My wife and I has started RVing this summer for the first time with plans of going full time in about 1 year. Most of the RV parks that we have stayed in are like Disney world more for kids and families. When we choose a park to stay at we pick the area and then read reviews and book from there.
So far most of the parks that we have chose do not have full timers or very many experienced RVers our age. (we are 58). We want to stay at parks where we can interact with full timers and more experienced Rvers, retired people with class A motor homes. It will allow us to get a better sense of what the Rv life is all about on the road full time. it will also allow us to start to make friends that we can talk with and meet on the road.
QUESTION:
Is there a resource that we should be using that will allow us to find parks with this type of profile? I know about good sam, escapees etc, but are there other resources specific to the profile I have mentioned?
Are there certain criteria that we should be looking at when we do read about parks to insure that we are staying in places like we want?
Are state parks a good place to find full timers or retired couples Vs younger people with kids?
Thanks to all !
-- Edited by Big Mike on Tuesday 2nd of August 2016 08:22:24 AM
pkhalin said
10:39 AM Aug 2, 2016
Hey Mike,
I didn't see you mention rvparkreviews.com as a review source. I know a lot of people use this to research parks and review the comments. We certainly use it as we move along. And I'm thinking you want to look for the ones that are specifically 55+ resorts.
Just food for thought, I think you'll find a significant difference in weekend/vacation rving (when kids are off of school) versus fulltiming when they aren't. If you're going to winter in the south, which a lot of people do, either stationary or moving about, you're going to find many rv resorts geared towards the 'experienced' rver. Personally, I think state and national parks are hit or miss with regard to meeting the experienced or older generation travelers. But others may certainly prove me wrong and I will be enlightened.
Happy trails.
bjoyce said
10:50 AM Aug 2, 2016
Fulltimers are a small percent of the RVers out there and there is no consistency in the type of parks fulltimers like, some boondock most of the time, others like to be close to nature, others want lots of social interaction, some (like us), mix it up. Many also save money by workcamping, so talk to those working in the office and you might find they are fulltimers. There are fulltimers who keep to themselves, watching TV, cooking in, and only go out to buy groceries once or twice a week. Other fulltimers are out doing something every day, eating out when they feel like it, interacting with others multiple times a day. I would say a majority of fulltimers are TV watchers, so look for those who have satellite dishes, especially roof mounted ones, since it is not worth it to have these systems for most part timers. (We don't watch TV, but we know we are in the minority.)
You will find a larger percentage of fulltimers at Escapees parks, but there are only about 15 of those country wide In fact we are at an Escapees park right now, Evergreen Coho in Chimacum (Port Townsend) Washington. We also find many at membership parks like Thousand Trails, saving money and/or giving more options for campgrounds. Elks lodge campgrounds are also popular with fulltimers. But in both the membership and Elks campgrounds, there is no guarantee a fulltimer will be staying when you stay.
State parks are popular with parttimers, so there will be kids. I know fulltimers who avoid state parks for various reasons, while others love them, sometimes for the same reasons. For example, many fulltimers have grandkids that they want to visit with them, so having kids around is a plus. Others hate campfires, others love them. State parks are about guaranteed to have campfires, except in a burn ban.
If you are a member of RVillage.com, you can check the map for members of the Fulltimers and "RV-Dreams Community" and see if any are close by.
-- Edited by bjoyce on Tuesday 2nd of August 2016 10:52:12 AM
Clay L said
11:50 AM Aug 2, 2016
We had the same issue when just traveling around the country, but when we got to areas where snowbirds congregate, we found very few kids and a lot of full timers. Many parks were age fifty five plus but some allowed kids a two week or so visit.
By the way - please spare me the comments about how you love kids and their screaming and laughing. I don't like the noise and always stayed in 55 plus parks where possible. I love my grand kids and great grand kids. I love to have them visit, but when they leave I am ready.
Barbaraok said
12:50 PM Aug 2, 2016
From Memorial Day through Labor Day you are going to see families out - that's their time to get out with the kids for weekends/vacations, especially in the north. These parks make most of their money in those summer months and can't afford to cater to 55+ cliental. There is not much you can do about it except keep doing your thing.
What you want to do is start looking for Florida, South Dakota, Texas, and Montana as those are favorite domiciles for fulltimers - you see them go up and ask if they are fulltimers. Also look for an Escapees sticker on vehicle - an awful lot of Escapees are fulltimers. Just go up and introduce yourself and ask if they happen to be fulltimers.
