Jump to content

How Many Camprgrounds Do You Stay At During a Year?


Recommended Posts

12 since end of April, 5 of which were 1 or 2 days, all of the rest were 1-2 weeks.   We're half way through our summer trips, so probably another 10  (4 of which will be overnighters) until we get to Mesa for the winter.   We only travel 1/2 of the year now; takes all winter to get all of our medical check ups done, medications stabilized, etc.  Getting old isn't for the faint of heart. ;)

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 90
  • Created
  • Last Reply

What I find interesting about this is how many people know how many sites they have camped at.  Everyone here seems like they have a very organized/documented lifestyle!  I mean, I'm only interested in RVing at this point so maybe I'll be the same.  It just seems odd to track something so carefully when there's no compelling reason to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, oldbutspry said:

What I find interesting about this is how many people know how many sites they have camped at.  Everyone here seems like they have a very organized/documented lifestyle!  I mean, I'm only interested in RVing at this point so maybe I'll be the same.  It just seems odd to track something so carefully when there's no compelling reason to.

You don't track your bills?  Park costs are one of our budget items.    We have a calendar on the computer where we log in things like where we are when traveling.    Make notes of parks because I do post reviews to RV Parks Reviews as we move about so that others can get an idea of what a park is like.  Also helps me to remember which parks we want to stop at again if we are in an area (like the new one we are in now that was added to C2C this year), and also what parks we will NEVER stop at again.    And a lot of us know that if we don't make some notes, we might not remember good or bad about a particular park next year or 2 or 3 years from now when we come through the area.  B)

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I estimated the number of places I stay per year.  RV Park stays are rare.  When we first started to travel we stayed in an RV park near Williamsburg, VA.  It was in a dense forest infested with poison ivy and ticks.  That did not make much difference since we spent the days in Williamsburg.  A few months later we decided to splurge and stay in an RV park in Thermopolis, WY.  We thought that would be convenient and we could get our laundry done.  It was crowded, expensive and there were not enough vacant washing machines.  I think we only got about half of our laundry done.  I think that was it for RV Park stays for our first year of camping.  We did stay in a few, fancy State campgrounds that were almost equivalent. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, oldbutspry said:

...What I find interesting about this is how many people know how many sites they have camped at...

We pay for just about everything with plastic. Every receipt is entered into Quicken. At the end of the billing cycle or statement period, the accounts are reconciled to make sure that there are no erroneous charges. Quicken allows tracking by categories. One of ours is campground/RV park fees. Expenditures can be summarized by category and time frame (i.e. month, year, etc.). We also post about our travels and current location on a private internet trip journal so that family can track us, view some photos and know when we are in locations that do not have phone or internet service. It's easy to count up the number of different locations for any time period. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, oldbutspry said:

What I find interesting about this is how many people know how many sites they have camped at.  Everyone here seems like they have a very organized/documented lifestyle! 

Not necessarily is everyone that organized, but most of us do have some ways to check that out. While we do nearly always use credit cards for paid camping or checks if the park prefers that and our bookkeeping software also keeps categorical records of such things but that would not show the places that we stay for free. Where I got the number of places that we have stayed, is from a file of pictures that I keep of places that we stop. I have a folder for each year and at least one shot of each place we spend a night, by date. We use it for reference if we return to the area, for memory jogging if we want to recall when we were at a place, and occasionally for other purposes. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Depends on your Rv lifestyle. Our goal was to see the country and stay out of Cold weather. We winter in a warm area of the country which has been Florida for the last few years and travel in the summer months. We have been living that lifestyle  since 2006 and it suites us .We are in Connecticut  now and will be traveling through the new England states for at least the next month or so. We are pretty much 6 months in Florida stationary and 6 months on the road which includes at home time in the S&B.

We are not much into moving around a lot.We will probably see  5 or 6 campgrounds on this trip our next stop is in the Bangor Maine area for a week or so and  we will day  trip from there .I would estimate that in the course of a year we are in 10 or 15 Campgrounds including local camping groups, State and National rallies and road trips such as this one.

