Comments welcome on $10 a night RV camping
In issue 488 (July 2, 2011) RVtravel.com editor Chuck Woodbury suggested RV park owners consider offering a $10 no-frills overnight stay option for RVers who simply wanted a place to sleep and then move on the next morning. What do you think? Please feel free to comment.
posted by Staff Report @ 7/01/2011 08:43:00 AM
112 Comments
112 Comments:
campground owners need to understand that not every RV'er is rich. spending $35 to $50 per night at a campground would buy a lot of gas to get you down the road. what you get for that price is a 9'x35' piece of dirt you cover with your RV. If you only stay in the rv, you never even touch the ground outside the RV.
We never use the bathrooms, only dump once and fill the water. We do not hook all up even if it is there.
How much does an empty campsite cost you?
My RV has wheels, I can go anywhere, your campground is stuck in one place.
I have said for years they should be doing this. I would rather have ten RVs at &10.00 than nothing. I am going to a small 23 ft camper so I can park it any where and blend in with the regular cars. Fits better in small places.
Chuck, you know as well as any other experienced RVer that many folks paying that $35 a night toll at the private campgrounds really only want or need the $10 overnight spot.
Campground owners are afraid they'll be converting full-price customers to cut-rate ones (in spite of garnering new business from prior Wallydockers) so they'll never even consider offering tiered accommodations like you discuss.
I think as you do, it would be a net gain for campground owners, but I suspect they feel forcing the few to pay too much for more than they need is a better business model.
Well thought out article. Thank you. I would stay in a 10.00 spot that was safer than a Walmart. Thanks for your article. Submit to Good Sam or Escapees for reprint in their magazine?
Andrea E.
I'm at a loss as to why campsites won't do the $10 no frills notion. You make some good points but what they may be afraid of is the "normal" camper will want a reduction in the fee also and eventually drive down the camping fees all over.
I wish I could have commented on your previous post out of issue 487 on the rattlesnake picture. I'm glad I grew up before electronic gizmos and was forced to look out at things but I can't bring my self to do that to the kids. If I ever seen a tourist trap like that I'd hope to stop but human nature is we probably wont. It would cost time to stop and you know we got to get there fast.
Rick, Michigan
Greetings Chuck:
Thanks for persisting with the $10 a night parking issue. We believe you are correct. The problem is - we have not found Camp ground owners to be the most forward thinking, creative people in the world.
Hopefully someone will take the lead on this great idea.
Best wishes and keep up the good work. Hope you do not stop at 500.
Rog & Anne
An interesting concept. The past 13 years we have averaged about 120 nights of RV park camping per year. And we have never stayed at a WalMart.
If $10 per night sites were available we would use them because we never use the park restrooms, use our own water, our own wifi, and fill and dump every 3-5 days. And we like to save a few $ when and where we can!
If a campground provided a $10/night site they would be losing $15-30 per night with our stay. So for every camper like us the RV park would have to bring in 2-3 other $10 campers from WalMart to break even. I don't think there are that many "other campers" staying at the local WalMart.
Chuck, I am game, I am the manager at Northgate RV Park, in Tyler,TX. This sounds like a grand idea. I can provide simple parking, for $10 bucks, for a no services space to park and sleep. I will run this by the owner, and attach it to our website at www.northgatervpark.com
Common sense should tell the cpgd owners that they're losing out when travels looking for an overnight rest stop don't stay at their place. Your thoughts should hopefully spur someone into action and provide the point in changing the status quo.
Thanks,
enjoy your work!
That's a big thumbs-up to a $10 for a night sight. We would love to stay and check out a campground that offered this. We do not like the Wal-Mart lots. Let's keep up the pressure on the local owners all we need is a few to try this and when it works more will follow.
For sure!
If those park owners have empty sites, they have non paying sites. I agree that #10 is better than nothing. I have a wifi card and do not need their wifi. I also have a restroom and shower so I do not need those.
Those CG's need to think differently and maybe they will see the light. We pay $20-30 to not stay at a Walmart but are not happy about it. Yes, it might shorten our trip or else we make less trips.
So yes I would pay for the $10.00 campground. For my money I need a sewer connection not a dump station. I can dump for less than that at any Flying J. We have even slept in the truck lot in the Flying J but that was before the Pilot take over. I am no longer sure of their policies on campers. The idea of overnight camping on a trip is to get outa dodge early, not sit waiting for a dump station line. Been there done that. Water connection would be nice but not necessary. I'd like to have the room to extend my slide. No pool privileges no use of the other facilities but a store. I have wifi and a huge battery set.
Bill L. Mehoopany Pa.
This concept would surely entice more people to use the campsite/rv parks. I know for myself, I would not mind one bit putting out ten bucks in order to stay someplace quiet and secure. If all one wants is a place to park and sleep, I say to you park owners, don't be greedy and give us overnite, no frills travellers a break and you'll as the article states make more in the long run. It's better to make ten bucks from say four or five campers a nite than, say two a week at fourty. I hope this no frills concept catches on, for sure I'll take the offer.
