Campground Etiquette - RV podcast 374
Campground Etiquettete - tips to be a better neighbor in the campground
We are camped long-term - well, long term for us anyway at at campground. We are going to talk about the rules of etiquette for campgrounds. Luckily, we haven’t seen any bad campers where we are, but we have seen them in our travels. Sometimes its just a matter of realizing there are rules, and other times there are people who just don’t want to follow them.
Tony has an RV review to share with us, another world premier of a brand new travel trailer.
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Mentioned on this episode
Contact us today to book an RV Basic Training Camp
Checklists make for StressLess Camping
On Episode 99 we learned how campgrounds are controlling dog poo with Poo Prints
Listen to Episode 59 with Steve Searles, the Bear Whisperer
Our article that you helped write - 9 campground etiquette tips for StressLess Camping
Watch Tony’s review of the Teleos travel trailer
If you’re confused about solar, battery power or just want to upgrade your RV we have found the solutions from ABC Upfitters are both reliable and exceptional.
We have a podcast episode and video where you can learn more here.
Automated transcript of StressLess Camping RV podcast episode 374
Tony
We are camped long-term right here in Indiana.
Peggy
Well, long-term for us anyway.
Tony
We are going to talk about the rules of etiquette, ooh, Miss Manners- ... for campgrounds.
Peggy
Luckily, we haven't seen any bad campers here yet, but we have seen them in our other travels. Sometimes it's just a matter of realizing that there are rules, but other times there are people who just decide not to follow them.
Tony
I also have a review this week of a brand-new line of travel trailers that I think is groundbreaking, and I say that a lot, but this is- ... truly groundbreaking.
Peggy
We have this week's notes, along with the tips, and tricks, and stories, and links that go with it, and all kinds of other stuff on, at our home on the web at stresslesscamping.com.
Tony
Hey, don't forget to like, share, subscribe, tell a friend in the campground.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
That's good etiquette.
Peggy
There you go.
Tony
And most of all... Stressless Camping.
Peggy
Stressless Camping.
Tony
I'm Tony.
Peggy
I'm Peggy.
Tony
And we're two RV industry veterans who travel part-time.
Peggy
In that Rockwood Mini Lite with those electric bikes and this Lippert gazebo.
Tony
Looking to share big adventures and help you with great tips-
Peggy
Tricks
Tony
... and discounts.
Peggy
This is a little bit of a different situation for us, because we usually spend two or three days at a campground and we don't get all of our toys out, but we're gonna be here for quite some time.
Tony
Yeah, through Oct- to early October.
Peggy
Yep, and so we got the bikes, and we got the tent, and we got the chairs, and we have made ourselves to home.
Tony
Yes, we have.
Peggy
While we're here, before we got here and after we leave here, I have been working to book basic training camps across the country in 2027. And if you are interested in doing that, I, uh, encourage you, I urge you to write to me at peggy@stresslesscamping.com, and we'll see what we can put together for a training camp in your area.
Tony
And if you're not familiar with our RV basic training camp, we have a whole bunch of information about that. So if you're not a subscriber to our newsletter already, what you doing with us? There'll be a link to that, too, and it's always there at stresslesscamping.com. We got to go to ABC Outfitters, and they had their open house where they show a lot of new stuff-
Peggy
Mm-hmm
Tony
... gadgets, all that, to prospective buyers, and most of their customers truly are the RV industry.
Peggy
Right.
Tony
In fact, on the RV of the week, I saw a lot of the stuff on that RV-
Peggy
Mm
Tony
... that I saw at ABC Outfitters, because the industry trusts them for high quality and that's why we trust them for our solar and lithium system.
Peggy
Do you wanna learn more about why you should trust them? Just give them a call at 574-333-3225.
Tony
That's 574-333-3225, or there is going to be a link in the show notes below.
Peggy
Even though it, we are under this shade, it's very, very sunny and I find myself squinting against the glare. So I wonder if there's a filter I can put on the video that opens my eyes more.
Tony
Well, for me, this morning, the state bird of Indiana, which is the riding lawnmower- ... was hovering around here cutting grass, and I feel like a bus just hit me. So I'm fairly allergic to cut pine, cut grass, that sort of stuff. So, uh, if you ever wonder why Tony doesn't like trees in the campground, that's one of the reasons.
