Be My Guest RV Parking: Boondockers Welcome!
We’re avid boondockers, and camp without hookups all the time – usually for FREE! Oſten it
dictates where we travel – free and reasonably- priced camping is just easier to find in some places
than
others. We’d love to travel more across Canada but it’s a tough sell when both fuel and campgrounds are
cheaper
(and not just by a little) in the States. We’ve heard this same lament
from
same privilege down the road. I can’t tell you the
BY MARIANNE EDWARDS
many other Canadian RVers. Tat thought, combined with our experience visiting friends and family at their homes, were the seeds for a brand new idea: Boondockers Welcome. Two years later, it’s much more than an idea; www.
boondockerswelcome.com is a reality! But what exactly is it? Within the first week we heard RVers call it a tool, a resource,
a network, a club, a service, and a website. It is all of these things rolled into one. Tey’ve also referred to it as brilliant, a great idea, just what’s needed, and the best thing since sliced bread – Wow! Simply explained, it’s really just an easy way for RVers to
connect with each other, facilitating invitations for free overnight parking on private property in exchange for the
18 RVT 148 • JULY/AUGUST 2012 The author on her Elora, Ontario property – where there’s room for one more RV for a night.
number of times my husband, Randy, and I have invited fellow RVers we met on our travels to stop by and visit us if ever they’re passing through Southern Ontario. Who amongst you hasn’t done the same? Meeting new people is part of the adventure of travel. For most RVers, it feels quite natural to extend such an invitation
even
though, sometimes, you’ve barely met. My theory is that it’s
probably because hosting fellow RVers is so easy – there’s no need to clean the bathroom, make up the guest bed, or plan meals – RVers are always self-sufficient guests! In Ontario and, I’m sure, across other provinces and the more
populated states, finding a campsite in peak season without a reservation is nearly impossible –never mind the cost ($35 to $40 per night for dry camping is normal in Ontario). I found this out firsthand two years ago when I had an opportunity to take off for a month-long summer trip but Randy couldn’t join me. I decided to stay close to home by touring some of my favourite regions of Ontario. I was determined to incorporate some boondocking into the trip to keep it within a reasonable budget but, being alone, it had to feel safe. On the May long weekend, I found myself looking for a place
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