In today’s issue of the RV Travel Newsletter, Publisher Chuck Woodbury discusses a new development in the camping industry. Love’s Travel Stops has opened 29 limited term “campgrounds” across its network of 600 travel centers. It plans 30 more by the end of the year.
Most are no-frills hookup sites on pavement, designed for short stays, as Chuck explains in his article. Russ and Tiña De Maris wrote on Saturday in more detail about the nuts and bolts of the new RV facilities.
If you have read either Chuck or the De Maris’ articles (hopefully both), would you please let us know if these accommodations will be useful to you? Specifically, do you envision yourself staying in one or more of them in the future?
Please do not respond if you have not read the articles. We welcome your comments.
And remember, the poll may take a few moments to load. Somedays it can be a real slow poke.
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Most of the Loves in the upper MidWest are not designed with one way entry and exit. Just makes them a bit more difficult to navigate. Unless they have more room to expand into, neighboring their current locations, it would be hard to imagine them adding camping facilities.
We have a class b van with solar and heat that does not require hookups for a typical overnight stay. The continued growth of class b vans that can fit in regular parking slots at places like Loves seems to be ignored in this “vision”. There’s no need for us to take up a 45’ spot for our 20’ van, so if they take that into consideration and allow more than “one or two hour stays” in their lots like many do now…. By pushing these full hookup lots and not allowing for smaller no hookup spots just shows they’re only looking at profiting instead of offering a service too.
So I take one “Big Trip” each year. 5 nights from my Winter Base Home, 5 nights back. Using your “fair” number of $50 a night, $1,000.00 each year add on expense on top of gas, etc. ? No thanks. My total solar cost system (heat and/or AC included) was under $5,000.00…..That was 3 years ago. Two to go and I’m ahead of yet another “add on” cost of what was a cheap way to travel. My normal over-nite rental costs using a lot of creative locations (no I am not sharing) is “0”. Period .Stop. I totally “get”, enjoy the journey. I also totally “get” I am moving from A to B and look forward to what I normally would not get to enjoy (Hint I do not eat at any fast food location so Cracker Barrel sure is a treat~~~only one of xxx over nite stops) as wall as a free stop. Get creative vs. spoon fed kiosk friendly Folks.
As we typically overnight in rest areas or walmart parking lots for free, not something to use often. However, on those uncomfortably warm nights, an air conditioner sure would be nice. So, yes, I can see us using this set up once in awhile.
After reading about Loves in yesterdays newsletter I jumped online and made reservations for next year. I was concerned about finding a campground near the path of the total solar eclipse next April. To my surprise I found a Loves just miles off the track of totality and booked a stay. Plus we will be near a major highway so we can chase the sun if we need to due to bad weather.
They shouldn’t call a parking lot a campground. But if no restroom, it leaves out many people.
Love’s has the restroom & showers. Don’t really know they work, but I think you can reserve a shower thru the app.
Thanks. I was looking in the pictures I’ve seen and did not observe a restroom, but that’s good if I couldn’t find someplace else.
My “probably” is a solid “yes, if a place like this is available along our route. We pretty much do the same sort of stop now paying campground fees for a dusk to dawn stop. Most of these places are close enough to a busy highway that a truck stop wouldn’t make much difference.
As a stop over to destination I would. Wal-Mart I doubt as many stores aren’t owned by them only leased the site and built as like other big chains. But it sure is a start in the right direction and assured it will be a very short lay over they won’t put up with homeless camping.
Would probably use only as a quick one night layover depending on destination and distance, like the idea!
Personally, I am glad to see Love’s taking a step up to help the parking situation. I will not pay to use that sitting in a concrete or paved parking lot for $36 dollars. I don’t go to Good Sam’s, KOA or any of the other high dollar parks with all those extras that people pay for but don’t use. We don’t travel with kids or animals and don’t need 50 or 30 amp to keep warm or cool. This is why we have a diesel pusher that can dry camp anywhere we wish.
So, let’s talk about those of us who have this setup and see how many will pay for a parking lot! Count me out!
We overnighted at the Love’s in St Joseph, MO last fall on our annual migration to Arizona. It was convenient, safe and everything worked as it should. That location has the RV sites away from the truck parking and fuel pumps. The nice big dog park was a bonus.
We already tried one, Holly Springs, MS. Very noisy, next time we’ll go to state park 7 miles down the road.
