About this blog. . .

Many RVers stay overnight in their motorhomes, trailers or other RVs in the parking lots of stores, casinos and truck stops. Somewhere along the line the term "Pavement Camping" came about, which is an apt description of the practice.

Parked overnight at the Bluewater Casino in Parker,
Arizona. The first night is free. You pay a modest fee
per night if you stay longer.

 

The reasons RVers choose these places is not about the scenery or enjoying a meaningful experience with nature. Often it's simply about convenience: an RV park or other campground may be too far away. Other times it's about money: it's free to stay in 99 percent of such places, which can save an RVer $20, $30 or more a night in camping fees.

Nobody knows for sure, but on a typical night, thousands of RVers spend the night in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart store. Ninety percent of Wal-Marts permit the practice. Wal-Mart's corporate office acknowledges the practice on its corporate website. "If it's okay with the individual store it's okay with us," it says, in so many words. Some stores do not allow overnight stays. Often it's because of a local ordinance. In some cases it's because of abuse: some RVers have stayed for weeks on end while others have acted like slobs by leaving trash, or even dumping their holding tanks in bushes.

Many casinos allow overnight stays — some free in their parking lots, others in a full-blown RV park.

Other place where RVers can be found overnight including Camping World stores, Cracker Barrell restaurants, Flying J truck stops and Cabela's sporting goods stores. The corportate management of these places may not state officially that it's okay to stay, but in most cases the individual locations allow the practice.

This blog is about your experiences Pavement Camping. Tell us where you've stayed, and what was good or bad about the experience. We'll post your comments and invite others to comment. Our purpose is not to serve as a directory of free places to spend the night, but to serve as a resource about how, why and sometimes where RVers stay. Please tell us about great experiences you've had — perhaps at stores that not only allowed overnight stays in their parking lots, but encouraged it. And, if you have a bad experience, feel free to pass it along to serve as a warning to other RVers.

For now, send your comments to Chuck Woodbury at Chuck@RVtravel.com.