Welcome back! In this episode of Find your dream RV destination, I’m going to share with you 11 ways to locate your perfect RV destination.
When my mom and dad decided in the 90’s to get their first camper (back then they weren’t called RV’s) they wanted to come to Florida for the month of February to visit me because it was my birthday month. The only source for locating a “campground” was to use the yellow pages or their other option was for me to go drive around and find one. Dad had predetermined that he wanted to be in the Zephyrhills area. My dad was very resourceful and had done his homework. He had already learned that there were several parks in that area. The rest was up to me. One weekend, I drove up to Zephyrhills and I bet I stopped at 6 parks. I gathered all the pertinent information, pricing, location, amenities, and availability. I reported back to dad and then he made the decision as to which one he and mom would like the best. They had decided on Grove Ridge on US98 for the next 13 years until dad’s death in 2007. They faithfully travelled from Iowa every year for 1 month, except the year dad passed, they were here for 2 months.
I remember taking a vacation in a rented motorhome when I was very young. There was no need to plan for a predetermined stop over for the night, as the parks simply were not full and there were road signs along the interstates telling passersby where the next park was. It’s kind of the same thing I say about biking. We used to bike when biking wasn’t cool and now it is. Well, we used to camp when camping wasn’t cool and now everyone wants in! This isn’t just a sport for baby boomers, the millennials love it too!
Things have changed! Now we need to pre-plan our stop overs and book in advance, and I mean in way advance because suddenly RV’ing is cool!
So where do we begin our search? How do we find our perfect RV vacation spot?
Let’s first figure out what we’re looking for. Are you looking for a campground or an RV park? Yes, there is a difference and it’s often confusing when you’re doing internet searches. Typically, campgrounds offer RV Sites and Tent sites, but RV Parks are exclusive to RV sites. Campgrounds usually have a more casual and relaxed atmosphere where RV parks will offer more premium amenities. Shoot there are even RV parks just for the premium Motorcoaches, yeah, they are not called motorhomes any longer and there are RV Parks exclusively for Airstreams. I don’t have and probably won’t have an Airstream, but I love concept!
If you’re the baby boomer, you may or may not yet be App or internet savvy, and that’s OK, because there are still choices for you!
1). If you’ve been traveling for a while, Word of Mouth is a great way to find your next destination.
2). KOA’s are still popular. If you call or stop by one, they will give you a book with all their state destinations and they offer discounts when you join their club.
3). Everyone has heard of Good Sam. Good Sam also has a book with all their listings, and you can find their book at Camping World locations. Who hasn’t been to a Camping World for supplies?
4). Billboards are still popular so be on the lookout as you’re travelling busy highways and interstates. When I get my park, I have a clever idea that I’ll be using on a billboard to grab your attention!
5). Here’s the best advice yet for the not so savvy internet or App users! Let’s face it, the internet is the probably the most useful tool at finding an RV Park so, don’t be afraid of it, just ask your kid or your grandchild for assistance! I know they will gladly help grandma or grandpa and ta dam they will enjoy hunting and booking your winter trip to Florida!
6). Here’s another helpful hint I bet you don’t know anything about this site. This will require your kid or grandchild’s help. Did you know that you can find RV spots for free across the US? YES, you can!
Have Susie go look up http://www.boondockerswelcome.com. You will pay a very small nominal fee to join, but this site gives you access to over 2909 + camp stays with NO camping fees. The best part is you’ll get to stay for 1 night free of charge at cool places like wineries, someone’s farm stay or perhaps on someone’s beachfront property with an awesome sunset view. I know, you’re saying, what’s the catch, right? There is no catch! It’s true that if you stay at a winery for a night, you may indulge and purchase a glass of wine, maybe the farm stay offers homemade soaps that you can purchase for a nominal fee. You will meet amazing, gracious people across the US. This option will require you to preplan your trip across the US as I’m sure most of these places stay busy – so plan ahead!
I’m planning on doing this at my farm. I won’t be selling anything (yet) so it’s a complete free stay, but you’ll need to deal with 2 very friendly Iowan’s that love entertaining!
Ok, for the Millennials – here we go! It’s all about the internet and Apps for you because you like Glamping – or glamorous style of camping which means you want all the amenities (electric, water, etc.) while sleeping in luxury but still enjoying the outdoorsy feel.
Glamping site locations can often be found on RV Sites. Here are several types of glamping, perhaps you want to find a Tee Pee stay or a tiny home stay. These are typically individuals that placed a Tee Pee or Tiny home on their property and offer a stay for a nightly fee. There are also Tiny Home developments popping up all over the country, but I haven’t really located one because I haven’t looked for Tiny Home at a daily rate, I usually see people living in them.
Here are a few of my favorites.
7) Campspot – Offers RV Sites as well as Glamping sites.
8) Campendium – You can find Caravan Parks or Unique RV Camping sites.
9) HipCamp – Offers outdoor stays, cabins, RV Parks, and Glamping
10) Airbnb and VRBO – also offer unique glamping stays, as well as unique camping stays.
11) GORving.com You can find Tiny Homes, Bungalows, RV Spots and Fish Camps.
There you have it folks! I just laid out part of my marketing strategy for when I get my park. One day soon, you will see my park on these sites! I hope you found this information useful. If you know of another site or information I missed, I would be interested in adding it to my list! Please reach out to me at Info@fearlessinnovator.com
Catch me later!
References:
Boondockers.com BoonDockers Book for Free
Camp Florida has a book – Florida RV Parks & Campgrounds
KOA has a book – KOA
Good Sam – Good Sam
Camping World – Camping World
Airstream – Airstream of Tampa
Campspot – Campspot
Campendium – Campendium
HipCamp – HipCamp
Airbnb – Airbnb – RV’s, Cottages, Bungalows
VRBO – Vrbo Cabins, Cottages, Bungalows, RV
GoRving.com – Find a Campground | Go RVing
