RVers fed up with others complaining so much: ‘Stay at home or live with it!’

RV sales have slowed and fewer people are buying RVs. Has that changed campgrounds? Is it easier to find a campsite now, particularly in state and national parks?

Campgrounds are changing and evolving, some for the better and some for the worse. RV Travel readers discuss their experiences and offer tips to help other campers find that perfect spot.

Here are a few observations from our readers. These do not necessarily represent the views of RVtravel.com.

“We don’t bring our entire house when we camp!”

Daryl B. wants to just enjoy nature in peace and quiet. He writes, “We have a 2003 BT Cruiser, 21-ft., no slides. We don’t bring our entire house and toys with us when we camp. We go for outdoor activities, hiking, relaxing in nature around a fire, and checking out the history of the area. We don’t have a 50” TV outside, and we don’t blast our music. At night, we play games or sit and look at the stars. If you want all the bells and whistles, go to Disney and let us enjoy the peace and quiet in the woods.”

“Stay at home or live with it”

Steve M. says there are problems wherever you are. He wrote, “I worked a campground and saw all the problems. Staying at a hotel was the same. Even when fishing there are people problems. Either live with it or stay home next to your obnoxious neighbors.”

If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all

Gary C. has a pet peeve and it is complainers. He writes, “My pet peeve is people who are always complaining about everything! Kids, pets, noise. These people just like to complain period!! What a rich life they must have bringing down everyone around them with their negativity. As the saying goes, If you can’t say something good, don’t say anything.”

Reader doesn’t understand all the whining and complaining

Brian N. mentions that as RVers we have options on where to stay. “I don’t understand what all the whining and complaining is about. If you want peace and quiet, don’t stay in huge, crowded RV parks. If you do and you spend most of your time hanging out there, you’re bound to run into some annoyances. You can’t dictate how other people live their lives around you; you just have to deal with it. Remember, you chose to be there, and an intolerant attitude isn’t going to improve your experience.

“We use our Class B+ motorhome to get away from crowds and explore new locations. We prefer to stay in small state parks that are quiet, more intimate, and close to nature. While we eat and sleep in our rig, we spend our days cycling, hiking, visiting interesting sights, or doing other activities. As long as we have access to fresh water and a dump station every few days, we’re all set.

“For overnights when we’re traveling, we typically stay at Harvest Hosts or Boondockers Welcome locations, where we’ve met lots of interesting people and had great experiences. We choose to travel on secondary roads, which are more scenic and even fun to drive. It makes the entire experience enjoyable.

“The beauty of the RV lifestyle is that YOU choose the experience you want. If you want full amenities and a resort atmosphere, you can have that. Would you rather have a remote experience where there’s no one else around? You can do that, too. And there’s a huge range of choices in between.

“If you don’t like your current situation, change it. RVing gives you options, so take advantage of them.”

With all the complaints, people would never start camping!

Larry L. notes the amount of complaining that people do. He wrote, “Man, humans complain a lot. Too many dogs, out-of-control kids, buzzing e-bikes, loud music, crowding, profits, etc. Just like watching the news every day and getting a skewed vision of reality, if you were to judge camping by all the bitching done here, you’d never start camping in the first place.”

Responsibly camps with her dogs

Dawn W. tells us she takes care of her dogs but does not like wild kids. “I do RV so I can travel with my dogs. I do pick up after them and I don’t let them bark and bark. I pick up my site when I first get there and again when I leave. Kids that run wild are what drives me crazy.”

Good park management can solve RV complaints

Danny G. writes about management’s responsibility in solving issues. “Most of the RVers’ complaints are easily solved with a management team that is willing to enforce the rules. Instead of no pets/dogs, campgrounds kick the 1% of campers that violate these rules out of the campground with the help of the police if necessary. Most people with pets are delightful and caring.

“I reported many dog complaints and the manager just says there is nothing I can do. That is not true, there is nothing they are WILLING to do. Same with the music, the trash in the fire pits, anything! You have their credit card info so charge them for the cleanup if necessary. The solution is not to punish everyone for the behavior of the few. Do you agree with Danny?

Avoid hotels: bed bugs!

John G. reports the ever-increasing number of bed bugs in hotels and sends us a link to an article in Forbes. He writes, “I avoid hotels because of the increasing bed bug problem:

“…one in seven (or 14%) of U.S. travelers reported a bed bug encounter in the past year, and 20 percent of those sightings happened in five-star hotels.”

Here’s the article, and here is a registry to check and report bed bugs.

Now, some questions for you:

• Are you finding campgrounds booked up or is finding a site not a problem?
• What do you like best about RVing?
• What are your pet peeves?
• Are you seeing more permanent and seasonal RV parks?
• Are rising costs affecting your camping style?
• Do you have favorite campgrounds or RV parks?
• What is the most memorable experience you have had RVing?
• Do you have any tips or secrets you’d like to share?

Please use the form below to answer one or more of these questions, or tell us what you’ve experienced with campground crowding in general.

Read last week’s Crowded Campgrounds column: RVers’ pet peeves? Dogs! ‘RV industry needs a chain of no-dogs-allowed RV parks’

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