Woman Living in Toyota Corolla With Her Dog Reveals How She Sleeps

A woman living out of a Toyota Corolla reveals exactly what she packs in her car as she travels across America with her dog, including what "stealth mode" looks like.

Emily, who has an American bulldog named Yeti, has been sharing insights into her life on the road with followers on TikTok, as she shared a car and a trunk tour.

She told viewers she's been able to survive off as little as $400 a month, saying: "If you're dreaming of it you don't need a van or bus."

The 25-year-old has been traveling on and off for the past five years, as she stressed: "I'm not homeless or houseless, this is a way of travel for me. I've been on this road trip for about a month, going back to the east coast where my family is."

In a clip shared earlier in July, simply captioned "car tour," Emily reveals how she packs up her sedan. The video, which can be seen here, has amassed nearly 7 million views, she introduced herself to viewers.

"Hi I'm Emily, and I'm currently living out of my Toyota Corolla with my dog, traveling around the country, so I'm going to give you a car tour," she said.

And before getting into the intricacies of living in a car, she stressed: "I do want to preface this by saying that I am five one, so I don't think that if you were super tall that this is something that would work."

She lays down on the back seat, which she just about fits on, saying she gives her legs a "little curl at night," adding "it's what works for me."

The back of the car was currently in what she calls "sleep mode," as she talked fans through the set-up.

"So I have just a two inch foam pad that I roll out. I have my blankets. I keep my zero down sleeping bag under here, this is the bungee cord that I use to roll up my mattress during the day because my dog has full access to the back seat. This is a rechargeable fan for when it gets super super hot."

Pointing to the footwell of the back seat, she explained: "This is Yeti's bed, it looks really small but it's a full size dog bed."

The passenger seat was full of goodies, as Emily talked through them all saying: "This is where I keep like 90 percent Yeti's treats. Some drinks and snacks for me, the cooler is filled with squeezy applesauce, because I survive off of that. This is the bag for my sunshade. . . shade for the front of my car. Tent stakes that I finally bought. I have survived a month without tent stakes. Can you f****** imagine that. Water, cowgirl purse, and of course my sparkle shawl."

Moving onto the rear doors, which have been covered, she says: "These are screens that I got off Amazon that slide over my car door. They're for night time so you can leave your windows down so that the bugs don't get in. But I actually leave them on 24/7 because it actually prevents the sun from beating down on my dog while I'm driving because even on the highway that can be kind of obnoxious. But tonight I'm not in stealth mode because I'm in a campground so I have these window coverings that I made when I'm in a residential [area] or somewhere I really shouldn't be."

And for light she has solar-powered lanterns and even a string of Christmas lights, which she charges up every day.

At the weekend, Emily finally shared a long-awaited trunk tour, which has been viewed more than 1.5 million times, as she shared what—and how—she packs up the trunk.

She starts by putting everything she won't need any time soon "right at the back," including her tent and tarp as "I usually sleep in my car," she adds.

Emily has an emergency mini-chair and a tiny table, which she stressed is: "Just for cooking if I'm in the middle of the desert or a really primitive spot that doesn't have a table."

She does have a box of food but admits she "doesn't cook much," so it's filled with pasta, soup, ramen, and other "easy" things to make. Emily also packs a "minimalist kitchen," consisting of the: "Bare necessities and my plates and collapsible cup."

One must-have which takes up a lot of space is for Yeti, as Emily explained: "One of the main things I had to bring because I have Yeti with me and occasionally we stay in hotel rooms I had to pack this big collapsible crate and it just goes flat on the floor of my trunk."

And she has a trunk organizer filled with her clothes, while she also packs a towel, hammock, quilt, a sun shelter, and a five gallon water reserve. She stashes her tide pods inside a laundry bag, saying in a separate clip she usually does laundry at friends, hotels or AirBnBs. But she does head to the laundromat occasionally, as she filmed herself doing a load while "utilizing every single plug in the place."

In a Q&A with fans, she said: "Although I sleep in my car once a week at least I'll get a hotel or an AirBnB if there's something fun and interesting I want to do, and I want to leave the dog, then I do that. That's how I get my showers in. You can shower at national parks or in gyms."

She admitted she'd received negative comments over her lifestyle, but said: "To me this is my joy and my fun, and nothing makes me happier than being on the road and being able to decide where I wake up in the morning and what I do."

Numerous people commented on the original clip, praising her for sharing her way of life, as Skinner wrote: "I love this you're living the dream."

"I think I'll just have to live like this since house prices are insane," Emma wrote.

While Elizabeth asked: "The Toyota is efficient but are you thinking of ever buying a van with more space? I wish I can do this."

Newsweek reached out to Emily for comment.