To Park or Not to park that is the question

One of your most immediate needs will be finding some place safe to park. 

In there are  many laws against sleeping in your car.

In some places it is illegal to sleep in your car. 

 Generally I have found that local councils near surf beaches have laws against people sleeping in cars. 

If you are in the USA I highly recommend you check out http://www.parkfreeovernight.com/ It has a great searchable database of free places to sleep overnight for free. Some places I have slept in my car include:

• Barbecues and pubic toilets are good resources, so if you can find a location to park near to either of these, use it.
• Quiet industrial estates or small shopping centers. Especially small ones near populated areas. They are usually deserted at night, and quiet due to being near houses.
• Boat ramps. It is not unusual for boaties to head out early, or to stay overnight. I've never been questioned, but my prepared story has been that my buddies were out fishing and I was waiting for them to arrive back in the morning.
• Railway stations. Many towns around have commuter rail service and Amtrak stations. The stations though still have parking lots which are rarely used at night.
• Quiet back streets. Usually only good for one night. Quiet suburban streets are not too bad if you pull in and keep quiet. ( beware neighbors might call on you to police ) 
• Church parking lots. Not good on Sundays, but most week nights you will have no problems. Most churches around here only open on Sundays, so you generally will not be noticed on week nights. I don't know about other towns or countries. Generally though I expect that if you are noticed, that you could explain your situation and ask if it is okay to park in their car park. If worse comes to worse they will say no, but they might also give you some assistance.
• If you are in rural areas, camp sites and camp grounds may be an option. The cost can be weighed against the fact that you have a right to be there and can not be hassled by cops, unless you are a pain, which I expect most people are not.
• National parks. The rental on national park camping sites is often ridiculously cheap. Sure, there rarely is showers or hot water. But most sites I have been to do have water and toilets. Plus most are very quiet and usually don't have many people to hassle you.
• Public barbecues. Most of the time I tend to camp near parks with public barbecues. It makes it easy to cook dinner. Plus few people frequent parks after dark, so I am rarely interrupted.
• Truck stops. These can be noisy, so they are not up there on my choice of places to sleep. You can usually top up on water and pay for a shower there though.
• Highway rest stops. Now these are good. If you use ear plugs to block out white noise many highway rest stops are a good place to sleep. At least this is the case in the US.
• Police stations. You'd be surprised by how friendly police can be, especially in country towns. If you've lived in the town for years, the local police may have suggestions on a safe place to park.
• Universities. If there is free parking use it. If you are a student, get a parking permit.

Some bad places to park.

• Hospitals. I've never done this. Hospitals tend to frown upon people sleeping in their car parks and many of them have security.
• Airports. Once again, they tend to have security, parking fees and can be noisy If you are parking near the terminal, you can expect security will want to know what you are doing.
• Schools. Bad bad idea. You don't want to be picked up for being a potential pedophile.
• Shopping centers. Lots of people may have read about Walmart offering free parking in their parking lots for overnighters. Shopping centers tend to be noisy They have trucks loading food and goods in the morning. They have shoppers at all times of the day. They attract kids and teenagers. They usually have security who will ask you what you are doing. Trust me, I've been there, done that. Shopping centers / malls are not an ideal choice.
  In the USA however, the Walmart is a good option, as they often allow free, legal overnight parking in their lots.

Getting to the parking site.

Take care of eating and going to the toilet before you park if parking in a residential area. You want to go to the toilet as close to the time you go to sleep, so it is best to use a toilet just before moving to where you park. Having to go to the toilet at night can be inconvenient and difficult.

It is best to arrive late in the day, park, and then remain silent and quiet. If you are parked in a residential street, don't do anything to alert the people there that you are living in you car. Mostly, don't do anything to annoy the residents like make a lot of noise. In places away from people, you can of course use your lights, play music but don't over do it. If you can get permission to park some where, then you should feel free to make reasonable noise and show reasonable lighting if you need to. I've heard of some planned parking arrangements in the US now as the number of people living in cars has risen due to the financial crisis and foreclosures.

When you park, think about which direction the sun is coming from. In summer, you may want to seek out a shaded spot to help keep cool. In winter, you might want to seek a sunny spot, and face the car into the sun to allow as much heat in through the windscreen. Generally though, you should face the car so that you can drive forward out of the place you are parked in. In an emergency, you don't want to have to back up to leave. Some people say it is best to leave the keys in the ignition while others say it is best not to. Me, I have found I have felt safer with the keys in my pocket, or close to the ignition where people can not see it. When I slept away from towns I did not always block out the windows, so the keys would be out of the ignition. When I sleep with privacy curtains I leave the keys in the ignition.