As an RVer, there will be times when you’ll need to park your rig overnight somewhere. You might be in between campground reservations, wanting to break up a long travel day, dealing with unexpected weather, or maneuvering road closures and traffic issues. Regardless of the reason, understanding how to safely and legally park overnight in your RV is an important aspect of travel. Here are some tips and advice to help you find a suitable overnight parking spot.
STAY SAFE AND SECURE
Safety and security are the top priorities whenever you’re parking overnight in your RV. Try to choose a well-lit area and park in a dedicated RV or bus parking space. These spaces are specifically designed to accommodate longer, wider vehicles and should offer you more room. If there aren’t any RV-specific spots, try to park away from any entrances, exits, or heavily trafficked areas. If you can, we recommend parking against a curb to avoid being too close to another vehicle. Once you’ve parked, be sure to lock your tow vehicle, RV and any outside storage compartments. Don’t leave any items outside of your RV, close your blinds and keep any valuables out of sight to deter potential break-ins.
BE AWARE OF LOCAL LAWS AND ORDINANCES
Different cities will have different rules. For example, some Walmart locations will allow you to stay overnight in their parking lots while other locations won’t. Generally, this has to do with the local ordinances that either allow or prohibit overnight parking. You can usually find rules about overnight parking on the city’s website, or you can call city hall directly and ask. If you’re planning to stay in a parking lot, call the place of business and ask if it’s okay to park overnight.
Wherever you park, be respectful of your surroundings. This includes keeping noise levels down, properly disposing of trash and avoiding generators (or using them sparingly if absolutely necessary). If you happen to park illegally, you’ll likely get a knock on your door in the middle of the night from a police officer. They’ll typically just ask you to move but they may issue you a ticket or fine.
HOW TO FIND OVERNIGHT PARKING
RV-specific travel apps such as Overnight RV Parking, Campendium and Harvest Hosts are a few of our favorites when looking for overnight parking. Planning your route ahead of time will allow you to research different parking options. Many of these apps have interactive maps that can show you parking locations along your route or within a certain radius of your location. Be sure to read any reviews about a parking location to make sure it’s a good fit for your situation. We like to stay overnight at places that offer something other than an area to sleep. For example, we’ll try to stay at or near grocery stores, a street near the center of town or somewhere with a nice view. Though this isn’t always an option, we try to make our overnight stops fun and useful.
