Two days later, going back to hotel

[ladysawfan]

Well, i tried van life for 2 days, and while some things were easier than i thought, i can't take the midday heat. Here in Central Florida it is now 71 degrees and the van heats  up quickly. i find i cannot take a midday nap because running the engine for air conditioning while asleep makes me nervous.  
On the plus side, at night i am using Allstays to find truck stops, rest stops and Walmarts to sleep at, and feel comfortable because there are others around doing the same thing. 
i feel less guilt spending money for the restaurant food because i saved on hotel room. 
i can keep my devices charged due to all the driving around i do, and i have a tailgater battery. 
BUT i have to stay here to get rid of two large storage containers of stuff and i need to be able to take a nap during the day. 
I was wondering where do city vanners go to relax during the day. 
Is Florida just impossible to do van life?

 

[B and C]

Malls and libraries are free and usually air conditioned. Don't know about naps in one though. I don't do civilization if I don't have too.

Someone will be along with better suggestions.

 

[ladysawfan]

thanks, good suggestions, maybe i could drive over to the college or airport? i will try again tomorrow 

 

[MrNoodly]

Do you need to be in Florida? Do you need to be where it's humid? Can you be where it's cooler?

 

[lenny flank]

I make like the birds--I go north in summer where it's cool, and south in winter where it's warm. But of course that doesn't entirely beat the heat, since there are always hot or cold days no matter where you are. I had a week in Vegas in September when it was 105 every day.

My method of beating the heat is simple--I am not in the van during the hot part of the day. I do all my house-keeping stuff in the morning before it gets hot, then I leave the van and go to a museum or mall or library or beach or whatever else, and I don't go back to the van till the sun is going down and the air is cooling off. If it's still warm inside the van, I soak a t-shirt and put a small fan right on me--it uses so little electricity that I can run it all night if I need to.

That has gotten me everywhere from Miami to Tucson.

 

[ladysawfan]

Do you need to be in Florida? Do you need to be where it's humid? Can you be where it's cooler?

Yes for a while, i have to clear out all my storage from 30 years of a packrat collecting crap, and then i can head out to wherever it is cooler and drier.

 

[ladysawfan]

My method of beating the heat is simple--I am not in the van during the hot part of the day.  and I don't go back to the van till the sun is going down and the air is cooling off. If it's still warm inside the van, I soak a t-shirt and put a small fan right on me--it uses so little electricity that I can run it all night if I need to.

i like this suggestion, as i do have a couple fans, but never thought of the wet T-shirt. i have to make a plan on what to do during the hot part of the day. I am learning one must plan according to the weather, unlike in a house.

 

[lenny flank]

^^ Yes indeed, a van does not have the massive infrastructure support that a house does, so you have to live with Mother Nature instead of overpowering her.

 

[MrNoodly]

...i have to clear out all my storage...

One of the happiest things I've done in the past, oh, 30 years, was let a women's shelter haul away my furniture and dishes while I tossed everything else in a dumpster I'd hired.

 

[B and C]

Stuff really does tie us down, doesn't it?

 

[GypsyJan]

71 degrees is okay as long as you park in shade, put the windows down, and have a fan blowing on you (winning the wet t-shirt contest is optional!) I have a 12-volt fan that plugs into a jump starter / power source which can run for hours on a single charge. Does your storage unit have an electrical outlet so you could recharge a power source? Or perhaps there is one that recharges via the auto cigarette lighter while you drive?

 

[ladysawfan]

71 degrees is okay as long as you park in shade, 

Well, it will soon be 80 degrees in a couple days. Maybe the beach will be cooler?

 

[ckelly78z]

How about spending the middle of the day in an enclosed parking garage...cool, dark, seemingly quiet, with no hassles from police, and pretty cheap for a few hours.

 

[RVTravel]

Yep...find parking garage...or park with sun in back...roll down windows...I nap in front seat sitting up...power nap.

 

[ladysawfan]

How about spending the middle of the day in an enclosed parking garage...cool, dark, seemingly quiet, with no hassles from police, and pretty cheap for a few hours.

That is a great idea! Thanks so much i am checking out of the hotel in one hour and i will try this!

 

[camping bum]

what part of fl

 

[ladysawfan]

what part of fl

i am in Central Florida, i range from Cocoa to Ormond Beach looking for rest stops and truck stops.

 

[camping bum]

i am in Central Florida, i range from Cocoa to Ormond Beach looking for rest stops and truck stops.

have to tried https://www.hipcamp.com/ 
you should be able to find a cheap place with shade & safe to stay

 

[ssminnow]

It looks like Ocala national forest has tons of places to pull off and camp. It is right in the area where you are. Just a little north of Orlando. It looks like a nice place to go check out anyways. If you don't have one, I would go to Barnes & Noble and get a Gazetter atlas for Florida. Good luck!

 

[Zmann]

BB's are first thing I check my bed and before that  a website that people reported encounters with bed bugs at local hotels. I was amazed at how many times hotel rooms have them!