Peggy
That's one of the reasons. So we are in a sort of long-term portion of this campground, and we're close to the freeway, but I don't think you can hear it. We can barely hear it, and it doesn't keep us up at night, 'cause we turn on all our fans.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Uh-
Tony
Like that Pivot that we have. I really like that thing.
Peggy
Yeah, our Pivot fan. This is the longest that we will ever stay in a campground or kind of anywhere. Maybe my sister Cathy's driveway, but I think this will even beat that amount of time.
Tony
Yeah, we're here for, like, a month and a half or somewhere thereabouts, and the reason is we went to the Frog Rally, as you saw last week, and we are going to RV Open House in late September, early October to see all the shiny new RVs. And then during that time, Peggy is going to, uh, Minnesota?
Peggy
Minnes- no, Wisconsin.
Tony
Wisconsin.
Peggy
Wisconsin.
Tony
For cheese and a family visit, and I am going to Hershey. So if you're gonna be at Hershey, let us know.
Peggy
Yeah, Tony.
Tony
If you're gonna be at Peggy's family gathering, let us know also.
Peggy
That'll be-
Tony
We'd be surprised-
Peggy
... interesting
Tony
... but what the heck?
Peggy
Except the few of you that actually watch this in my family.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
So I wanna preface by saying we, we wanna talk about campground etiquette, and if you just met us because you were staying in the same campground, I'm not talking about you. We haven't met anybody that's a bad camper yet here.
Tony
Yeah, okay.
Peggy
We have met bad campers-
Tony
Yes, we have
Peggy
... and that's kind of what led me to put this topic on our list that we're finally getting to, and we'll talk about, we'll tell some of those stories, but just know that none of them are happening as we speak.
Tony
Right.
Peggy
Uh, I don't like to talk about bad things as they happen. I wait until they're a funny story later. Now we're inside the Mini Lite.
Tony
Yeah, we recorded this entire episode-
Peggy
We did
Tony
... and we got to re-record it now.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
So-
Peggy
The sound was not so good being outside.
Tony
Not at all.
Peggy
To me, it seems like this list is pretty much common sense and common courtesy, but sadly, not, those things aren't always all that common.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
I assume that you try to not be a- ... jerk. And that you wanna be nice to other people, and if you don't care about anybody else, go ahead and go do something else and don't listen to this.
Tony
No, please do, and share with your friends and others in different social media groups.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
I think some people may not be aware of, of all this, so.
Peggy
Right.
Tony
The most golden rule-
Peggy
Yeah
Tony
... is to do unto others, do unto others as you would have done unto you, even though I can't say it. So in other words, be cool.
Peggy
Be cool, 'cause you want everybody to be cool to you. Now, some people think that these rules are very nitpicky, and they're overextending and stuff, but put yourself in the other side of things. If you are trying to camp somewhere and somebody else is breaking this rule, how does it affect you?
Tony
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
And so think about that when you decide that you, these rules are not made for you. They're made for everyone.
Tony
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
We do try to look at both sides, because sometimes I know the rules seem a little excessive and, even to me, so there are some things that we'll talk about-
Tony
Wow
Peggy
... you know, just the reason for them or whatever. I also know that people say, "Well, if you don't wanna have neighbors that do this or that, just don't go to a campground."
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
But why wouldn't you just be a good neighbor if you're in a campground?
Tony
Yeah, exactly. One of the things we have looked at in the past is Leave No Trace, podcast episode 137.
Peggy
Right. Now, the way I learned Leave No Trace was take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
And so it's the same principles, the same ideas. You know, you, when you show up somewhere, especially in a wilderness area, you wanna feel like you're the first one that ever stayed there, right? So don't you think the next guy's gonna also wanna feel like they're the first one that ever stayed there?
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
And if you leave trash or cigarette butts or i- whatever, you know, if you don't follow the rules, then you're ruining it for other people.
Tony
And one of the things we've seen a lot is the painted rocks craze, which is kinda cool, but it is not natural, right? I mean...
Peggy
Very strictly speaking, it is leaving something other than footprints, uh, but I kinda think they're cute and cool, and I don't mind seeing them out there. You know, sometimes a campground or a, a park or something will have a designated place for them.
