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RV Camping At Wal-Mart
RV Camping overnight for free is available
nationwide at most Wal-Marts. When you pull the Recreational Vehicle out of the driveway,
free overnight RV parking is yours if you don't mind no hookups.
Wal-Mart Camping And Other Free Places
By Steve Gillman
"Do you know about Wal-Mart camping?" We didn't know, but the old man
at the campground in Florida insisted WalMart not only allowed RVs and vans to park
overnight, but encouraged it. "Free camping," he told us, and we didn't wait
long to take advantage of this new knowledge.
Somewhere in northern Georgia we pulled into a Wal-Mart, and sure enough, we saw some RVs
off to one side of the parking lot, looking like they were there for the night. We were
heading back to Michigan in our conversion van, and free camping sounded good to us. We
parked, plugged in our 5-inch T.V., and settled in for the night. Nobody bothered us. In
the morning we used the bathrooms inside, and bought some orange juice.
The next night we camped for free again, this time at a "Flying J" truckstop.
There were RVs camping there as well. You'll find Flying J Truckstops all over, and they
actively court the RV crowd, counting on gas and other sales. We filled our tank there in
the morning, and bought some food as well. As long as campers stay out of the way of the
truckers, free camping is likely to continue.
Other Free Camping Places
Generally, you can camp free on any BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land, unless it's
specifically forbidden in an area. This is also true of National Forest lands. In both
cases you're limited to a stay of two weeks in one place, though this rule is not always
enforced, and the next two-week place might have to be only a hundred yards away. State
forest lands are usually open to free camping without permits, but policies vary by state
(The two-week rule seems to be common).
We camped in our van for ten days at Williams Landing, east of Tallahassee, Florida, on
Lake Talquin. It's a beautiful place, with hot showers. Our cost? Zero, and you can stay
up to two weeks. There are free campgrounds scattered around the country. Ask an RVer
about this, or buy a Woodall's directory from any large RV dealer.
Note: Wal-mart seems to encourage the campers, except in coastal areas where too many
RVer's want to live in a parking lot. Don't roll out the carpet and put out lawn furniture
like one traveler we heard about, or you may ruin it for all. Some stay for a week at a
time, going out all day to see the sights (and so they don't wear out their welcome).
Wal-mart gets business from the campers, but they'll only continue their policy if they
don't have problems, so keep it low-key.
To find a Wal-Mart in the area you're traveling to, visit Walmart.com. Scroll down to the
"store finder" link to search. Thank you for camping at Wal-Mart!
Steve Gillman hit the road at sixteen, and traveled the U.S. and Mexico alone at 17. Now
40, he travels with his wife Ana, whom he met in Ecuador. To read their stories, tips and
travel information, visit: http://www.EverythingAboutTravel.com
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