I agree with you 100% Chuck. When I stay at a Wal Mart it is to sleep only. I pull in late & leave early. No time to use facilities. It should be a separate area near the entrance so as not to disturb vacationing campers when we hit the road early in the morning. And, it should be self pay. I don't want to wait for the office to open in the morning. $10.00 is better than no dollars is what these campground owners need to realize, & I would appreciate a secure place for the night. I'm sure someone can come up with a "swipe your credit card & the gate opens system"! If you want to survive in this ever changing world, you have to adapt. Like it or not. And the next time we come through the area maybe we won't be in such a hurry & we'll say; hey, remember that place we spent the night at.....
I agree with chuck and I would be looking for places to stay to get a little shut eye and move on I am sure it would be quiter than a Wal-Mart campground owners let us fill your bank account little bye little but Ibet it will get filled up faster than you think.
Dave Couch
honestdavy@att.net
There are about 2,000 RV parks or campgrounds that do offer cut-rate overnight parking - just check the roster of Passport America or Camp Club USA. We've often overnighted for around $10 a night, rarely using more than the electric hookup, even though water and sewer are available.
Would we like to see more low price overnight spots? Sure. And we'd encourage campground operators who want to offer then to do so. Both the organizations mentioned above ( and probably others) provide a relatively easy way for them to do so and get the word out.
al
As a campground host in our Provincial and National Parks in Canada, we see many RVers who just stay one night. I think the $10 a night idea is great and a good way to help increase revenue for those just want a place to sleep for a few hours. Good Luck in your quest to promote this idea... I hope the concept comes to Canada.
This is a great vision, I would like to see this article emailed to every campground in North America. It might start a trend. I intend to print out and make several copies and drop them off at every RV park I go to while RVing for the next year. Maybe it will make a difference.
Good idea. The campgrounds would have to be convenient to travelers. I'd like to see a few try it and then report back about their successes and failures.
Too simple, most CC Owners are not hip enough to handle such a simple money making tip.
Tiretramp
Me personally think $10 a night is a great idea. Reason being many times we are traveling and are not sure where we will stop for the night. If there was a $10 over night spot we may stop for the night like the area and decide to stay and site see. If that were the case and there was a opening to camp for a couple more nights we could move to a hook up site and pay full price. Other wise if we were at a Wal-Mart we would more and likely just get up in the morning and move on.
The times they are a changing and we ALL have to find a way to conserve and don't have the dollars we used to. Yet we still want to travel.
My thought is some entrepreneurial person should open a no frill 10-15 a night rv park right by the freeway. All they need would be electric 30 amp. Maybe even no sewer or no water. limit the stay to 2 nights. Many campgrounds already allow limited stays which cost $10-15 a night via Passport America.
In our expereince many private campgrounds already stash you out in the cow pasture, put padlocks on toilets, and forbid swimming in the advertised pool to the overnight camper and they charge full rates. I avoid these private rip off artists at every turn and would rather drive all night than spend $50 bucks to be mired down in thier mud. Give me a State Park.
GrandPa Kent
You have made a great point. "Why not" rather than "can't". The difference is what makes a business successful.
"If you always do what you always die, you will get what you always got." Think about it, Campground Owner.
We would use where we could for sure.
Pops at Lake Barkley, today
"For RVers on a tight budget, not having a free or cheap place to stay on occasion might force them off the road".
Why would you write this about Rvers and who would want to force them off the road. I do not boondock and belong to a few camping clubs. I know hard times have hit many people and they do what they can to enjoy themselfs.
We would pay up to $20 a night and perhaps stay several nights if washroom access was provided. It is time to distinguish between seasonal campers who stay for 2 weeks or more and RVer's who like to keep on the move and are not interested in the pool or games room etc.
Claire from Canada
or say "Yes we can!" and try it for a couple of seasons.
We have never stayed at a Walmart, not to say we wouldn't, it's just that we would rather stay in a secure area where we know we could go to town to shop or eat and leave our motorhome knowing it would be safe there. We do use our discount rv parks (ie: passport america, campclub usa, ect) as much as possible and many of them are close to the $10/night rate. We very seldom ever use the dump on these over nighters, and I'm sure our water/elect usage is minimal. $10/night...you betcha!
To all those saying there is no market for a low cost, no frills campsitr think of the comparison of motels. How it it possible that places like Motel 6 & 8 survived when the competition like Hampton Inn etc is just down the road? Why did Holiday Inn launch HI Express? Do you think it might just be possible that HI management knows something about the travel market?
If a campground offered a low cost basic place to stay, we would use it.
I think this is a great idea, but if I were the campground I would add a "no generator" rule. The last think I want is to be parked next to someone who needs electric but is too cheap to pay for it.
We travel from Wisconsin to Florida twice a year. We stay overnight at Wal-mart and empty our holding tanks when we arrive in Florida. Why waste time dumping every day. We would feel safer in a campground but can't afford the $30-$40 a night for a spot to sleep. For $10 or even $15 we would stay in a campground.
