Campground Etiquette: The Unwritten Rules Every RVer Needs to Know

Campground Etiquette Is Sponsored by RV Roofing Solutions

Not all campground rules are posted on a sign and some of the most important ones never will be. In this episode, Tasha and Jennifer get into the campground etiquette conversations other RV podcasts aren’t having: from the infamous campfire opener that may or may not get edited out, to what really happens when you cut through someone’s site at 5 a.m. or an e-bike rider doesn’t know how to brake.

Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a full-timer, there’s something in this one for you.

Learn How:

●      To respect your neighbors’ space, even if the bathroom is just on the other side of their rig

●      To handle noise, lighting, pets, and campfires in ways that keep the whole campground happy

●      Pools, hot tubs, and laundry rooms all come with unspoken rules

●      Posted speed limits make a bigger difference than you think

●      To protect your kids — and your neighbors’ kids

Links & Resources:

🚐 RV Roofing Solutions: rvroofingsolutions.com

🏕️ RVing Etiquette: learntorv.com/rving-etiquette

🐕 Doggy Etiquette on the Road: learntorv.com/doggy-etiquette

⛽ Diesel Fill-Ups & Truck Stops: learntorv.com/diesel-fill-ups-truck-stops-are-a-great-bet

🔄 Thousand Trails Has Changed: learntorv.com/thousand-trails-has-changed

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Welcome to Learn to RV the podcast. I am Tasha. This is Jennifer, and today we are talking campground etiquette. Jennifer, what do you think about campground etiquette as a general rule? Do you think that it's something that is like loosey goosey? Just do your best. Or do you think that this is something that like people really need to tune in and pay attention to?

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Well, I mean, I think people need to tune in and pay attention to it. But the thing is, like, I heard a new one today. Like one I've never heard before. So like I'm all ears. One I don't recommend.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

So it's a campground etiquette rule that is just a rule that you're like down with down with the etiquette.

SPEAKER_01 0:49

I feel like this one is one maybe we just say zero stars do not recommend. Like okay, so zero out of ten. This lady was walking across the campground today, and she walks up to two guys with a fire pit and she goes, What are you doing with your weenies out here? No. They had no dogs with them, like Dachshunds, and they were not roasting, you know, Oscar Meyer. So I'm not really sure where she was going with the conversation, but I think like thinking about your words, which, you know, to be really honest, I have been known to say something that maybe was totally out of context before, but this one was a new one for me. So, you know, be careful what you say around the campfire. So it was definitely one of those interesting moments in my life.

SPEAKER_00 1:37

I am really scratching my head here and trying to figure out what she might have meant. And I am I am out. I am out of I got hot dogs and I got doxins. And yeah, I'm tapped out. Those are the only acceptable, the only acceptable options for what weenies might mean around a campfire. And I hope that if you've got your doxins around the campfire, that you're being very careful with them. Please watch all animals around a campfire. Make sure they're on a leash or your lap. Yes, yes, hold them tight, keep them safe. Wow, yes. So language, I don't think I had language on my campground etiquette. I have a lot about noise, sound.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

I have been doing this for 13 years, and this one was new for me today. And I was just standing outside being an innocent bystander as this came across the campground because the campground we're at, we're in shoulder season. So there's like maybe 12 campground campers here in the campground. So, and there's like 35 or 40 sites on a circle. So your noise carries, and so it was a very interesting moment because the power was out this afternoon, and so it was very quiet in the campground, and there were more people outside than normal.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

And yeah, it was it was then what are you doing with your weenies? Not what are you weenies doing out here around the campfire? Because I mean, I could even see that, you know, like if you're like joshing someone, you're like, hey, you weenies, what are you doing out here? But this is like Yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 3:12

I'd like to I'd like not to speculate too much further on that one, but it was a new one. This might be a fun reel. This might get fully edited out. This might be only in the Patreon version.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

I'm I'm letting it because it's kind of a thing. This is this is in there, this is sticking in. I'm letting everybody this is how we're starting the episode. This is gold. This is this is podcast gold.

SPEAKER_01 3:33

Also, let's dropping the language since you've since we've already opened that can of worms.

SPEAKER_00 3:38

Let's go ahead. I, you know, I do have language that that is a very good one because I have heard some things fly at a campground, and that also kind of ties into volume, which I'd like to get to as well. But, you know, we have at a campground the ability to kind of let loose and just, you know, get comfortable. But I think we also need to be respectful of the people around us and remember that there are little kids hanging out at campgrounds. And, you know, I I don't want to say, you know, I don't want to be the policeman of the campground, obviously. And and I don't want to be like, hey, you can't have a good time. But I think that there is something to be said about being careful about what you say around children. That's just good manners, you know? Absolutely. I am well, I am wearing my Dolly Parton shirt today because I do what would Dolly do? I think maybe is the question we should be asking ourselves. She's a camper. I th I don't know that Dolly would just be letting them slide all over the place. So I I think maybe that's a really good question.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

Well, I know I mean noise levels, noise levels are a thing, though. Like, you know, when my kids were little, you actually outside my camper could hear doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom. Yes. And so that could be my kids running through the camper, that could be my dogs running through the camper, that could be the cat running through the camper. Not as likely, but it could happen. That could be Frank running through the camper, that just sounded a little more like doom, doom, doom, doom, you know. But you know, I mean, you hear everything when you're in a camper. And so some are more insulated than others. And so being mindful of that, but at the same time, you can't stop your kids from crying, you can't stop your kids from having the the rips, you know, you can't stop the Frenchie from running through the house.

