Road Trip from New York to Vegas in a Model Y for WrestleMania — Am I Crazy?

That’s a freaking cool idea, you’re crazy but yeah go for it good luck!

That is an awesome idea..... you will receive so many good wishes for your trip! Go make it happen! If you can, keep us posted on how it goes!

crazy like a fox! fucking go for it! have fun bro!

Nothing wrong with sleeping in the car it's like a private hotel just without a bathroom lol but you could buy a portable toilet for the back seat.

Crazy no... awesome yes!

Was going map any 24hr gyms or Walmart locations. Most people with campers stay at Walmart parking lots

You have a $1k mattress what kind of rich are you

I would probably use some of the saved money for some sheets

Just bring a nightime mask and ear plugs and you'll sleep like a baby.. I think it will be fun, good luck on the trip.

I mean you might be crazy but it might also be fine.

That sounds like a BLAST

Yeah true but I wouldn't be surprised if all the charges along the way were at rest stops but yeah planning the route would be best. I'd say put the location where you're going on the Tesla map and plan your route according to that

That’s why money is tight. Could’ve gotten the flight instead of the mattress

Use the iOverlander app to map out overnights

☝️

Haha if I spent 1k on a mattress for my car I would want my money's worth. Go for it

Absolutely not. Love it up and enjoy!

Yes.

To answer your question: yes

If you do not have A Better Route Planner (ABRP), now would be the time to get it.

How many times you will stop to recharge?

It's so easy to do long road trips these days with all the Starbucks and gas stations everywhere, heck rest areas are still a decent option

Very curious to see how this is in actuality. Have to block out the windows or is there a night/sleep mode? If being able to camp in the Tesla and then some really changes things

I just did a week and a half on the road in my Y from Florida to Mississippi and back. Stayed in the Tesla every night using the Dreamcase bed. Slept comfy. Showered at truck stops. It was way cheaper than hotels. Look for free charging places that you can stay the night. I found a couple casinos along my route that had chargers. I was able to charge all night and sleep in the car.

If I could have more reasons to sleep in the back of my car I would. So yea crazy but so easily doable

Get some tips from the r/roadtrip community

That sounds like a fun time for sure. What mattress do you have? I’m looking for a good one for my Y

Kind of a bucket list thing for me

This sounds like an amazing trip! I got curious and ran some quick numbers. Mapping the route in **A Better Route Planner (ABRP)** shows it would require roughly **800 kWh** of charging. At typical Tesla Supercharger prices, that comes out to about **$250 one way**. For comparison, I saw a **Spirit Airlines flight for about $129 round-trip**. Vegas is also pretty easy to navigate cheaply once you’re there, and hotel deals are usually plentiful. If the plan was to sleep in the car while in Vegas, that might change the math a bit, but if budget is the main concern, it’s probably worth running the numbers closely. That said, I do love the idea of driving somewhere. There’s something about arriving by road that makes you feel more connected to a place. It’s hard to describe, but the journey becomes part of the experience.

Jealous! It is on my bucket list to do a long road trip in my Tesla . FSD will be so worth for the trip. You will really enjoy the sights along the way otherwise you will miss. Save money on hotels!! I need time

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I’m torn on this because the idea is so cool. But you if you live near a major airport and can get a budget airline tickets + stay somewhere cheap like an Airbnb room or Fremont street (el Cortez is my pick they treat you good). Wouldn’t it save time and money to just fly? Vegas is in a bad place currently. They have tons of cheap stays and food options. The trip from NYC is pretty insane in a normal car 2+ days, let alone an EV.

Flight, stay, food, drinks lol.

FSD all the way?

Op is competing in wrestlemania

Planet fitness black card. I did this and it was an amazing investment for the hydro massage and showers. I also typically just slept in PF lots

When I’m staying in the car on long trips I like to stop at TA rest stops because they have WiFi, a lit parking lot, and decent showers.

MY is the ultimate road trip vehicle. You'll love it. Anytime you stop to charge and stay longer than the car tells you to, end your navigation and start fresh before you drive. This will recalculate future stops to adjust for the extra charge you got (great for long meal stops if you are one to enjoy stretching your legs to grab something ither than fast food). Make it happen cap'n!

