**Boondocking: What You Need to Know**

What is boondocking? Where can you do it? Is it safe? How long can you boondock? These were some of the many questions I had when we first started our RV journey. 

Boondocking is camping without hookups (electricity, water, or sewer). You can find many locations for boondocking, including state parks, rest areas, truck stops, welcome centers, and campgrounds. However, most people commonly associate boondocking with places like Walmart, Cracker Barrel, and Cabela's. **Always do your due diligence when considering a location; if you see a "No Overnight Parking" sign, move on.** If you’re uncertain, it’s best to go inside and ask the manager.

During our first RV trip while Reagan was a baby, we boondocked at several Walmart parking lots (note that some states, like Massachusetts, do not allow overnight parking at all). From various RV travel blogs, we learned to be cautious about parking at Walmart. Often, after parking, you'll go into the store to shop; which we did.  Be aware there are people who may follow you in and out, which can lead to a potential robbery.  Luckily this never happened to us. We experienced a scary incident at one Walmart however, where a car parked behind us and played loud music at 2 AM, intermittently leaving and returning, and running their headlights as well as the loud music.  We did not get much sleep that night. After that, we decided to stick to truck stops and campgrounds.

Cracker Barrel is an excellent option for RVers. They actually devote a portion of their parking lot to large vehicles to come and use their restaurant as well as sleep overnight.  The area is usually in the back of the restaurant and there are signs to direct you.  Now we had an interesting situation when we decided to boondock at a Cracker Barrel in Buckeye, Arizona. This was an unusual situation as this particular location was in a strip mall with other stores and restaurants. To be sure that is was okay to park there, I went inside and confirmed with the staff that boondocking was allowed. After we parked and ate, more RVs had parked there. However, the parking lot was tight and very challenging to maneuver due to our large size. I wouldn’t recommend that particular Cracker Barrel unless you have a smaller RV.  When you boondock at Cracker Barrel, it is customary to dine at their restaurant to show appreciation for the free and safe spot to sleep and since we love their food and it is kid-friendly, this isn’t a difficult requirement for us.

Regarding Cabela's, if you plan to boondock there, always double check that it is not a Bass Pro Shop. Although they are the same company, we’ve only found Cabela's locations allow for overnight parking. Cabela's website features an icon for RV parking. We enjoy visiting Cabela's. The kids love to look at the aquarium and the animal displays.

Truck stops like Love’s, Flying J, and Pilot often have limited parking for RVs, with priority given to truckers. If you can find a spot, take it. Love’s has recently started their Love’s RV Stop, which offers full hookups; however, this is not considered boondocking and does come at a cost, with only a limited number (6 or so slots) available. 

Several apps can help you navigate the boondocking world: Allstays, Campendium, Harvest Hosts, and Boondockers Welcome. I have used all these apps with great success, as they offer more than just boondocking locations. 

Harvest Hosts are businesses like distilleries, breweries, farms and golf courses that allow you to stay on their property, although you do not pay a camping fee, they do expect you to patronize the business so it could cost more than a campsite sometimes but the convenience of the area and supporting a mom and pop business helps offset the cost.  In contrast, Boondockers Welcome, of which we are a part of, allows you to park on private property. In our case, we offer water and electricity and ask for $5 per day to cover electricity costs, but that is not mandatory. Both Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome could have hook ups but don't always count on it; it's a safe place for an overnight visit. 

Fortunately, we have only experienced that one uneasy incident while boondocking, otherwise we have always felt safe. However, it's essential to trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right, leave. Always conduct research before arriving at your next spot; it's better to be safe than sorry.

After Christmas in Tennessee, we hit the road towards Florida. Glenn is the planner of our trips, and he started using the app RV Life Trip Wizard. This app allows him to plan multiple trips by inputting fuel stops and where we will be staying each night. I love that I can check the app to see where we're stopping, whether it’s at Love’s, Pilot, Flying J, or TA. Truck stops are fantastic when we are hauling our RV since all the stalls have diesel, and most also have DEF. When traveling with our rig, our diesel and DEF levels deplete quickly.

I enjoy looking up our next campground to see what amenities are available. After leaving the last campground, I checked our next stop: Moody Air Force Base, Grassy Pond in Lake Park, GA. However, their website stated they were closed due to damage from Hurricanes Idalia and Helene. We quickly found an alternative at Casey Jones RV Park in Lake City, Florida. Although it was a longer drive, it took us into Florida. Thankfully, when I called the park, they had a site available. When we crossed into Florida, we saw the welcome center with the sign stating Free Citrus Juice.  Of course, we had to stop and give it a try.  The welcome center is huge!  We got to choose between Orange or Grapefruit juice.  The lady gave us 3 orange and 1 grapefruit (me) and it was delicious.  The area was massive and full of brochures for every town and activity possible and had fun statues that represent the state. 

We also stopped at another welcome center because this one said they had baby gators!

Fresh from our quick rest stop at the Welcome Centers, we approached Casey Jones, just off the main road.  Upon checking in, the owners of the property were friendly and welcoming; they escorted us to our site.  All the sites are very close to each other, open space, and no protective areas.  All sites are pull-thru (my favorite) and full hook-ups (another favorite). After getting set up, I did not want to cook and we noticed a Wendy's and Little Caesars pizza nearby.  We decided on Little Caesars.  We walked over and ate inside the restaurant: friendly staff, full menu, but very sparse inside with only a few tables and chairs, but it was hot and hit the spot.

We had a nice, easy night. The next day, we packed up, hooked up, and headed out to TTO!