Tony
That's pretty cool.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
So if there's a place to specifically put your painted rocks, that's a good thing. There are a lot of Leave No Trace principles that apply outside of campgrounds. Some of the following topics still apply.
Peggy
And you should know the rules of backcountry camping if you're going to use the backcountry, and, you know, to protect the beauty and safety and protect the road less traveled.
Tony
Yeah. Texas Parks and Wildlife published the seven Cs of camping: care, caution, courtesy, cleanliness, cooperation, conservation, and common sense.
Peggy
So hopefully those are common. It kind of all goes together. The seven Cs are the reason why you have the rules.
Tony
And if you don't like rules and you wanna just do whatever the heck you want, there are open spaces out there in the world, uh, you can cut loose and go crazy, but not in a campground where you could be disturbing others.
Peggy
Right. Okay, so the first rule we're gonna talk about re- applies everywhere. I don't care where it is or, you know, who's around, but please don't interrupt people while they are trying to set up camp or while they're trying to pack up to leave.
Tony
Yeah, we just did that, and I felt so bad.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
Uh, but yeah, you can distract someone, and they miss a really important step, and could cause injury.
Peggy
Yeah, could cause da- you know, broken things or injuries. Uh, the other side of the coin, if you, even if you don't think you're gonna get disturbed or interrupted, it's always a good idea to follow a checklist. Checklists make for stressless camping.
Tony
And downloadable, yeah.
Peggy
And there will be a link to that here somewhere.
Tony
There's a whole bunch of downloadable checklists.
Peggy
Right, checklists that you can use and make your own edits. So if someone does come up and interrupt you, you can figure out where you were on the checklist and continue and not skip that super vital step.
Tony
Mm-hmm. Respect the campground rules. Follow the speed limit, call ahead if you're thinking you might arrive early or after set check-in time. Some parks have what I think are really weird times, like 2:00 out and 5:00 in. We were really surprised by that one once. But here's the thing, the owners and hosts or whoever need that time to mark the sites and make sure they're clean and in good working order. That's the time they've chosen, and we know when someone would arrive early at our bed and breakfast, it could really throw off our whole schedule, so.
Peggy
Yeah. I don't think there's quite as much work in preparing a campsite as a B&B, but still there are rules for a reason, and it's a good idea to follow them or at least get permission to break them.
Tony
Respect site boundaries. When you're at a campsite, the whole site is your yard.
Peggy
You wouldn't cut through s- three persons' living rooms and backyards to get to your friend's house three blocks away, so why would you cut through three campsites to get to your friend's three rows away?
Tony
Yeah. Make sure any children with you also know this rule. We've had kids riding circles around our RV and tripping over tent stakes and other things. You don't want to risk your child getting hurt. What if a big dog takes exception to the interruption? It's not worth the risk, so make sure they know where the public places are to play. There's usually quite a few.
Peggy
Now, I will say that small, really camp, cramped campgrounds that are super small spaces are really awkward when we have to dump our tanks, and maybe the campers right next to us are trying to enjoy a picnic lunch. Uh, that's awkward. It, there's, it's kind of unavoidable, but, you know, maybe if someone's out there having a picnic, you ask 'em if you can come back in an hour and they'll be done or something.
Tony
Mm-hmm. Sometimes it just can't be avoided, but generally it's a good idea for everyone to arrive and set up... In the daylight. Arriving after dark, the noise and light are disruptive to others, particularly in tents that don't really shield the light or noise.
Peggy
It's difficult for you to do it, and it's difficult for other people to shut out that light and noise. This is not even necessarily a rule for others, it's a rule to make it more stressless for your own self.
Tony
Let's talk about one of the touchy subjects, your outside lights. If you have to take your dog out in the middle of the night, turn on the lights while you're out there.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
So that way everyone can see you in your PJs and watch to make sure you pick up after they do the voodoo that they do.
Peggy
If you think that lights scare away bad elements, be it animal or human, get some solar-powered motion sensing light. There are tons of options out there, and the lights come on when they sense motion. That will probably scare away whatever bad thing is approaching when you, you don't want it to approach, and it will come on if you have to take the dog out in the middle of the night. You don't have to fumble for a light switch while you're trying to fumble for the leash to get the dog out.
