Rest Area / Truck Stop Etiquette
We will be heading out for a month-long trip in the near future. My itinerary calls for a couple of nights at Walmart, and a Pilot Truck stop on the way. I have checked that the WalMarts we plan t...
Forum Discussion
I am always amazed when this topic rolls up, and it does so frequently.
First off, in years of road travel, we have ONPed lots of places. We did try campgrounds early on, but with the memory still of our being very tired, and driving another six miles of country roads to a real crampground, we tried to bed down in our car-tent (a tent that fit over the back of an hatchback Vega) we then discovered that the Not-At-All-Cheap place put us next to a highway grade. The trucks had to power up it and Jake-Brake down it. All night long. This was a starred campground in the AAA guide. The review that I wrote was very honest and not at all kind.
Those of you that think we pick ______ (fill in the free ONP of choice) to save the money, are so wrong about this. We do it because the stop is convenient. We don't a swimming pool (often closed when we travel in the spring and fall), a room full of computer games, or any of the amenities that are so often offered, and we sure don't need the overloaded Wifi that might be available. It is true that I don't like buying things I don't need or want, but that is not the driving force here.
A traveling companion once likened it stopping at an out of the way burger place, picking up a meal and throwing it all in the trash on the way out. (I'm not that imaginative.)
If it is nearly flat and has grass in walking distance, then we can walk the dogs, have dinner and sleep. That is all we want.
If we happen to be a Walmart, there is always something that we need or want. There is a real good reason why we travel self-contained.
Now, if you are not self-contained and/or need to put the grill and slides out then this is not as good a plan. If you want to be in the same place for several days, Ditto.....
We don't. We are most regularly travelers. When we are going to an event, we may well stay at a regular campground for the event. So we do know about them. But I sure don't need to leave our best route and trek through the hinterlands to find a place to sleep. And then, have to back-track in the morning to get back to the preferred route. When in comfortable travel mode, as opposed to the getting there mode, we often avoid interstates. Even still, commercial or state campgrounds are seldom convenient.
You may do as you please. This will be a free country for a few more years, so I suggest that you take advantage of the freedom.
Matt
First off, in years of road travel, we have ONPed lots of places. We did try campgrounds early on, but with the memory still of our being very tired, and driving another six miles of country roads to a real crampground, we tried to bed down in our car-tent (a tent that fit over the back of an hatchback Vega) we then discovered that the Not-At-All-Cheap place put us next to a highway grade. The trucks had to power up it and Jake-Brake down it. All night long. This was a starred campground in the AAA guide. The review that I wrote was very honest and not at all kind.
Those of you that think we pick ______ (fill in the free ONP of choice) to save the money, are so wrong about this. We do it because the stop is convenient. We don't a swimming pool (often closed when we travel in the spring and fall), a room full of computer games, or any of the amenities that are so often offered, and we sure don't need the overloaded Wifi that might be available. It is true that I don't like buying things I don't need or want, but that is not the driving force here.
A traveling companion once likened it stopping at an out of the way burger place, picking up a meal and throwing it all in the trash on the way out. (I'm not that imaginative.)
If it is nearly flat and has grass in walking distance, then we can walk the dogs, have dinner and sleep. That is all we want.
If we happen to be a Walmart, there is always something that we need or want. There is a real good reason why we travel self-contained.
Now, if you are not self-contained and/or need to put the grill and slides out then this is not as good a plan. If you want to be in the same place for several days, Ditto.....
We don't. We are most regularly travelers. When we are going to an event, we may well stay at a regular campground for the event. So we do know about them. But I sure don't need to leave our best route and trek through the hinterlands to find a place to sleep. And then, have to back-track in the morning to get back to the preferred route. When in comfortable travel mode, as opposed to the getting there mode, we often avoid interstates. Even still, commercial or state campgrounds are seldom convenient.
You may do as you please. This will be a free country for a few more years, so I suggest that you take advantage of the freedom.
Matt
