I have been traveling a bit more this last year and started doing gigs on the road and found that I like it. I don't mind driving so I have decided to become a bit of a road warrior. I started out this month slowly, with a 150-200 mile radius and found some goodies with bonuses. I did an audit the other day, in a area about 3 hours away from where I live and one of the workers at the store asked me where I was from. When I told him, he laughed and said "Yeah, a few months ago one of the auditors said he was from Utah. We get people from everywhere but here." Utah is about 700 miles from us. Hearing that kind of scared me and motivated me. I am not driving in a RV or camping out, so I have to drive home or get a room for a night while I am out.
How many of you are road warriors? What the longest you have been on the road for a route and what tips do you have for a wannabe nomad shopper? (Tips other than stay out of your neck of the woods, lol)

I have wondered about doing overnight or multi night routes, too. Haven’t tried yet so hoping to hear from the experienced!

I only do a few days at a time. I can only route shop when my husband takes PTO time. I sleep in my car... I'm not wasting $$$ on a hotel. I shop from the second I wake up till I can't go any longer. These trips for me are all about maximizing the $$$ brought home, nothing else.
30+ shops in a day isn't unheard of.

Sleeping in the car is on my mind for this next run I want to do. Especially since alot of the gigs are night audits in the middle of nowhere. I have started watching a few YouTubers that do the RV life, picking up pointers here and there. I do see potential for a few nice runs from time to time but I need a room for at least one of the nights out lol. Have you done any hotel audits?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/2026 08:53PM by canhead.

Not sure if you were asking me....

Yes, I've done hotels for Coyle & ACL. I wouldn't touch a hotel shop on a route. That would be the LAST type of shop I would ever schedule.

@canhead wrote:

Sleeping in the car is on my mind for this next run I want to do. Especially since alot of the gigs are night audits in the middle of nowhere. I have started watching a few YouTubers that do the RV life, picking up pointers here and there. I do see potential for a few nice runs from time to time but I need a room for at least one of the nights out lol. Have you done any hotel audits?

The longest I have ever been gone was three weeks. But that was pre-pandemic, before everyone and their brother was a gig worker with a hidden camera. I don't sleep in my car, I budget everything to the last penny, and stay in hotels. I get food shops, or take food with me. There is a company that offers a quick, easy Extended Stay with minimal reporting. I rarely shop in my hometown; I drive to the big cities within a 6-hour radius. This is my job, so it has to be profitable, and since I do video shops, I've just about everything at home. I know there are shoppers who make 6 figures doing what others here have said. Some sleep in their cars, some sleep at the Marriott, some crash with friends or other shoppers. When I am on the road, I work from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed. I do gas stations, apartments, and everything in between. Many shoppers have turned to van life.

Sadly, since the massive influx of new mystery shoppers, I have not been able to road trip like I used to in over a year. All the far-off honey holes I used to cover are now being shopped before being bonused or for only a slight increase. I miss it. Car sleeper here.

I've done overnight routes before. When hotel rooms were less expensive staying overnight wasn't a big deal. But those deals are gone. If you get a good hotel price it isn't fit for humans to sleep there. I don't like being away from my dogs overnight, and taking them with me is impractical. So I mostly don't go overnight anymore.

And when I went to visit my mother recently, I drove straight through to get there, but I spent 3 days coming back doing gas station and pizza shops to pay for what I had spent.

Car sleepers, do you mind sharing your details? where do you park? any issues with lights or noise?
what kind of vehicle are you sleeping in? just put pillow and blankets down on the back seat?
how about restroom facilities?

and does law enforcement or security knock on your door ever and tell you to move it along?.....

I assume you don't do this in the worst of the summer heat or the winter cold?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2026 08:14AM by BarefootBliss.

I am a road warrior! There is nothing better in the world than turning up the music as high as possible, roll down the windows and just roll! When I sleep in the car, I go to a Walmart parking lot. They are in every state, in every city just about, and they are plentiful. They are well lit, but there are black out spots to sleep in. It is also pretty safe. I will usually snuggle in with the 18 wheelers. I will do it easily in the winter cold because I bring supra blankets with me. Even when I sleep in my bed in the winter, I do not run heat at all in my room. All vents are blocked off. Even when there is ice on the ground; no heat.

I've even slept in the parking lot of hotels. You have to be careful because some of them have security that will run you off.

The only suggestion I can give you when far away from home is to be sure you have everything in your report correct. Get extra pictures of everything as well. It is not fun when you get a report returned asking for more info, more pictures, or you uploaded the wrong picture in the wrong spot and you are looking at having to drive back that far for one picture. I take three of every neccessary picture and then just walk around and taking pictures of everything that I can see. I was hours away from home, drove in snow and ice to get where I was going and took a picture of the main sign at one of the jobs. There was a POP sign buried in the ice, barely seeable, within 5 ft of the main sign and I was asked for the picture of the POP that I didn't report. That was a $100 job. If I hadn't taken those extra pictures, I would have lost that money. There's been a lot of times taking these extra pictures have saved me.

