Have You Ever Tried To Live In A Car?
Living in a car can hardly count as a pleasant experience; however, sometimes one doesn’t have a choice – or, perhaps, simply wants to try out something new and unusual. Irrespective of what your reasons may be, it pays to be well-informed and prepared. Here are some tips that can make living in a car less trying and more secure.
1. Choose the Right Car
If you have any time and money to prepare, make sure your car suits your needs. You may check all car logos here, but in general you should be on a lookout for a reliable and inexpensive van, preferably a windowless one. This way you will be able to kill two birds with one stone: a van provides more space than average, and the fact that it doesn’t have windows will make getting some privacy much less problematic.
2. Get a Steering Column Lock
Losing your car when you use it to move around is highly unpleasant. Losing your car when you live in it is nothing short of catastrophic, especially if you do so out of necessity rather than to look for new experiences. A simple steering column lock can do much more to provide the safety of your vehicle than any fancy auto alarms and similar security devices.
3. Find a Suitable Place(s) for Parking
There are many things to consider, but primarily safety, noise and possible problems with the law. In many locales using your car to sleep in is not simply discouraged but illegal as well. That is why you should make sure you know the laws of the state you live in and always choose places where you don’t stand out too much. Wal-Mart and other retailer parking lots, highway rest and truck stops, public parks, church and community parking lots and other similar places come to mind.
4.Get a Pair of Earplugs
If you’ve never slept out of a house before, you may find outside noises to be all-pervading and extremely distracting. If you want to be able to sleep at all, especially in your first few days of living in a car, earplugs are a must. Believe me.
5. Find a Way to Stay Clean
Naturally, hygiene is a huge issue for those living in a car, and finding an affordable and stable way to maintain it should be among the first things for you to tick off. There are more ways to do it than you may think, ranging from rather expensive ones (like signing up for a gym membership or booking into a motel a couple of times a week) to more affordable methods (using free showers offered by churches, councils and other support organization or joining Community or Recreation centers for their cheap showers).
6. Don’t Attract Attention
Living in a car makes you quite a vulnerable target both for law enforcement and criminals. Thus, being as inconspicuous as possible is another of your primary concerns. There is no sure fire way to do so – it is comprised of many small things. Don’t park in the same place twice on the same week. Get your windows tinted as dark as legally allowed in your location. Use a blackout curtain to hide light at night. Maintain your appearance – the more respectable you look, the less likely you are to attract the attention of police.
So, living in a car may be a challenge for many. It may be anything from frustrating to disheartening. However, if you take steps to prepare for it and follow a number of simple rules, the experience can be made much more palatable and I wish you good luck!
Featured photo credit: Ed Gregory/stokpic.com via stokpic.com
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