For those just staring out in this RV lifestyle, the idea of that first RV road trip can be daunting. Where will you go? Where can you park your RV? Where are you allowed to park, and where can you find essentials along the road?
Luckily, none of these things are difficult. There are approximately ten million RVs in the U.S. as of the writing of this 2022 article. There are approximately three million campsites available at any given time in this country, and that doesn’t take into account various boondocking options which are not counted.
The bottom line: finding a place to park your RV is not a problem 90% of the time, with major holidays like the 4th of July being the only exceptions.
Let’s take a closer look at the options you have, which include the following:
- Boondocking
- State and national parks
- Private campgrounds
- Public campgrounds
We will, of course, take a closer look at each of these.
Boondocking
Boondocking is RV camping without hookups for water, electricity, and sewage, living instead solely from your RV. There are thousands of boondocking opportunities, and there are apps which will keep you updated on a large majority of them. Usually these are on public lands, BLM lands, national forest lands, etc., and there may, or may not, be a fee, but the fee will be nominal compared to other RV parking options.
There are also campgrounds like Boondockers Inc. and Harvest Host, which charge a membership fee yearly, but offer some great opportunities for private camping in a very lovely setting.
State and national parks
Practically all state and national parks have RV opportunities, but a word of warning: These campgrounds fill up faster than others on this list, and you usually have to make reservations far in advance, especially for summer RV travel. Yes, there is almost always a fee to park your RV in these campgrounds but again, it is not an exorbitant fee, usually in the $20 range per night.
Private campgrounds
Private campgrounds like Thousand Trails and KOA dot the map. They can be pricey, anywhere between $50-$100 per night. They all have full-hookups for a comfortable RV life, if that’s your thing. These private campgrounds require a membership, and the price of that membership can be as inexpensive as $100 per year, or considerably more expensive.
Public campgrounds
Add this to the list, public campgrounds which do not require a membership, are not owned by the government, and may or may not have hookups. These are fewer in number, but the do offer an alternative.
Take advantage of the many apps available
By now you should be feeling pretty confident that you will be able to find a place to park your RV or travel trailer on your upcoming RV trip, but to make it easier still, there are literally dozens of RVing apps available for your phone or tablet, and these apps will provide you with maps which indicate camping opportunities, availabilities, gasoline, propane, and repair shops. I highly recommend you take advantage of these great aids. Just a few of them . . . Campendium, Dyrt, The RV Life, RV Parky, Freeroam, and many more.
Above all, stop fretting and have fun!
See, nothing at all to worry about. It’s all been there, done that in the RV life. Take your first RV trip and you will be surrounded by RV brothers and sisters who have the experience and who are eager to share it with you. No worries! Be happy! And above all, have fun and improve your quality of life by taking an RV road trip.