One of the challenges of living full time in an RV is
finding places to stay. When traveling I
try to cover about 300-500 miles a day and stop for the night before it gets
dark. When looking for a long term stay
more than a few days I use RVParkReviews.com.
Even for an overnight stay RVParkReviews has some good information but
there are two apps I use that is faster and easier while traveling.
I have found that AllStays Camp and RV using my smart
phone serves me well. When you open the
app it has map of the area with a flashing icon showing your location. In addition to your location it identifies
potential places to spend the night along with fuel stops. To get more information you touch the icon on
the screen and you are given the Name of the business and the distance you are
from it. When the name pops up touch the
flag and more information is given address, phone number, and if they allow
overnight camping etc. You can see all
the different versions at AllStays.com or visit Amazon to check out AllStays Camp and RV .
The other app that I use is an RV Club called Passport
America (http://passportamerica.com/). Passport America has over 1900
campgrounds that offer you up to 50% discount.
I have stayed at several of their participating campgrounds and all but
one gave me a 50% discount. They do have restrictions on what day of the week
you can use the discount and how many days.
Most of the restrictions are around holidays and on weekends. If you are traveling during the week it works
out great.
The question I ask is do I need a couple of days to rest or
do I need a few hours to sleep. If I
have driven for several days I like to find a campground and spend at least 2
nights. Two nights give me plenty of
time relax and check out the local area.
If I just need a few hours of sleep and something to eat I tend to stay
at a truck stop, rest stop, or Walmart etc.
When you just want to get a few hours of sleep and move on
early the next morning….Everyone talks about overnighting at Walmart but I try and
avoid them when traveling. You would
think that Walmart parking lots would be a safe place but you just never know
what the area may be like if you are just passing thru. If I needed supplies and found a 24 hour
Walmart with plenty of parking and possibly another camper in the parking lot I
would most likely stay the night. For
the most part I like the large truck stops Flying J, Pilot, Pedro’s, and Truck
Stops USA etc. The truck stops do tend
to be noisy but I have never felt unsafe in one of them. Interstate rest stops would be my second
choice for a few hours’ sleep when traveling.
I tend to stay away from rest stops close to large cities. One thing to keep in mind when parking at
truck stops and/or rest stops make sure trucks can see you when they are
looking for a parking spot. When pulling
into a spot don’t pull all the way to the end leave the back of the RV in
alignment with the rear of the trucks.
If you pull all the way forward a trucker may think the spot is
available not see you until he is halfway into the spot.
The bottom line is if there is any doubt about the area I
move on down the road.
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