By Janet Groene
Thanks to detailed descriptions of campsites, often with video, we see every detail of a campsite before booking it. But do we really have the big picture?
The campground says it’s pet-friendly, but do you know the rest of the story? The RV resort lists Wi-Fi, but is it free, high-speed and at every campsite? The RV park has amenities galore, but did you notice that there is a resort fee to cover use of those amenities?
Here are seven things that I suggest taking a more careful look at at the campground and beyond.
Details to note before booking a campsite
Check the copyright date
Check the copyright date on the campground’s brochure or website. The tiny © symbol with the year is usually at the bottom of a website. You may be looking at outdated information.
Directions
In addition to checking maps and your GPS, get directions from the campground. Look at a map of the location to see if it’s next to a noisy highway or within walking distance of points of interest. How about the overall location? We once spent a miserable night in a Florida campground that is downwind from a pulp mill that spews a rotten egg smell.
Facilities
If you chose this RV park because of certain amenities, call to verify that they are up and running. Check the calendar. As seasons change, swimming pools and snack bars close. The camp store has limited supplies and shorter hours. Freezing weather may mean all the plumbing is turned off. If the new campground is opening in phases, ask specifically what amenities are fully open.
Before booking a campsite: Know the campground rules
Published campground rules can run on for several pages and they make dull reading. Yet you can save yourself grief by reading them carefully online before booking. “Pet-friendly” may mean only dogs under X pounds, or a cleaning fee, or a daily or one-time charge per pet. In some places, local laws also prohibit some breeds that are considered “dangerous”.
When are quiet hours? Check-in and check-out times? Do you have to sign a liability waiver? Can you receive mail there? Package services? Restaurant deliveries? Is there a strict 10-year rule or can your clean, well-maintained oldie RV be accepted?
Read on to the penalty phase. Breaking a rule—perhaps a rule you didn’t even know existed—could get you evicted with no refund. It’s increasingly common for fees to be charged for late check-out or for checking in without a reservation (if that’s even possible).
Rate information
Rate information is rarely complete. The chief culprit is that little phrase, “plus taxes”. The base rate may be subject to city, county and/or state sales taxes, tourist taxes, impact fees, or resort fees. This can add as much as 20-24% nightly to the quoted rate. Usually, rates apply to two adults and two or three children per site.
Will you pay extra for an extra child or adult, or for pitching a tent or parking a boat trailer on your site in addition to your RV? Do you have to show proof of state residency? Military ID? Proof of age? (Not just to get a senior discount. Some places don’t rent to anyone under age 21.)
Make sure you’re reading rates that apply to the season or nights of the week. If the rate is quoted as a package, exactly what is included? It’s a common practice to require a minimum two- or three-night stay during some periods, to get a mid-week discount, or to pay more during special events.
Reservations and cancellations
Is the reservation fee non-refundable? Cancellation rules can be complicated and fines costly for a no-show.
Read the reviews before booking a campsite
Don’t believe everything you read. Know who said it, their qualifications for saying it, and when they said it. Perhaps the complaints have been resolved. Maybe the writers gave a glowing review in exchange for a free campsite. Or maybe they wrote a bad review because they have a personal beef with the managers. I recommend seeing at least three reviews from three different sources.
Bottom line: Your campsite is just one piece of the delicious pie that makes up a memorable RV experience. Check out the entire recipe.
RELATED
##RVDT2454
Use the satellite view in your map app to “see” not just the location but the layout and neighborhood as it was when the map pictures were taken. If the campground looks shallow or trashy in the images, that says something. Not everything but something.
Reviews – There’s a campground in Washington state that had glowing reviews but Google maps satellite view clearly showed the beachfront sites were scary close to the 101. After a “never again” stay, I my review affirmed Google maps was not misleading and the highway truly was 8 feet from the rear of my coach. It also doubled as a city bus stop (no joke). When they asked me to remove my review, I realized how they got their high ratings….
An RV “resort” in Haynes City FL advertised “pet friendly” only to discover after reading the paper handed to me at the desk after check in: No walking pets in front of campsites along the roads. Pets must be brought to the pet area. Owners who allow their pets to pee or poo outside the approved pet area will be expelled from the grounds. WOW. The approved pet area was several hundred yards away from the campsites. So was this RV “resort” really “pet friendly”? Try and convince your pet to not do their business while walking to the approved area? Impossible. I was forced to purchase a zip up child carrier to tow behind my bike and zipped them in to get them to the pet area.
I was looking for a campground in northeastern Ohio to visit some friends and the closest and best-reviewed campground said that as well, Tom E. Pets had to be driven to the pet area and were not allowed to walked anywhere in the campground. I find that a startling restriction and wonder just how radically different there clients are compared to RVers we have met, almost all of whom have dogs. Have a great day and safe travels! 🙂
Good policy, now I won’t have to step in your animal’s business
I’d wager that the policy exists precisely because of negligent pet owners who simply refuse to clean up after their dog(s). These types of irresponsible owners should not be permitted to own pets, or stay at “pet friendly” resorts. Actions should have consequences; we’ve moved far, far away from that very basic concept of courtesy for another.
Thank you, Janet! 🙂 This is a good article to read before booking any/all campsites. That is especially true if one is using a website search engine with filters. I have set a filter to only show me campsites with power, pressed “back,” and ended up booking a site with no power. So, be sure that whatever filters one sets are actually incorporated into the search. Thanks again, have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