Come September, families will essentially be gone and you will find fulltimers all over the place. And if you head south for the winter, 55+ parks abound in all of the 'warm' areas - we stay in Val Vista Village in Mesa, one of many, many, many 55+ park in the greater Phoenix area.
Barb
Camper Chronicles said
08:28 PM Aug 2, 2016
Along with times of year we also look at the amenities that parks have. It's a good bet if there is water nearby and/or a pool in the campground it will have kids. One of the reasons (other than cost) that we stay away from KOA's. When school is out, we have found the best to be campgrounds with nothing for kids to do. These are not the most attractive in and of themselves, but since we are away from the camper exploring most of the day it's not a big issue. I will say though that we sort of dread the summer and are using work kamping as a way to lock in a summer place and have some control over the amount of kid craziness we have to deal with. I have three kids by the way and love them very much, but mainly I am kid weary and look for someone place that is mostly kid free. The other really great choice is boondocking. Rarely do we run into kids in those scenarios and the sites are usually dispersed enough we can move on down the road if it is disruptive.
Trace
Dave and Denise said
08:39 PM Aug 2, 2016
I am with you Big Mike. We like nice campground/sites but we don't need the pool, mini golf, bounce house and Yogi rides. It would be great if someone started a review site for us seniors. I certainly don't mind the kids running, screaming and having fun. Heck, I enjoy watching them. I just don't feel the need to pay for all those extras that we don't use. I am hoping that as we get more comfortable with boondocking that will give us more what we are looking for.
legrandnormand said
09:37 PM Aug 2, 2016
Big Mike wrote:
My wife and I has started RVing this summer for the first time with plans of going full time in about 1 year. Most of the RV parks that we have stayed in are like Disney world more for kids and families. When we choose a park to stay at we pick the area and then read reviews and book from there.
So far most of the parks that we have chose do not have full timers or very many experienced RVers our age. (we are 58). We want to stay at parks where we can interact with full timers and more experienced Rvers, retired people with class A motor homes. It will allow us to get a better sense of what the Rv life is all about on the road full time. it will also allow us to start to make friends that we can talk with and meet on the road.
QUESTION:
Is there a resource that we should be using that will allow us to find parks with this type of profile? I know about good sam, escapees etc, but are there other resources specific to the profile I have mentioned?
Are there certain criteria that we should be looking at when we do read about parks to insure that we are staying in places like we want?
Are state parks a good place to find full timers or retired couples Vs younger people with kids?
Thanks to all !
Just pick the resorts mentioning "55 and older" !
-- Edited by Big Mike on Tuesday 2nd of August 2016 08:22:24 AM
-- Edited by legrandnormand on Tuesday 2nd of August 2016 09:38:28 PM
Hdrider said
05:12 AM Aug 4, 2016
We use RVparkreview.com as well to help find our next camping spot. They provide a link to the campground that we also check out and if what pictures they provide show big playground areas with lots of kid stuff we will shy away normally. After 4 years of being on the road I don't know if I could say we have found parks that are mainly just full-timers, even the 55 & older parks down south in the winter have a mixture of people that are full-time and those that have homes in cold areas and go south to stay warm.
One thing is for sure, if you are out yacking with people in most any park you will be sure to find a full-timer mixed in.
legrandnormand said
07:52 AM Aug 4, 2016
Hdrider wrote:
We use RVparkreview.com as well to help find our next camping spot. They provide a link to the campground that we also check out and if what pictures they provide show big playground areas with lots of kid stuff we will shy away normally. After 4 years of being on the road I don't know if I could say we have found parks that are mainly just full-timers, even the 55 & older parks down south in the winter have a mixture of people that are full-time and those that have homes in cold areas and go south to stay warm. One thing is for sure, if you are out yacking with people in most any park you will be sure to find a full-timer mixed in.
Probably the main reason to "show 55+" is to avoid having kids in the resort ! I have seen over the years in many "55+ resorts" many couples, no kids, in their 40's and being owners or tenants and kids are welcome for their holidays, but no more then 2 weeks !
-- Edited by legrandnormand on Thursday 4th of August 2016 07:52:51 AM
dream reachers said
09:29 PM Jun 7, 2017
We use RV Parks Review also. If you use this for a resource please leave a review so you can help the next person.