It has “camp mode” that keeps climate controls running and blacks out the screen after a few minutes. I got a set of window shades for about $100 that cover all the glass for privacy. It’s not bad with a decent mattress.

I’ve done 2 5-days-both-ways road trips. You’ll be fine, it’s actually pleasant in its own ways. Tips: 1. Stretch, crack your back, do some pushups/squats/situps, use the restroom and then go for a short walk at most charging stops. 2. Walmart parking lots is where I stayed almost exclusively. They’re frequently within a mile of a supercharger, so topping up first thing in the morning is extra convenient. Otherwise just tell a gas station attendant at a supercharger location that you need to stay in your Tesla (specifically say that so they don’t think you’re a vagrant) to catch up on sleep on a long road trip. 3. The snuuzu is a good call, but it doesn’t AT ALL address the angle problem, which pissed me off because that’s 90% of how they market it. It’s still comfortable but the slant fucks with me. There’s a new mattress not by them that actually is shaped like a triangle and properly addresses the angle issue—consider that for the trip next year. 4. Obviously use FSD, but subscribe to premium connectivity to get grok via a button press for the trip. It’s so awesome for all the random questions that come up when you’re just staring at the road for dozens of hours. A great tip is that it knows your exact gps position, so you can ask like, “what’s the XYZ I just passed on my left, it’s huge?” and it will know the answer.

If you're trying to save money, look at supercharger pricing in advance. There's quite a few that offer cheaper rates during the night such as 10pm-8am.

Enjoy the trip. Crack a window when youre sleeping.

Lol, nowhere near that many stops.

Literally doing this rn. Pro tip, sleep at the chargers

Fuck that’s fun. Enjoy. I understand you say money is tight, but if you have HW4, definitely pick up a month of FSD. Will make the trip much easier. Curious how many does would it take, I see in the app it says 1 Day 20-ish hours. I’m guessing maybe 5 days?

Would you list the mattress that can address the slant?

Won’t supercharging cost more than flying? My play would be book spirit or frontier, rent an EV from Avis or Hertz, get a $30 camp mattress and blanket off Amazon, and car camp locally for a few days and return. Donate the mattress to a shelter post trip. My guess is you can do it all under $700; benchmark that against cross country supercharging cost

I did this a Bonneville with a road atlas in 2000. Get FSD, easy!

I don't use premium connectivity. I just Hotspot from my phone so it's connected to wifi and it sends to work. It's fun to have grok do a full 10-15 minutes explaining the details of something though.

Saving $200 per day is never crazy

I read Motel Y 😅 Enjoy!!

🆒 Good luck and enjoy the road trip.

A little crazy, but also quite nice, done it many times, but get some blinds for the windows

Death by snuuzu

Waking up to the morning sky is amazing yeah?

You're crazy for not using a sheet lol

I like the journey you have set yourself up for, but where do you store your clothing and/or gear when it’s lights out? Frunk and passenger front seat, sure. But any other camping gear will be sharing your space. Anyway, sounds fun. Good luck

You are going to spend more money charging, eating, etc than you will on a flight.

I don’t remember what it’s called. It’s new though, like maybe in the last 6 months.

Oh wow, it works! Huge.

Teslas are like mini RVs without the bathroom. I think your more than good. *WM6 my all time fav *went to my first in Canada. Rock vs Hogan 🔥

