Question... how's your stealth? Unless you've got a van that screams "I live in a van" there are solutions to keep a lower profile. Phone use is fine at night if you have your windows covered very well (get black out curtains if you don't have any).

As for "regular spots" well you have to use your judgment I guess. I generally don't park in front of peoples houses or in locations where competition for parking is high (territorial angst), and I try not to camp out for too long in the same spot either. Sometimes the convenient spots are the one's with the most foot traffic or population dense neighborhoods. Lately I've been parking in a mixed industrial/residential zone and my little white van goes largely unnoticed (also there are limitless parking spots) BUT it's far from my gym... so... yeah.

I can definitely relate to your experience though. I had a homeless dude physically rock my van one time. I'm pretty sure he climbed up on it to scope out the solar set up or was just being a weird homeless guy. Turned my interior lights on and he ran away fast ... but it freaked the ever living fuck out of me.

I also had someone bump my fender (hard but no damage) once while parked and getting ready for bed. Turns out it was the dude who's house I was parked next to... pretty scary and awkward since I couldn't really out myself to make a stink over it or check to make sure there wasn't any significant damage.