The RV parks operated by the Escapees RV Club have always offered boondock sites at a rate far less than $10 a night, so why can't commercial campground owners do the same? Until campground owners offer us something affordable, we will continue to use Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, truck stops and any other free overnight sights whenever we don't want to unhook the tow vehicle.
What I miss most when we Wally-dock is meeting and visiting with other RVers. Give us a level spot to park, pull up a lawn chair, or maybe a community fire pit and we would be in your park for $10 a night!
On our last trip of 50 days, we only stayed 5 nights in an RV park. (that was so we could day-trip with our toad while our dogs were inside the rig with the AC on) The rest of the time was spent boondocking or Wal-marts.
If there was a $10 option, we would take it.
We are solared up, 6 batteries, huge holding tanks and no need for pools or rec rooms or frills.
But we would grab some items from a camp store, fill our propane and maybe buy a souveniere t-shirt!
(and write a great review on www.rvparkreviews.com )
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Karen and Steve
(Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/
Cowboy in Texas; I'll be by if ever in your part of the country. RV park owners - Wake up!!! I don't know when I have ever seen so many comments as a result of an article run on this site. We don't need your free WiFi, pool, restrooms, or hookups when we are just looking for a place to sleep for the night. That is why WalMart works for us when enroute from Point A to Point B and we refuse to pay your full rate just to SLEEP.
When I pass by a RV park ( on the way to Wallyworld) that is half empty in the high season, I wonder how they stay in business with their high prices in this economy. Guess they don't understand the concept of half of something is better than half of nothing.
I fully agree with you, Chuck. But, to be fair to those paying full price, why couldn't the parks offer spaces without any amenities at all? How much would it cost to have a few level, graveled or dirt boondocking sites in a separate section at the back of the park?
From editor Chuck Woodbury to Anonymous: Yes, that's the point -- no frills camping -- a flat spot, no hookups, no bathroom, pool, game room or other privileges -- just a place to pull into in the evening, relax a bit, go to sleep and leave early in the morning. If I were a campground owner, I would offer this service. I'd have an employee put a two-for one coupon on their windshields that evening for the next time they are in the area. You could build a business this way. Retailers use "loss leaders." That's what this could be.
I agree with most of the above. I really think this hoped-for site should be totally without hookups - just level gravel or dirt. Then the $10 per night people wouldn't be tempted to use more facilities. We usually use just electrics, so how about a $15 site with that? I can see a whole campground growing here...
Campground owners: We have stayed at Walmarts, but don't like the paved parking lot atmosphere, preferring a campground w/ trees, grass, and/or a rural location. My wife loves the Walmart rate!
The campground rates for RVs are way beyond our budget. A ten dollar rate would incline us to try many different RV parks or campgrounds. We might use the ones we liked again in the future when back through your area.
We prefer to use our own restroom/shower in our small RV, don't need hookups such as water, sewer, or electric, and would also be inclined to buy needed items from your store, too!
Chuck - You hit the nail squarely on the head. I support the notion that it can be done and done profitably. All it takes is for campground owners to try it. Excellent analysis and article.
We also refuse to pay for an overnight parking spot. Although at $10 we would certainly entertain the idea. Make it so that you can only enter after 4pm and you have to leave by 9am. No hookups or services, just somewhere to park and use the dump station.
www.travelwithkevinandruth.com
Heck, we would even go with a $15/night spot....even half-price......
Can see that campground owners would balk at $10.
We have a 13' Scamp w/shower and porta potti. On May 27th, after 2 nights of boondocking, or almost boondocking, we needed to stay where we could get water and take a shower. We stayed at Munds Park Resort in Munds Park AZ. They have 370 sites... only 2 were available w/Water & Electric only. We paid the $32.00 for the site. The next morning I looked for the dump station. When I located it there was a sign that said, "Please pay dump fee and water fee before using."
I went inside and asked... "I paid $32.00 for my site for 1 night... are you telling me that I have to pay to dump about 5 gallons of grey water?" I was informed it was an extra $15.00... when I complained she replied, "Well you could have had a site with sewer for $34.00.... I guess that she forgot there were no sewer spaces available. Needless to say, we did not dump our water.. After we were back on the road, I looked at the price sheet. Showers $5.00, RV Dump $15.00, Water $10.00.
So with Sewer you pay $34.00 and without Sewer you pay $32.00 + $15.00 = $47.00.
this is one place we will never stop at again.
As others have said... Most campgrounds are out of our budget. especially with the high cost of gas.
We try to stay at Federal parks and State Parks that give half price to Golden Age Passport Holders.
we live in Arkansas... not sure if they offer half price to non-residents... but we have stayed in Louisiana State Parks and they honored our Golden Age Passport.
A good survey would be to find out which states offer "senior discounts" to non-residents.
About the only time I've stayed in a RV park is when I get stuck on the road later at night than I like. No one out there except Walmart is catering to the "travelling RVers".
Not all RVs want to spend a week at your beautiful resort, but they might another time, be nice.
It goes without saying that for $10 I should only expect a level spot with no power/water or dump.
