Living in a Van | My First Time Overnight Parking at a Busy Rest Area 😩
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 มี.ค. 2023
- As a solo female traveler living in a van, finding safe and affordable places to park for the night can be a challenge. In this video, I'll take you along with me as I make the decision to sleep at a rest area that was busy with big rigs. It was an interesting experience to park alongside the truck drivers and spend the night in such a bustling location. Join me as I share my thoughts and feelings about this unique van life moment.
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![ลักพาตัว เอาลูกเอิร์นกลับมา...!! [เอิร์นไดเม่]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/f4NVKlZ5qkk/mqdefault.jpg)
CORRECTION: I misspoke in the video. I meant to say, the speech Martin Luther King Jr gave the day before his assassination wasn’t the “I have a dream speech”, it was the “I’ve been to the mountaintop” speech. Sorry about that!
Thank you for that clip at the hotel anyway. Much appreciated!
It’s ok you meant well that’s what counts ❤ my mom doesn’t remember our names 😂 ( 4 adult children ) doesn’t mean she loves us any less.
I visited there 6 months ago with my church. It was mind blowing. And this is from a Black studies minor who used to live between DC and Baltimore and saw all the museums there. I sat in the parking lot weeping😭 for so long, they closed up the parking lot. I had to drive over the sidewalk to get out into the street.😊
Thank for the realness. Please be careful when driving when you are so tired.
Hi Alison 👋🏽, Dr. King, was assinated in April 1968 after attending a demonstration for better pay for the sanitation workers. The " I have a dream " speech was in 1963 in Washington DC at the reflection pool at the Lincoln Memorial. My mom is from Helena Arkansas right over the bridge. Been to Arkansas many times. Went to see her parents graves and last time I went we sold my mom's house that she got for her nursing school graduation. Blessings and safe travels 🙏🏽 .
Just to clarify, the speech was August 28, 1963, and the assassination was April 4, 1968
This was very emotional. Thank you for the tour. Travel safe.
Good decision too stop before you hit the wall and start weaving , like your descriptions 😊 hi from New Zealand my sister lives in her van too ❤
I’m glad you didn’t push driving. You’ll catch up on your sleep once you get to your son’s house. Safe travels.
Wow what a sobering visit. I was too young to remember this but the famous photo is engrained in my mind.😢
I spent a week in Memphis back in early December. If you ever make it back, that tour is worth it.
The last time we stayed at a rest stop we were on the truck side and a couple of rigs pulled in fairly close to us, engines running all night. We use a sound app for iPhone called white noise (there are a lot of free apps to chose from). The sound of falling rain works every time to drown out unwanted noise without putting something over your ears.
What a incredibly important and powerful historical site to visit. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Allison. Thanks for your videos. When I am car camping, I use a White Noise app on my cell phone which helps me fall asleep. You may have already tried it, but wanted to share in case you haven't. There are times when I have to turn it up a little louder, but it helps.
Thanks for the really real stuff: cleaning the window when you get gas and whoa hi, slow down. Plus noisy places to overnight. I love all your videos and I'm so thankful to God that you got through before the tornadoes went thru!
What helps for surrounding noise and gets you to sleep faster are some cordless earphones and an audio book or podcast. You set your timer on your phone for two hours, but usually I'm asleep long before the two hours have past and have to go backwards on the book or podcast the next evening. I usually put only the one earphone in which is in the ear not flat on the cushion. It falls out during the night, but I always get it the next morning before my cat gets to it!
It works even if my neighbour has a party and some beat music on, because I am listening to the story.
I don't know if you want to try it or do you want to be open to surrounding noises, to be somewhat alert in your Van?
Greetings from South Africa 🇿🇦
Playing this on my phone and so i put it on my bed and my cat who is napping on the other end of the bed hears your voice and gets up and lays down in front it and starts watch it. Even pets like your videos.
Hello chicky, you are amazing! Can't wait to do what you're doing my husband drove back and forth from Memphis to Texarkana for work and his ex-wife and Little Rock. He says one place to hit definitely on your way back is Hot springs it's really cool, oh and there's a diamond mine you can actually go and hunt your own diamonds between Texarkana and Hot springs
That’s kind of you to apologize for not showing Little Rock but there are tons of TH-camrs and I’m sure someone can find a video on Littlerock if they really want to see it. I enjoy your videos doesn’t matter what you’re doing. I think about driving time the same way you do and I don’t live in a van. I’m just great full that you enjoy sharing what ever you choose to share… Thanks for sharing!
