help, and would hope they would do the same. Also I carry some kind of protection with me.

[Ag2000CO]

I have been using rest areas as I travel, with and without a trailer, for years. Never had a problem or felt unsure about my or my family's safety. Most are clean, well lit and patrolled. In the middle of the night when walking around to stretch have often seen Highway Patrol cars slowly driving through and checking the rest rooms. When I was young, married with kids and in the service, clean rest areas were a godsend.

The only time I have ever felt unsafe on the road was in the '60s in the south, but that was another place and another time, thankfully. These days I am more concerned about all the RVs "with a little something" for security.
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Lou
1959 Streamline 28'
Starband on a tripod
1960 Avion H-24 - gone to a better place
http://www.knob.com/Avion

[pedro]

I always use rest areas. Some I just pull through because of the type of people there or a feeling of unsurety. Most often I will stay and have very seldom had any real problems arise. Common sense and good judgment have kept me safe.
Pedro

[jnpalderson]

In our 20 years of motorhoming, we have often spent the night in a rest area. Never felt unsafe or had any problems. The last couple of years though, we've been able to pull into different Indian casinos that offer free overnight parking.

[Richard L Distler]

We usually try to stay at a Flying J or other friendly travel plaza or Wal-Mart if just overnighting. The rest areas are pretty noisy and I don't like being parked between two huge 18 wheelers.

We belong to a church volunteer group and many times we will stay at a church. Some even have hookups. I'm not naming the church affiliation because this might cause some problems in the future. But if you are in a situation where you HAVE to spend a night, a church might be the place.
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Redeemed

[steve hutch]

I have never camped in a rest area. However, as a truck driver, I have
spent many nights in them and never had a problem with it. Once, in Ohio, I left my door unlocked and someone opened it and got my wallet out of my pants; however, they were caught and I got it back, missing some money. I have also been approached several times by young females looking for temporary employment. Would I spend a night camped in one? Absolutely!

[Yoda]

We stop at rest areas quite often in our travels. We did have what we felt could be a potential problem at a rest stop on I-5 in CA just outside of Fresno. We were very tired and the truck side was overflowing. There were no cars on the auto side. It was around 3 am. We had a smaller motorhome, so we pulled on the auto side at the very end and parked parallel to the curb taking up a couple of spots. We were sure this would not be a problem as to the late hour and the parking was empty. We slept for a couple of hours and when we awoke, there were two cars in the lot. One had parked up against our front bumper and the other against our rear bumper. The entire parking area was still empty except for these two cars. You could not tell if anyone was in the cars. I am sure this was a setup. If we had gotten out of our MH, I am sure something bad could have happened. We carry a cell phone and we debated calling the CHP. We also carry protection in our MH. We had parked about two feet from the curb, so with much back and forth maneuvering, we were able to get out of the parking area. It was hard to do but we made it. If we had not, we would have called the CHP for help. Never get out of your MH in this situation or try to talk to the drivers. We know this was a setup for something. You do need to be aware and careful when using the rest stops.

[Walthy]

I have stayed in rest areas since the 60s, in my car and in an RV. I prefer public places with others there and traffic coming and going. I won't stay in an isolated place unless it is for a short time and I can't safely drive because of being too tired.

I've traveled a lot in the Southwest and throughout the west and have never had any problem. I'm always sure to lock the doors, though. In a large RV, I will park with the trucks, but away from the exhaust of others as many of the trucks keep running (or they used to) or they have auxiliary generators (refrigeration rigs). I've never had a problem, though when I got married, my wife didn't like the practice, although now she is more comfortable with it when traveling.

I'm also more careful at night than during the day.

[jonib]

We stay at rest stops every trip and we have to park with the "big guys," as we have a 35' Airstream and are towing a 24' enclosed car trailer. We had an unpleasant experience the last trip to Florida. It was in Savannah and we went to sleep with our windows open. In the middle of the night, we woke up coughing and couldn't breath. An 18-wheeler had pulled in next to us and his exhaust was coming right in our windows. It smelled so strong and foul. My husband said it was because his jets were dirty or something. We went outside and sat at a picnic table awhile to regaining our breathing and then left. We then went on to the first stop in Florida and finished sleeping there. That was the only time we had any problems at all. Of course we had other problems other than rest areas like two front tires blow within 100 miles of each other. Talk about a scary situation! But I was very proud of my husband (Jerry) as he handled it beautifully. This happened on a Saturday and we had a terrible time getting road service. We sat along the road most of the day and evening waiting. Not a fun trip!

[ChristineMarie]

I've camped in travel plazas and never had a problem. Usually there's other RVs parked and I park nearby. As Sundevil6 commented, if another RVer were in trouble, I'd certainly try to help. I think others would also, even if it's to dial 911. I've also parked with the semis and had no concerns either. Driving a small Class B, I don't have to leave the rig when I park for the night. I'm not sure I'd have the same level of 'anonymous comfort' if I had to get out of one vehicle and into another. It's also nice to know if I have a problem, I can pull away.

[dhpickard]

We try to stay at Flying J Travel Plazas. If this is not possible, we stay in rest areas with the big trucks. We have never had any problems whatsoever at either place. We have a 36-foot Pace Arrow turbo diesel with a tow dolly and minivan so we are quite long. If the rest area says "no overnight parking" and my husband is just too tired to move on, we simply ask the attendant if we can stay overnight and have never had anyone say no. We try to use common sense in sizing up safety issues, and if it just doesn't feel right, we move on quickly.
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Gil and Dianne Pickard
F119574
1993 Pace Arrow Vision Turbo Diesel Model 36C
8.3 Cummins
Allison World Transmission

[RodBev]

I've been staying at roadside rests for about 25 years or so and have never experienced a problem. As was said, "A little common sense will keep you safe." I advise people traveling alone just do not open your door after dark, or for anyone, unless they are a uniformed cop. I travel with the wife, a 110-pound German Shepherd and other means of self defense, and I still don't open my door after dark. My motto: "It only takes once."

Happy Trails
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Rod & Bev Marlin

[mohomer]

We try and stay at a Wal-Mart if we just need to grab a few hours of sleep on our way to another destination. On several occasions we have stopped at a rest area and have not had any trouble. We have a Road Whiz and a book with the rest stops listed. We use both to locate a rest area and if we didn't feel safe, we wouldn't stay. With Wal-Marts, Flying Js, etc., there shouldn't be any reason to stay in a place you feel uncomfortable.

If we every saw anyone in need of assistance, we would help if needed and hope others would assist us if needed. We all need to look out for each other.

[skirunner]

We have been using rest areas since 1977 when we got our first full size van, put a bed in the back and started going west on vacation. Never had a problem. Of course, we always lock our doors. These days with a full size motorhome we try to find a Flying J or other friendly truck stop, but rest areas a still good when tired and a campground is too far away.