Tony
Not everyone can just close the shades to block your light. Tents don't have shades, and some RVs do not have really great shades, so the lights can be pretty disturbing.
Peggy
Right. So, you know, there are people, and it seems more and more people, and I don't mean to, you know, call anybody out, but people with fifth wheels that have those big noses on, or big lights on the nose of their fifth wheels and leave them on all night, that's disturbing and it's annoying and it's just not necessary.
Tony
Yeah. Patrick and Brian have this flashy light thing to keep rodents away.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
And it's a random light that they put under their tires. It doesn't disturb anybody. It apparently works on the rodents, though, because it's fairly random. And we'll see if we can share what they're using, 'cause it seems to work pretty well.
Peggy
Yeah, and if you hide it behind a tire, then what, where that light's gonna show up is under your rig and it's very, very random. It doesn't shine necessarily into someone else's camper or tent. Leaving a light on, just on all the time, like those rope lights or just a light underneath the rig, that really doesn't scare the mice. The mice get startled and annoyed by the randomness of lights flashing on and off. But once, if you just leave a light on, they might hide for a minute and then they'll be like, "Oh, hey, there's a light on for me, so I can see where the food scraps are." A little bit more about the subject of lights.
Peggy
When you are sitting outside... Now, we actually, Tony and I have a little bit different philosophy about this. I would like to sit outside with no lights, maybe the campfire, but no lights on. Now, I have pretty good night vision.
Tony
I do not.
Peggy
And so I don't like a light being on that ruins my night vision. If you need to have a light on so that you can see to get up and walk to the cooler for your next beer or to get more firewood or to do your Irish goodbye
Tony
Ha.
Peggy
Disappear, uh, low lights. Uh, what I mean is by facing down to the ground, not too bright. Seems like red is a little better. It doesn't destroy your vision so much, and it can li- you know, put a glow around the areas where you need to walk so you can see to walk, but it's not quite so disturbing. If you're gonna walk around with a flashlight, please also shine it down toward the ground. Don't shine it right in the face of someone that's approaching you to see who it is or say hello because they can't say hello because now you've blinded them.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
It especially is important in the areas that are designated as dark sky places, right? The whole point of that is to not have any extra lights. I mean, even a campfire kind of makes it harder to see the sky. And if you live in a big city where you've only ever seen dozens of stars, you might find a really beautiful sky up there if you turn off the lights and look up.
Tony
Yeah, it's pretty cool. Let's talk about food storage. Um, we spoke with Steve Searles, the bear whisperer, about bears, and one of the unfortunate things is if a bear becomes acclimated to eating human food, a lot of times they have to put them down.
Peggy
Right.
Tony
That's just unfortunate.
Peggy
They will just start coming into camps to get food, and then they, you know, it's a danger to the bears, it's a danger to the people, and then the bears end up being punished for being fed.
Tony
Yeah, and the punishment is no more bear.
Peggy
Right.
Tony
So... And I mean, rats, mice, stray cats, ants, meat bees, yellow jackets-
Peggy
Ravens, coyotes, raccoons, all those things are gonna be attracted by food scraps that you leave out. So it may not be a place where you need to put it in a safe bear box, but every place is gonna have some kind of pest that are gonna be attracted if you leave food laying out on a table.
Tony
Mm-hmm. Yeah, free meal. Who doesn't love that? Don't provide that for the local critters.
Peggy
So wrap it up, pack it up, uh, throw it away. You know, it, it, not even just when you're leaving, but every single night you should do that.
Tony
A lot of campgrounds have very specific quiet times. Typically, that involves generators, but also just loud voices outside or music or that kind of thing. So yeah, it's fun to go and enjoy a great party with your friends, but a lot of times it can be very disturbing to your fellow campers.
Peggy
Right.
Tony
And boy, does sound travel when it's quiet.
Peggy
It does. If you don't know how far the sound travels, try being in a party, get up and walk away and see how far you can go before you can't hear it anymore. You might be really, really surprised at how far the music from your outside speakers or the music from your Bluetooth speakers or just your voices, your laughter. I think that I think that I can safely say the more you drink, the more you think you're whispering, the louder you actually are being.
