There are free campgrounds

There are free campgrounds scattered around the country. "Free camping," he told us, and we didn't wait long to take advantage of this new knowledge.

Somewhere in northern Georgia we pulled into a Wal-Mart, and sure enough, we saw some RVs off to one side of the parking lot, looking like they were there for the night. Some stay for a week at a time, going out all day to see the sights (and so they don't wear out their welcome).

Other Free Camping Places

Generally, you can camp free on any BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land, unless it's specifically forbidden in an area.

We camped in our van for ten days at Williams Landing, east of Tallahassee, Florida, on Lake Talquin. There were RVs camping there as well. State forest lands are usually open to free camping without permits, but policies vary by state (The two-week rule seems to be common). We parked, plugged in our 5-inch T.

To find a Wal-Mart in the area you're traveling to, visit Walmart. Thank you for camping at Wal-Mart!

We filled our tank there in the morning, and bought some food as well. Wal-mart gets business from the campers, but they'll only continue their policy if they don't have problems, so keep it low-key. You'll find Flying J Truckstops all over, and they actively court the RV crowd, counting on gas and other sales.

"Do you know about Wal-Mart camping?" We didn't sock machine know, but the old man at the campground in Florida insisted WalMart not only allowed RVs and vans to park overnight, but encouraged it. We were heading back to Michigan in our conversion van, and free camping sounded good to us. Nobody bothered us. Our cost? Zero, and you can stay up to two weeks.

Note: Wal-mart seems to encourage the campers, except in coastal areas where too many RVer's want to live in a parking lot. It's a beautiful place, with hot showers., and settled in for the night. Don't roll out the carpet and put out lawn furniture like one traveler we heard about, or you may ruin it for all. In both cases you're limited to a stay of two weeks in one place, though this rule is not always enforced, and the next two-week place might have to be only a hundred yards away.V. In the morning we used the bathrooms inside, and bought some orange juice. Scroll down to the "store finder" link to search. This is also true of National Forest lands.

The next night we camped for free again, this time at a "Flying J" truckstop. Ask an RVer about this, or buy a Woodall's directory from any large RV dealer. As long as campers stay out of the way of the truckers, free camping is likely to continue