$10 to spend the night on a level, fairly safe, campsite with no power, no dump station, no sewer connection, no restroom, no pool, no WiFi? COUNT ME IN!!! Since I have never run across this option before is why I have NEVER stayed in a private campground after 4 years and many tens of thousands of miles towing a TT. Let me know where (if/when) this becomes available and I will gladly partake of this needed service.
I too would definately use the $10 a night campgrounds. While traveling to my destination I spend only about 6 hours each night to rest until next days leg of the trip. Who knows that place may be my destination for a following year if it appeals to me. Right now I do use WalMarts and roadside rests and do not get that much rest as you always keep your senses tuned for anything that sounds amiss while there. That is one of the reasons I have dogs So they can alert me.
Chuck, loved the article. Marketing 101 at it's best! In tough times everyone needs to "think outside the box" to make it!
Well put and with some common sense solutions to boot. Look forward to Part two.
Chuck:
You've created a monster in the best sense of the word. Why wouldn't an RV park offer no-hookup, level overnight sites for $10 if there was an area at the front of the park available to provide such spaces? Some California State Parks have offered limited overnight parking in day-use lots for a number of years.
Good idea! You can look at it like the airplanes that take off with empty seats and hotels that have empty rooms at night. Each empty seat or hotel room that could be sold for something/anything is better having no revenue at all. $10.00 for one night (and it should be limited to one night), is better than nothing as long as it's only a place to park.
In some areas we have traveled through, the local motels are cheaper than the RV parks. Really makes you wonder, maybe you should pay for a motel room and just park your RV in the parking lot! When just making time traveling from point A to point B a no frills $10 a night campground would be great. Campgrounds could limit stays to one night, limit checkin to after4 or 5 pm and require you to leave by 8 or 9 am.
Dear Chuck; Thank you for your newsletters and updates.
I am 65, disabled, and recently terminated after
9yrs and 6mos with the same company. Although I have worked since I was 15, not completing college and a female, my S.S. input has not been the highest. Keeping up with my current rent is going to be a problem. I have always loved to tent camp and always thought I would get a small camper when I retired. I was caught off-guard and unprepared. I have thought of giving up my apartment and camping for awhile, or being a campsite host. But I quickly realized, that the $35 to $40.00 a night adds up to a monthly rate that is more than my current apt.rent that I already cannot afford. If I was staying at a campground for more than one night, I would certainly pay full price with no complaint. But some of us may just need one night, to eat, sleep and shower on our way to another destination.(all campgrounds I have been to in my life have had coin-operated showers)
I have family in Washington, Nevada, and Illinois. If I knew there were safe, affordable $10 per night stays available to me, I would not hesitate to strike out with my small pick-up and tent.
Thank you for providing the forum for this topic and discussion.
As a campground manager in Canada, I can tell you that the average camper will take advantage of any amenities that they can get without paying for them. We try to have as many sites as possible with as many services as we can put in as that is what the majority of clients want.
We constantly find unserviced sites with an extension cord running to the outside plug of an RV without the owners consent or knowledge.We realize that there are a portion of te RV people out there that are honest and abide by the campgrounmd rules, but there is a large portion of people who will take advantage whenever possible. the cost of combination locks etc, and the inconvenience to our full pay guests is not acceptable to us or them.
Hi Chuck,
There may be some draw backs, but I think if you could get some of the park owners that have undeveloped land in their parks, they could make it into a real no frills part of the park and not feel bad aboout chargiung those who are staying awhile a little extra. Basically a parking lot with spaces within the confines of an RV park
Larry
CC Owners are not in to making $10.00 a night. They would rather charge $50.00 a night for camping for 2 people. And beware if you have kids because that's another $7.00 per child.It really is getting out of hand just going camping with the family.
I doubt you're going to get too many full service campground owners to go along with $10 for some, because pretty soon the full-price folks will be complaining. Maybe the best idea is the suggestion made by someone earlier:
for some entrepreneur to build some no-frills campgrounds---"Motel 6's" as opposed to "Hiltons," as it were. That way you'd have a choice as to what level of service you were willing to pay for.
We've been RVing about 6 years now, and my other half has always refused to stay in a Walmart, so we always have to find a place, pay the price, set up, sleep, get up in the morning, dump & leave. I'd love to have a cheap, quick and easy place to park overnight when we're just traveling. We often try state parks (not always cheaper anymore,) municipal parks, or the lower-rated ones in the big campground books. With less amenities, sometimes they are a bit cheaper. But, sadly, they all seem to have gotten rather expensive these last couple years.
It's clear that very few people realize what it costs to run a campground when the site is occupied AND when it is empty. And, the suggestion of a tiered payment schedule that ranges a huge range from $10 to $60 is a; "its been tried and miserably failed" business model. How about some analysis of P&L for a campground business and you would see.
I see people complain about parking lot campgrounds, complain about too many trees, complain about not enough trees, complain about sites too close together, complain about the WIFI, complain about the cable, and on and on. Reality is that campgrounds cost millions of dollars, improvements cost hundreds of thousands, amenities cost hundreds of thousands, and the list goes on. The overhead is often such that the profit line for any campground is very thin. There is absolutely NO business model that indicates there is wisdom in giving a product away at a loss. Come on guys, lets bring a little balance into the suggestions here.