SPEAKER_00 5:35

So But you know what you can do, you can not play your stereo on your outdoor speakers at the loudest volume that it can go. I mean, just because you really love Jimmy Buffett doesn't mean I want to hear Jimmy Buffett at 11:30 at night on a Thursday. I'm just saying, I mean, I do love me some Jimmy Buffett, but no, I don't need to hear him at 11:30 at night from the camper five spaces down, you know, late at night.

SPEAKER_01 6:08

If it helps my damn at our house, it you had to watch out for it's raining tacos in the chicken nuggets song late at night. What?

SPEAKER_00 6:17

Have you never heard those? It's raining men? I I know it's raining men. I don't know it's raining tacos in the chicken nuggets.

SPEAKER_01 6:26

I mean, it's kind of it's kind of yeah, the chicken nugget song. You've never heard the chicken nugget song? No. Too bad it's probably copyrighted, or we could share it. Yeah, let's let's not. But if you're if you're listening somewhere and you need to know it's raining tacos or the chicken nugget song, now is your or the chicken nuggets.

SPEAKER_00 6:44

So the tacos are not raining into the chicken nuggets, these are two separate songs. Two separate songs, yeah. Okay. Is it's raining tacos like actually sung to the tune of it's raining men? No. Well, that's a shame. I mean, that's that's just a missed opportunity.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

Well, I also don't recommend having it rain tacos at the campground, you know. I mean, that would probably be an etiquette issue. I don't know. Probably so, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:09

So etiquette, that is what we're talking about today. But there are, you know, there are other things. So, okay, one of the things that I think is kind of not really spoken about, but is good to know and and is a good thing in regards to campfires. You know, we've we've already mentioned like those things that you're saying at the campfire. But if somebody is having a campfire and they're set up, how do you, or or maybe if you have a campfire and you're set up, although you're probably the wrong person to ask this, how do you feel whenever someone walks up and they just kind of invite themselves to your campfire? Like you don't know them, they just come on over and they say hi and you're like, Hey, nice to meet you. And then instead of reading the room and kind of going, Oh, this is a private event, they're kind of spending some family time, they decide to just hang out until you're right. I am not the person to ask this of because I would go get them a chair. Because you'd be like, Let me get you a chair. Do you want a lemonade? I've got some tea. Yeah. So you're not the person, but I think there is something to be said for like being respectful of other people's spaces. That's kind of a campground etiquette thing, but also and being respectful of other people's spaces, don't walk through other people's yards, essentially. Like, I think it's good to remember, think of each person's camping space as kind of their front yard for the time that they're there. You wouldn't just go traip seeing through someone's yard in a neighborhood. So don't just go traipseing through someone's campground, even if the bathroom is just on the other side of their camper. Go around.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Use sorry if you have a campground dedicated path in your front yard. You should expect people to come through your rear yard. But, you know, so for me, I have a reactive dog, and so we're super careful with Millie because she is reactive. She doesn't love people, and people love her because she looks mostly like a pug, which makes her look very approachable.

SPEAKER_02 9:16

But she's you know, and you exactly.

SPEAKER_01 9:18

Well, everybody says that until she like wants to eat your arm off. And so, you know, we have a little fence out front so that if the dogs run out ahead of us, and it can happen, that they are in that space, but reaching over and touching someone, so that goes back to if you're going through my front yard, please don't pet my dogs. You know, yesterday I actually had it, it may have been the same woman that spoke a little while ago. She went to, you know, go touch Millie, and we had to like pick her up and carry her in quickly. And I said she really needs to listen to this episode. You know, I well, and I use the words not friendly. And so while Millie may be okay with you, that there's a very good chance she won't be until she gets to know you. And so we don't want to take that chance ever. So, you know, having that situation where people are coming into my yard without being asked if they can come into my yard is a bigger problem for me these days. So absolutely, if we were having a campfire and Millie was on my lap, I would probably not invite somebody to sit down just to bring that full circle.

SPEAKER_00 10:19

Yeah. Because I would have a dog on my lap that would want to eat some that would see your face and go, mm, snack, and not the looking kind that aren't aren't kind. Well, we when I was looking at this, I wanted to find or looking researching for this. I wanted to find what are some of the etiquette thoughts that people have that maybe are not just like the this is the printed off etiquette sheet that you get whenever you check into every campground. And I found a lot of the same rules that I think everybody's kind of used to, but I also found a lot of people like on Reddit with some of their these are the things that we've done when the etiquette has not been followed and we've just been at our wits' end. And I think I told you about this the other day. So I would say, stop me if you've heard this one, but the people at home have not heard this. So there was a couple and they were tent camping, and the path to the bathroom ran right by their tent, but people were not taking the path to the bathroom, they were cutting through right by their tent. So they were just literally cutting through their space. And they were like, you know, it had been a whole day of this. We had gone through one night in the middle of the night. We kept hearing people walk past our tent. You know, we weren't getting any sleep. So the next night they decided that's it. We are setting up one of these logs from the other side of the space, right here where people keep walking. And so they did. They moved one of those logs, and the people were walking through their space in the dark, and they tripped over the log in the dark. And it was five o'clock in the morning, and they said they just both woke up laughing their butts off because, you know, their trap had worked. But, you know, you people may get feisty if you keep walking in their space. I was also thinking about, you know, you were talking about being able to hear things outside of your camper, and you can't always do things about little kids or dogs running back and forth in your camper. Like you just can't. Kids are gonna kids and dogs are gonna dogs, and that's you know, that's just what they're gonna do. But also, you know, some spaces at campgrounds are getting really tight. There are going to be campgrounds where you're really spaced out, and that's wonderful. But there are also campgrounds where like you're parked rear to rear and you could reach out and touch each other if you wanted to. We've had instances where we've been parked and I can be in my camper and hear the kids in the next camper.

