Roadside Motels

[a45cap]

Something I have always been curious about.
I have seen numerous little roadside motels, the little one level, kind of homey little places you see along the 2 lane highways. Never very many cars, usually always have the vacancy sign lit. Pull up to your door kind of places. I could never stop though because I was always driving by in my semi.
I've thought about now since I'll be in my car, with my dog if it would be feasible to spend say, maybe a night or 2 out of the month. Providing I could barter some with the owner/manager, maybe pay a reduced rate. My thinking is at least they would have some kind of income from the room, and I would get a break every once in awhile from the tent camping.
Anyone ever tried this? Or even just stayed in one of these little places for any length of time?

 

[Bela's Mom]

I haven't tried it but if I was living out of my car, I would stop occasionally at a motel. Just being able to take a good hot shower or bath and sleep in a good bed can do wonders for your feeling of well being if the road has been too long or you are feeling ill. I would ask to see a room before committing to staying, however, to make sure that it is clean and that you will be comfortable in it.

Happy trails!

 

[grimmal]

We are doing it right now. Drove from Las Vegas to Pennsacola (took 3 weeks in van visiting places and camping) and then we rented a economy car to go see every one in florida we have to see. So we find a cheap hotel to stay in for the 2 nights we are not staying with relatives. Put the van in long term parking. Because we have to be in so many parts of florida in a short time frame, just thought it would be less stressful. Then we can get the van and be on our way. Funny thing is I miss the van

 

[cyndi]

I'm in a car since I sold my Class C, while I shop for a van. I check into a motel at least once a week for a shower and to re organize my car. If the weather is crappy I'll stay a couple of days, sometimes. Works for me!

I'm also couch surfing and house sitting my way across the country.

 

[highdesertranger]

ok don't get me wrong not trying to talk smack on anybody that uses motels. I myself stay in a motels now and then. I heard a comedian on the radio just the other day he said; "you would never buy a used mattress, but you will pay $100.00 a night to sleep on one". although that's way more than I would pay for a motel but it did make me think. highdesertranger

 

[cyndi]

I really miss my moho.

Asking the locals about a clean motel has worked well for me.

Inspecting a room before laying down the cash isn't a big deal. I my own bedding, also.

I'm still coming out ahead, money-wise, when it comes to filling the gas tank of the moho and shelling out a few bucks for a motel.

 

[LeeRevell]

I used the smaller noels when traveling in my Navy Daze, but that was the early '80s. Worked well. One in western Texas (or maybe NM...?) was a series of singlewide mobilehome type rooms end to end along the highway - but they were clean and comfy.
My sister and BIL got their property flooded a few years back and stayed at a motel close by for two weeks - they had a decent time. Mom and Dad borded their dogs at the time, and their horses were borded elsewhere. Florida, hurricane season, typical drill...... ;-)
In the first week of June Mom and I will drive my minivan to Indiana from here in Florida, and will stay in motels. So I will get to see if anything has changed in thirty years. If it was just me, I'd sleep in the van and overnight at WallyWorld.

 

[Simran]

It was this kind of thinking that drove me to a tent and eventually my van!!
I was in motels 250 nights in a year, on someone else' dime of course, I got tired of shoddy rooms and rude attendants. I bought a lot of my rooms on hotels.com; when you do that I think the attendants are told to give the shoddy rooms out to those customers. I wouldn't have it. I would tell them, "I want a clean room or a refund; your choice." I had completely lost my sense of humor about motel rooms.
Now I sleep in my van and I always know who slept in the bed and when the bedding was washed last. Then I stick the money in MY pocket. This $1500.00 van has paid for itself over and over again.

ok don't get me wrong not trying to talk smack on anybody that uses motels. I myself stay in a motels now and then. I heard a comedian on the radio just the other day he said; "you would never buy a used mattress, but you will pay $100.00 a night to sleep on one". although that's way more than I would pay for a motel but it did make me think. highdesertranger

 

[Lucky mike]

I used to stay in motels alot and traveled with a car....but then I bought a motorhome. even tho the gas mileage wont meet the car mileage...it costs at a minimum 30 bucks for the room back then....30 is a half tank of fuel ......now I just pull over & boondock....plenty of free wifi....OTA Tv or a movie...showers onboard and all my needs......10 miles to the gallon to haul a rent free house around is cheap....I can go 2 weeks plus without putting water onboard or dumping.....best 6k I ever spent!!