Hello hello love it! You might be crazy, but I’m crazier and here to help lol 😹 I’ve driven across country several times. I drove my model Y a couple of times as well, I even towed a U-Haul trailer in the snow! I always took the southern route. Supercharging is frequent, so be prepared to make many stops along the way — which double as a homebase. Use this time to take care of yourself, remember, it is suppose to be a fun journey! Stretch! Timing. This really can come down to how you pace yourself and your desired length of trip. On a slower trip, like when I towed in the snow — total of 8 days on the road. And when I’m really booking it — like 4 days. I could see somewhere in between being the sweet spot if time is a concern. Though remember, it could easily expand a lot with some adventures! Places worth seeing. Definitely check out out Monkey Island in Oklahoma. Stayed at the Shangri-La Resort and they have destination chargers! I wish I had time to explore the southwest more so I’d highly recommend that as well if it’s a possibility for you. I think it’s best to take advantage of cross country like this so from my experience, the longer the better in my opinion. I hate feeling rushed. And there’s so much to see and do along the way. And rest is still important! That snuuzu though 👌🏽 cream of the crop! Def will save lots on accommodations! This is what makes Tesla road trips worthwhile, take full advantage of your vehicle. And once you’re in Vegas, plenty of spots for stargazing in the middle of nowhere etc. Campsites and areas like Red Rock, Valley of Fire, Mt. Charleston, Sunrise trailhead (S Hollywood Blvd.), and Calico ridge area. Food. On the road, have plenty of snacks readily available and keep a cooler bag. Groceries help save money and swap out ice at charge stops like gas stations/ hotels. Ngl having a box of uncrustables was a lifesaver lol easy breakfast! Trail mix. Fruit and protein shakes. Bring your favs & reload as needed on the road! Fuel. Keep spare water always. Refill waters frequently at stops with reusable containers. Also, keep at least one insulated reusable bottle for hot water. For tea (or coffee). For food (noodles). Or anything else… Rest. Privacy will be desired when in vehicle. So it’s a good idea to have window covers for peace of mind. And whenever you’re feeling tired, take a break or nap while charging. There so many advantages to traveling this way, I fully support your idea and journey! Glad to help. I definitely can provide more insight and you’re welcome to ask me anything ❣️ safe travels

Just Google snuuzu model y. It’s the first one.

Are you recommending ear plugs because of Camp Mode fan noise?

I think you'll be spending more money.

Good luck! If you leave today, you might make it in time.

Just in general if you're sleeping outside you'll hear a ton of traffic and outside noise, birds, honks, wind. To ensure the noise doesn't disturb your sleep it's safe to just bring ear plugs for peace of mind.

Enjoy it man

I just searched on a better route planner. With the standard range model Y it’s 24 stops Long range AWD Model Y - 19 stops Long range Model 3 - 15 stops There’s no car that has to stop anywhere CLOSE to 40+ times

Just the wrestlemania part. Have fun!

Never have I ever. Furthest we’ve done is No. NJ to Montreal, and No. NJ to the Tampa area of Florida. But we had kids with us, so no sleeping in the car lol. Honestly if people are saying it’s cheaper to fly, I’d do it. If you’re one person traveling? Fly. Save the miles and tire wear and tear. If you enjoy road trips, have fun!

Nope, sounds like a cool trip. Don’t forget you can book campsites with 30 or 50 amp service and charge the car while you sleep.

If you stop and sleep why would you use much supercharging, just book a campsite with electricity overnight. Most of them have 50 amp service now. It would probably come out less than supercharging especially if you’re not staying at super nice resorts. It’s all about the adventure, not the money anyway.

Probably drove fast and has inefficient wheels.

Sounds like an awesome trip! I’ve traveled all over in my Y but haven’t slept in it yet. Looking for a good mattress (the slant works for my GERD). On a slightly separate topic, try not to use grok. It’s super tempting, but keep in mind that simply saying “thank you” after it answers a question uses a liter of water. Getting detailed answers requires tens of gallons of fresh water. It’s not the AI’s fault, but the people running it; they’re not cleaning and recirculating the water that cools the computers, so right now AI is the largest waster of fresh water in the US. Until they set up a water recycling system around the entire machine, grok is consuming water at an egregious rate without sending any of it back into the usable water cycle. They are also draining the Memphis Sand Aquifer, which is the primary source of water for that region. Grok alone uses 30,000 to a MILLION gallons of water daily. This isn’t an exaggeration. It’s frighteningly real. I love my Tesla Y and will never drive another gas car. I even rent through Teslarents and Turo when I travel. I know we can’t entirely avoid AI, and we shouldn’t. It’s just that right now, the people who make the decisions about Grok are selfishly using up water intended for human consumption. Have a wonderful adventure and a great show in Vegas! I’m envious of all the nighttime stars you’ll see.

Or winter

We stayed at State Parks or KOAs with 50 amp chargers along the way. We had safe places to sleep and charging was included. We went from Texas to northern Minnesota in our MY LR and it worked great for us. Valley of Fire SP near Vegas is a beautiful place in case you want to do a little hiking.

Cracker Barrel offers free overnight parking. I prefer staying at State Parks or KOAs close to my routes.