LiveSmallWander said
11:58 AM Mar 17, 2018
Big Mike wrote:
My wife and I has started RVing this summer for the first time with plans of going full time in about 1 year. Most of the RV parks that we have stayed in are like Disney world more for kids and families. When we choose a park to stay at we pick the area and then read reviews and book from there.
So far most of the parks that we have chose do not have full timers or very many experienced RVers our age. (we are 58). We want to stay at parks where we can interact with full timers and more experienced Rvers, retired people with class A motor homes. It will allow us to get a better sense of what the Rv life is all about on the road full time. it will also allow us to start to make friends that we can talk with and meet on the road.
QUESTION:
Is there a resource that we should be using that will allow us to find parks with this type of profile? I know about good sam, escapees etc, but are there other resources specific to the profile I have mentioned?
Are there certain criteria that we should be looking at when we do read about parks to insure that we are staying in places like we want?
Are state parks a good place to find full timers or retired couples Vs younger people with kids?
Thanks to all !
-- Edited by Big Mike on Tuesday 2nd of August 2016 08:22:24 AM
My wife and I have been full time for a few years now. We are in our 30s and have seen all kinds of different types of parks.
The only way I know of to ensure you're always around retired couples would be to stay at 55 and over RV parks, which do exist. You'll find a number of these parks in Florida and Arizona, but I don't know about the rest of the country.
If this is the way you really want to go, there are resources out there and a simple Google search for 55+ rv parks will help you find what you're after.
My advice, however, isn't to go this route.
While you may want to avoid the Disney World type of parks, as you put it, and I completely understand that, there's some nuances to full timing that you'll miss if you try to stay at just 55+ parks. Of course, I cannot speak for the 55+ parks because we aren't old enough for these parks.
Many families full time. Many younger couples full time. Many older couples full time. You will find full timers of all ages, shapes and sizes out there. If you take age out of the equation, you can have a ton of fun with younger full timing couples, too. Not all of us have children.
My wife and I use Thousand Trails for this exact reason. While the weekends at some of the parks can fill up with campers and families, during the week, it's mainly full timers. The benefit of a campground club like this is seeing the same people at multiple stops. This is a great way to make friends and some of the campgrounds do lean more towards older adults, such as the one in Chesapeake Bay, which has an adults-only pool.
If you're dead set on staying at rv parks with retirees or older couples mainly, search for those offering pot lucks and bingo. These two things we have found the most consistent at the type of park you're looking for.
I will also say that if you avoid the KOAs, you'll avoid quite a bit of the family activity. They market almost directly to families and draw in a ton of them. Also, if you choose the parks that are a bit higher in price, you'll weed out a lot of the families because they usually have a smaller budget.
My wife and I has started RVing this summer for the first time with plans of going full time in about 1 year. Most of the RV parks that we have stayed in are like Disney world more for kids and families. When we choose a park to stay at we pick the area and then read reviews and book from there.
So far most of the parks that we have chose do not have full timers or very many experienced RVers our age. (we are 58). We want to stay at parks where we can interact with full timers and more experienced Rvers, retired people with class A motor homes. It will allow us to get a better sense of what the Rv life is all about on the road full time. it will also allow us to start to make friends that we can talk with and meet on the road.
QUESTION:
Is there a resource that we should be using that will allow us to find parks with this type of profile? I know about good sam, escapees etc, but are there other resources specific to the profile I have mentioned?
Are there certain criteria that we should be looking at when we do read about parks to insure that we are staying in places like we want?
Are state parks a good place to find full timers or retired couples Vs younger people with kids?
Thanks to all !
-- Edited by Big Mike on Tuesday 2nd of August 2016 08:22:24 AM
Hey Mike,
I didn't see you mention rvparkreviews.com as a review source. I know a lot of people use this to research parks and review the comments. We certainly use it as we move along. And I'm thinking you want to look for the ones that are specifically 55+ resorts.
Just food for thought, I think you'll find a significant difference in weekend/vacation rving (when kids are off of school) versus fulltiming when they aren't. If you're going to winter in the south, which a lot of people do, either stationary or moving about, you're going to find many rv resorts geared towards the 'experienced' rver. Personally, I think state and national parks are hit or miss with regard to meeting the experienced or older generation travelers. But others may certainly prove me wrong and I will be enlightened.
Happy trails.