This is a win win situation. Vendor makes a bit of money and RV’S get a break on a quick in and out overnight stay. I’d definitely use one
Probably, if they have pull-through sites along one of our travel routes so we can easily overnight en-route to our destination. Also probably for as much as a few days, if they locate them in an area we wish to visit and the sites are well away from the overnight parking area for tractor-trailer rigs.
I have a work conference coming up this fall in Bloomington, IL. The Loves mentioned in the story is a real possibility of where we will stay for the two days. I just wish Bucees would do this.
This sounds like a great idea, since most rest stops you can’t stay overnight!!! Always trying to find some place to stay for one night while traveling, without having to drive 20 miles out of the way to and from the interstate.
I made a reservation yesterday for my summer travels and the nightly rate was $36.50. Not bad. But the final invoice was $46.25. They have a $3 booking fee and the taxes were $6.75.
Chuck mentioned Cabelas. Of course they have a very nice campground at their Sidney, NE HQ location that is rated pretty highly. We have stayed there and it would be great if they replicated it at other locations.
I think of their Mitchell, SD location off I90 that was a great dry camp spot overnight and was filled with RVs in the lot until they stopped overnight parking a couple of years ago. They have a huge grassy area around a small lake that would make a fantastic rv park. It would be full all summer long.
I applaud this decision. For those of us that use Love’s we know it is a great rest stop no matter what you need. This will also take some pressure off of campgrounds
that people use to just stay over night.
Better check the price of travel on the Ohio Turnpike
As of last summer it was $20.
I have a B+ with a Toad. Due to wife’s GI issues, we need a full hook-up when we travel. Our tanks are too small and need to be dumped daily. If the spots available are Full Hook-Ups for an overnight, that would be great off along our routes. Otherwise, we plan out and stay at others along the way. Pull through sites are preferred, but will in-hook if needed.
Safe travels!
We travel on secondary roads, choosing the more scenic and slightly slower route, but if happen upon this type of option we would take advantage of it. What we’ve found in taking these “slower paced” routes is an America that most people have never seen like Kemmerer, WY, the home of the first J.C. Penney’s store!
I will look for the Love’s with sites especially if I can get a pull through site. I look for Love’s now because it is typically a safe stop.
I think the “Back In” spaces are a major mistake. These are for travelers, not campers. The Ohio Turnpike has similar RV set ups at some rest stops, all with pull through spaces. Very handy for travel between camping destinations. I think Loves has a Semi-trailer mind set, who wants to have to disconnect their TOAD or 5th wheel trailer for an overnight stop?
Some Ohio Turnpike spots are back in, but they are LARGE.
But wait… pilot has something similar to this, just no hook ups. You can reserve a space in the trucking area to park overnight. Spaces are normally for like 16 hours and last time we paid $15 and the trucks and rvs around us kept it quiet.
We travel to travel. Something like this would be great for us. It seems this would be safer than pulling over for the night in a Walmart or rest stop.
As attractive as this sounds, I think we will continue to use the private campgrounds we find along our route. Since we have a campervan w/o a bathroom, we really appreciate the usually spotless bathrooms with unlimited hot water that we find at KOAs and other private campgrounds. And the dog parks, picnic tables, little store, etc. But, I most of all enjoy talking to the folks at the front desk and other staff, walking around and talking to the other campers. I feel safe at these places, and don’t have to worry about noisy neighbors, theft, etc. Since we don’t need the full hook-ups, the cost, with KOA membership is $35-$40 – and the showers are free! If we stay at a Love’s, I believe the showers are $10 each. Even for one night, I like to support these local businesses.
Yes I would. I have already spent nights at Loves and Flying J.
Definitely would use one. I have said for years, even mentioning this idea to some campgrounds along the way, that we all could Benifit from a safe place to spend a night. No need for a pool, just a safe spot with electric hookup.
I have stayed at the Ohio RV stops many times and can think of no better value or convenience for me when traveling.
The next is for motels/hotels to up their game and begin providing RV spaces. Stayed at one in Glasgow Montana and had use of the motel pool and restaurant.
And RIP Tom Love.
Ohio Turnpike stops are $20 not $50, that for me is the dividing line.
Yes I do. Seems like a perfect overnight no frills option.
Yes, and please add a bark park. Even truckers would appreciate it.
No I do not, it is simply too expensive for what you get. $50 to sit in a parking lot? No thanks!
Yes as an overnight stop. But in ref to Walmart and other nation wide companies jumping on board the RV wagon I can only imagine the outcry from the campground just down the street.