We are not full timers and keep a S&B in Northern Ohio. We all have our Rv lifestyle and it is the best one for them.

 

 

Helen and I are long timers ..08 F-350 Ford,LB,CC,6.4L,4X4, Dually,4:10 diff dragging around a 2013 Montana 3402 Big Sky

SKP 100137. North Ridgeville, Ohio in the summer, sort of and where ever it is warm in the winter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎7‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 8:12 PM, oldbutspry said:

What I find interesting about this is how many people know how many sites they have camped at. 

Ever since we started RVing, I've kept track of where we've stayed on a spreadsheet.  I can go back 20 years and tell you where we were on a specific date!  It's come in handy more than once.

LindaH
2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K
2011 Kia Soul

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/13/2017 at 11:12 PM, oldbutspry said:

What I find interesting about this is how many people know how many sites they have camped at.  Everyone here seems like they have a very organized/documented lifestyle!  I mean, I'm only interested in RVing at this point so maybe I'll be the same.  It just seems odd to track something so carefully when there's no compelling reason to.

We keep track of our park visits on our Google Calendar. It makes destination trip planning easier, and our kids always know where we are and expect to be next. It's also a helpful tool when we're making our winter state park and other reservations in Florida 11-12 months ahead of time, and leave "holes" for federal park reservations that can only be made 6 months ahead. The calendar helps track the times to be filled, and it also reminds us the day before the 6 month reservation window opens so we can be ready to jump in and hopefully get a site in those wild first few seconds at 8 am. And when questions like the OP are asked, it's easy to go back and count... ;)

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As another mentioned we have been using Quicken for many years every $$ spent has a category  so we  always know were we stand. We do not boondock except once in "Q" We do not stay in any ones parking lot, truck stops or rest areas .Except for a rally here or there that may not have full hookup  we always  book full hookups , 50 amps preferably pull troughs. We have been doing that for 11 years our choice.

We saved and planned for many years to live this lifestyle and when we run out of $$ we will return to our S&B. Don't see that happening anytime soon.

We do know how many $$ we spend every day, every trip, every month, every year. Quicken does the spreadsheets.

Helen and I are long timers ..08 F-350 Ford,LB,CC,6.4L,4X4, Dually,4:10 diff dragging around a 2013 Montana 3402 Big Sky

SKP 100137. North Ridgeville, Ohio in the summer, sort of and where ever it is warm in the winter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, richfaa said:

As another mentioned we have been using Quicken for many years every $$ spent has a category  so we  always know were we stand.

There are numerous excellent bookkeeping packages available for the computer that will do everything that most of us need, or might want. As one who tried Quicken with less than a happy experience, I suggest that you check out several programs before you make a purchase. Some of them are even free.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/13/2017 at 0:19 PM, Zulu said:

Interesting. Using replies from 8 of you for this year to date, the average is 20 and the mean is 22-23.

It's higher than I thought it would be.

I asked a similar question not long ago and was surprised that the number was as high as it was. Not that I think there's any right or wrong answer, but one of the words of advice I heard so often was "slow down" - I was surprised that so many of us enjoy the more nomadic approach.

For us, we're in our 18th stop of the year - and that includes 3 one month or longer stays.

For 2017, I'm thinking we'll stay in 36 different places.

Our "Here and There" Blog

 

2005 Safari Cheetah Motorhome

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, GR "Scott" Cundiff said:

Not that I think there's any right or wrong answer, but one of the words of advice I heard so often was "slow down" - I was surprised that so many of us enjoy the more nomadic approach.