As a campground owner, I find the idea intriguing. But, how do you keep people from taking advantage? Because they will. They will follow someone into the bathhouses, they will either hook up to a nearby power or (as someone else said) run their generator aggravating my customer who paid full price, they will follow someone into the pool. You could charge individually for each service ($5 for bathrooms, $5 for water, $10 for power), but just like the camper who had sticker shock when he added them all up in Arizona, how do you keep from doing that to your good customers? How do you keep from "nickel and diming" customers to death while giving the customer a choice in which services they want? Trust me, as a campground owner, my power costs have tripled in 3 years (not usage, the rate per kwh I pay!). My cable has more than doubled. And my overnight fees to customers have not gone up a dime. Campers do not realize the financial pressure campground owners are under to stay in business. Our inputs are going up, and we cannot raise prices to cover that. Just giving you the other side. Intriguing idea because I would love more business at $10 a night. Not sure how to practically implement to keep from converting my regular business to the $10 version.
Everyone has said what needs to be said - we would definitely use this option!!!!!
well we stay at most places by the month as its only between $250.00- $ 350.00 a month. so why can't camp sites divide that by 30 days and charge that per night with hook ups. Why do they have to charge a lot more for a one night stay.
We just did our first long trip through several states to get to our destination. Along the way we stayed at rest area's and Truck stops we tried one wal-mart but they actually had a sign posted that said no RV parking. This 10.00/night would have been fabulous. But how would you find them?
I can see how a campground owner might have a problem with the dishonest ones but it also seems from the comments above they already have that problem with out the added income. As a campground owner add up the possible sites at 10.00. figure your % of theft (use of the pool etc...) and cost of advertising. see if the outcome is profit or loss?
This wouldn't be "regular business"(as one of the commenter's mentioned) this is a niche business. Your customer base would be totally different say a 2000mile or more destination that is obviously ends somewhere else than your place. And a shorter time to get there & back home.
For us I know you would have made 95% profit while you were sleeping. We tried to drive as far as possible each day so we would have pulled in around 10 or 11 at night and been gone by 8 or 9am in the morning not needing any services. Just a safe place to park.
Hope this idea does happen and it gets advertised so those of us new to very long RV trips can find out who offers these sites.
Have you noticed that the choice for low cost campgrounds are already in existence? BLM and DNR campgrounds are in that range; subsidized by taxpayers of course. National and State Parks; subsidized by taxpayers of course. But, rates are going up in State Parks when the states require them to be less a burden on taxpayers. And, I have seen rates in National Parks as high as $40 for a full hookup. A wide range of private campgrounds are also already in existence from those only S/W/E hookups to those with many activities with rates that generally correspond. And then, resorts with nearly anything you could imagine. I think the choices are already in existence.
A marketing Idea. On the envelope for our $10.00. Have a spot to fill out our mailing address and then mail brochures to those customers about your site. Then maybe next time your place will become the destination not just the stop over.
I don't know about other RV'ers but we started a database on the places we have been to and where we would like to go to. We pick up brochures at rest stops and other places so the next time we plan a trip we use them.
We just got back from a 2 week RV trip and would have gladly paid $10/night not to have stayed in a Walmart/Costco lot.
Some friends of ours once owned a RV Resort in the BC Interior (Canada eh!). They had overflow for their customers and had a special rate. I think the secret for them was that they were RVers themselves, so they could appreciate traveling with your home on wheels!
Maybe that's one of the issues, most of the owners of the RV parks are not RVers!
Last trip was coming north to Maine from Florida
1st night an Elks Lodge, no donation accepted
2nd night a PA campground, Comfort Inn $16 w/pool
3rd night ret area in VA
4th night rest area in CT - Danbury
If I had been offered $5-10 place with electric for nights 1,3 & 4 we would have used a campground.
I have advocated this for years. Give me a secure level place w/electric then I'll pay for it. Dump opitional but not at additional cost.
I have been at two campgrounds that did this. 1)Was behind a motel for $12 W/E20A w/dump. 2) $10 E20A w/dump and water available.
A lot of travelers only want a reasonably secure and level parking spot for probably 12-14 hrs. Electric at 20A would be nice.
If I had been offered $5-10 place with electric...
Ummm, you miss the point, Bill. The idea is a PARKING spot, and for $10, not $5. As soon as you start including electric, you have the morons who will run their A/C etcetera without regard to cost. Speaking of which, all campground electricity should be metered at the site. I can't stand helping to pay for somebody else's misuse of electricity!
www.travelwithkevinandruth.com
Don't forget that Campground owners are providing utilities for those $35 - $50 sites...which costs them money. If the $10 a space RV isn't using any utilities then the $10 is practically gravy to the campground owner. Better $10 than nothing!
If campground owners don't like the idea of a $10 overnight spot, how about motels. a few years ago I was traveling the California Coast in my camper, expecting to stay in a campground whre I had previously stayed. When I got there it was full but they had a sign directing campers to a motel down the highway. the motel had a large open field facing the ocean and were charging $10 per night to stay there.
