When Levi Joseph scored a manufacturing internship in Seattle for his last summer before graduating college, he waited a little too long to scope out a place to stay.

"I was kind of foolish — I didn't realize what the situation was like in Seattle," 22-year-old Joseph told Business Insider. By the time he began hunting for a place to stay in the spring, housing stock was low, and the places he saw were listed for $1,200 to $1,400 a month. Finally, the UT Austin senior found a local friend with a roommate moving out.

"He had somewhere for July through August, but I needed June through August," Joseph said. "There was a 40-day period I didn't have housing."

So, inspired by a story from a friend he'd met biking across the US last year, he decided he could spend that time living in his Subaru Outback. Concerned about having a safe place to park, he booked a space at a campground in the suburbs through Airbnb for about $600.

Below, he shared with Business Insider how he balanced nights in the car with days at the office.