Fulltimers are a small percent of the RVers out there and there is no consistency in the type of parks fulltimers like, some boondock most of the time, others like to be close to nature, others want lots of social interaction, some (like us), mix it up. Many also save money by workcamping, so talk to those working in the office and you might find they are fulltimers. There are fulltimers who keep to themselves, watching TV, cooking in, and only go out to buy groceries once or twice a week. Other fulltimers are out doing something every day, eating out when they feel like it, interacting with others multiple times a day. I would say a majority of fulltimers are TV watchers, so look for those who have satellite dishes, especially roof mounted ones, since it is not worth it to have these systems for most part timers. (We don't watch TV, but we know we are in the minority.)
You will find a larger percentage of fulltimers at Escapees parks, but there are only about 15 of those country wide In fact we are at an Escapees park right now, Evergreen Coho in Chimacum (Port Townsend) Washington. We also find many at membership parks like Thousand Trails, saving money and/or giving more options for campgrounds. Elks lodge campgrounds are also popular with fulltimers. But in both the membership and Elks campgrounds, there is no guarantee a fulltimer will be staying when you stay.
State parks are popular with parttimers, so there will be kids. I know fulltimers who avoid state parks for various reasons, while others love them, sometimes for the same reasons. For example, many fulltimers have grandkids that they want to visit with them, so having kids around is a plus. Others hate campfires, others love them. State parks are about guaranteed to have campfires, except in a burn ban.
If you are a member of RVillage.com, you can check the map for members of the Fulltimers and "RV-Dreams Community" and see if any are close by.
-- Edited by bjoyce on Tuesday 2nd of August 2016 10:52:12 AM
By the way - please spare me the comments about how you love kids and their screaming and laughing. I don't like the noise and always stayed in 55 plus parks where possible. I love my grand kids and great grand kids. I love to have them visit, but when they leave I am ready.
What you want to do is start looking for Florida, South Dakota, Texas, and Montana as those are favorite domiciles for fulltimers - you see them go up and ask if they are fulltimers. Also look for an Escapees sticker on vehicle - an awful lot of Escapees are fulltimers. Just go up and introduce yourself and ask if they happen to be fulltimers.
Come September, families will essentially be gone and you will find fulltimers all over the place. And if you head south for the winter, 55+ parks abound in all of the 'warm' areas - we stay in Val Vista Village in Mesa, one of many, many, many 55+ park in the greater Phoenix area.
Barb
Trace
-- Edited by legrandnormand on Tuesday 2nd of August 2016 09:38:28 PM
One thing is for sure, if you are out yacking with people in most any park you will be sure to find a full-timer mixed in.
Probably the main reason to "show 55+" is to avoid having kids in the resort ! I have seen over the years in many "55+ resorts" many couples, no kids, in their 40's and being owners or tenants and kids are welcome for their holidays, but no more then 2 weeks !
-- Edited by legrandnormand on Thursday 4th of August 2016 07:52:51 AM
My wife and I have been full time for a few years now. We are in our 30s and have seen all kinds of different types of parks.
The only way I know of to ensure you're always around retired couples would be to stay at 55 and over RV parks, which do exist. You'll find a number of these parks in Florida and Arizona, but I don't know about the rest of the country.
If this is the way you really want to go, there are resources out there and a simple Google search for 55+ rv parks will help you find what you're after.
My advice, however, isn't to go this route.
While you may want to avoid the Disney World type of parks, as you put it, and I completely understand that, there's some nuances to full timing that you'll miss if you try to stay at just 55+ parks. Of course, I cannot speak for the 55+ parks because we aren't old enough for these parks.
Many families full time. Many younger couples full time. Many older couples full time. You will find full timers of all ages, shapes and sizes out there. If you take age out of the equation, you can have a ton of fun with younger full timing couples, too. Not all of us have children.
My wife and I use Thousand Trails for this exact reason. While the weekends at some of the parks can fill up with campers and families, during the week, it's mainly full timers. The benefit of a campground club like this is seeing the same people at multiple stops. This is a great way to make friends and some of the campgrounds do lean more towards older adults, such as the one in Chesapeake Bay, which has an adults-only pool.
If you're dead set on staying at rv parks with retirees or older couples mainly, search for those offering pot lucks and bingo. These two things we have found the most consistent at the type of park you're looking for.
I will also say that if you avoid the KOAs, you'll avoid quite a bit of the family activity. They market almost directly to families and draw in a ton of them. Also, if you choose the parks that are a bit higher in price, you'll weed out a lot of the families because they usually have a smaller budget.
Just my two cents. Enjoy the road!
Benjamin Ehinger