SPEAKER_01 12:55

We are parked in Arizona one year with another family and our windows matched up and we passed lunch to our kids through the windows.

SPEAKER_00 13:05

Oh my gosh. So that can happen. Yes. So being mindful, I mean, if that's just natural noise, if that's just the noise that happens from kids being kids, what about when Frank wants to watch like Star Wars with the subwoofer on like 45?

SPEAKER_01 13:20

Oh, the subwoofer. Is that not okay?

SPEAKER_00 13:22

Like I mean, I yeah, you know, pew, pew, pew. I mean, you can hear it three doors down. Listen, I would say to Mr. Frank, just bring that down a little bit, buddy. Just bring it down. I just be respectful. No that's what we're doing.

SPEAKER_01 13:38

Well then what about outside movies? I mean, like so I think outside movies are okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

We got some looks that one that one weekend we were watching Stranger Things outside, but we respected our quiet hours. We were inside of our tent, we used the the not a clam projector. Yes, not a clam. But it looks like a clam, it's just not a clam. It's not a clam. Uh we used the projector, we kept our sound inside, and we didn't bleed over into other people's lots, which is another thing that's really important. If you're setting up extra things outside, make sure that your stuff does not bleed over into your neighbor's lots or into the street, right? Because then that's making it really difficult for people to get down the road. It's making it difficult for people to back in, back out, and it's putting your belongings at risk of being damaged too.

SPEAKER_01 14:31

Well, and the other thing was that Frank did park the truck in a way that like you couldn't just see it from the street. So we were trying to be mindful of our space that way too, because it was stranger things and we didn't want necessarily anybody that was walking with little kids to get scared. We were trying to be mindful of that. But at the same time, you know, bringing everybody inside, it was a nice week, and we were just outside enjoying the fresh, clean air, and fitting, you know, people in the clam is way easier than fitting two families inside my rig, which we've done, but yes, we have does have its own set of challenges.

SPEAKER_00 15:04

It is tricky, and it usually requires rosewood sitting on my lap. And and several rows of the case. As much as I love my 21-year-old, I can only hold them for so long before I'm like before your leg falls asleep. I I need you to meet the floor now. How do you feel about people like coming up and knocking on the door for a cup of sugar or um you know?

SPEAKER_01 15:28

So again, I am not the right person to ask that question. I know because I will totally like engage them. So is this is kind of like trick-or-treating. Like, if you're gonna come trick-or-treat at my door, you can expect to have a conversation.

SPEAKER_00 15:41

And so at the same time, when you knock on that door.

SPEAKER_01 15:45

I also have a lot of friends that are more introverts, and so I also understand the other side of it of texting people before you come over and that sort of thing. And I think this has changed tons since 2020. I think that we're all in kind of our own little bubbles in some ways, and so, like, I don't know, it's so tricky, you know, because I think that the culture of camping is meeting new people. And so, how do you do that? Well, you don't necessarily have to knock on someone's door. So in Florida, there used to be a field, and it's still there, but it's run differently. It was called the B field, and it's at Thousand Trails Orlando. All the families wanted to park on that field. I wanted to park on that field, and I did it one time, and I never tried to do it again because at 622 in the morning, you got knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock. And it was some little kid asking if your kids could come out and play. And I was like, Do you know what time it is? And so, like, I think you have to be mindful of all of those things. But at the same time, if you're gonna step in and park where there's, you know, 30 families parked on the same field, there may be some expectation that that's what you want to be doing.

SPEAKER_00 16:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:50

And so, you know, so I mean, I think that you have to know your surroundings.

SPEAKER_00 16:54

Yes. So I think in terms of knocking on a neighbor's camper and asking to borrow something or at, you know, saying, hey, we just realized that we forgot this and we really need it. Can we use your lighter? Can we whatever? I think that that is totally acceptable in an instance where you're like, man, I just realized that we missed this. And, you know, maybe the person has already introduced themselves and they seem friendly and we're good. If the person has been like hold shouldering you, has not made eye contact, maybe find a different camper door to knock on. They might specifically be there that weekend because they're there to get away. They want some time alone, they want the privacy, they're there because they're looking for a solo camping thing. I would also say prepare yourself for your camping adventure. Don't knock on someone's door and go, hi, I was thinking of making a roast tonight, but the only thing that I have for the entire meal is onions. Like, don't go over and ask for the roast, the potatoes, the carrots, the beef broth. Like, come prepared for what you're you're expecting to use during your camping trip. Come on, Tasha.