Like so often happens, you need to define what you mean by slowing down. If by that you mean to make travel days short it will then cause you to spend nights in more places when you travel between two locations. For example, we once traveled from Joshua Tree NP(near Palm Springs, CA) to Boyce-Thompson Arboretum (Superior, AZ) and spent 4 days to travel 285 miles. On that trip, no 2 nights were spent in the same spot so we stayed in 4 different campsites between the two locations, each of which we stopped in for 2 months. Thus in that 4 month period we stayed in 6 sites. We typically traveled less than 200 miles per day so on a typical 1000 mile trip we would generally stop in at least 6 different sites and often more than that. Most times we spent around 2 to 3 weeks in such a trip and then stopped at a new location for from 1 to 3 months. As I look back at our records for our 12 years fulltime, we usually spent nights in at least 30 different sites in a year but traveled 5000 to 7000 miles, sitting in some volunteer position of 1 to 3 months for at least 6 months of the year. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting to read all of the responses with the whys and wherefores. 

Our situation: DH still works 9-5 from the trailer as an IT manager. That means the majority of our joint site-seeing can only be done on the weekends. In order to allow DH to explore the area, and because monthly rates are roughly half daily/weekly rates in most RV parks, we tend to stay a month at a time in each location. We are also attending some rallies for shorter periods. So for 2017 we'll likely end up at 16-18 RV parks this year. I track all parks & expenditures on an Excel spreadsheet, so it's easy to count them up. 

 (I do NOT count single overnight parking stops, we do a lot of that on travel weekends but I don't track it.) 

BizCard.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a great read for a newbie who is so new he owns an RV but just got it and has not taken it out yet. My initial perception when I saw the word "campgrounds" was "Those places where you pay $30 a night because  you want water and power hookups." I hope to only have to use those once a month when I have to dump tanks.  I am VERY cheap. So much so that I make Jack Benny look like a philanthropist. I anticipate a long string of Walmart parking lots in my future, mainly because I get get on their wifi to watch TV at night. Further reading made it clear that most of the responses are counting STOPS, overall, anywhere stops, as a campground. Initially I wondered how people could afford to stay in pay places every night. That would be more expensive than the mortgage I am getting away from! Wifi is important so I don't chew up my data too fast.

My goal, like most of you, is to see the country. However, it is going to take a very conscious effort to learn how to NOT live on the hamster wheel. I will never drive 10-12 hours like a lot of people do. That is like having a job as a truck driver. I have a 25 ft Class C that will have solar on the roof for those times I am in a place where the generator is not the best option. It is just me and a dog, so the black tank shouldn't fill up all that fast, since one of us poops outside. I am now looking at routings where I don't drive more than 50-75 miles per day, and stay in a place until I feel like going to another place, since (deep breaths and remember that I DON'T have a job to get back to after a week of vacation) there is no rush to get anywhere. I am looking forward to the life where my most pressing agenda item is making sure I am near a city where a Browns Backers club meets at a place with a patio (so the dog can be with me) for the 16 weeks that the Browns play, as I do NOT want to miss a Browns game. (I don't know why, but it's a Cleveland thing.)

So, for me at least, the road will be a combination of Walmarts, Lowe's, Home Depots, COE, USGS, maybe military bases (I am a veteran) and BLM spots that my rig and toad can fit into, and pretty much anywhere I can stay for free at least 90% of the time. Of course, that is pending RV repairs that ground me, medical emergencies of any kind (human or canine).... there may be a Motel 6 night here and there, but that's the least I can do since they'll leave the light on for me. Mainly, like most RV nomads, I will be chasing the best weather.

Ultimately, as I travel and find places I like, I would love to buy a small bit of land in places I like, maybe one south and one north, so if the road gets tedious I can go park for a couple of months and then hit the road again when the wanderlust hits. That logic is partially why I decided to also buy a small used car to tow. If I can get a patch in NC and maybe one in my native Ohio, that would work out well. I just have to make sure zoning allows me to live in the RV on my own property.

I am selling my house AND I have traded in my beloved FJ Cruiser to do all this, so it HAS to work out!!  LOL!! Hope to meet some of you out there!! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So far this year, 25.