Oh yeah, don't drink a lot while driving....unless you have means to manage the side effect.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2026 09:56AM by ArkLaMissshopping.

When I was young and skinny sleeping in my car wasn't a problem. But the trip to CO made me realize that I'm no longer that skinny chick..

I had my pillow, and a CalKing comforter, my bag of clothes and such for the trip. Along with the normal things that are always in my car, spare handkerchiefs, a couple towels, and the seatcover blanket that I keep in my car.

I stayed at truck stops, usually Love's, I tried a Pilot station but they were too well lit. I parked off to one side of the parking lot, NOT in front of the store. I positioned the car so that most of the light was naturally blocked. I got lucky a couple nights and had vans on either side of my car to block out the parking lot lights. I put the car blanket over the windows where most of the light was coming from. I wrapped myself in my comforter so that one of the corners would cover my head. and I put my sweater across the tops of the front seats. It was very dark, and mostly quiet, because I wasn't in the back parked by a semi truck that stayed running all night.

@Morledzep wrote:

When I was young and skinny sleeping in my car wasn't a problem............................. .

LOL!!
I had to read that twice to understand!

At first, I thought you meant that when you were young you would "skinny sleep" in your car!

I suppose my mind went to another version of sleeping than the original intent. LOL!

I always had small cars but still slept across the back seat with towels or blankets to even out that middle hump. Then I got a very small hatchback with foldable seats which provided lots of sleeping space.

Favorite spot to sleep: Rest areas, hands down. They're at just about every state line on interstate routes. Restrooms available 24/7, security, darker quiet spots can be found.

I drink lots of water so I bring my own restroom which can be used anytime, anywhere in the privacy of my mobile office (little car). This is another advantage of car seats than can be folded up to create more functional space.

I sleep in parking garages. I prefer the ones that are completely underground. Hospital ones are great because they have security. I've never been bothered while sleeping but then again the way I set up it doesn't look like anyone is in the car. I back into a corner space so close that a human can't fit on that side or the back. That only leaves one side 'open'... I have window covers that I made that fit in perfectly. I then use a bungy cord to block off the front seats from the back with a 'curtain'... the seats go down and an air mattress is inflated. Blankets for spring/ fall, and a REALLY good sleeping bag for winter. A bucket lined with trash bag just in case I have to pee so bad it can't wait. My coffee maker & crock pot run from an E-Go battery so I have fresh coffee and oatmeal when I get up. If it's just a one night trip no shower, just bath wipes/ deodorant/ brush teeth. If it's longer I go to a YMCA and shower.

I only used to do day routes. Up early, drive to the furthest away job. Work my way home to my own bed. Some companies would let you do the reports the next day. I don't even do that anymore.

SQM has some hotel mystery shops that reimburse 50%. The report was simple. Useful if it's where you need a room anyway. Can shower, get reports done , etc. And I know some locations are in US.

Service With Style has one that reimburses the whole amount and a small payment. Not a difficult report. Also, useful if it's in the right place, at the right time. Did one in January and Hubby pretty much spent my $30 at breakfast while I completed the shop.
I don't know if that chain is in US.

We traveled across Canada in our van. We removed the back seats. The mattress from our 3/4 bed fit perfectly. So, we had a very comfortable bed. Stayed at a couple of trucks tops, but mostly at nice campgrounds. (Very nice in Quebec) Hubby made curtains that were attached with Velcro. If we did it again, we'd want screens!

@viv0412 wrote:

I sleep in parking garages. I prefer the ones that are completely underground. Hospital ones are great because they have security .

Great set up.
Here, hospital parkades are pretty expensive!

@Dino29 wrote:

There is a company that offers a quick, easy Extended Stay with minimal reporting.

I need to sign up with this MSC! Can you dm me their name?

Look at Servimer job board to see if there is a garage... then ask the scheduler for permission to park overnight. Get paid plus parking fees reimbursed.

@prince wrote:

@viv0412 wrote:

I sleep in parking garages. I prefer the ones that are completely underground. Hospital ones are great because they have security .

Great set up.
Here, hospital parades are pretty expensive!

@prince wrote:

SQM has some hotel mystery shops that reimburse 50%.

Service With Style has one that reimburses the whole amount and a small payment. Not a difficult report.

Thanks, I will look into both of those companies, I have never heard of them before.

@viv0412 wrote:

Look at Servimer job board to see if there is a garage... then ask the scheduler for permission to park overnight!

This is a good idea. Lookng into Servimer this week.

Yeah, I have noticed that too.

@sestrahelena wrote:

Sadly, since the massive influx of new mystery shoppers, I have not been able to road trip like I used to in over a year. All the far-off honey holes I used to cover are now being shopped before being bonused or for only a slight increase. I miss it. Car sleeper here.