What's the price "tipping point" for you?

1775 wrote:
I have not read this entire thread. We stay at private, commercial campgrounds - usually not chain campgrounds unless that is all that is available in an area. We use the campground as our home base for sightseeing. We don't "camp" in the traditional sense as we spend little time at the campground but want a place that is safe to stay at night with full hookups, cable, and wifi that is nearby to where we want to sightsee or attend an event. We are off each morning and back to the campground at night. We tend to be in popular areas and we know that this comes with a price. We are generally paying less than any nearby hotel/motel but we are paying between $50 and $70 a night at a campground (primarily on the East Coast). Four years ago we were paying $35 a night at a campground that we return to several times a year. That campground is now $55 to $60 to $65 dollars (65 for holiday weekends) a night and nothing has changed there over those four years. Of course, they can charge whatever they like and this particular campground offers no discounts. They have become the most expensive campground in a popular tourist area with other campgrounds charging about five to ten dollars less with equal amenities (some with more). We have continued to return there because the hosts are nice and we are comfortable there, but the price this year has led us toward second thoughts.

As I read posts about campground prices, I figure that prices elsewhere than the East Coast must be much more reasonable than what can be found here. I see New England campgrounds charging $80 a night for very little in amenities. I often have a hard time finding campgrounds in some places that we would like to visit because those that are available get consistently bad reviews with the same problems noted over and over again - so this these are not one person's vendetta for one poor stay - and these campgrounds are charging top dollar.

We will not stay in a hotel - coming home with bed bugs once (and once is more than you ever want to experience) is what led us to owning the RV and traveling this way. But it was much easier to travel staying in hotels- there are more of them and one one can plan a trip, reserve a room and cancel right up to the day of arrival (many hotels cancel up to 6 pm on the day of the reservation) and pay nothing - which does not happen with campgrounds. I can see the reason why, but it has led me to not make reservations now until the very last minute.

Anyway, I would love to find a campground where I want to travel for below $40 a night for a site with hookups. Not sure where that would be...

This is exactly my thoughts as well! Wondering where you all can't then realized I live on the East Coast. We paid almost $95 a night in South Carolina, and our standard rate for vacations has been about $70. t