Hey Chuck, Hidden Valley RV Park agrees. I have a field, fairly level but not paved so it's only good when dry, that I allow people to park in for $2.00 per night. In our RV Park we also have a dry area for $10 with no dump or water or $15 if you want a water fill up and dump. If anyone's out by San Antonio, Texas give me call to see if there's room. Teri 210-623-6737 at hiddenvalleyrv.net
I developed my campground to target a specific market (group of customers). Services and amenities are structured for that group. Advertizing is focused on that group. Fees are set to cover expenses with a small profit left over. We occasionally run two for one specials (50% discount) to attract new customers. If you don't want to use the services I offer, you are not in my target customer group. You can't stay in a penthouse suite at rack rates. And, you can't fly first class at coach prices. Someone who is looking for a 90% discount probably isn't in my target customer base. There are many "cut rate" campgrounds out there for you to choose from. Just do your own research.
We have been campground host for more than a decade volunteering in various Provincial and National Parks in Canada. For the most part, campers we have met are very honest and trust-worthy people. Yes we have met a number of "bums" but for the most part campers are very helpful, knowledgeable, and want to abide by the rules. Unfortunately a few ruin it for the majority. In many parks, having the day use area also double for overnight use might be worthy of consideration. Day use areas tend to be away from the campsite area, have their own vault toilets and a water outlet. In Ontario, day use permit or the previous night camping permit will allow you access to the park, including the dump station and water fill up. Some parks have not been designed with a "no frills" feature in mind, but other parks could make it an alternative feature and possible additional revenu. We also need to introduce camping lifestyle to many new comers to our shores. Most of these new comers are living in cities and have not developed an appreciation for the out-of-doors. If we teach them how to camp and how to develop an appreciation, maybe our governments will realize to a better degree the value of supporting our parks and the environment.
We don't own an RV park and we have never stayed at WalMart. It is interesting to see what all you folks want for $10.00: 1) A level graded spot, 2) To be secure, 3) Water would be nice. 4) Dump station, 5) a dog run, etc. How much do you think the campground owner pays in taxes, for security personnel, office personnel, insurance, electricity, etc. You may not plug in but if you take a walk, you want a lighted roadway. You want that same roadway to not have any potholes, you don't want any loud parties going on next door, and the list goes on. My feeling is that if you ever owned a business you know all the hidden costs - in a campground most of that cost is in the infrastructure underground. Again, I don't own a campground,but I do own a business and I know what it costs just to open the door and turn on the lights.
As an owner of a RV Park, I agree with all. However, I also know that every time that I have allowed someone to do this in my full service park, they have abused it. I can't even loan out a coax cable to one of them without a deposit, because over 50% of them do not return them.
Now, as for why I can't allow a $10 a night site. The county, the state, and the federal government is always taxing, charging new fees, and coming up with new revenue ideas for their overspending habits. I bought my park 8 years ago. I paid only $2,000 in county taxes and sewer fees. Now I pay $12,000 per year for those 2 items. $12,000 is 1200 $10 overnights nights per year. I pay Good Sam $300 just to be a Good Sam Park, so that I can give a discount to my customers who belong. Insurance has double since I bought it. Water has gone up 50%. Cable TV is up almost 50%. Everyone wants WiFi, because the campgrounds is faster than theirs and because they demand it be free (so it is free, but not for the campground owner). Who do you think pays for the gravel or pavement that you want to park on for $10. One load of gravel costs $500 (plus labor and equipment). Take that times about 10 loads a year and see if you can afford to give out $10 per night sites. Electricity goes up every year without fail. Our new roof on the office cost $15,000 last year. The new roof on the clubhouse and shower facilities cost $40,000. I can keep going all night about the cost of running an RV park.
I wish that we could lower prices down. However, my tax dollars are going to subsidize the local, State and Federal Parks. Without our tax dollars, you wouldn't have a place to stay at these government owned parks.
The whole concept of offering $10 per night would be great if I didn't have such a high overhead. What really needs to happen is for Government to quit being sooooo big and stop spending. Contact your local legislature and pass it on. I will lower my prices down as soon as I don't have to pay so much to the government and utilities.
Wal-Mart saw that if they allowed the truckers and RV'ers to stay for free, they would come in and spend their money at their store. If they stay at a campground, they don't always go in and spend their money. If you are bored and your RV is hot inside, you just go hang out in Wal-Mart and spend money in there. You probably would spend less money by staying in an RV Park. If you run your generator all night, how much did that cost you? Batteries, maintenance, fuel, oil, etc.
Chuck....great idea. I think you should look into buying the land and building the low cost park so we all can afford to visit with you. It would be even better if it was around your old hometown, Grass Valley/Nevada City.....just saying!
Those campgrounds that are cut rate are also the parks that crime happen in and are not kept up. Good luck!
Staying in a WalMart or Costco parking lot is not my idea of a vacation.
