<p>If it were me I’d rent a hotel room. Saving a few bucks is not worth wondering and worrying about the safety. Seems to me that the worrying by itself would kill off any chance of getting some sleep.</p>
<p>I napped in the parking lot of Sheetz last year. It was late morning. I had driven daughter back to college and noticed that I just couldn’t concentrate on driving and was so, so tired. After I dropped her off, I pulled into Sheetz (a large and busy gas station/food/grocery type place) and took a nap.</p>
<p>Or what about a fast food parking lot?</p>
<p>My first thought is find a Barnes and Noble and take a quick catnap in one of their chairs. Another thought is if you are passing any colleges that are in a good area you would probably be fairly safe somewhere on campus. Even during carpool at my kids school many will arrive early and take a quick nap. That may not work at some schools though.</p>
<p>Can you bring a friend with you?</p>
<p>I was going to suggest the friend. Grab a girl friend and have a girls weekend out. It could be fun.</p>
<p>Those who are suggesting a hotel room are missing the point that, no matter how long I sleep and how many hours I get, I hit the wall somewhere under four hours. So if I got a hotel room at four hours from home, I’d still have another six to seven hours to go the next day and would still have the same problem four or less hours after I left the hotel. Once I get the rest, I’m good to go for many hours, although in the latter hours I do need to get out and stretch, etc., but my eyes aren’t heavy.</p>
<p>Yea, I have no friends who are that available to go away with me for three days. I wish! Any volunteers from the Chicago area???</p>
<p>I drive a lot by myself and occasionally have to stop to take a nap. My choices are 1) McDonalds parking lot just outside door or across from the drive up window; 2) Wal-Mart parking lot under a light; 3) a gas station/convenience store near the entrance. You might consider making a small sign and leaning it on the driver’s window that says, “Napping.” Otherwise, especially in daylight, people might try to see if you’re ok.</p>
<p>tango - good idea about the sign. I’m hoping when they see that I’ve got my small travel pillows out and seat lowered back as far as it goes, they’ll get the gist. I could also take along a little blanket and spread it out over me. If I ever saw someone in a car, with the seat lowered, using pillows and with a blanket over them, I’d be as quiet as possible hoping not to disturb them! I’d want that person to sleep, considering our paths might cross on the road somewhere down the line!</p>
<p>I hear what you are saying, coming from Chicago. I used to live there too. Loved that city but it was the only place I lived where people told “mugging” stories at parties.</p>
<p>But you know, you aren’t going to be parking your car in Chicago, right? How far can you get in four hours? I am absolutely positive your risk of danger from napping off a highway is far less than the danger of driving.</p>
<p>We’ve driven back and forth on the tollroads from Chicago to Pittsburgh over a dozen times in the last five years and I’ve never felt the rest stops were in any way dangerous, particularly during the day time. They have always been busy, even late at night in snowstorms! If you park along the main building by a window, or near the attendant booth in the gas lanes, it should be fine. </p>
<p>Don’t forget that the South Bend and furthest east rest stops in Indiana sell South Bend chocolates (one of our traditional road stops). But don’t get gas at the two easternmost Indiana stops - they are both much more expensive than the rest of the state for some reason.</p>
<p>In Ohio, I would suggest stopping at the newer big round ones rather than the smaller ones just because they seem more lively. Also when you enter Ohio from the Indiana border it’s 40 miles to the first rest stop.</p>
<p>True story - we were getting gas at one of the rest stops in Indiana and a couple at the next car asked about the window decal from S’s college. Turns out they were from the same town as my brother and their daughter had been in Brownie Scouts with my niece. I told my niece (1) it’s a small world if you’re Jewish and (2) her name was known up and down the rest stops in Indiana.</p>
<p>If you do decide to leave the tollroad, maybe you could park near the entrance to a hotel - presumably there is some kind of security in place.</p>
<p>[Welcome</a> | Interstate Rest Areas](<a href=“http://www.interstaterestareas.com/]Welcome”>http://www.interstaterestareas.com/)</p>
<p>I can drive 7+ hours to eastern wa- with just a stop to refuel & pee but driving on the freeway is so exhausting that last time I came back from Portland I had to stop at * every single rest stop* and I think there was at least three or four.
Granted, I think I was getting sick- I left Portland at 4pm & didn’t get back to Seattle till 10 am ( it is about a 4 hr drive ) & then felt like crap for a few days- I slept in the car- but a Jeep Liberty is not very comfortable- even if you are 5’2".</p>
<p>Usually however, stopping to pee & get fresh coffee is plenty of a break.
Mostly you just need to stretch- get something to drink or eat- although I think the combo of my dyslexia & poor vision makes night freeway driving particulary tiring. it’s hypnotic.
Being dehydrated makes you more tired-I like to bring oranges to eat- they are really refreshing & make the car smell good.</p>
<p>Even when I slept in a truck stop that seemed more remote ( it was still just off i-5) from late at night till morning- I felt safe- I just locked the doors ( with the alarm) & had my trusty knife on my keychain.
Nobody bothered me- although I was disappointed more rest stops weren’t staffed. </p>
<p>
[Rest</a> Stops](<a href=“AGEN138 🎰 Situs Judi Slot Daring Number #1 di Indonesia Live RTP Ter Update Setiap Hari”>AGEN138 🎰 Situs Judi Slot Daring Number #1 di Indonesia Live RTP Ter Update Setiap Hari)</p>
<p>I often stop off at the staffed rest stop on the way back from D2s school, because although it is only 1.5 hrs away, the couple that volunteer there are very friendly & they have homemade baked goods!</p>
<p>Personally, I like rest stops- in the northwest they are sometimes full of history & as both my own parents & my H & I, did our traveling by car for the most part- they are a big part of my memories.