Last year, 2016, about 90, including 72 separate places we parked for one night or more on our 4 1/2 month Alaska trip leaving from the Portland, OR area.   Of those 139 days we had 2 nights with elect, the rest were dry camping or boondocking.  The other 18, or so, stops were near Portland, our travels to/from Texas and a couple of trips to our daughters home in the Dallas area.  We were away from our house for about 10 months that year.

Our travel philosophy is to make almost no reservations.  Those reservations we must make, we try to make no more than 2-3 week out.  This way we are free to change our plans as we wish.  If weather is bad or poor we stay longer.  If we have seen all we want of a location, we move on.  If we learn of some place to visit we didn't know about we change our plans to go there. 

It is, as much as possible, to have as much freedom as possible.  To wander, to see, to explore at our desired pace. 

Oh, yeah, we really don't like being in RV parks where your only view is the RV out your windows or front door.  The Days End directory is our main source for places to stay.

Al & Sharon
2006 Winnebago Journey 36G 
2020 Chevy Colorado Toad
San Antonio, TX

http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, eddie1261 said:

What a great read for a newbie who is so new he owns an RV but just got it and has not taken it out yet. My initial perception when I saw the word "campgrounds" was "Those places where you pay $30 a night because  you want water and power hookups." I hope to only have to use those once a month when I have to dump tanks.  I am VERY cheap. So much so that I make Jack Benny look like a philanthropist. I anticipate a long string of Walmart parking lots in my future, mainly because I get get on their wifi to watch TV at night. Further reading made it clear that most of the responses are counting STOPS, overall, anywhere stops, as a campground. Initially I wondered how people could afford to stay in pay places every night. That would be more expensive than the mortgage I am getting away from! Wifi is important so I don't chew up my data too fast.

My goal, like most of you, is to see the country. However, it is going to take a very conscious effort to learn how to NOT live on the hamster wheel. I will never drive 10-12 hours like a lot of people do. That is like having a job as a truck driver. I have a 25 ft Class C that will have solar on the roof for those times I am in a place where the generator is not the best option. It is just me and a dog, so the black tank shouldn't fill up all that fast, since one of us poops outside. I am now looking at routings where I don't drive more than 50-75 miles per day, and stay in a place until I feel like going to another place, since (deep breaths and remember that I DON'T have a job to get back to after a week of vacation) there is no rush to get anywhere. I am looking forward to the life where my most pressing agenda item is making sure I am near a city where a Browns Backers club meets at a place with a patio (so the dog can be with me) for the 16 weeks that the Browns play, as I do NOT want to miss a Browns game. (I don't know why, but it's a Cleveland thing.)

So, for me at least, the road will be a combination of Walmarts, Lowe's, Home Depots, COE, USGS, maybe military bases (I am a veteran) and BLM spots that my rig and toad can fit into, and pretty much anywhere I can stay for free at least 90% of the time. Of course, that is pending RV repairs that ground me, medical emergencies of any kind (human or canine).... there may be a Motel 6 night here and there, but that's the least I can do since they'll leave the light on for me. Mainly, like most RV nomads, I will be chasing the best weather.

Ultimately, as I travel and find places I like, I would love to buy a small bit of land in places I like, maybe one south and one north, so if the road gets tedious I can go park for a couple of months and then hit the road again when the wanderlust hits. That logic is partially why I decided to also buy a small used car to tow. If I can get a patch in NC and maybe one in my native Ohio, that would work out well. I just have to make sure zoning allows me to live in the RV on my own property.

I am selling my house AND I have traded in my beloved FJ Cruiser to do all this, so it HAS to work out!!  LOL!! Hope to meet some of you out there!! 

As long as your keep in mind, the Walmarts, Lowes, etc, etc are overnight parking ONLY.  Not multi night stays, like you are at a campground. 

The Days End directory is a great source for low cost to free places to stay at, generally for multiple nights. 

