On the road we never make reservations but do make them for our destination if it's going to be longer than a couple of days. We stop at a lot fair grounds when ever possible. Most are usually less than $20 a night and not crowded.
We recently did three months out West without reservations. I'm surprised at the number of big MH's that have to go from FHU to FHU. 100 gallons of water and a generator plus a inverter and it's FHU to FHU??? The advantage of a big MH is how easy it is to go 5-7 days without FHU and not cut back on anything. Sure without reservations I may have to hit WallMart, the local airport, or Cracker Barrel until I can find a site the next morning. I like CGs near a NP better than one in the NP as they tend to be very close together and expensive for what you get. With a toad it's easy to stay outside in a USFS, BLM, or Dispersed camping spot without being on top of each other.
This post is my opinion (free advice). It is not intended to influence anyone's judgment nor do I advocate anyone do what I propose.
Ivylog wrote: We recently did three months out West without reservations. I'm surprised at the number of big MH's that have to go from FHU to FHU. 100 gallons of water and a generator plus a inverter and it's FHU to FHU??? The advantage of a big MH is how easy it is to go 5-7 days without FHU and not cut back on anything. Sure without reservations I may have to hit WallMart, the local airport, or Cracker Barrel until I can find a site the next morning. I like CGs near a NP better than one in the NP as they tend to be very close together and expensive for what you get. With a toad it's easy to stay outside in a USFS, BLM, or Dispersed camping spot without being on top of each other.
Yeah - we have the water, batteries, generator, etc... to dry camp. In fact, we can go 3-4 days without FHU, and ocassionaly do so out in the desert when we go to the dunes. But by the 4th day the DW is ready to head home for a nice long hot shower, so 4 days seems to be her limit. I've pushed it to 5 once or twice, and she wasn't very happy about it.
On the 4-week long trips she'll do the same thing - do a few days without FHU, but she prefers not to. And with 2 small kids that like to get dirty, we need shower water for them as well. I've found that everyone is happier when the DW is happier, so FHU sites are what we shoot for on our longer trips.
2003 Country Coach Intrigue, Cummins ISL 400
Toad: 2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (LJ) toad, with just a few mods...
Other rig: 2005 Chevy Silverado 3500 Duramax Dually / Next Level 38CK Fifth-wheel Toy Hauler w/ quads, sand rail, etc...
IF you have the flexibility to change your reservations at the last minute you probably didn't NEED the reservations in the first place. Any RV Park or campground will allow you to change reservations UNLESS they already have your site reserved for the next day after you're scheduled to depart or the day before you get there. If you're traveling where you can't be flexible about how long you're gone or when you arrive, then reservations are a very good idea. If you really don't care WHERE you stay in a particular area then traveling without reservations allows a LOT more freedom of movement. If you like an area and want to stay longer, you do it. If you don't like something about the campground or RV Park or the area itself, you just pack up and leave.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both MAKING reservations and free lancing it but the only time I make reservations is on holiday weekends. So far I've been somewhere every night
Good luck / Skip
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR - 2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles) 2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
When we had a truck camper we were NEVER turned down at any park. They can always stick you somewhere. Once while driving through Wyoming we stopped at Cody for the night. There was a rodeo in town and the local campground looked full up. When asking the attendent if he had any space he ask me what I had and I said truck camper. He said pull over next to our office and I'll give you a drop cord, otherwise we are totally full. So my run of always getting "something" continued. Now I have a 31' 5th wheel and learned very early to make reservations or travel during the weekdays and start looking very early in the day.
When we fulltimed, we never made reservations EXCEPT AT OUR DESTINATIONS. Traveling to and from, if we could not get in one park , we just went somewhere else. Whats the bid deal there?
However, peeps who work, vacation etc, probally need reservations.
That is why there are two schools of thought on that subject.
Love this part of your question:"Why do some of us feel the need for advanced reservations, while others have no use for them at all?"
My answer would be, why are some people accountants and some salesmen? Each of us are different, some are orderly, don't like leaving anything to chance and others of us just play the odds. I don't like schedules, places to be, or times to keep so no reservations except under rare circumstances. Yes, I have been tripped up, like in Alabama finding, after a rural 30 mile drive, that the campground I did not call to make reservations at was hosting a Bluegrass Festival! You know what, those wonderful folks, in a show of true Southern hospitality, found us a place to set up and we got music with our camping that night! The way we travel would drive an orderly and well organized person crazy I suspect.
Most state parks and county parks have a group of campsites set aside as
"first-come-first-served".
I always arrange to arrive on a Monday or Tuesday and get one of those.
I haven't had a problem getting a campsite yet.
Paul
Extra Class Ham Radio operator - K9ERG (since 1956)
Retired Electronics Engineer and Antenna Designer
Was a campground host at IBSP (2006-2010) - now retired.
Single - Full-timer
2005 Four Winds 29Q
1982 6.2L Diesel Suburban 1500
I like reservations because I feel more secure, but hubby likes to wing it. I like to plan out our big vacations, like Yellowstone this summer. All reservations are made for the actual trip, but we will wing it on the way out and back. I also book our summer weekends by January as campgrounds around here fill up fast and I need my weekend trips. Would love to learn ways to be more spontaneous with camping. I just find it nerve racking to look for places when we are driving.
Reservations... What's that?... something you eat on cereal for breakfast? I can't tell you for sure where I'll be in 2-4-6 months from now. Tomorrow is simply a promissory note. But for tonight and the preceding ones, I've had a place to park. I'm not opposed to planning, but reservations are out of the question. I'm a KISS subscriber.
Offline
... What's that?
... something you eat on cereal for breakfast?
I can't tell you for sure where I'll be in 2-4-6 months from now. Tomorrow is simply a promissory note. But for tonight and the preceding ones, I've had a place to park. I'm not opposed to planning, but reservations are out of the question. I'm a KISS subscriber.