[Giant</a> Arborvitae … Western Red Cedar … Thuja plicata | Flickr - Photo Sharing!](<a href=“http://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/vikis/1395395235/]Giant”>Giant Arborvitae ... Western Red Cedar ... Thuja plicata | Flickr)</p>
<p>Marilyn, </p>
<p>My have-to-stop place is Cinnabon! There are at least a couple between here and there, but the biggest problem is how messy they are to eat in the car. Must remember… take many Wet Wipes with me!</p>
<p>Ek4 - thanks for the link. Interesting that one of the states that does not provide information on their website for rest areas is Pennsylvania. </p>
<p>I do have to say that my GPS does not list rest stops, unless they also offer gasoline. But as I think of it, I think almost every rest stop between home and my destination offers gas.</p>
<p>teri, I’m coming late to this discussion. I will join the others who said that napping in a McDonald’s parking lot in plain sight of CC TV cameras would be safer than napping in your car at a rest stop. Plus, it is not unusual to see someone catching some “siesta” zzz’s after a Big Mac meal 
Make sure you have blankets and extra clothes to keep you warm duing your naps. Have a safe drive!</p>
<p>teri, my son recently drove across the country by himself determined not to spend any money on hotels. He planned to sleep in the car at Walmart parking lots, but if he couldn’t find one or if there were an abundance of those [Funny</a> Pictures at WalMart](<a href=“http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/]Funny”>http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/) folks prowling around, he looked for a hospital parking lot. He said those were usually very safe and most had security vehicles making the rounds at night.</p>
<p>We’ve done a lot of driving over the years and I’ve learned what I need to do to perk up. And sometimes, like you, I just need a quick nap. But I’ve found that DRINKING WATER really, really helps me stay alert. Keep water at your side and drink constantly i.e. a sip every 5-10 minutes. The inevitable result is more potty stops, but if the goal is to stay alert that’s fine - you’ll stretch and get frequent breaks that way.</p>
<p>I also find that eating some protein, like some nuts or a burger w/only part of the bun, with careful nibbling around the bun occupying my mind a bit ;), helps me a lot too, and has a lasting effect. I avoid sugar/carbs like the plague if I am trying to stay awake at the wheel. Talking on the phone or singing with the radio helps. Cold air blasts via an opened window help while you are driving that last stretch to that rest stop.</p>
<p>Truckers often rest during the day and drive at night, so I I were doing this drive and needed that break, I’d stop at a rest area with truckers lined up and stay in their view. At the rest stops I’ve seen, the trucks face the rest area doors. You could park in their area if you could stand the diesel smell and engine noise, or park in the car lot between the trucks and the doors. Personally, I’d do that before staying in some random WalMart or McDonald’s lot.</p>
<p>teri, here’s a link for the stops on the PA turnpike.</p>
<p>[The</a> Pennsylvania Turnpike - Service Plazas](<a href=“http://www.paturnpike.com/geninfo/srvcplaza/serviceplazas.aspx]The”>http://www.paturnpike.com/geninfo/srvcplaza/serviceplazas.aspx)</p>
<p>If you’re going to be on 79, let me know, and I can tell where the stops are on there from a personal listing since we travel often on that route.</p>
<p>teriwtt, I’m in Chicagoland too. I’ve made the drive East to both Upstate New York and the Susquehanna Valley alot in the last 15 years. My morning stop heading east is the Cracker Barrel in Elkhart, IN. Depending where you are in Chicagoland, Elkhart should be 2-4 hours from your home. I think police station parking lot is a great idea or a restaurant parking lot (McDonalds, Cracker Barrel etc) which should have alot of people going in and out in the middle of the day.</p>
<p>You guys are AWESOME! I feel sooooo much better. I had never considered resting where there are CC TV cameras. Quite honestly, I never even think of those and am now laughing at the number of times I’ve probably been on one, wasn’t aware and did something embarrassing (gotta fix that wedgie when you get out of the car!). </p>
<p>alwaysamom - my trip will not include I-79. It will be I-80 straight across from Chicago until I get to I-476. But thanks for the offer. We did take a ‘southern’ route to D2’s school one time that had us on I-79 for a little bit, but not for long. </p>
<p>meezermom2 - D1 attended Syracuse, so we’ve made the trip out I-80/I-90 many times, too. Cleveland is our halfway mark, for both Syracuse and Allentown, but it’s where we take a different route depending on which school we were/are going to. </p>
<p>I guess when I’ve pulled into rest areas, I’ve been so focused on getting myself inside that I never stopped to look at other cars and who might be in them (well, unless it’s a car I’ve parked next to), but it makes me feel much better knowing that this is a common occurrence!</p>
<p>When I drove across the country I found myself stopping every 2-3 hours to take a quick 15 minute rest with my eyes closed. I’d always crack the windows, take off my seatbelt, and turn the engine off. Once I got out into the western states I found I enjoyed taking my nap at a scenic viewpoint much more than the rest stop since they were fairly busy, but had significantly fewer noisy people.</p>
<p>I also agree with the other people here that talked about being hydrated keeping them alert. I know when I got a little sleepy I’d chug some water and the urge to find a rest stop kept me plenty awake!</p>