SPEAKER_01 18:06

If they're not full-timers like us, they're probably just making wieners.

SPEAKER_00 18:09

But what God, that is the question. What exactly does wiener stand for? That is the question. So the other thing is in terms of we're gonna pivot, in terms of being prepared, that doesn't just stand for being prepared for what you need for food, right? You also need to be prepared. I think this is a really important part of campground etiquette, and at least maybe not etiquette, but campground preparedness is be prepared for what do you do if bad weather comes in? Um, what what are the rules with local wildlife? Okay, I I think the treatment of local wildlife at your campground is campground etiquette. If you are at a preserve find the campground etiquette, whenever it comes to tearing down bushes or removing branches or feeding the wildlife, do not feed the wildlife, don't feed the wildlife. I'll say it again for the people in the back.

SPEAKER_01 19:12

At Thousand Trails Orlando, our first year there, we were outside cooking on the grill, and this was 2013. So this goes back a couple days, and there's a lot of sand cranes there. Yes, and we were making chorizo and eggs for breakfast, and the sand cranes came for the chorizo and the potatoes, and we could not leave them, so we couldn't even eat outside without them coming up. So they were very much conditioned by someone else, not us, to eat from people's tables. I don't think that that is as big a problem today as it was back then. I think it's gotten better. I think we've all gotten a little more mindful of it. But that goes for like squirrels, that goes for all the animals. And even if you put out a bird feeder and you're traveling, when you leave, most people don't even realize the impact that can have. So if you're there all year round, it's very different. And I'm not saying you should feed the birds all year round either, but if you're going to feed the wildlife and you're stationary in one place, it's very different than if you're moving every two or three weeks because those birds get conditioned after like three or four days to come get food, and then they're flying in to someone else's campsite who no longer does that. And then they stop looking for their own food. There's a whole problematic situation there. Um, but being mindful of the wildlife too. Um in 2019, we went to Yellowstone and we were out cooking dinner and we had a whole herd of elk come through our campsite. We just had everybody climb on the table because there were moms walking through our campsite with babies. Elk can be very dangerous, so you need to know how to move away slowly and some regular preparedness stuff in those situations. So that comes to campground etiquette too. What about putting out your fire?

SPEAKER_00 20:51

Yes, that was the next thing that I was gonna talk about is like your your campfire, putting out your campfire, but also what you do with your trash. That's very, very important whenever it comes to wildlife because they're gonna come burrowing and looking for that kind of stuff. And if your fire is not put out, that's dangerous for the wildlife around you, that's dangerous just for the land. You really need. I was a Girl Scout troop leader for Rosewood whenever they were little. So, you know, I'm a very firm believer in like if there's smoke, it's not out. Like douse that puppy with some water if you have to, like, make sure it is done. I almost safety reasons for that.

SPEAKER_01 21:33

So years ago, we were out in quartzite and we thought the fire was completely out, and we left the chairs out by it, and then in the middle of the night, I smelled something funky burning. And so I woke up Frank and he goes running outside, and sure enough, the chairs had blown over, and the coals that were there, we were in quartzite, so there wasn't full hookups. We doused it as well as we thought we needed to, and it seemed like it was out, but in the middle of the night the wind had picked up, it was cold outside, so you know. You didn't think that it was still warm. And we got just a spark. And so we we almost burned two chairs to the ground. We did not, but we were fortunate that we woke up. But how many times do you think of people that don't put a fire out or don't pay attention to fire rules? You know, there's fire bands in places for a reason in the summertime.

SPEAKER_00 22:18

Yes. And that also in conjunction with the firebands, there are also rules around what wood or product you use at your fire pit. So if they say do not use coal, don't use coal. If they say propane fires only, only do propane. If they say you can use wood, do not bring wood in from outside of the area. And the reason for that is that when you are bringing wood in from outside of the area, you are potentially bringing in other creatures, other um plant diseases to the area that they've not been made privy to or exposed to. That's the word that I'm looking for. Not made privy to, exposed to. That's how bugs continue to roam through the country when they're not supposed to be roaming through the country. That's why we had a ladybug infestation in our camper in Kentucky, because bugs carry in plants and in wood. So you do not want to carry something there. You want to buy your firewood, you know, check with the campground first. Usually they have firewood there. And a lot of times, just to make sure that people will get the right firewood that will keep their campground safe, they will sell the campfirewood for pretty cheap, usually cheaper than you can find it elsewhere in town. But if you are going out into town to find it, make sure that the campfirewood that you're buying is from in the area and that it hasn't been shipped in from somewhere else. That's a good one. Cool.

SPEAKER_01 23:56

So should we jump into pets? I mean, I think pets are at the top of the list for me. So our second year on the road, we actually had a situation where there was cats peeing in the fire rings in Florida. And so, like, I personally think if you're out walking your pet, all pets should be leashed or contained. And so, like, that could be a backpack if you're carrying them, but I think that they should be on some kind of leash or something. Because not everybody can be around pets. I've had friends that are actually deathly allergic to pets that they're like, oh, it's no big deal. It may not be to you, but it could be to them. Having a reactive dog, you know, we have a sign on her leash that says, do not pet. It's bright red. Don't approach dogs that are reactive. You know, all dogs love me. That's nice. Please don't.

