Photo courtesy A. Graham, UArctic Photo Pool, 2006.
Many of those new to RVing are surprised when they learn that other RVers actually "stay overnight" at Walmart stores or on the parking lots of other businesses. It just seems inconceivable. But believe it: Many Walmart stores find RVers to be excellent sleep-over companions, after all, next morning they're in to make a few purchases before being off on their way.
At the same time, there are factions who don't like the idea. Some who think that their own businesses are losing money because an RVer hasn't paid to stay at their RV park. A lot of hullabaloo goes on in the news when local government officials try to legislate RVers into RV parks and out of parking lots. The common "reason" given is that RVing overnight in a parking lot is unsanitary, unsafe, etc. The backlash from even talking about such ordinances is usually swift: RVers threaten to simply bypass towns with such laws and take their tourist dollars with them.
If you're trip planning and wondering about staying at Walmart, be sure to get a copy of the definitive book on where you can't stay at Walmart: Walmart Stores That DO NOT Allow Overnight RV Parking, available at the RV Bookstore. Check it out at http://rvbookstore.com/shop/detail.aspx?m=2&p=205
One of the largest RV organizations, Escapees, who are dedicated to supporting the needs of fulltime RVers, has published a list of things to keep in mind when considering "pavement parking," or "blacktop boondocking." The suggestions are reasonable, and go a long way to making RVers more welcome. Those suggestions boil down as follows:
Don't make an "overnight" into multiple nights. Nothing gives more fuel to the RV park owner's fire than to see the same rig in the same spot for more than a few hours.
Ask first. Unless otherwise posted, many Walmarts welcome RVing friends, but a quick check at the service counter will yield an answer you can respond to critics with. Often stores will have areas they'd prefer we stay in, typically farther away from the store to allow in-and-out customers easier access.
Don't put out your awnings, barbecue grills, loungers, etc. The idea is to put in overnight, get a little rest, and be gone.
Hydraulic levelers can damage asphalt. Seek out a level spot so you won't need them.
Don't leave anything--other than your dollars--behind. Some RVers go out of their way to pick up trash left in the area by others. Certainly we'd never want to leave trash--or worse--behind when we leave.
Doing these things makes it a whole lot easier for business folk to defend RVers if and when well-meaning but oft misguided public officials try and kill off a good thing.
Check out the rvbookstore.com for the definitive publication: Wal-Mart Stores That DO NOT Allow Overnight RV Parking. Here's a link: http://rvbookstore.com/shop/detail.aspx?m=2&p=205
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