Give me some assurance drydocking at truck stop or walmart

[IslandHtsCampers]

I usually drive to my limit then I do one of two options:
I sometimes pull in to a flying J, fuel up then catch some sleep in the RV lot or I'll pull in to a cracker barrel and rest up before going inside for my next meal. I have never had any problems doing this in the past. We used to stop over at wal marts until we started finding alot of stores could not accomodate overnight parking due to local zoning laws. Walmart corporate still welcomes campers but the towns in which they set up shop are starting to frown on the practice.

 

[lawnspecialties]

I'm with Shan-Man on this one 100%.

We like to head down the day before our arrival date and stay overnight along I-95. In 2006, we stayed at Lake McIntosh RV Park on exit 58 in Georgia. Last year, we stayed at Country Oaks RV Park on exit 1 in Georgia.

We pulled in around 5:00-6:00 each evening and just chilled out. Ate a nice meal, got a good shower, and slept very well in peace and quiet. The next morning, we pulled out around 8:00am and would always arrive at the Fort around lunchtime.

Both campgrounds cost us around $20-$25 for full hook-up. Don't let saving $20 start your vacation to Disney with a possible bad situation.

 

[Old Snipe]

I have taken up Flying J and Walmart on many occaisons of their invitation to RVers to overnight. I have limited time and want to spend as much time at my destination campground so it benefits me to use these companies parking lots as needed.

One thing I won't do is pull into a strange campground at night. I don't take a chance of damaging my motorhome while driving in the dark around unfamiliar, narrow roads that many camprgorunds have. Call me cheap, but brushing a tree or a rock, or backing into an obstruction that is hidden in the dark is not my cup of tea.

I use the Flying J's and WM's instead. And in my 16 years of traveling in RV's all around the country, I have never been bothered by anyone at night.

Best Regards!

 

[wrongagain]

I have stayed at flying J's and at the few police patrolled, "cops are physically there" rest areas, and felt very safe.
That being said, I am big and scary looking, and would not hesitate to defend myself, "think biker meets ZZ top" and even though I have cornered the market on scary looking, you get some people that are off the wall,
scary-weird, dont leave the door unlocked, dont lose sight of your wife, mutants on the loose types.
99.9% of the people you meet are as nice as can be.
Just be aware of your surroundings at night and carry a 6 cell maglite flashlight, I hear they can also be used as a flashlight .

 

[tlh0726]

Staying at a truck stop or Walmart is not about being able to pay 30 bucks or not. I won't be stopping on my first night until about 2 am, I would be very annoyed if someone pulled into a campground that late. If you are stopping before 10 then going to a campground is reasonable in my opinion. If you get much later than that then you are disturbing people. That's why I don't do it.

Dan

I am sure the rest of the campers in the campground thank you for thinking of them at 2am.

DH is just leaving SuperWalmart in Mooresville NC on his way home from Atlanta.

 

[Running_Bell]

We have stayed at the same Wal-Mart for two years and we will stay at it again in Oct. We usually are pulling in around midnight and have never been bothered or felt uncomfortable. The next morning we pop in and buy any supplies we still need and grab breakfast and the McDonalds inside. It's always funny to see how many RVs are also in the lot that we didn't notice when we pulled in. It's become a tradition now.

 

[Shan-man]

I remember one time a few years ago we got an epicly late start to our drive and arrived in north Florida around midnight and found a Wal*Mart near the interstate. There must have been 25-30 RVs already parked. So we found a spot and crashed. Despite the hum of several generators, semi traffic making deliveries, etc. we finally got to sleep. Around 3am the street sweeper arrived! He seemed to delight in slaloming between the RVs and getting as close as he could. He was there for a solid hour. When we awoke from our nearly restless night there were even more RVs than when we arrived and by the morning light I saw the sign that said no overnight parking allowed! Again, I am not a fan of boondocking in parking lots or rest areas. I don't feel safe and I NEED my beauty sleep.

 

[RocklandRVers]

On nearly every trip we stay overnigt on the down and back at Flying J or a couple of times at Pilot. We always buy fuel at Flying J using their discount card. Its not a lot but every penny helps. We also eat in the restaurant or get take out from their fast food spots. Sometimes we splurge and get a shower. Do we save on a campground stay? Maybe a couple of bucks but we just need a place to duck off the road for a few hours sleep not for all the rigamaroll of a campsite.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

Its not as much the money as it is the convenience. We usually stop on the way down at a nice campground in Perry GA, if I leave the evening before I will stop for 6 or 7 hrs just into KY and sleep, then get up and make it to Perry early. I need to make the best use of my time and often I just want to haul tail down the road.

