What Stores Allow Overnight Parking?

If you are all about that van life, then you will be no stranger to searching for a place to park up for the night. Finding a suitable location is incredibly important.

Especially if you want to avoid fines for parking where you shouldn’t, and unnecessary danger. But finding a location to park up in isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

When you gain experience as a Boondocker, finding places to park your van, RV, or trailer becomes a breeze. But, when you are new to this, it can be tricky to know where to begin.

That’s where we come in.

In this handy guide, we’ve put together a complete list of stores that allow overnight parking.

So, if safety has become more of an importance than scenery, you are in the right place.

Keep on reading to find out what stores allow overnight parking.

What Is Meant By “Overnight Parking”?

First things first, let’s take a look at what is meant by “overnight parking”. As the name suggests, overnight parking could be defined as a location that allows you to park your vehicle overnight.

On a surface level, it might seem like pretty much anywhere is considered to be “overnight parking”.

After all, if you park your vehicle, and leave it there, there isn’t really much that anybody can do (apart from towing your vehicle away, of course).

However, when we discuss suitable overnight parking, there are a couple of things that we need to consider.

These things include whether, or not, you are allowed to park your vehicle there overnight – this includes potential fines for leaving your vehicle there, or the possibility of your car being towed away.

You should also consider safety when looking for overnight parking, and that is why so many people opt to park up in store car parks.

Store car parks usually have some form of surveillance, and they usually have a certain amount of traffic, no matter the hour.

But above all, store car parks tend to be full of space – and that is what makes them so suitable for those living that van life.

But what stores offer overnight parking? Let’s take a look.

What Stores Allow Overnight Parking?

Before we go any further, it is important to note that there is no guarantee that all the stores that we are about to discuss will offer overnight parking.

After all, whether, or not, a store will offer this depends on a number of factors, including location.

However, if you are looking for a store that offers overnight parking, these are good places to begin.

So, let’s dive right in!

 

Costco

If you are on the search for overnight parking, then stores like Costco are usually a good place to begin.

Stores like these tend to come with huge car parks, and huge car parks mean lots of space which is exactly what you need for your RV.

While some stores try to deter RVs and vans from parking up in their car parks overnight, Costco doesn’t.

Instead, Costco actively encourages car campers and RV owners to park up in their car parks during the night time. You don’t even need a Costco membership.

Due to the opening hours of Costco, it is best to park as far away from the store (while staying in their car park) as possible. But, it is still a great place to park up for the night.

Cracker Barrel

Speaking of opening hours, the times in which Cracker Barrel operates make them perfect for those living that van life.

The majority of Cracker Barrel stores close up shop at 10 PM and don’t reopen until 7 AM the next day, leaving plenty of space for RV’ers to park up in the night time.

If you do use a Cracker Barrel car park to rest your head for the night, then you will need to move on fairly early the next morning.

After all, it is only polite to vacate the car park, ready for the Cracker Barrel customers to enjoy in the morning.

But, if you want a safe and secure place to settle down for a good night’s sleep, then a Cracker Barrel car park is usually a good choice.

Home Depot

If you are willing to take a risk, then you should consider parking up in a Home Depot car park.

There are no rules or regulations in the policy of Home Depot relating to overnight car parking, so it is up to individual managers to decide the policy for their store. That is why it is a little touch and go.

However, the good thing about this policy means that you can plan ahead.

If you know that you will be in a specific area at a certain time, you can simply pop into the store and ask the manager about their policies.

A lot of the time, managers won’t mind you using their car park, as long as you vacate the premises before the doors open the next day.

There really is no harm in asking!

Walmart

Finally, we would recommend making a trip to Walmart for all your overnight parking needs. The majority of Walmart stores allow overnight parking, so it is usually a safe bet.

Their car parks also tend to be on the larger side, making them perfect for parking up your RV.

The added bonus of parking up at Walmart is that you can easily pop in and stock up on all the essentials before you bed down for the night.

As is the case for some of the other stores we have looked at, it is preferable to park as far away from the store as possible.

But as long as you are polite and courteous, you shouldn’t run into any issues parking your RV at Walmart for the night.

Summary

In conclusion, there are actually quite a lot of places where you can park up your van or RV for the night, and get a good sleep.

In this guide, we have taken a look at just a handful of the many stores that allow overnight parking.

So, if you are looking for a place to settle down for the night, and rest your head, check out the guide above.

Thanks for reading!