I find the sound of the truck drivers like white noise & it helps me sleep. But I do have a pretty good ability to tune things out. It’s also comforting to know there are other folks nearby also sleeping.
I do like the part about being closer to other sleeping drivers too. Thanks for watching!
Hey I am a van lifer who settled down for 3 years and now goin back on the road.
God Bless you and have fun and be safe.
Nice music for the museum...I'm glad they haven't torn that motel down.😊
Pretty Kool of you to show us a part of history that I'd never see so thank you for that
Amazing content...safe travels!
That was so interesting to see the hotel. I didn't realize it was setup that way. It's definitely going to be on my go see list.
Great video! Thanks for sharing😊❤❤
I remember seeing that motel years ago, we had taken a trolley ride to get there. It looks exactly the same. Thanks for sharing this with us! Really dig your videos that show how you find a spot to sleep and how it all goes. 👍😊
Sad spot, brought on the feels, but good video.
Rest stops can be loud at times. one unpleasant night about 2am an 18 wheeler pulled right behind my van in the car parking area. the truck was transporting Pigs. Trying to sleep next to a couple of hundred squealing pigs was not fun. I guess the trucker knew it was better not to park in the truck area but he should have parked on the ramp away from everyone.
I have only been to Memphis once and loved it. My Mom lives down there for a short time, I think she was at her happiest there after Zeus kids moved out. Beautiful parks and all the history. I really need to get back down there sometime. Thank you for sharing. Safe Travels.
I sleep in rest stops all the time on my travels. Rest stops and truck stops are a little noisy, but I got used to it very quickly. Usually by bedtime I'm so exhausted I don't care. I put up the window covers and feel isolated/insulated. They're probably a lot safer than you might think because there are always lots of people there to hear you if you scream for help. I sleep better than in my own bed. If someone right next to me idles his engine for more than 20 min., I'll move to a different space. In the western states where I travel, if you get to a rest stop at 10:00 PM everyone's already asleep and it's quiet as a graveyard except for some big diesel that idle all night. Usually cars and big trucks are separated by 100 ft. or so (on this side of the country anyway).
I'm old enough to remember MLK being shot, also RFK. Thanks for showing us the motel!
Same thing here.
Cops drive through rest stops just for the reason of safety.
Hi there I'm glad you took a break from driving when you got tired.yea rest stops can be a little bit loud with the trucks there overnight as well. Really enjoyed your livestream also thanks for responding to my traveling through Michigan some day question.
Stay safe
If I may,,,with all respect,,,take the time to stop and visit even the most innocuous places. You will appreciate that you did later. I’m retired and have been traveling the country in my van the last couple of years. I used to have a big 40 footer and only stayed at RV parks. It limited where I could stay and thus dictated where I went. The van allows you to go EVERYWHERE. There are so many great places to see in this country,,,take advantage of it while you can. BTW, Loves Travel Center is a great place to get a shower, do laundry and spend the night. Some of the other truck stop gas stations provide the same services.
I was 9 years old when Dr. King was assassinated. It was a very sobering, turbulent time. I remember it very well. Allison, thank you for including the Lorraine's faith walk. Safe travels.🙏
It was very touching seeing the place where Dr King passed away. It brought tears to my eyes, I’ve heard his speeches he gave on videos, he had such a vision for all.
@@carlapogson7024 he was murdered by a white supremacist, he didn’t “pass away” as if from natural causes.
I haven't been there but wanted to see it..Thank-you for sharing .
If you take your travel mug into the coffee shop they'll make the coffee in it and that's one less cup for your garbage bin.
Have fun and be safe! Your sandwich looks delicious! Thanks for taking us along for the ride! ❤
Love these kind of videos…. Keep them coming
Next time you're in Little Rock, there is a memorial for the Little Rock 9. It's free to walk around the memorial among others at the capitol.
Great workaround Allison, ear buds. The trucks at rest stops never stop.
I have traveled for years and we have all had those nights. Just too sleepy to go on and can't stand where we are. Take Care and stay safe out there.
Lol. When I’m headed somewhere, I just want to get there. Take my time but get there
When we travel to Florida in our RV, we stay at the rest area with the truckers.
I’m so glad I found your channel. Thank you ever so much!
There used to be a woman that had a table set up out there giving out information and she was there for decades I believe. I wonder what happened to her
Oh interesting!!
Enjoy your visit with your son.
Safe travels
NJ
Thanks!