SPEAKER_00 24:45

Pretty much every campground I've been to has said, but as a good rule of thumb, even if they don't, keep your leash lead to about six feet long at the max, so that if something happens, if that dog starts to run and there's a car coming through or whatever, you can pull them back and get them back. But that also means, hey, drivers, follow the posted speed limit signs, specifically because there are children playing, there are people hiking, there are people in a lot of those parts. There's wildlife. You know, we talk about TTO a lot, Thousand Trails Orlando a lot for people who are not familiar with the acronym. I'm sorry. We talk about Thousand Trails Orlando a lot because we've spent a lot of time there. Jen, way more than I have, but I still feel like I've been there a lot. They have tortoises that are on the property.

SPEAKER_01 25:36

They've been run over and run over.

SPEAKER_00 25:37

And they get run over all the time. And it's devastating. And it breaks my heart every time I see a post in the Facebook group that says, Well, hey, who knows the person that's driving this vehicle because they just ran right over the tortoise and I'm gonna hunt them down. Well, especially at a campground.

SPEAKER_01 25:56

I think it's so preventable. Just drive slow and stop for animals. It's so preventable. You know, I mean, I know we stopped for a tortoise leaving the park one time this year with the camper in tow. And like all these cars went around us, like as if we weren't actually stopping for a reason. And so that's the whole thing. You know, it's one of those things where, you know, what if that had been a child or an older lady? Our first year on the road, I feel like I saw all the wildest things the first year. Maybe it just hit me harder that first year. I'm not sure. But there was this sweet little lady at Peace River, and there was a great big motorhome approaching her. And she had her dog and she starts running across the road really fast, and she gets to the other side and she almost collapses. And so I go over and I check on her and she says, That motorhome didn't see me. And so, you know, he was taking the he was coming down the road really fast. He was taking the turn really fast, he wasn't watching, he maybe wasn't paying as good of attention as he should have been. He never even saw her. And so it's not just the pets, it's all the things that you have to be mindful of. You're driving a giant motorhome or a giant fifth wheel or even a travel trailer with a big truck, you're in a bigger vehicle than anybody else out there. So whether it's a pet, a child, they don't stand a chance if you're not going to take the time to do that.

SPEAKER_00 27:14

No. So and those vehicles, because of the weight, they take longer to stop. Absolutely. So you need to be going slower. Well, and let's talk about e-bikes, because I don't know if you've got this on your list.

SPEAKER_01 27:26

I do you go for it, sister. So uh a couple years back when we were in Palm Springs together, um, I was almost actually hit by an e-bike. And the response of the e-bike rider was, I can't slow down, get out of my way. So I jumped out of the way. But bike riders, e-bike riders, it's up to you know how to work your brakes.

SPEAKER_00 27:50

Oh gosh I'm here for you. Oh gosh. Well, and here's here's another thing. So we recently were at a an event together and golf carts were transporting people around, and one of the ladies transporting us, she pointed out to me that golf carts do not have speedometers in them. So, yeah, there are speed limit signs posted everywhere, but she was like, we don't know how fast we're going because there's nothing in the golf carts that indicates how fast that we're going. So if you are in a golf cart and you don't have something telling you how fast you're going, pay attention to how quickly the cars are going through the park. Watch for, I mean, listen, you've driven a car before. You know what five miles per hour feels like. You know, if you're flying through on a golf cart, if you catch some air going over a speed mount, you're probably going faster than five miles per hour. Just be respectful of those things. Those speed limits can sometimes feel obnoxious whenever you're like, oh my gosh, I just want to get to the other side of the park already. But they're there.

SPEAKER_01 29:06

I know at least three people that have lost their dogs. Now I'm not talking about the people that have trained their dogs to ride in the golf cart. I'm talking about, hey, I'm taking my dog for a walk, they're gonna walk, I'm gonna drive the golf cart. Yes. By the time you stop, it's usually too late. And so be mindful of that. It's not great when that happens, and it it causes quite the scene for everybody watching. So, you know, and it oftentimes doesn't turn out well. So golf cart etiquette, I think there's a lot to be said for that. The other side of golf cart etiquette is kids driving in a campground. Now, a lot of campgrounds have rules about it, but most places you actually have to be a licensed driver to drive a golf cart. The question is, is it enforced?

SPEAKER_00 29:50

Not seen it enforced as much as I would like for it to be enforced in park grounds that have rules posted saying that you must be a licensed driver to drive. And that I think where it concerns me the greatest is whenever I've seen children that I'm like, that child has clearly not left elementary school. I do not know why they're being allowed to drive this park in that golf cart right now. It's it's alarming, but I think, you know, I think it goes to probably one of mine. And I know that everybody has got different visions, if you will, of what this etiquette kind of comes down to. But I think parents need to be responsible for their children at the campground. And every parent has to decide what that looks like. Everybody needs to be responsible for their kids. And if that means that you've got a walkie-talkie watch and you're checking in every now and then, hey, where are you at? You know, are you guys staying out of trouble? Are you still at the park? What are you doing? Or if it's going with them to the park because you feel like, hey, they are still too young to be by themselves, and the park rules say that kids under 14 have to be with someone over the age of 18, whatever that is. Um so I think that depends on where you're the campground rules.