Add in just the cost of food for the extra 4 days of travel, and you're already not going to break even without sleeping in the car for the whole trip. Electricity is also not the only cost here - tires, mileage on the car (resale value) and risk of damage should all be factored in. The IRS reimburses 72.5 cents per mile. This isn't a gift, it's the approximation of actual per-mile cost. It's a 5,000 mile round trip, this means it's roughly $3,625 to do the round trip before including food. Do it for the adventure, but don't pretend it's at any cost savings, or even close to breaking even.

Depends!?! Did you get to Vegas? Did you see Wrestlemania? Did you make it back to NY? Any notable issues going or coming?

Every time we’ve done it, I’ve slept like a baby! Saves a lot of money!

did a 3000 miles trip in mine camping in it. loved it. can’t help on your trip but I’d do it again. so much nicer than a freezing cold wet tent.

I always vote roadtrip.

Looks like a fun trip! I did a long cross country road trip in my model y during COVID and it was a blast. I ended up staying at KOA locations along my route, they have bathrooms/showers, are clean, and generally safe. If you reserve a spot with hookups, they had either 30 amp or 50 amp hookups for RVs so I had a NEMA 14-50 adapter and TT-30 adapter (use the 50amp NEMA 14-50 if you have a choice) so I was able to wake up fully charged while I camped while watching movies on the screen with climate control on. You have better setup already with the mattress. I wish I had gotten the little window shades to pop in to all the windshield/side/back windows for more privacy and less light bleeding in from vehicles pulling into campgrounds. Agree with the other person’s rec for ABRP since it was more logical than the on board navigation recommendations. You’ll get a feel for how much extra charging cushion you will need depending on your driving style/speed/conditions. Hope you have a great trip! The glass roof was so nice for driving through the mountains.

I've been sleeping in my model y for the past 3 years every national guard training event. It's a blast. I've got a foldable desktop, camping chair, fridge, and stove and have a blast . Have never considered or wanted to do a road trip that far but I'm sure it will be a unique experience. Enjoy!

Do it

I recently drove from mid Mississippi to key largo in South Florida and back, first long trip I've done in my Tesla. The routing for the built-in trip planner is very accurate for charge stops, most important thing to keep an eye on is the amount of range that you will have left upon reaching the next stop. And generally fairly safe to just do what it says, range optimizations based on 100 miles or so of traveling helps it calculate the resulting battery when you get to where you're going. I can't speak for other superchargers in other states, but I can tell you The majority of the stops that I had or directly next to convenience places for snacks and restroom breaks. Probably the nice thing about this is that it forces you to stop and stretch your legs at The intervals that people have always recommended when doing long road trips, which I used to never do in my old car. This was much more comfortable. I also saved on hotels by having the mattress setup and window covers for stealth camping. My preferred place to stop was definitely cracker barrels, but I've heard that Walmart parking lots and truck stops are good too for this. I found an app called ioverlander2, it's been nice for researching places to stop at, where people comment feedback about their experience in stealth camping or overnighting in general. Some states allow it at rest stops some states do not. Then there's also standard campground parking lots for RVs and such. The first night was a little weird, the second night I got better sleep than I've had in a long time. Which is kind of funny. Was fine after that. Very comfortable. I do recommend doing whatever you got to do to make sure the mattress is flat and level so you weren't sliding or feeling like you are. FSD also handled the entirety of the drive, I might have less than 30 minutes off FSD for that whole trip. And that's basically everything that I've learned from this trip. Also, my total charging cost was $200 for the round trip, about 1,950 mi with no overnight stays in hotels. Food costs were basically what I would have already been spending on a normal day to day.

No, you are whimsy. Enjoy your moments!

Man, I remember being 19 in the army. Stationed in San Antonio. I’d drive from San Antonio back home to Syracuse NY 1-2 times a year. Just slept in the back seat. Was great then, now, my spine would be killing me.

Definitely!