Love watching your vids
Wish I could give you more
Keep on Keepin on Allison 🙏
Thank you kindly!! I appreciate you very much.
You are so brave... I'm 57 tried van life for a few months up and down east coast in FL now. Got apt to new registration on van. Planing my trip across US. Novice at this. Seen your ytube learning..not as easy as it looks...
Thank you Allison. Travel is difficult. If you get to Salt Lake city ,Utah in a few hours you are good. It took me 2 days from Illinois. Of course, you are young so you probably drive longer. Stay Beautiful, fast, and resilient.
Nice to see you again. Hi From Turkey / Istanbul !!
My husband and I have stopped many times at Rest Areas and slept in our car. We just put up the sunscreen in the front window and sleep.
I loved Dr.King,I grew up watching the struggles on t.v. I remember that horrendous day. Then 2 months later ...Bobby.
I was going to suggest that you keep some ear plugs but then you mentioned that it bothers you that you can’t hear what’s going on around you. That makes perfect sense, I’d be the same way. It’s a dilemma to want to hear what’s going on around you, yet not hear what’s going on around you. LOL. In that situation, I’m not sure but I probably would have used ear plugs and took my chances that wasn’t the night someone would try to break in. That’s one reason people have dogs, so they can hear what you can’t. Then ear plugs all night every night 😂
❤great video as usual
In this life we are always rushing. We take so many things for granted.
The gas is so cheap down that way, our gas is still almost $4.00 a gal.
I just paid 4.90 in CA...😂😅
What l remember most about Little Rock was it is dangerous, so we just kept driving.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, I appreciate how authentic you are. Maybe while with Marcus you could try putting your noise cancelling headphones in and have him knock on your rig, (if you haven’t already tried that) it might bring you comfort if you are able to hear. But I’m a very light sleeper that lives in a house with a couple of people that don’t know how to close the microwave, cabinets, pantry door, or fridge quietly. I have a cheap pair of Bluetooth headphones, and I also have severe GERD, and I found putting on a white noise or Reddit robot voice video on, I’m able to still hear if someone makes loud noise, or talks to me, but I’m able to put one ear without an earbud, into my pillow, and leave the other one in. If I switch h sides I can easily find the earbud that was out, pop it in, and take out the one from the ear that’s going against the pillow. It’s helped tremendously!
😄....."I'm not cussin' here, it's really a dam"
😁
Something really useful the camco vent plug is very good since you only have one fan and a funny fact for me is actually I sleep better when I'm next to some (not a lot) truck stop or rest area next to me than my own home !I don't know why actually 😅😅 and actually I have some ear plug always in my rv that'll be helpful too and mostly in the morning the ear plug will fall off so you can hear your alarm 😊😊😊
THAT is a NICE Rest Area! WOW! I'm a heavy sleeper, so that probably wouldn't have phased me as much. But I probably would have used foam ear plugs too.
Such an interesting lifesstyle!
Try using your phones white noise apps...or pink noise, fan noise, etc. They really drown out all those traffic noises, etc! Hope your son is doing well😊
Hi Love! In my opinion & travels, rest stops are the worst place to park overnight. There is a lot of negative activity that goes on at them. I say the Walmart parking lot would be safer. Please stay safe. Wish u the very best
Enjoy your visit with your son.
That stretch from Little Rock to Dallas on I 30 can get boring, especially after Texarkana, I've driven that many times. You can use a table top fan for white noise which can help lessen the outside noise.
Yes I listen to a lot of podcasts while I drive to keep my mind occupied. And yes, I use a fan sometimes too!
It's your journey, do it anyway you choose
Wow thanks for sharing ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Thanks for showing me that
I like your posts quite a lot but my respect for you has gone through the roof.
It makes me sad you did not go to the Library. I learned a long time ago that spending on Quality places like Presidental Library's, Interpretive Centers and such always ends up being so worth every penny I spent. Specifically Interpretive Centers are of such value as to learning about the places you visit. They talk about the people, why they came to the places etc. Of course I love Anthropology so Interpretive Centers are always my thing.
Great video
I've been to that rest stop before and it's very nice. We stopped for lunch and stretched our legs while traveling thru TX. Did not stay overnight though so can't speak to that but did notice lots of semi trucks stopping on the day we were there. Sometimes the engines idling can be like white noise to other sounds around you. Enjoy TX!
Loving your hair color and ur authentic take on vanlife
Amazing video
HI, I am a subscriber for a while now. I love your center including the car travel when you started. I'm curious, what year and model is your van and how do you power y our microwave and refrigerator? TYIA.
