Do you ever overnight at "Travel Centers," you know truck stops, and what has your experience been?
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We don’t have a generator in our fifth wheel, so we’ve never “dry camped” anywhere. . .
whether it be a Walmart or Cracker Barrel parking lot. . .
or at a truck stop “travel center,”
but I do read on RV’ing blogs about lots of folk who do. . .
they had an incident after parking lot camping at Cabela’s. . .scary stuff!
Since we have no experience. . .what’s your advice. . .
or tips and tricks to overnite stops in a parking lot?
I have only done it once due to a break down. As a solo, I'm not comfortable doing that so I don't have any advice. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, we've stayed at a Walmart parking lot or travel center overnight. You don't need to use a generator to spend the night. Your batteries should run your lights for your overnight needs. We use a small, inexpensive inverter to charge our phones and run our XM radio during those stays.
ReplyDeleteWe've stayed overnight at a couple of travel centers and a casino parking lot. We don't' have a generator and did fine. Of course, the weather was nice enough that we didn't need the AC and we didn't put out our slide either. But we did use the propane heater in the morning. The only things we can't use are the microwave, coffee pot and A/C. I have a stovetop percolator for times like this!
ReplyDeleteI've stayed overnight at Walmart. Usually there are at least one or two other RVers. Without a generator, it's better to do it when you don't need heat or cool. Have a stovetop percolator if needed. Park where you won't get a semi next to you. There is a fantastic Rest Stop in Louisiana on I-10 by the Achafaylaya that has a separate parking lot for RVs. Trucks have their own area as do cars. Very, very nice. They also have coffee and a little museum area.
ReplyDeleteI called the corporate offices of Wal-Mart in Arkansas and asked what its overnight RV parking policy was. They were very friendly and said it was company policy to allow Rv'ers overnight parking. They also said it would be advisable to check in with the store manager when you arrive as a courtesy. However, they said if we ran into a store that refused us we were to report this to them. We have stayed in a number of Wal-Marts and have been welcomed with open arms. Management even alerts security to keep and eye on the rigs during a stay. If you have a wife like mine (Wal-Mart road atlas in hand) she always needs something from the store. If we stay in a Super Wal-Mart we always hit the deli for a good chicken dinner with potato salad and cole slaw.
ReplyDeleteWe drove the motorhome to the local Wal-Mart last night and got lucky and found a parking spot right by the door. After parking, but before getting out, the greeter rushed out and knocked on our door. He told me that I was very welcome to camp in their lot for the night, and he was ready to show me the designated area, where there were already several RVs. Just in case anyone wonders about Wal-Mart's attitude toward RVers, this encounter should clear the air. Wal-Mart has figured out how to get an otherwise under-used asset (the far end of the parking lot) to produce revenue by encouraging RVers to park. They know that we'll almost always run into the store for some goodies. Smart, very smart.
We've overnighted at WalMart and Cracker Barrel. We always check with management first and assure them that we will either be eating meals there (Cracker Barrel) or shopping for groceries(WalMart). We've always been treated well and they seem to like having RVers. We don't put out our slides unless we're parked next to a curb lengthwise (suggested by managers) and then use just 1 bedroom slide. We use these places when we are just overnighting and starting out early the next day on another long trek to reach our destination. We use our generator only when it's not interferring with someone else's quiet time. It's turned off when we go to bed. We've had neighbors who use Flying J's for overnight. Evidently, they are becoming more RV friendly. Last, we always leave our spot as clean as we found it. We don't want to give RVers a bad reputation.
ReplyDeleteWe have stayed at many Walmarts and Camping Worlds. Never any problems. Never use the Genset. Batteries are charged from the days travelling. We also have Harvest Host membership which means we can park overnight in Wineries, Farms and Orchards. Cost about $30 a year.
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