Al & Sharon
2006 Winnebago Journey 36G 
2020 Chevy Colorado Toad
San Antonio, TX

http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/17/2017 at 9:15 PM, Al F said:

As long as your keep in mind, the Walmarts, Lowes, etc, etc are overnight parking ONLY.  Not multi night stays, like you are at a campground. 

The Days End directory is a great source for low cost to free places to stay at, generally for multiple nights. 

So far I have run into No RV Parking at all the Walmarts when I needed them.  I was most desperate when I had failed to plan ahead to find a spot in/near Milwaukee for an autocross test day at Miller Park.  Sent packing be security at two Walmarts before finding a little truck stop where two semis were obviously parked for the night on the sidestreet.

pethier, interested in toyhaulers for 13-foot car

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/17/2017 at 9:15 PM, Al F said:

As long as your keep in mind, the Walmarts, Lowes, etc, etc are overnight parking ONLY.  Not multi night stays, like you are at a campground. 

The Days End directory is a great source for low cost to free places to stay at, generally for multiple nights. 

Is the Days End directory paper?  Where do you get it?

pethier, interested in toyhaulers for 13-foot car

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, pethier said:

Is the Days End directory paper?  Where do you get it?

2gypsies gave you the link to the Day's End Directory website.  It is no longer available in paper form, but there are 3 download forms:  DOC, PDF, and ODT.  You can also order a CD.  Personally, I'd rather download the Directory since Guy updates the Directory every few months and you can go to the website and download the updated directory.  You won't get a new CD each time the Directory is updated.

LindaH
2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K
2011 Kia Soul

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/17/2017 at 8:38 PM, eddie1261 said:

My initial perception when I saw the word "campgrounds" was "Those places where you pay $30 a night because  you want water and power hookups." I hope to only have to use those once a month when I have to dump tanks.

You will be an uncommon fellow if you can last a full month on the tanks before dumping waste and filling water. A week or even two isn't that uncommon, but a month....?

Are you aware of the fact that most RV parks have weekly and monthly rates that are much less than a single night's price? Such parks are also more than just a place to park with utility connections. Most of them also have laundry areas, recreation facilities, swimming pools, socials, and assorted other attractions. There are many reasons that so many of us choose to spend significant time in such parks. We also spend time in state and federal campgrounds which are usually less expensive than commercial parks and if you are past the age of 62 you can get an America the Beautiful Senior Pass that makes campsites in federal parks 1/2 price. 

There are also RV park discount groups, with Escapees RV Club having some of them and the Passport America card or the Happy Camper card will get you half price stays in many commercial RV parks around the country. In addition, there are many members of these forums who do as we have and spend a month or more in an area where they volunteer to help in return for an RV site and amenities for several days each week. Many of us find that gives a great deal of satisfaction and purpose to our lives as well as an opportunity to learn many new things and to have many new experiences. 

For us, living in parking lots is not a lifestyle that we would enjoy. We do spend an occasional night in one while in route between locations, but usually, that is due to a lack of other accommodations or to a need for shopping. True "boondocking" where you stay in a remote, undeveloped area has many attractions, but just dry camping in parking lots to save money just isn't attractive for us. 

 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do not dry camp in parking lots just to save money.  I stop and stay at rest stops, truck stops, Walmart and other assorted areas largely because of the convenience.  When driving I look ahead somewhere during the late hours of my travel day.  In most areas of the country finding a campground is much less convenient and often many miles out of my way.  I have pulled into quite a few at the end of the day only to find them full.  By comparison, pulling into a parking lot hours past  dark is no big deal.  If the first choice looks a bit seedy or uninviting there is another within a few minutes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


RVers Online University

campgroundviews.com

RV Destinations

Find out more or sign up for Escapees RV'ers Bootcamp.

Advertise your product or service here.

The Rvers- Now Streaming

RVTravel.com Logo



×
×
  • Create New...