Choices of RV campsites vary greatly

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Choices of RV campsites vary greatly
By Gary Rodgers

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Most RVers do not spend every night in an RV park or campground. A campsite in an RV park with full utility hookups, a swimming pool and general store is just one of many options.

"Most recreational vehicles these days are fully self-contained," said RVtravel.com editor Chuck Woodbury. "What that means is that RVers can pretty much pull in wherever they wish for the night, often for free, and not just at traditional campgrounds where the fee may be $20 to $40.

Recent surveys at RVtravel.com have shown that more than half of RVers have spent a night in a highway rest area. Almost a third reported they stay often in such places.

The most popular freebie overnight stop for RVers is in Wal-Mart parking lots. "More than half of our readers have told us that they have spent the night in one of these parking lots," said Woodbury. "My guess is that at least half of these RVers stay in Wal-Marts often. It's not just about price, but convenience. Late in the afternoon, when an RV park is not nearby, it's an easy call to just pull off at Wal-Mart and get some sleep a quiet corner in a corner of the parking lot. Most Wal-Marts permit such stays." But some don't.

Forty-three percent of RVtravel.com readers say they have stayed a night for free in in the parking lot of a casino. "Many casinos encourage RVers to stay," explained Woodbury. "In some cases they'll provide them coupons to use in the casino for food, drinks or gambling. The habit is so widespread that a guidebook, "Casino Camping: Guide to RV-Friendly Casinos" is a popular resource.

Many, if not most truck stops, welcome RVers. Woodbury notes they are not the quietest places, but for many RVers, the convenience and free cost is appealing.

Still, when it comes to real camping, most RVers choose private RV parks like Kampgrounds of America (KOA) or public campgrounds in national forests, state parks, and national parks. In the winter, countless thousands of RVers routinely stay for weeks or months on end on the public lands of the Southwest, mostly for free or less than a dollar a day. "It's on the public lands and in their campgrounds where RVers typically consider themselves 'campers,'" said Woodbury. "Few will say that staying overnight in a rest area or Wal-Mart parking lot is camping. It's just parking for long enough to get some sleep."

The most popular resource for locating free and inexpensive places to spend a night in an RV is FreeCampgrounds.com.

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