"One night stays".....while traveling

**Rivercityjeff** · 06-23-2021, 07:26 AM

Msgt, several tools for you.

We have a Good Sam membership and find their trip planner is a helpful benefit. Makes it easy to plan our 400 max mile days. The St Peters 370 Lakeside RV on the westside of St Louis is a nice stop.

Michigan has a bunch of parks with RV sites. Most are not FHU.

Another option not mentioned is DoD FamCamps to include AD/NG/Reserve facilities. We have overnighted at Camp Atterbury, IN, Camp Grayling, MI, Little Rock AFB, and others for $20-30.

Annually, we stay at the amazing Oak Grove RV on NAS Pensacola. Blue Angels, fresh seafood from Joe Patties, and within 200 yards of the ocean.

**dkayak** · 06-23-2021, 07:31 AM

Our RV lifestyle focuses on state, county, and COE parks. We find it’s still pretty easy to book weekend stays if we do it well in advance. I’ve noticed weekday sites don’t require this, at least here in the Midwest. These campgrounds are largely deserted during the week, giving you nice options 5 nights per week when on the road. Yesterday we added a Thursday night to our July weekend booking in a county park on a lake 45 minutes away. We’re looking forward to a night of solitude ahead of the busier weekend.

**OurNewEra** · 06-23-2021, 07:42 AM

Originally Posted by Rgpracer

Going to Toronto Canada from Wichita as soon as travel allows to see kids and grandkids......also going to incorporate a trip around Michigan, over into Wisconsin on the way home.
Soooooo, with my 230RL, I have to put the slide out to sleep or will end up getting a hotel room.
What places are easiest to find off the interstate.....KOA's.....RV parks (if so, how do you find them while in transit?)

I know these are 101 questions but I have not had to do it yet.

Thanks

We just planned a trip from Florida to Michigan, actually staying in Northwest Ohio. The trip up has all 1 night stays. We use RV Trip Wizard and as @traveldawg stated, we use the "driving hours radius" (5 hours for us0 to figure out where we will be, find a place, make a reservation. We prefer to stay in state parks but will also use private parks like KOA or Good Sam. We had no problem finding places for our trip later this month; both up and back. My wife and I are not comfortable doing the parking lot stay thing. I imagine if we had to we would, but we would rather not.

To eliminate frustration if you are going to 'find them while in transit', I would at least have a list of potential options you created ahead of time. Not doing some planning seems like a recipe for a good travel day going bad really quickly.

Here is a link to a thread I started to discuss trip planning software. There was a lot of good discussion by members on what they use. I would recommend you read through it and pick something to use to make your travel planning, even if while on the road, a bit less stressful.

https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/show...723#post364723

**Second Chance** · 06-23-2021, 08:20 AM

We plan ahead using Google maps (for the distances we want to travel each day... which isn't far for us old folks) and, as @traveldawg mentioned, RVparky.com:

https://www.rvparky.com/

RVparky.com will show you Walmarts, Cracker Barrels, truck stops, and rest areas. Regulations vary by community, store and state regarding whether or not you can stay overnight in some of these places. Of course, it also shows you all of the campgrounds and RV parks. You can filter by amenities to see just those places that meet your requirements. I read the reviews on RVparky and Campground Review before selecting a place to stay. We usually only use KOA campgrounds when that's all that's available that's safe and/or convenient due to their cost. Combining all lengths of stay, our average cost per night for RV parks and campgrounds over the past two years has been $22.18/night (we don't do Walmart, Cracker Barrel, trucks stops, rest areas, etc.)

Nowadays, we always reserve ahead of time. This week I'm working on a trip and making reservations for the end of August/early September. As you get later in the season, you also need to think about parks/campgrounds in colder climates that are seasonal and close (usually the 15th or 31st of October, depending). We already have our reservations for this coming winter in New Mexico. If you're going to snowbird in a desirable place, you have to get those reservations early. Over the next few weeks, I'll work on the trip from Cincinnati to southern NM for September.