Crazy to road-trip? no Crazy to see fake wrestling? yes

The mattress I believe you’re referring to is the [Havnby Pro mattress](https://havnby.com/discount/THEGREENES?ref=THEGREENES) and the mattress the OP is is the [Snuuzu mattress](https://www.snuuzu.com?bg_ref=QRKvFrK0Hl). The Havnby does level out the slope to zero degrees. The Snuuzu irons out the ditch so there isn’t an angle and you’re on a flat surface but it’s not totally level. However you might be able to use the [Fruble Ultralite](https://fruble.co/discount/TheGreenes?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Ftesla-camper-kit-ultralite) platform to get the Snuuzu to be totally level which I’m going to test out next week.

That’s cool, tbh I don’t think you will end up saving any money. But yea

Why crack the window when you have the AC running?

Where do you sleep and shower in between rest areas like truckers?

This is all true until you factor multiple people. If it’s just him then flying makes sense. If it’s him and his girl maybe less so. If it’s him and let’s say his family then road trip is a kinda a no brainer but then that many people in a car sleeping is kinda miserable. Haha just my 2 cents

You can search on youtube and plenty of people travel and sleep in their tesla's. Honestly looks fun and I'd like to try it sometime. I think they call it tesla camping.

Yes

It would be cheaper to fly! But enjoy the fun roadtrip!

Nope, I’m going from NH, to San Diego, then up to Seattle, and back home with stops in a ton of national parks this summer. Hitting Vegas along the way. It’s super easy road tripping. I will be paying for FSD on the drive.

The slope has never bothered me the few times I slept it the car, I actually like it makes me feel as if I am not so close to the roof.

Yes I agree, it never bothered me with the Snuuzu as it’s very slight. Before when we used our Exped Megamat Auto the slope would bother me because I’d slowly end up sliding down towards the trunk during the night but with the Snuuzu this is no longer an issue. I hope you have an awesome road trip. We did a 20 day Tesla camping road trip around Europe for our honeymoon in 2024 and it was my best all time travel experience!

I've done 30k+ miles, coast to coast twice in the last year in my Model Y, including Vegas to upstate NY, it's been great, if you don't already have FSD I'd recommend signing up for a single month! 13 megawatt hours in twelve months!

You’re wrong for going to a wrestling show. Camping in a model Y is otherwise very cool though

It’s actually nicer without a sheet on the Snuuzu imo. The mattress topper is super loft and luxurious feeling, it’s feels really nice to the touch and I think a bed sheet would ruin that. Also it’s washable so you just unzip it and throw it in the wash.

This sounds like fun. I have already done three big road trips in my Model Y, once from Toronto to Texas and back; and twice from Toronto to Florida (all the way to Key West) and back. Its a lot of fun. Question for everyone: is there a site or an app that shows places/rest areas/campsites that allow for overnight parking and/or also have charging available, or have nearby supercharging? Thats the only thing missing as a part of oir long drive adventures. Once we figure that out, we would want to drive from Toronto to California or Seattle and Vancouver in our MY.. So folks, please let me know. Thank you in advance..

Yeahs it’s that havnby one. I think they changed the name, I don’t remember it being called that a few months ago. Also did they change the price? I thought it was $300-something, but now it looks like they added a smaller version and made the normal one $500.

Yea it was called the auto level before and was less expensive. They’ve changed the names of both mattresses now and upped the price but you do get a 90 day sleep trial and a 5 year warranty which is longer than the basic vehicle warranty on the Tesla 😂

It kinda sounds like a solo road trip, I say go for it. As I said at the end of my other comment, it’s about the adventure…not the money.

Love these tips. I was more surprised to see people opt out of paying for PC. I think it’s a decent price for the year. Definitely planning on paying for FSD that month.

Snuuzu looks a little more comfortable than the Havnby pro but it comes at a cost

I didn’t know it was washable I’ve been using a fleece Christmas bedsheet helps keep warm with a Ozark sleeping bag

Just a duffle with a few clothes and toiletries.

On ABRP it says 3days. Def paying for FSD.

I’ve tried both and Snuuzu is more comfortable imo. I had to play about with the inflation amount on the Havnby a lot to get it comfy whereas the Snuuzu only need a little air released and it’s comfier than my mattress at home. It’s all subjective though as sleep and comfort is a very personalised thing.

Yeah just unzip it at the bottom of the mattress and the topper sheet comes off. I use a Sherpa fleece blanket with mine and it’s super cosy with camp mode running. If you’re still on the fence on the road trip I say do it, it will be an adventure and so much more interesting than sitting in an airport!

