New To Full Timing - How Long Should We Stay at CGs?

[HighClouds]

We are new to full timing …new to a 5er… new to slide outs! Given all that we’ve gone through getting set up (and what I imagine it’s gonna be like stowing everything when we get back on the road) I’m wondering what most folks would recommend as a minimum length of stay at a campground. I’m thinking a month, but so far have seen folks come and go in a week or less. That’s a lot of work for full timing I’d think!

 

[DougW9876]

The great thing is, you can stay however long suits your wants and desires. We stayed for several months in Fl for the winter and travelled most of the summer staying in places depending on whaat there was to see and do in an area. We now have a place in FL permanently but still travel summers.

 

[jkwilson]

No big deal to do a single night. Takes about 15 minutes to set and about the same to be hitched and ready to roll.

 

[trailrydr]

We are new to full timing …new to a 5er… new to slide outs! Given all that we’ve gone through getting set up (and what I imagine it’s gonna be like stowing everything when we get back on the road) I’m wondering what most folks would recommend as a minimum length of stay at a campground. I’m thinking a month, but so far have seen folks come and go in a week or less. That’s a lot of work for full timing I’d think!

Staying for any length of time is solely up to you and what you want to do in that area. We have been doing the month long stays at CGs and love it cause we can get more familiar with the area and/or use it as a centralized location to go to other nearby tourist attractions.

One of our goals is to investigate cities and thier amenities to some day find a place for the last stick built opportunity for retirement.

Another reason why we book month long CGs stays is for cost. Most CGs give discounts for month long stays as apposed to less than a month stays. Plus, we are also considering work camping in the future. So geting to know CG staff and facilities may help in our decision to consider that CG .

 

[HighClouds]

Staying for any length of time is solely up to you and what you want to do in that area. We have been doing the month long stays at CGs and love it cause we can get more familiar with the area and/or use it as a centralized location to go to other nearby tourist attractions.

One of our goals is to investigate cities and thier amenities to some day find a place for the last stick built opportunity for retirement.

Another reason why we book month long CGs stays is for cost. Most CGs give discounts for month long stays as apposed to less than a month stays. Plus, we are also considering work camping in the future. So geting to know CG staff and facilities may help in our decision to consider that CG .

We’ve thought about month-long stays. Kind of apprehensive though about ending up in a place that we don’t like for that long. CGs have a personality and the infrastructure/construction vary (dirt roads and sites v gravel, cement; rough sites/roads; worn/tired amenities, and …UGH-crowded(space-wise). I guess it’s live and learn to some degree.

Good luck with your work camping. Sounds interesting.
Thanks

 

[geotex1]

Being that you are new to pretty much all aspects, you will eventually become more adept at setting and breaking camp. You'll figure out exactly the things you need and those you rarely use, better organization, and so-on that'll make it easier and faster. In fact, full-timers generally can pack and go faster than weekend warriors as you're not packing and cleaning for storage.

Safe travels!

 

[Steven@147]

Fulltiming is a different kind of living. For us we are not in a hurry to go anywhere. We were just down in Galveston for 3 months at a Great campground. Now we are in another CG for 2 months while we get our annual eye and health doctor visits done. Months stays also gives us time to get some maintenance done on the RV and like was said it's cheaper for weeks or month long stays.
Come May we are off adventuring for the summer staying just overnight in some places, 1 or 2 weeks in others. We try to get as much information as possible (CG Reviews, Comments, Ratings etc) about the CGs in the area we are visiting before making reservations to avoid bad campgrounds.

Overnight stays or less than a week we don't set up a lot, easier and quicker to close up and leave, 2 weeks stays or more we will set up more stuff for our comfort, smoker/grill, patio chairs, flags, and stuff. Constantly moving, like 2 or 3 days, constantly setting up and breaking camp can get tiring in a hurry.

 

[Second Chance]

There is no "should" to length of stay at campgrounds - it's whatever works for you and your plans. When en route someplace (like a long, cross-country trip) we will stay one night some places, two nights others (to shop and do laundry), and yet others we'll stay however long it takes us to see what we want to in the area. After our first year on the road, we started spending two to three months each winter in the same places (either southern NM or NE MD) near family and traveling during the nicer months. None of our travel plans/lengths of stay have ever been determined by the work required to unhitch and setup or hitch up and hit the road. With the two of us working together, it became a very quick and easy thing to do. Enjoy the lifestyle!

Rob

 

[savagkd]

The best part of full timing is, it's up to you. You'll find places you enjoy more than others and can return and stay longer. Others may end up as "Won't do that again." For us, this year is six months for winter in a spot we love in Texas, three months at our favorite spot in Idaho for summer, and three months exploring between the two. We find it more cost effective to park long term for winter and explore by car, even if it requires a hotel room or two.

You'll find tons of advice and knowledge here on the forum. As you travel, other campers are also a wealth of information.

Take it all in, pick what works for you, and have fun doing it!

 

[trailrydr]

We’ve thought about month-long stays. Kind of apprehensive though about ending up in a place that we don’t like for that long. CGs have a personality and the infrastructure/construction vary (dirt roads and sites v gravel, cement; rough sites/roads; worn/tired amenities, and …UGH-crowded(space-wise). I guess it’s live and learn to some degree.

Good luck with your work camping. Sounds interesting.
Thanks

You bring up sone good points.... like likeability, access, layout, amenities, etc.. We too consider all those things as well. As we are planning our stays we typically do the following:

1st, identify centralized cities we want as our home base for our plans/vacation/tourism. That way we can capitalize savings on moving, hauling, setting up, gas usage, and limiting accidents.

2nd, once we found a centralized area, we research all the CGs (that we don't know) using reviews, google maps/satelite views, and local attractions (food, gas, and entertainment availability). We consider whether or not each CG meets our needs (quietness, no trains/planes, highway closeness, CG layout and facilities).

3rd, if we become interested in a CG, we find out which sites are available so as to request the best one for our stay. Lentgh, parking, pad, WC, hookups, facements, trees, etc are all considered when planing our long stays.

Pretty much like renting or building a house. But, we also keep in mind what our primary goals were and knowing we are just temporarily living there and leaving some days to travel on without our trailer, we may be willing to sacrifice a few things.

For us, one the most important thing is quietness during long stays. Since we are empty nesters, we dont consider family orientated CGs, try to find over age 50+ CGs instead. Also, when long term staying at CGs, most will try to park you away from the one nighters and short term campers. Which is something else to enquire about before booking.

Either way, aa you get more into the RVing adventure you will start to be more aware of what satisfies your needs and that will help you home in on what to look and plan for. Happy Trails!

 

[kb0zke]

When we were first researching full-timing, more than 10 years ago, we thought that we'd stay at least two nights, but mostly less than a week, and then move on another 200 miles or so. While at the campground we'd see and do what we wanted that was within about 100 miles of the campground. That is a nice plan, but it rarely worked out that way.

We find ourselves moving from here to there, then staying for a month or two, and then moving on again. Tomorrow, for example, we're going to head from The Ranch (SE NM) to Graham Cave State Park, about 70 miles west of St. Louis. Most stops will be for two nights, but there will be a one-night stay and a three-night stay. We'll be hosting at Graham Cave for April, then we'll head west to Wyoming for a month. Again, the trip out there will be generally two or three nights. Same thing heading back to Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park (SW of St. Louis), where we'll be for July and August. After that we don't know for sure.

Several years ago we had just gotten to Pensacola when we got word that a relative was near death. We packed everything up and headed towards Kansas City (in January). We stayed only one night at each stop since we were in a hurry. That's life on the road.