Where to Stay?

So how do we decide where to set up camp for the night? When you tow your home behind you there are several options depending on your objective and the length of time you’re on the road.The biggest cost of RV travel, other than fuel, is camping.

Dry Camping: Setting up your RV in a location that has no hookups for water,power and sewer. These locations are usually free. Dry camping does not hold much appeal for us unless it is a one nighter.

Some smaller campgrounds such as US Forest Service generally don’t have sewer hookups and most don’t have the space for larger RV’s. These spaces usually run about $10-12 a night.

State parks: usually have water and power…one of our favorite State Parks…Fort Flagler in Washington, has full hook ups now. We were not able to book reservations at Fort Flagler this year. One drawback to State Parks is the reservation requirement. It’s tough to get in. State parks start around $20 on up per night.

Property ownership Many RV campgrounds now offer travelers the option of purchasing a space for an annual fee. These can be costly, thousands of dollars, and you are limited to that particular spot.

Wal-Mart parking lot: Believe it or not there are some RV travelers that love camping in Wal-Mart parking lots… Most Wal-Mart are accommodating…assuming you will spend some $$ in the store while you camp free in their parking lot. The same principal applies to casinos, however if you gamble and eat at the casino buffet you’re probably not saving too much in the long run. We have yet to experience the Wal-Mart parking lot however we did spend the night in the Morongo Casino parking lot (30 miles from home) one year when we were exhausted and didn’t want to arrive home after dark.

Camping Club Memberships: These clubs offer discounts on nightly rates at popular RV parks. We belong to a couple of these camping clubs. There is a nominal annual fee that allows access to thousand of RV parks across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Popular clubs these days are Thousand Trails, Resort Parks International, NACO and Coast to Coast. Depending on what type of membership you have, you can stay for a week to several weeks in these parks. Some membership campgrounds won't honor club discounts during holidays and weekends. What we have found for the most part are good, well-run parks with standard amenities such as laundry,wi-fi and a pool. You may have to drive five or ten miles out of the way. Saving money is a big motivator and camping at $12.00 or $15.00 per night sure beats $35.00 or $40.00 which is the standard “off the rack“ rate for some parks.