I don't mind staying in a Wal Mart parking lot when we are on our way to a destination. Most of the time they are just off the highway so it is easy to get on the road the next morning. I can get anything I need with out a special trip. We don't have to take the vehicle off the dolly to park in some spots. (We don't use parks with no pull throughs. The $10 campgrounds would be ok too but Wal Mart squeezes me enough as it is so I might as well get something from them! Wal Mart it is for me. Besides that a lot of the NASCAR drivers, bus drivers park in the WM lot too and we get to visit with them. We are big fans.
A list of RV campgrounds that will offer discount rates for overnighters would be great! Also, how about a list of RV campgrounds that would let rather "cheapskates" like me stay in Walmart's parking lot. I guess they'd rather I spend my dusty old money there than have me buy goods from their camp store.
I think it mostly comes down to two things:
People are afraid of change. We have been doing things this way, it ain't broke, why fix it.
People are lazy. If it looks like extra work then it is to be avoided at all costs. I am sure that campgrounds have reduced staff to below what they really need and think that it would be too much burden.
I agree with Chuck, this could be a good thing if businesses would just embrace it and give it a try. It might take some adjustments and tweaking but I think it is doable. And as for any possible cheap riff raff, they most likely will stay in parking lots and back streets anyway.
If a campground we encounter has a $10 rate, we'll def consider staying there - and if we like it enough, we may even put down our jacks and stay (at the book rate) for a few extra days. I don't know anyone who hasn't found a campground they reserved for a couple/5 nights that wasn't majorly disappointed in and wished they could leave after the first night. Alternatively, I've been to places that made me feel so comfortable, we've stayed for a week or more!
Get us in the door - then try the upsell, you'll be surprised!
I think the $10 a night is a great idea Chuck and you have made some really good points supporting it in both issues of the newsletter.
Granted I have not read all the comments to the article but in reading the comments by RV park owners that you highlighted in this week's newsletter (RVers would abuse the budget offer, some said they didn't want "these cheapskates, anyway." and the owner who said that even if a password were required for entrance to the restrooms -- which would only be provided to full-price campers -- the no-frills RVers would "just follow someone else in.") it really saddens me. They're not very nice comments at all and it makes me wonder WHY do these folks own RV parks anyway if they have such a low opinion of RVers??? They need to find a new business venture!
One of the best ideas to come along in a long time, we travel in a class B van because of medical problems and we cannot afford to pay $30 and up just to park, we could not use the restrooms at an rv park even if we wanted to, so we park where we can but would pay $10. to feel more secure.
There is a site that I found that some campgrounds do offer $10+. http://www.campingandcampgrounds.com/
We are planning on becoming full timers and wanted to see what was out there for just a 'stop over'.
I find the idea of $10 stopover intriguing and would definitely welcome that option. However I can understand why a lot of campground owners would oppose it. You talk about those along interstates, I would guess that a lot of those campgrounds get mosty people stopping for one night, if they offered this rate and everyone or even a high percentage took advantage of this offer would they be able to stay in business?
In my heart I admire Walmart for catering to the public, its just to sleep overnight which is a safety factor. Call me cheap, but I'll spend my $30 at walmart and get something for my money as apposed to giving it to an RV park who is way over-priced anyway. America is not only for the wealthy, let struggling folk enjoy a little also. If I had my way I would open a boondock park only for all to use and prosper very well from it.
Keep up the good work, Chuck. This is a policy worth pursuing. -Chuck N.
Wow such a lot of comments, which is a good thing... We are from Canada and we run down to Mexico in our Motor home... We would appreciate a 10.00 site along the way too. We have found there are some parks that offer a spot reduced for no services, and spots with all services.... Some are overflow parking, which suits us fine. We are retired and are on a budget and often try to stay where it is not so expensive. This year we will have to stay more in wallys, or rests stop due to higher costs of fuel and Loss of income.... The next step I guess is not traveling so far... Or not at all...
I agree with most everything posted so far. As a Workamper I have seen the people who are so self-centered that they want everyone to cater to them for free. I have also seen people who pick up others trash and deposit it in trash cans. I have said for years that a few inconsiderate slobs will ruin Wal-Mart overnighting (it is not camping).
Passport America is another way to save money as has been mentioned. I have not used the other program. Basically the key words are "No Frills" or the same amenities that you get at Wal-Mart. A fairly level area to park and room to put out a slide, especially bedroom slide in 5th wheels. You don"t need acres of land. Check out the local Wal-Mart and if they average 4 or 5 units each night then a campground might need room for about 10 because others will hear about it. After it fills, let Wal-Mart be the overflow.
Hidden Valley will be getting my business every chance I get when in or near enough to San Antonio & not just the free or reduced space either!
I, for one, look high and low for a Forest Service Camp site for a quick, overnight stay for about $10-$12 rather than $35+ at private parks! Would I not be most happy for a KOA or something similar for the same amount? Of course, and it would be much easier to find! Wake up, Campground Owners!
Cockroach: As a prospective RVer looking into the idea of being a full-timer it has been one of my endeavors looking into places to stay. Sounds like a great idea, as a onetime businessman I gave people what they wanted, good product, reasonable price, they kept coming back {:-)' Many times I sold my product at a lost, it paid off in the long run more time then not. Looking forward to joining up with many of you. Bill & Loretta
Spend 40$ a night to sleep in my 50,000$ RV??