I've done a couple longs trips sleeping in the car. First was a Washington (DC) to Washington (state) and back trip in 2019 in the Model 3 I had then. Back when 250kw chargers were the new hotness with only a couple locations. Over the last couple years I've done a few more trips in my Y, none quite that long in a single shot but still with a lot of sleeping in the car for both naps and overnight. For the actual driving, I just let the Tesla navigation do the routing. I didn't bother trying to min/max other than sometimes leaving a charger a bit earlier than the car wanted. I also found I could drive longer by alternating between manual driving and FSD/NoAP. Autopilot takes a huge load off of you, but sometimes a bit *too much* off and it's easy to zone out and be at much higher risk of dozing off. Alternating keeps you active without being as draining as purely manual. I'd normally sleep in a parking lot right by one of the supercharger stops. Charge enough to run the AC through the night if needed, then when I woke up charge again for the main trip while eating breakfast. Only thing beyond keeping an eye out for places that look too sketchy to want to sleep is don't park under a light if you can avoid it. The roof tint is dark sure but not dark enough unless you sleep with an eye cover anyway. Main con is not having a shower, but sitting in one spot all day with AC at a comfortable temperature I could go a good few days without worrying about stinking. Just wiping down with a towel, or if it was really long or hot some babywipes. If you stop at campsites to sleep and charge overnight you can avoid that particular issue while still paying less than a hotel, but that always took a bit more planning than my preferred "drive until I don't feel safe continuing" strategy allowed. Cost of supercharging was normally fairly similar to cheap flights, just it takes a LOT longer of course, so you have to budget additional time on either side of the trip cutting into whatever time off you may be taking from work or such. But if you're going somewhere that you'd normally be getting a rental car at after driving, you can write off all those costs which is nice. Your idea of camping near Vegas also works for that quite well I *assume* but I don't know what camping around Vegas is like or how much it costs vs hotels there. A bit of granny driving on the highway (keeping more in the 55-65mph range instead of 70-80+) will also save *some* money by improved efficiency. Again at the cost of time of course. In all, it's a very doable trip so long as the time driving vs flying doesn't cost you much. I'd say take a hard look at campsites and projected charging costs (including at various speeds in ABetterRoutePlanner) vs budget flights, hotels, and rental car/taxi/whatever else kinda transport in Vegas.

I never had tooo much issue with the slope thankfully (many days spent camping in less than ideal spots I wager) but folding up the trunk cover and putting it in the bottom fills some of it (just don't put much weight in any one spot, sitting and laying are fine but don't kneel on it) but also parking in a spot that has the front of the car just a biiiit down also helps. If you don't need to worry about passengers, the rear seat cushion is surprisingly easy to remove so long as you don't yank the seat heater cables too hard. Makes the seat back lay MUCH flatter.

Yes! Enjoy your trip and stay safe. 🫶

Depends on city , state and Walmart . If there’s higher homeless population they won’t let you park overnight. If you map it out call first .

A road trip from NY to Las Vegas sounds like fun! Especially if you have FSD to handle the stress of driving the majority of the way there! I personally took a trip from Chicago to Los Angeles (making a stop in vegas) my personal experience is I probably would have spent just as much money taking a flight, or maybe less depending on the airline. If you’re wanting an adventure where you get to explore whats on the ground while you’re driving there and you got the time for it, I say go for it! Not sure about the charging stops from the east coast, but from the midwest onwards there’s some neat charging stops with cool places to visit. I would recommend to save some money, make enough food to last both ways before you leave. Sleeping in the car will definitely save on hotel costs. You’re gonna need to stop at least once before getting there. I had to stop in Denver to sleep before continuing. Charging itself wasn’t bad, if you’re going to route through Colorado, make sure it didn’t snow there recently and temps are above freezing. One supercharger site in the Rockies had ice buildup in the connector so I wasn’t able to charge until enough people evacuated the site, i would definitely recommend bringing a heat gun or something that can make heat to melt ice just in case. Or just avoid it and route through TX,NM, AZ, etc.

Visit r/teslacamping to hang out with the rest of us weirdos who car camp and find a ton of ideas about setups, cooking, etc.

AI slop