SPEAKER_01 31:08

Like I think that that's if there's a hard and fast rule at the campground that says 14 and under can't be left unaccompanied, then I think that you should abide by it. Because what it does is when you don't, it just hurts everybody else. So there's actually a park in Florida that went so far one year as to say anybody 18 and under can't be outside of their camper without an adult. And so because the children were wandering and they weren't doing anything bad, but because they were allowed to wander and they were free rowing, the park made a hard and fast rule. And as parents, like we had to sit outside with those kids in that park. And so now they don't do that the same way anymore. The problem the year they had that went away. But the reality is, is they wouldn't have had to make that rule if people had followed the rule. I always tell people, I think it was so much easier when my kids were little to make friends on the road because I was the mom going to the park with my kids until they just wouldn't let me come with them anymore. So if my kids go to the clubhouse now and they say, Hey, mom, will you come? I'll go. But at the same time, I think it's harder with moms with teens than moms with littles. I think that it's easy to say, hey, let's meet up at the playground or the pool. And, you know, I can't get my kids to let me take them to either one of those places anymore. Right. So now I have to try harder. But at the same time, I think that if you're gonna be out there with your kids, it's also not up to a sibling to watch their siblings, you know, because they're not gonna listen to their sister or their brother the same way they are if there's a parent sitting there. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 32:40

And I think that also with that, if you do have children, I don't know how to say this without just saying this. So two things. One is not every person at the campground has the same intent for your children that you do. And you do not know that every person at the campground is safe. We would love to imagine that every campground is a safe place filled with like-minded people, but unfortunately that is not the case. Know where your children are, know who they are with, and just be aware of who's around you. The other thing is when your kids are out, if they're riding their bikes or whatever, I've seen some really little kids riding their bikes in the middle of streets, very far from their campers, unattended. And sometimes they're not tall enough to see over the front of a hood of a truck. So, you know, just be aware that people are not always watching the way that they should be when they're pulling in with their big campers. We've talked about this already. People are pulling in and they're they're maybe going too fast, or they might be looking behind them, trying to make sure that their camper is clearing the big tree that is oddly placed by the gate instead of looking forward. You know, there's so much to be worried about whenever you are pulling a camper in through a campground that a small child on a bike or a scooter or a skateboard or skates in the middle of a road can get missed. So just really watch your children because we do not want to see little kids get hurt doing something that should be just a really happy retreat for families.

SPEAKER_01 34:17

Well, and that's true of the pool too. I mean, like the pool's another place that everybody goes. You need to be available to hop in the water at any time, especially if you're traveling with small children. We've seen kids get in trouble in the water, meaning that they didn't somebody jumped in after them where the kid could swim, but maybe panicked or something like that. But at the same time, I think that there's something to be said for pool etiquette, and this is campground etiquette. You know, if you're going to be in the pool, I fully believe, and this is not a popular opinion, that if you're in the pool, that kids are in the pool, they can swim and get you wet because you're in the pool together. And so I don't think it's fair to say now, I'm not talking a big old splash war unless you're the you're just the families in the pool and you're doing that together. But you know, I think that you know, being mindful of the people you're swimming around, maybe you've got one end of the pool and there's a quieter side of the pool, you leave the quieter side by itself. But at the same time, I think that you're already wet. So it's okay to get wet in the pool. And that's why we're there, being mean and hurtful about it and saying, don't splash or don't swim. We're there to have a good time. And on that same token, there are parents that let their children into a hot tub to warm up. I don't think you should use that as a pool because no hot tub should be used as a pool. But at the same time, I think it's okay as long as parents are being mindful, watching their children, that those kids should be able to get in the pool. That also being said, I think that nobody should swim in the hot tub. Like, don't put your head under the water.

SPEAKER_00 35:50

Just don't so guidelines for the pool, don't be precious about splashing, but also don't swim a mile in the hot tub. These are very important, very important guidelines. Now we all have to be.

SPEAKER_01 36:25

And so you have to be mindful of that, kind of read the room, if you will, and see if, you know, that's a good fit for you. Some parks have like a quiet pool and a splash pool. You know, if you're there with your children, you know, the splash pool might be the better choice for you. But if you're going by yourself, you know, and you just want to swim laps, it's really nice to have a quiet pool.