Its pretty simple for me. Basically the more I spend on an RV the less I need to spend on an RV park. The RV parks who dont or wont offer no frills parking rarely get a dime out of me.
We just got back from a 7 wk trip (taking our Montana 5th wheel)to the South, from CA. We found a fair number of the RV parks who did offer a "no frills" lot. They weren't the campgrounds listed in Woodall's, though. We found them using our GPS and asking it for 'RV campground'. We ran a business before we retired & it makes economic sense that $8-10 instead of $35-40 is better than NO $ of $40! We hope more parks see the light. But they are out there along I-10 & I-40.
Most RVers would appreciate this so much. Because of the cost of fuel, people have not traveled so much. A $10. stay would definitely help out and would create more business for everyone. It is hard to find a RV park in Calif. for under $50. a night with taxes. After spending hundreds to fill up your tank, people don't want to spend another couple hundred for a few days stay.
OK. So how about an extra $2, or even $5 if you want to use the restroom? It's still a good deal for both parties.
Those partially empty campgrounds who are willing to set up a $10 per night (limit of one night) for people just needing a safe place to stop to sleep,are wise. The $10 per night guests are filling up their empty spaces, which not only gives them more revenue, it shows their park full most of the time, which will make people passing by have the idea that this must be a nice place to stay, since it always seems to be fairly full.
This is a spectacular idea that the campgrounds are being silly in their reasons to not do. I am not a cheapskate, but would gladly pay $10 for a safe place to spend the night. Now, I happily stay in a noisy truck stop over paying someone $30-40 for some spot that offers me nothing more than a place to sleep.
Joyce and I were workampers at Hidden Valley RV Park near San Antonio. (See "A Park That Gets It." Terri is a wonderful person who is very innovative when it comes to running the park. We're going back there this coming winter.
Hasn't anyone heard of Passport America or the other 50% off campground memberships. We've been using it for over 10 years and it works great. We are also Elk's members and most of the Elk's lodge RV parks are inexpensive. Also Corps of Engineer parks with the Golden Age Passport discount are a pretty good deal. We dry camp a lot, in fact we will be dry camping all of July and Aug. but rarely pay over $15 for full hook up's. The deals are there if you look.
When we were in California a few years back you could park in the day use parking area of the state parks overnight after a certain time and they let you use the washrooms, you had to be out by 7 am. Was well patrolled by rangers so you felt safe. Worked great for us and the price was cheap at the time. Not sure if they still do it. Wish more did.
The comment, staying in a parking lot is not "camping" struck me funny. My wife and I have never considered staying at roadside RV parks "camping" either. To us, those are simply convenient overnight stops on the way to our destination. Camping involves getting out into the woods away from the highways and crowds.
i like the ideal of a overnight for ten, it would be nice to have some along i-75 south, i have psasport and that takes some of the cost down to half the going rate, which is better then full price. plus you get all the bells and toys.
For a quick overnight stop, I'd even go $15 if they had an electric hookup. Some day, they'll need them for our cars too.
Like I said last week, just try it, Campground owners, just try it for a few months, specially on the off months. You'll know then if it was worth it!!!
As a former camp ground owner and manager , If you want it it can be done within reason.
I've found many RV park owners to be grouchy self centered people who think they are sitting on a gold mine and forget about the customer being right most of the time. The latest insult was in Bar Harbor, Maine where the site advertised nice wooded sites, but when you get there realize those sites are for their regulars and the rest of us are stuck out back in a big field. To add insult to injury, you are charged an extra $3 a day to run your air conditioner or electric heater. They advertise "free wifi" but then you find out they monitor your usage and if you use too much, they disconnect you.
This is why I prefer to boondock at free sites on national or state public lands. Far away from the crowded RV parks with arrogant owners. I think the $10 a night idea is a great idea, but as your comments have indicated the park owners don't see it. Too bad. Somebody will come along and do it and it will be a rousing success.
To Chuck,
Fabulous idea, and great rebuttal!
To campground owners hesitant to try this novel approach, think of it this way-"what's the worst that can happen?" If, after some time, you are not liking it, then simply stop. I do however agree with one of the commenters, that campground owners may find new sources of revenue if the "cheapskates" like your facility. Word of mouth and publications such as Chuck's are very powerful!
"Cheapskates"? Chuck's right-- smart, just saved 30 or 40 bucks. Plus don't have to put up with the attitude of the sourpuss operator who made that comment. Now I might never use the 10 dollar space, but in a pinch it would be a nice option to have. I'm a CUSTOMER, not a walking bank to be drawn upon!
How about this idea! Churchs ,cities set up places to stay over night. Maybe they could use the $10.00
I am considering an RV but these park fees are ridiculous. I would live on an RV park year round if it were 10 dollars a night. Looking for another living arrangement other than my immobile stick home I can no longer afford. I have a feeling many in America are considering living in an RV now.
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