When you’re at a campground or RV park, do you like to socialize with your fellow campers? Is a visit to a campground or RV park not complete unless you make a few friends, maybe sit around a campfire or meet up for a cocktail hour? Or do you generally prefer to keep to yourself?
We suppose your answer probably depends on if you consider yourself to be extroverted or introverted, but maybe at a campground, it doesn’t matter. It is nice knowing your neighbors, after all.
We don’t go up to people at their camp sites but are more than happy to engage in conversation with anyone we meet.
We are basically travelers so seldom spend more than a night or two in one place and are usually gone during the day. However we pulled in one evening to a “full”, but no people around park. We found a spot and the people across the road waved and we had a pleasant evening visiting until the stars came out. Nice park, no one around, it was as if we were the last campers on earth. Quiet, peaceful, and not afraid of our neighbors. When we got up, we were the only campers/RVs in the park.
Being a park host, I’m expected to socialize with people at special events. I do say hello to those sitting outside and speak to me otherwise I don’t bother them. We do have rules we have to follow. People don’t come to the park to be bothered by me.
I’m a people person so I like chatting with others. (but never about politics or religion) Many a time I’ve invited my “neighbors” over for a cup of coffee or to toast marshmallows around the campfire. While most are open and friendly, some prefer to keep to themselves. That’s just the norm. What really matters is that you’re happy and enjoy what you’re doing.
I think this question really depends on whether we are full timers or not. For weekenders and people with sticks and bricks they have their social lives already set and may not find the need to meet new people. For full timers, we don’t have a social group already in place we can count on so meeting people in RV parks is important or this can become a very lonely lifestyle. RV parks are our neighborhoods they just change constantly so it’s harder to feel like our social needs are being met.
I enjoy chatting with people when walking our dog through the campground. However, I don’t mind if no one is outside their RV, or we fail to make eye-contact with anyone during the walk.
We are friendly and if someone stops by, we will engage. We will not go out and do a meet and greet, if someone wants to ask about our coach, Cricket Golf Cart, car or where we are from, I am happy to talk. If someone needs help, I am happy to do what I can and normally have all the tools and test equipment we would ever need for onsite repairs.
For us meeting new people and socializing is a huge part of RVing. We’re interested in hearing their RV experiences as well as learn about their lives. We’ve made many new friends in our travels and opened our home to them if they are in our area. We have a nice home that provides us a wonderful view of nature so a change of environment is not the primary motivator for our RVing. If we feel the need to isolate we could do that at home.
We go to campgrounds either to stop & sleep on route or to explore an area. We’re not unfriendly, but we don’t go seeking new friends. There’s days we spend more RV time at dog sports than just camping. Gotta stay somewhere if they’re too far to commute & often we can stay at the arena for $10-20/night. Then we get to meet people we know share at least 2 common interests.
I deal with the public all day long. We’re still weekend warriors so when I’m in my rig it is a fortress of solitude for me. I don’t want to engage.
Enjoy Socializing. Helps Big Time!! Broadens my Mind!! & it does give HRH a rest!! [L.O.L.]
In years past it was normal and maybe even expected that we would “meet and greet” other RVers in the area. I found it a very enjoyable experience, since I was a Foreign Language teacher by profession and was able to meet people from all corners of the world. In the last 15 years I’ve noticed a decided decrease in the number of new people we’ve met and sat with around the campfire. I find that disheartening, but, seeing the results of today’s poll, not surprising; a disappointing 59% don’t feel it’s important to meet others at RV sites and get acquainted with them. I used to feel that one of the nice facets of RVing over staying at motels was that people were friendlier and easier to meet. That doesn’t seem to be the case any longer.
Socializing!
The main reason to stay in a campground.
Otherwise might as well stay in a Hotel/Motel and be by yourself!
One of the best parts of camping is the interesting and usually friendly people you meet.
Some places we go you don’t have to cook as you get so many meal invites or stop over for a drink. Last week camping neighbors invited us over for homemade moonshine!
After setting up, we will introduce ourselves to the neighbors on either side if they are outside. As said above, no reason to go into your life story. A simple “we are from, where are you from” is sufficient. If someone just arrives beside us, we leave them alone until they are settled in.
Not sure how much socializing is necessary. I think need to acknowledge the other campers, telling them you life story is not necessary. If they ask about say you barrel chairs then sure respond about them.
I said very important – but it depends on how long we will be at a campground. If we are pulling in late in the day and getting back on the road the next morning, I’m not going to be looking to meet new new people. When we are stationary for more than a couple days, certainly I want to better know the people around me and area where I am staying.
It’s not my reason for camping. We like to meet people and we’ve had some delightful conversations – one with the campground host at Clear Lake State Park in Iowa early summer ’22 comes to mind. I’m more of an introvert than my husband but we are not the type to go on vacation with 5 or 6 other couples like some of our friends do.
It would be interesting to see what the results of this survey would have been 10 years ago, or even pre-social media. I bet the results would be very different…..
I was RVing before social media and my answer was not needing/ want to socialize and was the same then. Some of us are nice but not needing socialize with others. It’s just a difference in people.