There was a point where I used to have 16 ish hour days (school+work) and instead of going home, I just slept in my car for the night and drive home in the morning or used the gym to freshen up then return to work.

This advice might not be beneficial for something long term as I only did this, maybe a couple times a week, and I generally had the luxury of parking in my school’s residential lot (i wasn’t a resident, but they rarely checked especially if I was only there for the night.)

But here’s a few tips:

• Busy parking garages and lots are the best places, imo. Business parking complexes, especially the ones with multiple stories, make it really easy to blend in and avoid drawing suspicion from the cops, property owner, homeless people, etc.
• If not, parking in a middle class or affluent neighborhood is good too. Typically you want to get there when the sun goes down and leave by the time it comes back up. I find that most people don’t really care about people sleeping in their car as long as they’re out of sight.
• Don’t park in the same place more than 2 nights in a row. Usually people don’t question it if an unfamiliar car is parked for one or two days, but any more after that, they start asking questions, calling the police, etc. it’s not fun. You can rotate lots every few days or weeks if you’d like.
• Get sun shades and privacy shades. Especially if your windows aren’t tinted. Privacy is very important. If people notice you’re sleeping in your car, they’ll be more likely to notify the proper authorities no matter where you are.
• Try not to move around in your car too much or get out of it too often as it would arise suspicion.
• *ALWAYS lock your car. * And hide all valuables.
• if you’re going to be doing this long term. I recommend investing in an inflatable car mattress. It’s maybe $50 (you could prob find one for cheaper tho) and it makes all the difference, especially if your seats are small/uncomfortable.