Sleeping in a Walmart Parking Lot
Mostly I felt awkward and out of place. But I made it work.
It was the spring of 2020 when I spent my very first night sleeping in a Walmart parking lot in Sweetwater, Texas.
Was I scared? A little.
Mostly, I felt awkward and out of place. Walmart had always been somewhere I stopped for groceries, not somewhere I imagined spending the night.
But after eight long hours of driving through the harsh Texas sun, my eyes burning from the glare off I-20, I was exhausted. I needed rest more than pride.
The Walmart sat just off the interstate with an easy exit, so I pulled in.
I parked far from the front entrance where I wouldn’t attract attention from late-night shoppers. After locking everything up, I went inside and picked up a rotisserie chicken, some bread, chocolate peanut butter cookies, and a can of dog food.
At the service desk, I asked if overnight parking was allowed, but no one seemed to know who to ask. On my way back outside, I spotted a security guard slowly making his rounds through the parking lot.
I waved him down and explained that I was traveling in my camper van and just needed a safe place to sleep for the night. I promised I’d leave at first light.
He smiled and told me I’d be just fine.
That small moment of kindness stayed with me.
Back inside the van, I pulled my blackout curtains tightly closed, ate my chicken, watched a couple of YouTube videos, and settled into bed.
And honestly?
I slept like a baby.
Before sunrise, I woke naturally, made myself a cup of coffee, and pulled back onto the highway feeling rested and grateful. Another four hundred miles waited ahead of me before my next stop at a rest area east of El Paso.
That night taught me something important:
Sometimes safety, rest, and peace come from the places you least expect.
If you've ever traveled long-distance, lived on the road, or spent a night in an unexpected place, I'd love to hear your story in the comments.
Kindly,
Carol
In the documentary Will and Harper, they are road-tripping across the U.S. and spend a night (or at least an evening) in a Walmart parking lot. It was fun to see them in their camping chairs, eating Little Debbie’s while the sun set. I have a feeling the Walmart was thrilled to have the cameras and stars in their parking lot and I figured that’s why they let them be there. I’m glad to know they allow regular folks to stay there too. Sorry to hear from one of your other commenters that they are cutting back on that out west. I mean, seriously, they’ve got pretty darn big parking lots! Not always with shade, but plenty of space to be shared.
Back in the 1980s my boyfriend and I decided to travel around the world before we settled and had a family. We had an old VW minivan, so we took the middle bench out, put down a mattress. We added a cookstove, George sewed curtains and voila, a little home on wheels was ours.
The car had lots of problems, but there were moments of bliss. My best night of sleep was in the desert in Texas at a highway rest stop. We opened the windows and closed the curtains and slept in the desert with the cactus looming silently under the stars.
The next morning I looked out the window and found someone had strung up a hammock in a tree and was sleeping in the open.
I had a great sense of calm, and a growing awareness that many people lived this simply. That night completely changed my perspective on what I wanted from life.