I am planning a trip from San Diego, CA to Laredo, TX around December. The itinerary takes me from San Diego, CA to Tucson, AZ, then on to El Paso, TX on the first day; the next day it is straight from El Paso, TX to Laredo, TX. I will be traveling with my wife.
I have done this road trip several times before and I usually spend the night in a motel in El Paso, TX. I usually just sleep 8 hours, shower and check out right after. In my experience I do not get proper sleep because these motels are usually noisy at night because of their proximity to highways; loud tv-watching neighbors; or the casual group of noisy teenagers around.
Therefore I am not a huge fan of paying the $50 to $100 rate for the mediocre sleep that I usually get. So I was considering the possibility of sleeping inside my car (which does not bother me at all) and finding some place to shower the next morning.
Is it actually legal to park at some random place to sleep inside my car? Where would this be allowed? Are there any public places where one can take a shower (with or without paying a fee)?
Is my only choice to find a camping ground or RV park? Will this be cheaper (or worth it even)?
Noting that I usually cannot book anything more than 1 day in advance (I leave as soon as I get the chance), what would be my cheapest option?
