Campground pricing.
We just took a road trip. Just driving our truck, not with the TT. Got good MPG of about 18. Motels were expensive. Got a couple of good deals but some were outragous in price. Went this option becaus...
Forum Discussion
"Respective disagree with you regarding the kids, all located on busy highways and railways.
I have no stock or interest in KOA but to make blanket statements like those is irresponsible info for other RV'ers.
Like I said opinions vary but facts do not... sometimes, like here and now, so called "blanket statements are simply true, case in point....
KOA's actively promote a very "kid friendly" environment and thus are heavily populated with kids. Try and find one without a pool and extensive playground facilities. This is fact and denial is not just a river in Egypt. :S
Yes we are are out west but just completed a 7,360 mile 22 state cross country trip and I still never saw a KOA that was not on a busy highway, not once.
Again I can NOT speak for KOA's out west, but in the Midwest and south which is where I travel there is nothing further than the truth regarding your statements. ANY CG near an attraction is the exception to the rule regarding rates and sardine parking for obvious reasons.
I never mentioned attractions as a factor. Every KOA we have seen has small sites on not many acres and the highest prices in the area. You can say it is not true, and I can not speak for the south but that has been our rather extensive experience. One specific example if you like: Lava springs in Idaho, at least half a dozen RV parks in this small quaint tourist town. KOA on the edge of town, well away from the major attractions and the highest rates for the smallest sites, period. Yes they were on the main highway and the railroad tracks were right across the street. Like another? Try the KOA in Flagstaff.... but I hope you like trains. The only good news is that once you squeeze in at the highest rates in town the road noise (it's about 30' from the sites), helps to muffle the trains that run 24/7..... but only a little.
Any and ALL CG's can apply for a KOA franchise name. That means every CG tucked away in the woods, on a lake, and mom and pop CG's on acres and acres of land, huge sites, can become a KOA and benefit from advertising etc.
But not many do.
The plus side is that they must uphold the standards of KOA. Unlike many CG's that can be run down as they come and certainly don't look like the pictures in their ads and sadly you don't find this out until you are pulling off the road for the night dead tired and faced with staying in a run down CG.
No they don't. Franchise operations are no better than the local management chooses to be and having a franchise "name" is no guaranty of quality. I've seen many dumps listed as Good Sam Parks and like KOA all they have to do is pay a fee. Enforcement of standards is, at best a hit or miss proposition. I do think that most of the KOA's are pretty decent (albeit waaay overpriced for what you get), compared to many of the mom and pop's out there. I have never objected to the conditions found in KOA's just their pricing and usually questionable locations.
6+ years of full time RV'ing and I have found, and enjoyed staying at each and every KOA on the way to my destination.......which by the way my destination CG for the winter.......just turned into a KOA!
You love KOA's and I don't. I am sure you have your reasons and if KOA works for you hooray. I have given my very specific objections to KOA based upon our experience. Obviously you have plenty of money to spend and enjoy lots of kids in close proximity. Nothing wrong with that but some folks do not. If my criticisms alert folks that have never been then at least they can see and judge for themselves with their eyes wide open.
If nothing else this lively but reasonably civil discussion (and thank you for that), will give folks a couple of divergent perspectives and therein lies the value of this Forum. I hope you continue to enjoy every KOA you visit and I'll just keep driving on by content in the knowledge that I am not missing anything I care about. Works for me.
:B
I have no stock or interest in KOA but to make blanket statements like those is irresponsible info for other RV'ers.
Like I said opinions vary but facts do not... sometimes, like here and now, so called "blanket statements are simply true, case in point....
KOA's actively promote a very "kid friendly" environment and thus are heavily populated with kids. Try and find one without a pool and extensive playground facilities. This is fact and denial is not just a river in Egypt. :S
Yes we are are out west but just completed a 7,360 mile 22 state cross country trip and I still never saw a KOA that was not on a busy highway, not once.
Again I can NOT speak for KOA's out west, but in the Midwest and south which is where I travel there is nothing further than the truth regarding your statements. ANY CG near an attraction is the exception to the rule regarding rates and sardine parking for obvious reasons.
I never mentioned attractions as a factor. Every KOA we have seen has small sites on not many acres and the highest prices in the area. You can say it is not true, and I can not speak for the south but that has been our rather extensive experience. One specific example if you like: Lava springs in Idaho, at least half a dozen RV parks in this small quaint tourist town. KOA on the edge of town, well away from the major attractions and the highest rates for the smallest sites, period. Yes they were on the main highway and the railroad tracks were right across the street. Like another? Try the KOA in Flagstaff.... but I hope you like trains. The only good news is that once you squeeze in at the highest rates in town the road noise (it's about 30' from the sites), helps to muffle the trains that run 24/7..... but only a little.
Any and ALL CG's can apply for a KOA franchise name. That means every CG tucked away in the woods, on a lake, and mom and pop CG's on acres and acres of land, huge sites, can become a KOA and benefit from advertising etc.
But not many do.
The plus side is that they must uphold the standards of KOA. Unlike many CG's that can be run down as they come and certainly don't look like the pictures in their ads and sadly you don't find this out until you are pulling off the road for the night dead tired and faced with staying in a run down CG.
No they don't. Franchise operations are no better than the local management chooses to be and having a franchise "name" is no guaranty of quality. I've seen many dumps listed as Good Sam Parks and like KOA all they have to do is pay a fee. Enforcement of standards is, at best a hit or miss proposition. I do think that most of the KOA's are pretty decent (albeit waaay overpriced for what you get), compared to many of the mom and pop's out there. I have never objected to the conditions found in KOA's just their pricing and usually questionable locations.
6+ years of full time RV'ing and I have found, and enjoyed staying at each and every KOA on the way to my destination.......which by the way my destination CG for the winter.......just turned into a KOA!
You love KOA's and I don't. I am sure you have your reasons and if KOA works for you hooray. I have given my very specific objections to KOA based upon our experience. Obviously you have plenty of money to spend and enjoy lots of kids in close proximity. Nothing wrong with that but some folks do not. If my criticisms alert folks that have never been then at least they can see and judge for themselves with their eyes wide open.
If nothing else this lively but reasonably civil discussion (and thank you for that), will give folks a couple of divergent perspectives and therein lies the value of this Forum. I hope you continue to enjoy every KOA you visit and I'll just keep driving on by content in the knowledge that I am not missing anything I care about. Works for me.
:B
