With the arrival of Ms Piggy in our lives, we now carry our home with us. As a fully self-contained unit, we can live off the grid (I like “Off the Cord” a term I first read on Gone With The Wynns). Add in my love of solar power and most of my needs are met.
But not every place loves a motorhome, even a classic that hardly resembles one.
Ms Piggy and Bruno at the Coast north of Santa Cruz.
I intend to continue to travel near constantly, first northerly and then moving back East. My goal is a 3:2:1… 3 nights in free parking, 2 nights in inexpensive campgrounds, usually without electrical hook-ups or waste dumps and 1 in a full-service RV park, so I can refresh the tanks, empty what I’ve accumulated, do laundry and so on.
Several resources are making this possible.
OvernightRVParking.com and HarvestHosts.com for no-to-low cost parking.
Since my “rig” is relatively small, I’ve had no problems with street parking for now. Blackout curtains are important for both my own privacy and for diminishing the visibility of the motorhome. I’m not a partier, and enjoy going to sleep early, so this keeps me fairly invisible.
View from a free spot found on OvernightRVParking.com. Dinner and a sunset, anyone?
Harvest Hosts is a terrific program for discovering out of the way wineries and farms, but although there may be no overnight fee, there is an expectation that you will purchase something while you are visiting. Take this into account.
Javelina Vineyards, south of Sedona, AZ, provided a beautiful spot for a night.
Enjoy-America.Net and State and National Parks for discounted campgrounds.
Rates can be as much as a cheap motel room, so take care in searching out a price and location you are comfortable with. I love the coast, so am willing to pay a bit more to be close to the water. There are less expensive options inland, but don’t be surprised to see +$65/night rates! (Over $100/ night in high-end areas like Newport.)
Good Sam for 10% off full-service campgrounds.
Like AAA for campers, Good Sam is accepted at a wide range of places. I’ve stayed at some truly wonderful parks in their system, averaging about $35/ night.
There are lots of choices where these types of discount programs are concerned, these are the ones I found best for my needs. While I want to join something like Thousand Trails for ease, the Zone system isn’t broken up in a way that makes sense for me right now. I’m going to use the discounted camping at this point and consider the TT program when I’ll be in one zone for longer.
Of course, staying at a friend’s house, parked in their driveway or in front, is cheap, but not all neighbors appreciate the beauty of Ms Piggy. In all cases with free parking, respect of the locales is the biggest factor. But it sure is nice to grab a hot shower and coffee inside.
Parked on the cliffs, Ms Piggy has quite the view.