I have been car camping for quite a while and it saves me loads on accommodation costs by sleeping in my car as I travel Australia. And I meet a lot of people as I travel around Australia. As soon as I mention I am car camping the questions begin. After I get the ‘you sleep in your car’ comment, there are five questions in particular that I am most frequently asked about car camping. And now I’m going to answer these questions in as much detail as I can.

5 Most Frequent Car Camping Questions I’m Asked

Q1. Where Do You Poop and Wee?

Like most people, just because I’m car camping doesn’t mean I am always in my car. Particularly during the day, I am out and about seeing and doing things so I will poop and wee in public toilets. I do prefer those in shopping centres. And sometimes I might camp in caravan parks and thus I use their amenities. 

It is probably at night that people are most curious about. I always ensure I go to the toilet before I hop into my bed. If I need to go during the night I have a urinal for wees and a collapsable toilet for poos. Most nights I will have my SUV tent attached to my car, so I can hop out and do poos and wees in private. I also have a pop up privacy tent.

Q2. Where Do You Shower?

The next question I’m asked frequently about car camping is where do you shower? I try to shower every day, like most people my shower will last anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes or so. Where I shower will depend on where I am. If I am camping in a camping ground I will use the facilities available. But there are plenty of places that have showers – service stations, truck stops, beaches, public swimming pools and gyms. Sometimes they are free, sometimes not! If I am free camping I will use my portable shower in my pop up shower tent.

Q3. How and Where Do You Eat?

How and where I eat seems to be a big curiosity for people who have never been car camping. What I eat while on the road depends on what I feel like eating and what I have access to. I travel with a small Dometic fridge/freezer I bought at Anaconda. I also travel with cooking gear – a butane stove. If wondering how I power an electric stove while car camping well, I have a solar power bank that does a great job keeping my electronic devices like laptop and phone, electric stove and the fridge/freezer working.

In my budget for travelling Australia, I frequent coffee shops and cafes mostly for breakfast or lunch. I also love buying a pie from one of the many bakeries in towns. And even though I enjoy going to a pub or club for dinner I often cook a meal at home, in my car, well in my SUV tent where I set up my kitchen. I love using all my collapsable camping gear. Or I use the free BBQs in parks and caravan parks.

Q4. How Do You Find Camping Spots?

I stay in a variety of camping spots from free places to paid caravan parks. I often pull into a new town and look around. There can be free spots I notice and as long as they are legal and I feel safe I will car camp there. I find sporting grounds great places to camp overnight and I don’t mind leaving a few dollars to help with the upkeep of the place. Other places I love to camp are by lakes and the beach.

If I am in need of a good shower I will often look for a caravan park. Signs to them are often highlighted around town. Or I will use accommodation apps such as WikiCamps. I’m also in a number of Facebook groups that mention great camping spots.

Q5. Does It Get Lonely Car Camping?

Just because I am travelling solo around Australia doesn’t mean I am lonely. I’ve met some incredible people while camping and some I have crossed paths with a number of times. But I don’t always go car camping alone. My family often tag along and we are a little community of tents and cars. What I will say is, it can be hard to maintain friendships while car camping as people move on.

Car Camping Questions Answered

Yep, so there are the 5 most frequently asked car camping questions answered. Travelling Australia you meet many people and they all have questions. Questions asked to gain insight into your life whether that be camping, car camping or caravanning. And while the five questions I’ve answered above are the most asked questions about car camping, there are many more I am asked as I camp in my car. Do you have other questions about car camping? Let me know in the comments.