Anyone car camp to avoid lodging tax?

As bad as this tax is, it's incidental compared to the cost of the lodging itself. That being said, yes, I have cheaped out and slept in my car before.

I've stayed at almost every Wal-Mart in the Midwest United States.

Towns love lodging taxes because they raise money and don't tax the local people, only travelers and tourists. Any town with good sports facilities really rake in the money when they host all those little kid tournaments in soccer, volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball, wrestling, etc. Parents love taking their future superstars to these tournaments thinking it will lead to scholarships, or even a pro career.

Anyway, to answer your question, yes, I slept in the car one time. My son (HS age at the time) and I were in the midst of a long, long drive and it was about 10 at night with 3-4 hours til we got home. Both of us were too tired to drive so we stopped at a rest stop to sleep. I told him we'd either wake up refreshed or murdered.

Birdlegs wrote:

I told him we'd either wake up refreshed or murdered.

How would you wake up murdered?

MeHereYouWhere?! wrote:

Birdlegs wrote:

I told him we'd either wake up refreshed or murdered.

How would you wake up murdered?

Why the f*ck do you care what part of the total cost is tax vs room charge? The cost of the room is what you have to pay. You are a moron.

I've camped for a month straight to save hotel money--not just tax, but the actual whole bill. Fifteen hundred dollars is a lot of money. Granted, camping is easier out west with lots of public land. Americans have become soft-thinking they need to drop 50 bucks at a Motel 6 to keep the bogey man away.

messi wrote:

Fairly obvious question. Particularly since lodging tax is way higher than regular sales tax.

Is it unfair that lodging tax is way higher than standard sales tax?

Hill billy wrote:

I've camped for a month straight to save hotel money--not just tax, but the actual whole bill. Fifteen hundred dollars is a lot of money. Granted, camping is easier out west with lots of public land. Americans have become soft-thinking they need to drop 50 bucks at a Motel 6 to keep the bogey man away.

messi wrote:

Fairly obvious question. Particularly since lodging tax is way higher than regular sales tax.

Is it unfair that lodging tax is way higher than standard sales tax?

$1500 for a month in a hotel? Kind of says it all. I'd camp too if that's all I could afford.

huh????? wrote:

Why the f*ck do you care what part of the total cost is tax vs room charge? The cost of the room is what you have to pay. You are a moron.

Maybe you are the moron. You pay a higher tax percentage for a room than you do for bananas........are you too bananas to see that?

Hill billy wrote:

I've camped for a month straight to save hotel money--not just tax, but the actual whole bill. Fifteen hundred dollars is a lot of money. Granted, camping is easier out west with lots of public land. Americans have become soft-thinking they need to drop 50 bucks at a Motel 6 to keep the bogey man away.

This. Even a cheap hotel adds up, and after a few days, I'd just as soon pocket the money or amortize the rest of the trip. I park a few miles away to avoid parking fees, sleep in my car, and only pay for meals. It's a welcome challenge to get a weekend vacation for the price of a tank of gas.

Ive worked in hotels and have seen first hand bow disgusting they are so i avoid them at all costs. They werent cheap hotels either. If im going somewhere solo i usually prefer to just sleep in the car but if its more than a day it gets to grimy

I sleep in a van down by the river.

Nike had the State of Oregon jack up the lodging tax on the homeless to pay for improvements for the IAAF WC.

No.

I've slept at nearly every wal-mart in the Midwest. Just went on a 5 day vacation and stayed in a motel one night when the temp got down to 8°.

I'm m already a bad sleeper - I can't imagine how anyone could get a good nights sleep in a car? How do you do it? Where in the car do you sleep and do you get 8 hours a night? Sounds like trying to sleep on a plane, which is miserable, but with extra weirdness.

I've not only slept in the car, I'd recommend it.

Rest stops are good. I've even pulled into the police lot and politely asked. They've all said "sure, no problem."

DaneRauschenberg wrote:

Not a car per se, but a Winnebago©.

A "turtle tourist" is despised by the lodging industry, and beloved by Good Sam.

No one has discussed car camping on principle because lodging tax is 22% and regular sales tax on retail items is only 8%.

Can we discus that ie. the variance.