Our typical MO is to travel 150 - 200 miles a day (with exceptions in west Texas where we'll do more). We drive two days in a row and every third stop we stay two nights to rest. If we're passing through an area where there are things we want to see or do or people we want to visit, we'll plan a longer stay accordingly. Did I mention that we're old?...

Rob

**Sportsdad60** · 06-23-2021, 10:32 AM

When we travel in Late Nov early Dec to Texas, we tend to use KOA because most of them have water in the colder months.
KOA lists campsites on their website by state that will have water hookups in the winter months. So, typically leaving MT in early Dec we carry water onboard in bottles in the RV for the first couple nights since ID and MT have no water hookups in Dec.
But once we hit Utah, there are several RV parks with insulated water hookups.
Naturally you'll need a heated hose too.

Summer time travel in 5th wheel or truck camper, we do as Rob does, google distances, use RV Parky and book in advance. If plans change, its easy to unbook. This year we will easily hit 10,000 miles traveling (already have 3000 miles in the books) MN family reunion, Son marriage in WA state, and then our in-state fishing trips (with TC)

**Rgpracer** · 06-23-2021, 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by Rivercityjeff

Msgt, several tools for you.

We have a Good Sam membership and find their trip planner is a helpful benefit. Makes it easy to plan our 400 max mile days. The St Peters 370 Lakeside RV on the westside of St Louis is a nice stop.

Michigan has a bunch of parks with RV sites. Most are not FHU.

Another option not mentioned is DoD FamCamps to include AD/NG/Reserve facilities. We have overnighted at Camp Atterbury, IN, Camp Grayling, MI, Little Rock AFB, and others for $20-30.

Annually, we stay at the amazing Oak Grove RV on NAS Pensacola. Blue Angels, fresh seafood from Joe Patties, and within 200 yards of the ocean.

Hey Jeff, great info and thanks for YOUR service.
We have stayed at many military installation a. Over the country but never with 5'r. Our favorite when we were in Miata or riding our Goldwing is Airforce Academy in CO.
Will look into your suggestions. Been to NAS Pensecola.....awesome place.
Ray

**Rgpracer** · 06-23-2021, 12:00 PM

Originally Posted by Sportsdad60

When we travel in Late Nov early Dec to Texas, we tend to use KOA because most of them have water in the colder months.
KOA lists campsites on their website by state that will have water hookups in the winter months. So, typically leaving MT in early Dec we carry water onboard in bottles in the RV for the first couple nights since ID and MT have no water hookups in Dec.
But once we hit Utah, there are several RV parks with insulated water hookups.
Naturally you'll need a heated hose too.

Summer time travel in 5th wheel or truck camper, we do as Rob does, google distances, use RV Parky and book in advance. If plans change, its easy to unbook. This year we will easily hit 10,000 miles traveling (already have 3000 miles in the books) MN family reunion, Son marriage in WA state, and then our in-state fishing trips (with TC)

Thanks Sportsdad, good info. We have a pretty full plate coming up....From Wichita to:
Beaver Lake AR
Murphy NC
Nashville TN
Toronto Canada
Being a newbie camper/tower.....a little intimidating but doable......lol......i think.

**RV Sailor** · 06-24-2021, 08:30 PM

One night stays we stay at Harvest Host sites 95% of the time

**JeffD68** · 06-25-2021, 11:35 AM

We tend to pay more for our overnight sites than our camping sites. When camping, we prefer scenic campgrounds and are willing to sacrifice amenities. If we are simply stopping overnight to break up a long drive, I tend to invest in sites that are fully paved and long enough to accommodate my truck and trailer without unhitching. Often times, that is a "resort" style campground.

**Rgpracer** · 06-25-2021, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by JeffD68

We tend to pay more for our overnight sites than our camping sites. When camping, we prefer scenic campgrounds and are willing to sacrifice amenities. If we are simply stopping overnight to break up a long drive, I tend to invest in sites that are fully paved and long enough to accommodate my truck and trailer without unhitching. Often times, that is a "resort" style campground.

Thanks JeffD, my inly real concern with overnights is having to unhook, level, slide out, sleep, slide in, hook up and go......sounds like a lot of work for a few hours sleep and an hour of hook up to go.....lol.....hotels sound easier unless staying for a few days.