Website Helps RVers Locate Free and Bargain Campgrounds
Just in time for the summer camping season, the popular website FreeCampgrounds.com has debuted a new directory of free and inexpensive places where recreational vehicle enthusiasts can stay the night in their RVs.
Seattle, WA (PRWEB) May 19, 2005 -- Just in time for the summer camping
season, the popular website FreeCampgrounds.com has debuted a new directory of
free and inexpensive places where RVers can spend the night.
Hundreds of
camping locations throughout the United States are profiled with dozens more
appearing every week. They range from scenic government campgrounds to rest
areas, city-sponsored RV parks, truck stops, bargain-priced commercial RV parks,
public lands and RV-friendly Wal-Mart stores. Most locations are posted by
website visitors, who share their favorite places and also update or comment on
those already listed.
"With prices and circumstances changing all the
time, what's true about a campground today may not be true in two months," says
FreeCampgrounds.com editor Chuck Woodbury. "By encouraging readers to comment on
areas already listed, the information remains up to date."
A March survey
of more than 2,000 recreational vehicle enthusiasts by RVtravel.com revealed
that approximately 60 percent will seek out free or inexpensive campgrounds this
summer to offset high fuel prices. "If an RVer can stay a night for free and
save $25 or $35 over what it would cost for an RV park, that money can go into
the gas tank the next day," Woodbury explained.
Woodbury notes that most
of the FreeCampgrounds.com listings are not for official campgrounds, but simply
for places to pause for a night to sleep. "An RVer may be traveling from one
destination to another and only needs to rest overnight," he said. "They're not
looking for a swimming pool, power hookups or other RV park amenities. They
simply want a safe place to refresh before heading off the next
day."
Among the best deals are those provided by many rural small towns,
which offer campsites in their city parks at no charge. "These campgrounds are
seldom known outside their local areas," explained Woodbury. "It's not unusual
for a community to offer a half-dozen campsites, often with water and electric
hookups provided."
Most listings on FreeCampgrounds.com are not found in
traditional campground directories. They may be a flat area behind an
RV-friendly gas station or in a vacant lot that's popular with "boondockers."
Although the website's editors do not recommend that RVers stay overnight in
rest areas, they acknowledged it's a common practice. Many truck stops permit
RVers to stay a night, as does Wal-Mart, the RV crowd's most popular free
overnight stop.
"Perhaps 90 percent of all Wal-Marts allow an RVer to
stay a night in their parking lot," said Woodbury. "The unwritten rule is that
an RVer can simply pull into a quiet corner of a lot, spend the night and then
move on."
FreeCampgrounds.com visitors who post campground locations are
encouraged to provide details about their scenic beauty and noise level.
"Locations at truck stops and near railroad tracks are obviously not places
where an RVer stays for a meaningful experience with nature," said
Woodbury.
For more information or to find or report a free or
bargain-priced campground, visit www.FreeCampgrounds.com.
# # #
Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb241785.htm