 

[Zil]

$30 is not a half tank in my vans. $30 is less than 9 gallons.

 

[compassrose]

I used to work Front Desk. Asking to see a room before you check in is very common. We have occasionally used hotels for various reasons. We traveled with a thermoelectric cooler that either plugged into the cigarette lighter plug or plugged into an AC/DC adapter (no ice needed, I kept it in the car/van/jeep for groceries on a hot day and spur of the moment picnics). Most hotels (you enter rooms via a lobby or common enclosed hallway) and motels (rooms open directly to exterior and you park your vehicle in front of the room, usually) have no problem with folks hauling a cooler in with them. I have known some folks who would even haul little cube microwaves along with their coolers. Hot plates on the other hand are not warmly welcomed. I have taken a crockpot into motel rooms too. Any more having a tiny refrigerator and microwave in the room is considered "standard amenities". The last hotel we stayed in (Holiday Inn Express, Socorro, NM) had a nice little kitchenette. You would be surprised how many hotel/motels have guests that stay for a month or longer. Weekdays are cheaper than weekends.

 

[Lucky mike]

$30 is not a half tank in my vans. $30 is less than 9 gallons.

And you cant rent a room for 30 bucks anymore either....
my point would be that now rooms are 50 to 60 a nite at a cheap place....thats still 12 plus gallons of gas or in my case 150 miles of travel....

---

$30 is not a half tank in my vans. $30 is less than 9 gallons.

And you cant rent a room for 30 bucks anymore either....
my point would be that now rooms are 50 to 60 a nite at a cheap place....thats still 12 plus gallons of gas or in my case 150 miles of travel....

 

[decodancer]

Last trip I took down to Florida, I had two stops down and two stops back. Went in November so camping in the north was limited and I was in a packed to the brim SUV. First stop I found a camping cabin at a KOA for $30. They were closing for the season so I lucked out. I had a really hard time finding a (safe) motel that would take my pups for my second stop. Ended up paying $60 with a $10 pet deposit. Got another camping cabin in Georgia first stop back. New Years Eve was spent in a noisy, scary, very expensive place in northern Virginia. I'm done with motels now that I have a van.

 

[Lucky mike]

I prefer Walmart.......Free parking/ normally there is wifi in range and I stay out of the store...I can usually find another traveler and park in numbers for a safe nite......I like home depot better tho

 

[Starlight]

When bedbugs were in the news a few years ago, some reporter demonstrated how a black light used in a darkened room would show any bedbugs. Just the thought of dealing with bugs is enough to make me not want to sleep in any strange bed.

As far as those little mid-century motels go -- look at the tags on the cars of people that stay there... are they all local cars??? How many people are sleeping in one room...???

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

When I was just out of High School I had a friend that did allot of traveling. He would sleep in his car and get up very early and head for a big motel and wait for someone to hit the road and leave the key in the door for the cleaning crew then he would use the room for a quick shower and leave with no one the wiser and no harm done.

Not recommending that anyone do that now but we were all a bunch of broke kids back then. HA! Do they even leave keys in the door anymore? Do they have keys?

Guy

We use keys still here, but we ask they leave them in the room with the door locked.

 

[NLRevell]

I have seen a motel or two using magnetic card reader locks. They give you the card. If you don't turn the card in when leaving, it's a lot easier to simply reprogram the card reader than to change a door lock.

 

[GrayWhale]

I know what goes on. That is why we like to take our own pillows and blankets when we travel.

Aww crap, so what goes on? I know never to use that bed cover that looks like a comforter. All sorts of sweat and drool is on the pillows. And I wonder how often do the blankets gets washed. Doesn't seem like the bed cover is washed often at all.

So what else goes on with the pillows and blankets?

 

[Zil]

Out at the Tuck Away Inn, It is $10 hour, $15 with clean sheets. I take a wall-mart sleeping bag.

 

[GrayWhale]

Out at the Tuck Away Inn, It is $10 hour, $15 with clean sheets. I take a wall-mart sleeping bag.

they charge by the hour? That sounds like a hooker's hotel.