Reservation blues!

We employ a mixed scheme. For major parks we make reservations well in advance, place like Yellowstone or Rocky Mountains NP. Otherwise we just do it on the wing, we get out the camping directory in the afternoon when we are traveling and call ahead to find a spot. If we feel like staying a couple extra days we just do it.

Totally depends on the time of year, time of the week, and the place you're going to.

We make a reservation at our destination. Enroute, I just wing it.
And, we don't travel on major holidays so we're not fighting crowds and traffic.
If it's stressing you out, you need a new plan. RVing is supposed to be fun.

In our years of camping, we've never found a place we could not stay but twice. Very popular places like the Keys, we do make reservations a year in advance or at least 4 months ahead. Traveling on the road, we just call and ask if they have a spot for a night or two and generally that works, even winter in Florida. Don't stress out - if you make reservations ahead and something delays your departure, it will cause stress.

It seems like the online reservations have robbed some of the spontaneity out of camping. Like others noted, if you're going to a popular place, you better reserve ASAP.

We have 2 trips planned this year, and I've reserved about 50% of it already. I'd rather know that my "must see/stay" places are booked, and can adjust from there.

we make reservations for popular tourist areas, holidays and weekends. Otherwise we arrive Sunday through Thursday, call ahead to see if they have a spot and arrive early (by 3pm) at the next destination. The key is flexibility and always have a plan B. You may have to find a spot away from the tourist area and drive there. For example in The Tetons, we stayed at the KOA in Dubois WY and drove into the park. For Yellowstone we stayed at the Yellowstone Valley Inn outside Cody WY and drove into the park.

Everyone is different. I enjoy the trip planning and see reservations as a part of that process.

If you have been to Buena Vista you know that there are several good choices. Arrowhead Point north of town and KOA on the south are my first choices, but there are Snowy Peaks and Mt. Princeton in town. Out a ways is Chalk Creek (which used to be Browns RV). Lots of Forest Service campgrounds around.

In Colorado Springs our favorite by far is Cheyenne Mountain State Park and there reservations are a necessity and have to be made far in advance to have any chance of staying there.

In Estes Park we have always stayed at Spruce Lake, but that is because we have friends that always want to meet there. There are many other choices inside and outside the Park, depending on what services you need. We have always felt that reservations are a necessity there, especially in September when the Elk are active.

Just some thoughts.

We rarely make reservations in advance.

This past summer, we were on the road for 10 weeks and made only one reservation before we left home. That was for Yellowstone National Park. Ordinarily, we would not have made that reservation, but this time we were meeting Sarah's brother and family. Since they were on a fixed schedule, we made reservations early in 2015.

We made a second reservation in mid June for the fourth of July.

While traveling, we decide where we want to get to around 3 PM and call to see if a spot is available. Rarely we have had to choose a second spot.

Tom

We only make reservations when we want to be certain we will have a spot where we are headed. If we are in route then we wing it. When the DW and I rode MC's we just hit the road and where we ended for the day we looked for a hotel. Wife hated that. I loved it cause I wasn't tied to a schedule. When we started RV camping, the places to stay dropped drastically. There are way more rooms at hotels than there are spots at CGs.
OP, I can understand your DH's reason for not wanting to be regimented. Sometimes trips don't always go as planned for the good or bad. Staying an extra day or leaving a day early is a nice option to have.

padredw wrote:
Everyone is different. I enjoy the trip planning and see reservations as a part of that process.

x2, I can relax and pull into a campground anytime from 3 pm on and know I have a spot with conveniences I want available.
bumpy