SPEAKER_00 36:46

So depends on how you look at it. Yeah. So we've talked about like, I don't need my neighbor to be my DJ. I can work my own music. Or your movie studio. Right. But also, I don't need my neighbors to light the night sky for me. I really like to be able to see stars. I really enjoy camping. So that's we talking like fireworks? Are we talking like we're talking about, hey, I put floodlights all the way around. And uh good luck finding those stars because, you know, not only are we lit up like Griswold's Christmas vacation house, but you're not sleeping tonight because even though it's 1 a.m., it actually looks like it's 9 30 in the morning outside because it's so bright. So you have blackout shades. We do, and those are amazing. We slept the first night in our new RV, and Matt was like, It's so dark in here, but it's so dark in here. Like it was amazing. And I will say, for people who don't know, because like the pets episode just dropped, and everybody was like, Oh my gosh, but the pets episode just dropped. We did just lose um our our cat Edward, he did just pass, and the next day after Rosewood was like just really needed some extra sleep, was just really down. And I was like, Why don't you go lay down in my room? Like, close the door. I'm telling you, it'll it'll be dark in there, you can get some more sleep. And they went in and and I was like, See, I told you it was dark, and they were like, but it was so dark. Like it's just it's amazing in there. But no, it's still be respectful of your neighbors. People don't want light shined in their eyes when they're, you know, outside in the dark. Kind of turn those headlamps down a little bit, point your flashlights at the ground, not in people's faces when you're walking. Um but also there are certain campgrounds that are known specifically for having zero light pollution. Like when we were in Cali and when we were over on the West Coast, there were different national parks that have specifically no light pollution camp out nights. And, you know, I missed it. I got to see all of the merch in the store after the fact, which really bummed me out. But, you know, just be mindful of people, not everybody is a full timer. Not everybody listening to this is a full timer. And some people are there specifically because they do live in the middle of the city and they've come out and they want to enjoy the night sky and our 9,000 floodlights or our very bright front cap V-shaped lights kind of distort, you know, how much you can see. So that I think is a good etiquette tip is they don't need you to be their their light engineers and they don't need you to be their DJs or their movie guys. They'll find their own popcorn.

SPEAKER_01 39:57

And the other side of don't light up the night sky would be fireworks in a campground. Most campgrounds have rules, most states have rules. Yeah. Be mindful of that. The things that you're gonna do to the poor pets in everyone's camper as they eat their blinds, you know, because they're scared. Fourth of July is plenty for my dogs, adding to that in campground environments where it's totally not okay in some places to set those off, you know, and fire hazards and all that stuff. It's just one of those things you should be mindful of. So that's another way you could light up the night sky.

SPEAKER_00 40:28

Yes. And with that, you know, fireworks are really loud. So it's not just the the light, it's also the sound and kind of going back to sound. If you have a generator and you're camping somewhere and you have the ability to choose where you're camping, maybe choose to camp somewhere by other campers that have generators so that you're kind of keeping that noise in one area, like if you're in a a spot that has boondockers or you know, whatever that is. The other thing is if the campground that you're staying at does not have posted quiet time hours already designated, because I know that there are some out there that are like that. A good rule of thumb is sun down to sun up is kind of the makeshift quiet time hours for that.

SPEAKER_01 41:12

And I am doing a companion blog post on something like this, but it's a little different. So my companion blog post that's gonna come out with this is cracker barrel truck stops, that sort of thing, the etiquette there. And so I think that's a that could be a whole nother podcast, but it's gonna be a blog that goes out the same day this podcast does. So if you have some rules for cracker barrel or cabela's or any of the places that you might park overnight, you know, slides in, slides out, what does that look like for you? That blog post is gonna be a great place to get started if you don't know what to do, or you're thinking, hey, can I run my generator all night long? The reality is if you have to run your generator all night long, chances are you should be looking for a campground because you know, you have to keep in mind that other people are gonna be trying to sleep and the business is still in some cases trying to run, like Walmart, the ones that are 24 hours, you just don't want to keep it running all night long. No, no, you don't.

SPEAKER_00 42:05

We talked about respecting the campground rules. You know, we've kind of touched on that off and on, like with the speed limit and the quiet hours.

SPEAKER_01 42:13

Have you ever have you ever had to sign the rules like when you go into a campground? Yes, we have.

SPEAKER_00 42:18

There doesn't happen everywhere. It doesn't, it really doesn't, but there have been a few. My I always laugh whenever it's like, here's the handbook that has the map in it, and it's got all the rules in it. But also, we typed all the rules out again on these eight sheets of printer paper, and we'd like for you to read them all. And in case you don't remember them, there are signs posted all over the park so that you remember these are the campground rules. And you're like, oh, you poor people, they're really not reading these rules, are they? You know, there are some campgrounds out there that say no drinking outside. And when I say drinking, I'm talking about alcohol. Please listen to what I'm saying. No drinking alcohol outside of your camper, no smoking, or they might have designated smoking areas. The rules, again, we talked about with like burn bands. You may be camping at a time when fire pits are not allowed at all, you know, especially with the dry times, the drought areas. We've camped at a lot of places where we haven't been able to do fire pits, or and I've mentioned this before, where we've had a type of fire pit that we haven't been allowed to use. So those are really important things to pay attention to because it might not make sense to you in the moment, but they have reasons for those rules. And some of it might be tied to county laws, and some of it might be tied to, you know, like with the the campfire, um, the type of fire pit that we had, there was a specific reason for it, and it had to do with the brush that was on the ground and how it could get tucked into it and how that could. start a wildfire. So there's just different things like that. But also if the rule is don't wash your rig, don't wash your rig. Okay. Just wait. Go to the next campground and see if you can wash your rig there. Because or get a wash wax all kit.

SPEAKER_01 44:15

And then you don't have to wash your rig.

SPEAKER_00 44:18

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 44:19

Waterless wash is a great way to do it.

