The Perfect RV Park

Everything comes to those who hustle while they wait.

Here's a park close to water but not really quite perfect.

What do you look for when trying to find the perfect park?  Or, is there such a place?  We all look for different things I'm sure.  Some things are necessities to us and others not so much.  Sometimes I feel reading the reviews on RV parks isn't worth the effort.  Some of the reviews are so negative and others are so positive even when they’re talking about the same park.  I guess it’s kind of like how people rate cameras or computers or cars.  Some things are important to one person and not so much to another.   People write about the showers, provided wi-fi or even cable TV.  Now I really could care less about those things since we bring ours with us.

The rating given only represents the amenities of that park as it applies to the one person giving the   review.  In other words many of those reviews don’t mean squat if the reviewer doesn’t have the same requirements as the reader does. You have to read them all in order to get a little idea if the park might be some place you would want to stay.

Parking by a beach would be good.

There are many things that don’t matter to us and many things that do.   The perfect park to us is even different at different times. It depends on what we’re looking for then.  Sometimes the best park just happens to be where friends are parked.  It may not have any amenities and it may even be in the middle of the desert. 

This year has been so totally different from any other year.  Last year we weren’t pulling a trailer with two ATVs and this year we are.  That totally (and I mean, totally) changes what we’re looking for.  That also means this year we want a bigger site, a park where we can ride in and out to trails or dunes plus everything else we’ve wanted in the past.  Those parks exist but they are a lot harder to find.  We don't care so much about highway noise, or airports or even trains unless the park is by a crossing and you hear that whistle every hour or so.

Pulling a trailer is a little different than not pulling that trailer.

Cell signal for internet and phone is pretty important to us as is a clear sky for satellite reception.  The RV site would have to be super fantastic for us to want to stay more than a day or two without either of those.  I must admit though that there are a few places we’d probably still like to visit for a short period of time even if it isn't there.  We may think cell signals and satellite reception are necessities but others not so much as you don't often see it listed in reviews.

Sometimes we find RV parks are mostly filled with folks who actually live there.  Those parks we really don't like.  We like staying with RVers and not necessarily “snowbirds” who return to the same park each year.   RVers just seem friendlier and more open to new relationships where snowbirds seem to have already become established in their park and many seem to have forgotten what it was like when they were new there too.  That's our opinion and we're sticking to it but, of course, there are always exceptions.

What else do we look for?  Well, we look for a lot but have found that what we look for isn’t always what we can find or settle for.  We've also found you can't go by the pictures posted on the park website because sometimes the park and the pictures are very different. 

What would your perfect park be?  Mine would be a spot next to the water …. a beautiful beach, a flowing river or a serene lake and not too far from shopping areas for groceries and other needs with lots of places to explore.  It would have perfect weather and that spot would have all the amenities mentioned.  It would also have easy access and be level but most importantly, it would be close to water.   

This would be a perfect spot but it doesn't really exist.

Has anyone found that perfect spot?  We need it on the west coast please since our family is there which would make it just perfect.  I'd like to throw in a few palm trees but know that would certainly be impossible especially close to the kids.

The deal with us though is even if we find it, we'll probably get hitchitch before long and want to move on.  The perfect park is only good for a while.  Yesterday we visited Glamis around the sand dunes and that just may be a perfect place for a few days ... maybe.  It's amazing how perfect can mean so many different things and so many different places at so many different times.

'Tis life on the road.