Reservations or not

[CRS001]

So we are leaving on our first multi state trip driving from Illinois to Bozeman MT. We made reservations at the end stop but don't know about making res. for the overnights on the road. Not knowing how far we will get each night it is hard to do so. Any suggestions on the overnights?

[NYCgrrl]

mileshuff wrote:

Veebyes wrote:
That is not what the OP asked about. He asked about reservations while in transit which generally are totally unecessary. Even during a holiday weekend drive up spots can be found away from the destination areas before having to resort to Walmart.

For me that tends to be generalized and cannot easily be applied nationwide. It varies considerably depending on region and time of year (not just holidays). For instance, much of the California coastal regions is difficult to get a spot simply by showing up throughout the summer months and much of the spring, in total a large portion of the year. Elsewhere many areas of the USA are rarely busy even on holidays. It really varies depending on where you are traveling. For me the last thing I want to do is have to hunt for a spot during the afternoon when I'm tired after driving.

This makes good sense for all my thoughts. Knowing what area/region you are traveling in makes all the difference on what attitude to take re: reservations. Having regard for the driver is important as well.

[toedtoes]

mileshuff wrote:
For me the last thing I want to do is have to hunt for a spot during the afternoon when I'm tired after driving.

X2. Which is why I say a lot of it has to do with the personality of the traveler. I prefer to have a plan knowing I can alter it at any time, someone else prefers to "wing it". Neither is right or wrong - it's about doing what makes YOU most comfortable (and less stressed).

[mileshuff]

Duplicate

[mileshuff]

Veebyes wrote:
That is not what the OP asked about. He asked about reservations while in transit which generally are totally unecessary. Even during a holiday weekend drive up spots can be found away from the destination areas before having to resort to Walmart.

For me that tends to be generalized and cannot easily be applied nationwide. It varies considerably depending on region and time of year (not just holidays). For instance, much of the California coastal regions is difficult to get a spot simply by showing up throughout the summer months and much of the spring, in total a large portion of the year. Elsewhere many areas of the USA are rarely busy even on holidays. It really varies depending on where you are traveling. For me the last thing I want to do is have to hunt for a spot during the afternoon when I'm tired after driving.

[Veebyes]

Pretty obvious, at the height of the season, at destinations, on a weekend or holiday weekend, reservations are a must.

That is not what the OP asked about. He asked about reservations while in transit which generally are totally unecessary. Even during a holiday weekend drive up spots can be found away from the destination areas before having to resort to Walmart.

[mileshuff]

Made reservations today for Thanksgiving weekend. Got one of the last 4 spots left. Popular area with only 1 RV park in the area. Closest other campgrounds are 20+ miles off the highway.

[2gypsies1]

tenbear wrote:
This summer on the last Saturday of July we were driving south in Michigan and could not find a CG with a space.

Trying to find a place the last SATURDAY in JULY isn't wise. Folks aren't going to be moving out on a Saturday.

[tenbear]

This summer on the last Saturday of July we were driving south in Michigan and could not find a CG with a space. After a lot of phone calls, we stayed at a Wallmart. It was very nice and quiet. Another MH joined us.

This was the first time in 15 years of RVing that we ever had a problem getting a site. Haven't had a problem since either.

[run100]

By far, my preference would be to wing it. In fact, pre-kids, we never made reservations for our camping trips.

Now, with kids, I feel more of a sense of responsibility of ensuring the family can rely on accommodations being available upon arrival. Plus, it helps mom and dad maintain their sanity not having to search for a campground after many hours on the road. Some high traffic locations (California beaches and others) would be nearly impossible to find a site without planning ahead.

Still, I look forward to winging it again in the future.

[jnharley]

We have been fulltimers for 7 years and we sometimes still make reservations especially if we know we are stopping at a popular campground, want a specific site, or it is a holiday weekend. We always have our nightly spots picked out even if we do not make a reservation. We are not so spontaneous that we would deviate from our planned route. It really does not make a difference which way you travel as long as it works for you.

[ktmrfs]

in four years we've traveled over 25,000 miles, been on the road close to 300 days. We do make reservations at major destinations where camping spots may be full or an issue and we plan on staying several days or weeks. However, on the road, looking for an overnight spot we have never made a reservation. for an overnight stay it's been easy to find a spot good enough for the night. Many spots we have found in small towns, remote areas have been beautiful and we put them on our future stop list.

the nice thing with this is we aren't tied into a specific distance each day. some days we find things to do and don't travel very far, other days, longer.

Besides the obvious campgrounds, many small town county seats with a fairground have the fairground open all year for overnights, many times we and others have pulled into small towns, found a nice restaurant with a big lot, go in say we are hungry, and can we park the trailer overnight?? Never been turned down . Small town churches also are another option. And if you are an elks member, many elks clubs have campsites as well. Then there is the wallmart etc. And in some states they allow up to 12 hours in a rest area. we've done that, we don't put out the slides, don't put out the generator etc. go for an evening walk then hit the trailer.

also many smaller off the main road truck stops/gas stops have an overnight free camping area as do many tourist attractions/stores etc.

We tend to avoid interstates, don't really save us any time and we prefer the scenery of backroads anyway. We don't go any faster on the interstate than on secondary roads anyway. 60 or so on both.

[debraindi]

gbopp wrote:
I make reservations at our destination. While traveling, we just wing it.
If you can't find a CG, try:

Free Campgrounds

Free Campsites

Casino Camper

There are other free/cheap overnight stops. Just do a little searching.

But remember, they're for overnighting. Not camping.

I always have reservation for a long stay. I like the casino camping along the way always eat good and play the machines

[wing_zealot]

I can tell you this. There are several locations on the west side of the state where in the height of the season it would be impossible to get a site for the night. They are booked up several months in advance. You could drive for a 100 miles and not find a site. That being said, your fall back could be a Wal-Mart. But, if for some reason you "required" electrical service, you would be SOL. So I guess the moral of the story is - it depends. The where and the when being the most important factor and whether or not you would be open to a Wal-Mart as a last resort.

[bee_46]

Just returned from a 9 week trip to Alaska and back to Maryland. Only made reservations for Seattle, the 4th of July and in Homer because we knew the dates we would be there. Other than that we "winged it". We only had trouble two nights because we hit western South Dakota the weekend before the Sturgis Bike Rally started. But even so we were still able to get a campsite for the night. Some days when we figured out how far we were going to be able to drive I would call ahead early in the afternoon to make sure we could get a site. We often drove farther than we thought we would so a reservation would not have been beneficial.