SPEAKER_00 44:21

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 44:22

What about picking up after your dog? Like I mean I know we didn't talk about it in the pets portion, but the reality is there's a lot of people that don't pick up after their animals. They'll just walk by and let them do whatever, wherever. Don't let your dog pee on someone's tire or their grill. But also I own a bunch of Facebook groups. Don't shame someone by taking pictures of them doing all the bad things. So make sure you're picking up yeah make sure you're picking up after animals. But keep in mind that if you're in an area that has maybe coyotes, it might not be a dog pooping in your campsite. It might be a coyote. It looks real similar. You're camping chances are there's something that's going to poop in your site that maybe isn't attached to a person or a camper. So it can happen and you know be kind to the people around you. Maybe somebody couldn't bend over and pick it up. I'm not saying it's okay and that they shouldn't do it, you know, in their own space. But if it's going to be like that, just try to be kind maybe they missed it. You know, well hey I noticed your dog pooped in my yard did you did you mean to leave it there? You can ask people those questions. It may not be comfortable but it also might make them respect the space differently next time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 45:33

And you are going to come to campgrounds where there are full-time people that stay there all the time. And those people may have signs up that say please don't let your animal use the bathroom here. Be respectful of that. I mean that's their yard year round. They just don't want your dog or cat or pet iguana pooping there. Like just move along so Jennifer how does it make you feel when you walk in to use the shower and they're all taken and you walk back they're all still taken and you walk back and they're all still taken and then you finally get one to open up and the water is ice cold because all of the hot water has been taken. Do you like cold showers? Not particularly not particularly what about when you want to go to the hot tub and it is completely taken by the same people the whole time that the hot tub is open.

SPEAKER_01 46:32

I mean that's tricky. I mean you weren't the first ones there you know you can ask if you can come in and you know I mean they can't stop you from coming in. I think the biggest thing here is be kind. You know you can a lot of times make more friends than you think you can in situations like that. But if it's like a crowd that's partying and they're drinking I don't know that that belongs at the hot sub necessarily you know it I don't know it's such a fine line. And I think it depends on the campground in so many places.

SPEAKER_00 47:00

So I think the probably the rule of thumb is don't hog the amenities.

SPEAKER_01 47:05

Be mindful you know be mindful it's like washing machines you know pulling your laundry out before like setting a time if you're not going to stay with your laundry set a timer and be back when it's done because I mean I've waited over an hour for a wash or a dryer being mindful of that you know everybody has time. And also I have a big family but I still don't walk in and take all the washers. Yes. Yes. It's not their fault that I have a big family. I always try to take no more than two unless it's a great big laundry room. And then a lot of times when I take more than two it's going to be at a laundromat. And so if I have more than I need to wash I'll go to a laundromat in town where I can't take as many as I need.

SPEAKER_00 47:46

The next one on my list is how do you feel about doing your kitchen dishes in the public bathroom sink.

SPEAKER_01 47:54

So as somebody that's worked in housekeeping I this is a huge no just because campgrounds are not set up to do your dishes in their bathrooms that way. In fact a lot of them are on septic systems or something like that where it's a limited amount of space. Some of them will have an outside like area for you to wash your dishes in the tent camping section. Please just do that there. And the other thing is don't throw your like greasy oil in your fire pit because chances are you're going to have animals in it in the middle of the night.

SPEAKER_00 48:24

Or that was a two on that same same path don't put like your tin cans in your fire pit. Those things are not melting away so you are literally just leaving trash in your fire pit for someone else to clean up leave your spot better than you found it.

SPEAKER_01 48:42

It's just a good I feel the same way about cigarette butts too but that's just I'm with you.

SPEAKER_00 48:47

This one is a really big one for me because I am the one who parks our rig. And so I genuinely get the hey little lady do you need help with that a lot or the oh my gosh are you the one who's going to do that. And a lot of times it's while I'm parking. And so I I feel very strongly about this one. And it is let people get parked and settled and set up before you come over and try and start a full conversation with them. Not a lot of or tell them that they're doing it wrong. Yes a nice you know wave or whatever that's okay. But coming over while they're like talking to each other trying to navigate the space is just so stressful. The other thing is that if they have like a standard operating order of how they set up or tear down interrupting that may make them miss something. And so if they're getting ready to leave for example and you interrupt them while they're in the process of tearing everything down to get ready to leave, they may miss a step accidentally that then causes problems for them down the road. So just give them the time to do what they need to do and to focus on those important things and then have the conversations with them afterwards. And I think that just comes down to being a good neighbor. Those are my big etiquette things. Is there anything that you can think of that I have missed before we let all of our wonderful listeners go. I mean I think we hit quite a few of them.

SPEAKER_01 50:24

We hit a lot. Yeah so I mean I think we were pretty thorough. But at the same time if there's something that we missed that you think is an etiquette item please put it in the comments or on our Facebook group. You know there's always ways to connect. Also if you have a wild and crazy campground story we'd love to be able to share those on air so we'll have a whole episode in if yours gets read on air we'll send you a sticker.

SPEAKER_00 50:47

There's lots of them across the country as you travel and when you do send those stories in send them to connect C O N N E C T at learn to R V dot com let us know if we can share your name or if you would like your story to be anonymous and we will read those stories on the air. We are getting really excited for that episode. So um yeah that's it and then like share subscribe always yeah subscribe that helps us and gets the word out on the show and kind of moves up moves us up in the list so thank you guys so much for joining us today and we will see you next time at the campfire.