The 10 Common Courtesies of Campgrounds

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Following The 10 Common Courtesies of Campgrounds will ensure that everyone will have an enjoyable time.
With many newbies heading out this year, know before you go!

park-rules

 

  1. Follow the Rules

Parks usually hand you a copy of their rules at registration. Following to these rules is one of the basics of campground etiquette. It makes things easier for everyone involved – you, your neighbors and the park operators. Guidelines include reduced speed limits on campground roads for the safety of all involved. You are typically expected to unhook a dinghy before driving to your site. There are usually defined quiet hours when you should keep the noise down, turn off outdoor lights, generators – basically, the party is over.

 

  1. Eliminate Pet Peeves

Literally. Pick up after your pets. Stop excessive or extended barking. Don’t leave a howling dog unattended to bother the neighbors. Use a leash. Even if Spot is friendly, not everyone is an animal lover. Good pet-etiquette on your part helps ensure that the many RVers with pets are welcome at campgrounds.

Home

  1. Parking the rig

Sometimes it’s clear how to orient the camper on your site – there may even be a cement pad. But in many cases, the only guidepost will be the hookup for electric and sewer. General campground etiquette is to stay on your side of that hook-up, and not have awnings or slide-outs encroaching on the site next door. Look at the campground map for a clue about preferred orientation. Or, look around you to see how other rigs are angled, if they are centered on sites or close to the utility hook up. You will get the most out of the space you have (and so will your neighbors) if you are all situated the same way. There are bound to be exceptions – we have been in many campgrounds with no uniformity in the size, shape or orientation of sites. The main objective in these cases is to just “guess the site” and fit the RV into it. But even then, the idea is to park in a way that gets everyone their fair share of privacy and room under their respective awnings. Common sense and campground etiquette go hand in hand.

Late

  1. Late arrivals

If you are arriving at a park after normal quiet hours, attempt some degree of quiet behavior. Not that it is easy to be unobtrusive pulling in an RV. But keep the set-up to the minimum required for the night. Your neighbors will understand that you need to pull in and hook up. They have probably been in the same situation. Do what is essential and remember that tomorrow is another day. The same sort of courtesy should be used if you are making an early morning departure. Don’t idle the engine for an hour before you leave. Clean up your campsite the night before so all you have to do is pull out.

Stinks

  1. Sewer Connections

Do them right. Make them secure. No torn hoses. In most places, your sewer connection faces the side where you neighbor has their “patio” area. Another time where being discreet and careful is very important.

 

  1. Washing the RV

Most campgrounds will not allow washing to avoid wasting water, high water bills, muddy sites, etc. Read the rules. You usually have to get by with a small bucket and rag and/or waterless cleaner to just do minimal spot cleaning. If you are lucky enough to find a place where you can really wash the RV, use common sense. Don’t have the water flowing when you aren’t actually using it. Watch the spray – your neighbor may not be interested in having their rig washed. In fact, it makes for friendly campground etiquette if you let your neighbor know ahead of time that you plan to wash your rig. That way, they can close any windows or put away articles that might inadvertently get wet.

No Trespassing

  1. No Trespassing

One time, a fellow RVer came over and asked if he could look around on “our property” for something he had lost, a paper that had blown out of his car the night before. We appreciated his asking first, and were somewhat amused by the term “our property”. But in fact, one of the unspoken rules of campground etiquette is that you stay off occupied sites. For the time a camper is on a site, it is their space and their privacy should be respected. If you are taking a stroll around the campground, the operative word is “around”. Stay on roads and pathways – don’t cut through any sites.

 

  1. Around the Campfire

Before you light it, make sure it is permitted, and follow any rules the campground may have. Remember the firepit is not a garbage can. More than likely there is a trash bin available on the park premises. No one likes to pull into a site with a firepit full of litter from the night before.

 

  1. Keeping up the Neighborhood

In general, be tidy. RVing is an outdoor pastime and RVers are generally an easy going lot. But there is a point where too much stuff laying around outside the RV starts to look sloppy. Trash or anything loose that can blow around is a definite no-no.

Golden Rule

  1. Do Unto Others

When in doubt, follow the golden rule. If you aren’t sure of the proper campground etiquette for something, think about how you would like to be treated. If you are concerned that something might bother your neighbor, your best bet is just to ask them. If you find yourself in a situation where your neighbors or park operators are doing something that you find intolerable, politely address the subject with them. If that doesn’t work, consider moving to another site or another campground. You are in an RV after all.

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