I forfeited three deposits equal to one night's stay each this past year. Two were at state parks, one was at a commercial RV park.
Each time was just because I decided I wanted to go somewhere else that day. (Total for 2014 - $17 - $13 - $37.50)
A necessary evil.
So far for 2015 -
I've paid a $50 cancellation fee because a granddaughter decided to get married in Fort Lauderdale, FL when we had planned to be at the Escapee's Escapade in Tucson, AZ.
I finally found a one week site in the Fort Lauderdale area for $650 per week. I've since cancelled that reservation and paid a $40 cancellation fee because I got into one of the Broward County parks for $313.60 for a week - making the total cost for that week - $403.60 - still almost $250 cheaper than the commercial CG).
Cancellations are a necessary part of traveling. Various things from breakdowns to simply changing your mind.
I normally only reserve and pay in advance for federal and state park campgrounds. Private campgrounds I reserve very seldom.
I vastly prefer to call the day I'm on the road and check on availability.
However, holidays are different.
For New Years (Dec 26-Sunday after 1/1), Spring Break, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day and Thanksgiving - my experience tells me that I need to reserve several weeks in advance, sometimes months in advance, if I'm going to be at a popular destination.
I prefer to map out a schedule for every stop / travel day - such as I have done for the 3+ months between leaving our current hosting position at Davis Mountains State Park in Fort Davis, Texas on Wednesday - and our next volunteer position in Connecticut starting April 15 - via Fort Lauderdale and Key West.
But I only made reservations for a couple key stops. The rest can vary. We may or may not go to the places on the schedule. Depending upon our mood, weather and 'what the heck'.
