This should be simple right.?

Actually it is. Don’t freak out, just use your head. I say that jokingly but I swear people don’t hardly look when booking online. Some of the trailers in some of sites just baffle me. Now I know at times we take what we can get and for others, they just aren’t real fussy about where they set up camp. Just glad to be at the campground.

First off websites are not all created equally. Some are very detailed in the questions they ask when you are trying to book. Length? Number of slides? Number of vehicles and or people? And so on. This really does help alleviate issues when you arrive. They want to make sure what you are bringing in, will fit in the site chosen. On the other hand some sites are very difficult to assess the site online.

Take time to look through site photos. Read the “minimum and maximum” site capacity. Look at location of trees if possible. Remember if you have a slide or slides, you need more space. Pictures can also help you see around a bit. Are the site maintained? Is the campground maintained? Is the place full of permanents and are they well kept? Again, some websites will ask those questions about what you are bringing but a lot don’t. The first trip to a new campground is always interesting though. Kind of hoping everything is the way the website said it was. That goes for the whole campground overall not just the site you chose.

Something we do every new trip out and you will see others out doing the same…. At some point over the time there, we will walk the campground. Studying sites and then go back through with a site map marking which sites we would like to stay in on our next trip through. This will help you immensely when booking online next time. You know better where you fit and what fits you. We have marked off sites that we just won’t fit in. Site we just have no desire to be in. Sites that could work and of course sites we prefer to have based on availability.

Availability is then your biggest obstacle. Some campgrounds allow booking year round. Several allow you to book a maximum of 1 year out. Then others allow only booking 6 months out. Consider this and the size and location of the campground when making plans. Smaller campgrounds typically book out fast. Big one s book at fast based on location, ie. the beach or just a very popular destination. If they aren’t booked, then consider why. May not be one you want to stay at anyway. Many reserve out as soon as sites become available for booking. That really keeps us on our toes trying to plan ahead and get where we want for certain trips and times. Also consider the time you are to spend there. Major holidays, good luck. You better plan ahead is all I can say. Planning then or anytime is definitely needed, though if you want a certain campground, at a certain time and a particular site at that time, you better get to booking.

Don’t over think the process, it really shouldn’t be difficult. Like I said above just do a little research. At the end of it all, each trip is what you make of it. You can pick the perfect site and have weather drag you right down anyway…. If you let it. Don’t, by the way. We have some great times in the rain and bigger fires in the cold is all.