Planning an RV trip can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. Some RVers map out every stop months ahead of time, making sure they have the perfect spot at their favorite campground while others prefer to play it by ear, choosing sites on the fly and letting adventure guide them.
And we know this can often depend on where you’re camping, which can change from year to year. We know you’re not booking national park campsites last-minute! But for this poll, just generally speaking, what do you do for the majority of your campsites?
Reserving far in advance has its perks. You get your pick of the best spots, avoid full campgrounds during busy seasons, and can structure your journey down to the last detail. There’s a comfort in knowing your route is locked in and your RV has a place waiting at the end of each day.
On the flip side, last-minute bookings offer freedom and spontaneity. Maybe you stumble on a hidden gem or discover a new favorite park. You can adjust your trip based on the weather, events, or simply your mood. It’s a flexible, go-with-the-flow approach that appeals to those who love surprises on the road.
Of course, some RVers land somewhere in the middle—planning the major stops but leaving a few days open for unexpected detours.
So, what about you? Are you the early planner, the spontaneous traveler, or somewhere in between? Take our poll and let us know how you book your campsites—you might even pick up a tip from fellow RVers for your next adventure. Thanks!
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RVT1234b
At some very popular campgrounds where I go, you can reserve up to 365 days in advance. To guarantee my choice of site, I’m sitting on the computer as the clock ticks down.
That is what we do also.
I normally reserve something at my final destination or if I need to be somewhere on a certain date, but otherwise I do it on the fly.
At this point in my life I’m a “Far in advance” person, but that is because we can’t spontaneously leave due to taking care of family. I’m looking forward to the time when we can just take off, drive somewhere and then look for a place to stay when we’re already on the road.
really depends upon the journey.
I have already made reservations for two trips next year, May And September, along with overnight stops.
How long in advance I reserve depends if we are going to a specific destination and on how many nights I will be traveling to get to that destination. Doesn’t mean we don’t see things in between; it means we are more flexible about what we see & do on those in betweens.
We do most of our travel in the shoulder seasons, spring & fall. Spring in the south can have a surge of people during school spring breaks, and fall in the north many campgrounds have closed for the season. So advance planning is necessary.
We’ve been making reservations for most trips for about 30 years now, since tent camping days. Much of our camping is in the SW and camping there began to be popular years ago. With limited vacation time, we decided we’d rather make reservations and not spend vacation time searching for a campground.
One of the plus sides is that we have done more camping this way, because it’s on the calendar. I suspect, even after retirement, we’ll keep making reservations most of the time.
I start reserving six months in advance, not because I like to, but the days of carefree travel to where we like to go is over if you want a two week stay.
When planning a cross country trip I reserve early for areas that are popular tourist attractions, When we’re merely traveling to/from such areas, we usually dry camp and don’t need reservations. In the Pacific Northwest, you need early reservations for most state parks if you want to stay more than 1 night.
I have always planned ahead but since Covid, I am even more OCD about it. Driving a 45 ft DP towing a 22 ft trailer, I also want LONG pull-thru sites when possible, so I check the lengths before booking. I’m so OCD about planning I even plan fuel stops.
We will be entering our 20th year of RVing. From 2006 – 2014 we lived full time and RVed to the lower 48, Alaska and Western Canada. In the summer we only made 1 reservation, 4th of July. Now, for the summer of 2026 I had to make reservations 9 months in advance to make sure we have a place to park. Geeeeeezzzzz. Obviously, the days of “just take off and go” are over.
We never reserve more than a week in advance but we don’t show up at popular places in the peak of season expecting to be accommodated.
Since we started competing in dog sports (Agility & Rally) we mostly reserve (often directly at the arena) as soon as we enter the competition. For vacation type trips we reserve early to be sure there are no gaps. But, we retired to such a varied & beautiful setting, we don’t feel the need to vacation as much as when we were working.
Last minute/night before. That’s why I sold the motorhome. Much easier to get a hotel room.