Many years ago i went to sing with my church choir in the arena near the MLK national park where you stopped at. I live out in the country, WAY in the country my neighbors are cows and horses lol but I live by a railroad track and it shakes my SUV sometimes, but I've been here since I retired a few years ago and it's white noise to me now. I'm a light sleeper too. Maybe consider doing a Snack pack meetup in or near Dallas some time?! That would be sooooo fun! Have a blessed visit with your baby boy Marcus. Traveling mercies.
Love you and your content ❤😊❤
Thank you for watching!!
I stay at Love’s Travel Stops, and they have an app to plan your trips.
They are safe, clean, open 24/7, showers, laundry, food, some have RV hookups, very friendly and people all around.
***Memphis area is not a safe place I would have stayed. Just a tip a bit too late.
Glad you saw some of Arkansas. The Arkansas river flows into the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico.
And it is an absolutely beautiful state if you like hunting, fishing, wildlife, hiking, camping, lake sailing.
Although, I will say that the ticks and chiggers will eat you up!
The Pacific Northwest, Oregon woodland is a much better place if you like to hike and camp without lots of bug bites.
Happy Travels and “Safety First”.
Ty for sharing your life experiences.
👍🏼
The beginning was awesome. I kind of wanted to shed a tear
Glad you are okay ✅ and thank you for the video outside Lorraine Motel where Dr. MLK lost his life.
Glad you stopped driving… safe travels
Cracker Barrel is closing all of Portland locations. Walmart and Cracker Barrel seem to have had enough of the violence. Be safe.
Always wonder if he felt he would not make it long or if he felt it would take it longer than his life span to get civil rights the way it needs to be. Either way, he was right.
He knew his time was short
MLK had death threats often. Every step he took he knew could be his last. That is commitment.
If there is one thing I've learned from watching your videos is that van life is not for me. But I still like to watch.
You can try to Use an app on your phone to measure the clearance. I belive every fast food restaurant should have a clearance to make sure a person can park under those metal structures.
OMG, it's a good thing you are not in Mississippi on the 24th of March major tornado going through and touching down in so many places but devastation in Amory for sure
The best way to see Little Rock is in your rear view mirror. A very dangerous city!
Interesting fact: Dr King and Rosa Parks were both privately educated as children at the Highlander School in Grundy County, TN., between Nashville and Chattanooga. Mrs. Roosevelt used to come there to visit them.
i wish I would have known you were in Memphis. My safe driveway is available if you pass through again. I’m in Midtown. Blessings!
From what I have seen you use the freeway's mostly. Do you ever drive from one place to the other on more rural roads? Just wondered.
I understand not remembering. I drove 18 wheelers over 20 years 48 states and Canada. Many mornings I woke up and had to think about what state I was in.
Most likely those are reefer (refrigerated ) units that have to run....never kept me awake. They haul food, etc
Do you know why trucks idle overnight like that? I’m curious.
they don't burn much fuel running like that, some because they are refrigeration loads and have to stay on, some because they get AC power inside so they can watch tv and have fans and such.
I wish I had known you were here. I live in a town just off i 40. Best wishes
Maybe a sound machine that has ocean sounds or rain… unless you need quiet to sleep.
Arkansas is surprisingly beautiful. Eureka Springs, Fayetteville, Ft Smith. Little Rock, not so much.
Read Hellhound On His Trail, by Hampton Sides. Excellent book.
My first rest area overnight i checked the reviews and one of the reviews was from a guy who said ( in his words) a man in his undershorts came out of the wooded area and was taking pictures of my vehicle and it was creepy. 😂
I didn't sleep too well after reading that, but all was fine. No guy in his skivies came out of the woods 😂.
Arkansas is my hometown 🎉❤
When you are near noisy truck stop or highway, would a white noise machine help? They play other sounds, too, like rain, ocean waves, etc. Not expensive.
Girl I'm from Memphis... no longer living there.
I like to visit...but you cannot live there. Its gotten to be too dangerous. Be very careful when you park in that city. Park in a place where there is security, or you are fenced in.
I might go to a hospital, and pay for parking there...as they have cameras and security.
she stayed the night and was fine. plenty of people still live there just fine. please don’t project your paranoia onto her.
Beautiful video.
Thank you. 🙂🙂🙂
Why do trucks have to idle all night?
They are in there sleep resting as well depends on the load too ❤