Preference for one night camping

We've done both state park hopping and truck stops. I try to plan park hopping into my overall trip plan, but it's not always possible. Like when we go down to the Florida Keys, that's one where I'm just trying to make miles and due to potential weather events I'm not even sure which route I'll take (I refuse to take I77 if there's going to be ice, it's borderline unacceptably nerve racking under good conditions, I75 is my backup but it's about 4-5 hours longer with a trailer and it means scheduling around Atlanta).

Oh, and I found NY State parks have a 2 night minimum during the summer, paying double makes it a lot less attractive, but since it's a small amount of the total trip budget we held our nose and payed. They also absolutely insist on knowing the names of everyone in your party, very invasive IMHO and something I've never experienced anywhere else in 43 states or 11 countries.

Passport America & plans stops, watch the notes for restrictions.

I would drive a few miles down the road not to hear the road noise every time.

cracker barrel has been great for us , wife likes a evening meal that some body else has to cook an clean up. never had a problem, and the cruiser comes threw couple tims a night.

Closer to the highway is preferred.

We stay in RV parks almost exclusively. If we were traveling, I doubt we would pass up a park close to the highway to travel to one further away. About the only circumstance that would change that would be where the highway RV park had terrible reviews and the other park had stellar ones. Even then, we would probably be more likely to just either stop sooner or drive further along our route than spend that time traveling off the route.
Of course the million dollar question is just how far, how long, and how inconvenient is your definition of a "few minutes" to get there?
Narrow roads, congested side streets or dense urban travel all work against leaving the main highway. And then there is the cost issue for many. With many rigs every 7 miles adds two gallons of fuel to the costs (7 miles in, 7 miles back). With diesel around $3.00/gallon that's adding $6.00 to the site costs. Plus those 14 total miles on side streets are adding 30 minutes to the trip (figure 30 MPH average with stop signs, turns and side road speed limits). On several levels it seldom pays to go very far off the beaten path for us.

TexasShadow wrote:
en route to our destination, we stay alongside the highway we're using. we use rest stops, walmarts, truck stops, city parks in small towns, sam's club etc.
if in doubt, we ask the managers for permission.

X2, usually pull into a truck stop late at night, crash for 4-6 hours then up & move on, generally before sunrise.
Call me frugal, cheap or anything else, but I just don't see paying a campground $30-40 to sleep.

If there's a road parallel to the highway I can park on...I'm using it. That is, unless my wife is with me.

Closer to the highway.

en route to our destination, we stay alongside the highway we're using. we use rest stops, walmarts, truck stops, city parks in small towns, sam's club etc.
if in doubt, we ask the managers for permission.