 

[KPSmithSr]

Shan-man, it's a good thing you never had to sleep below the flight deck on an aircraft carrier. You would be uuuuugggggllllyyyy from no beauty sleep.

 

[H&Hmommy]

We always stay at the I 65 Wal Mart just south of Nashville. Never had a bit of trouble.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Whenever someone asks this question I think of the situation that happened several years ago at a Walmart, namely the abduction and subsequent murder of an employee leaving Walmart after her shift. The killer was caught thanks to the fine surveillance cameras Walmart has. So much for Walmart security, who did absolutely nothing except provide the police with a copy of the tape after the fact.

http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/1203397.html

I have also not seen very many truck drivers at rest stops I would trust mine or my family's safety with.

 

[pmountain]

We have stayed at Walmart's several times without any trouble. We always try for a 24 hour walmart and park close to other rvs with the door facing the store. It has never happened, but the plan is that if anyone ever knocks on the door we do NOT open the door, they can talk to me through the window. On our way to FW in a couple weeks we will once again stop at the Walmart in Troy Ohio for the first night, and the second night at the walmart on I-75 just south of I-10(this one has a security truck that patrols the parking lot all night). If it is too hot to sleep without A/C and if we get there early enough we may stop at the Valdosta KOA.
Pete.

 

[shirley 38]

We need 2 nights stay over at either Walmart or Flying J. I have the book on Walmart but can someone tell me where the Flying J's are.

We travel on 95. Any suggestions, Thanks

 

[guardwife66]

We always stay at a Flying J's or Walmart on our way to and from WDW. Also on any other trips that take more than a day for us to get to. We recently even went on a shorter trip and stayed at the Flying J's to save money. My daughter (who is now 16 and still loves it) thinks it is a grand adventure to be able to go to Walmart after midnight.

Walmarts are well lit and I actually think of this as a plus. It deters anyone from messing with the RV. There is traffic but you can usually park over to one side and it be not so noisy. Flying J's can be VERY noisy due to the semi's that are parked there and running. I once spent the night between 2 semi's. Talk about noise. But I always feel secure with them around. (Just my preference)

We want to save our money for the World so this is always our choice. We run our generator and just crawl into bed. No getting out and setting anything up.

 

[TheGreatGonzo]

We need 2 nights stay over at either Walmart or Flying J. I have the book on Walmart but can someone tell me where the Flying J's are.

We travel on 95. Any suggestions, Thanks

You can find a list of all Flying-J's on this website
http://www.flyingj.com/flyingjPorta...=true&_pageLabel=flyingjPortal_portal_page_61

 

[BradyBz12]

Interestingly, DH and I were just having the Walmart discussion yesterday. We usually make 2 WM stops on the way, but this year our 2nd stop will be Halloween night, and I admit I'm nervous about being in a parking lot (even a well lit one) when the loonies are out and about. Which, given that Halloween is a Saturday.....

We just found out that we have the ability to leave a night early, so I think this year we're just going to park at my uncle's for a couple of nights instead. He lives about 45 mins South of WDW, so it's a bit more driving, but it also gives us a chance to visit and only a 45 min. drive to FW the morning of our check in.

So, while normally I have no problem/concerns with boondocking at WalMart based on our past experiences, I'm not totally oblivious to the chances we may be taking when we do that.

 

[motherwild]

There is a walmartrving group on yahoo you could check out.
There is a list of Walmarts that don't allow over night parking. Flying J and Cracker Barrel also have websites with loction info. I like Flying J we stay at the one in Latta SC. We have never been bothered when park. We have on occation had people asking for money while we were fueling. All sorts of sob stories.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Our local Walmart is open 24 hours. If I need a vacation, I sometimes go and sack out on one of the futons. I always feel safe there.

 

[I'mDownWithDisney]

I prefer to pull into a truck stop for a few hours sleep. The sound of a big diesel at idle puts me right to sleep. Walmart tends to have too much traffic for me to rest very well. Either way, I try to stop at an area that looks halfway decent, but I don't rely on others for my safety either.