Tony
The more you drink, the better the DJ sounds.
Peggy
That's right.
Tony
Oh, wait. Well, some people are making noise with generators or conversations or music late into the night, but others like me will wake up very early and go outside, and I just use my headphones so I don't... Nobody can hear me.
Peggy
Some of those early morning people who wanna get up and get things done early in the morning might take exception to you partying until 3:00 AM.
Tony
Right.
Peggy
And they might decide at 6:00 that it's time for them to get up and start rattling their pots and pans-
Tony
Yeah
Peggy
... and make you sorry for your party the night before.
Tony
Yeah, yeah.
Peggy
Now, I'm not condoning that kind of behavior. I'm just saying I know people that feel that way, and if you're gonna make them stay up late, they're gonna make you get up early.
Tony
Very possible.
Peggy
So if your idea of the perfect evening is to crank it up to 11 and listen to Dark Side of the Moon while you stare at the sky, wonderful. I love that idea, but it might be a really good idea to bring your best headphones, plug 'em in, listen all by yourself. You get better sound quality than your tinny RV speakers anyway. You'll enjoy it more, and nobody else has to.
Tony
Yeah. Noise also applies to generators. Some campgrounds we have visited don't have hookups, and generators are part of the experience. However, those campgrounds may very well have generator hours that aren't exactly the same as quiet hours. So if you need to run a generator, know the rules.
Peggy
Now, to be fair, campgrounds, there are campgrounds that don't have generator hours. Generators can just run 24/7. If you're a tent camper and you know that about a campground, you might consider finding another place to go. You can't ask someone who's allowed to run a generator to turn it off just for your comfort, just like they shouldn't run it when they're not supposed to. It works both ways.
Tony
If you do happen to use the bath house and there's a line, finish up and let the next person in.
Peggy
Yeah, I'm pretty sure, like, when you were two years old is when you learned to share, right? So not just share your toys, but share the bathroom, share the showers, share the laundry facilities. Whatever is available at the campground, you should share it. Uh, I have a personal thing for laundromat laundry rooms. I don't leave my clothes in a laundry room and come back to the camp... Well, very rarely I do that. I will do it once in a while, but I set a timer. I even set a timer if I stay in the same room, just so I don't get distracted working or reading or looking at my phone and forget to take my clothes out of the washer.
Peggy
There are people, again, I'm not saying these are great ideas, but there are people who will say, "If I see laundry in the, in a washer or dryer for more than five minutes, I'm taking it out." There actually are people who will say, "I will take it out and throw it on the floor."
Tony
That's-
Peggy
Don't do that
Tony
... not cool.
Peggy
That's a little extreme.
Tony
Right?
Peggy
But yes, you should be able to use the machines that are not being used, and so you should take your clothes out when they're done so the next guy can use it.
Tony
Yeah. So here's a touchy subject, but learn to build a fire that isn't more smoke than fire. I personally love waking up in the morning and putting my jacket on, and it smells like I sat by a campfire, but I also personally hate when the whole trailer fills with my neighbor's smoke because they used wet pine needles or leaves or even wet, unseasoned wood and got nothing but stinky smoke. There's a difference, and it matters.
Peggy
Right. Now, uh, just a word about wet wood. That doesn't mean wood that, like, got rained on. If it got cut down two or three years ago, it is seasoned wood. It is dry enough to burn even if it got some rain on it. What we're talking about wet is, like, fresh green, fresh cut. A lot of places don't allow this, but if you're allowed to go out and cut twigs off of trees and burn them, you're not gonna get a very good fire.
Tony
Yeah, and some places have very specific requirements about firewood because there are beetles and such that are just destroying some of these forests.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
So know the rules of firewood. They're usually there for a reason.
Peggy
Absolutely. Also, of course, don't leave your fire unattended when it is bedtime. Again, some campgrounds have rules about how to put out a fire. Maybe they want you to use water. Maybe they want you to use a bucket of sand. However you should do it, you need to do it safely, and put the fire completely out before you turn in for the night because you don't wanna leave it unchecked.
Tony
Oh, gosh.
Peggy
You don't know what's gonna happen-
Tony
Yeah
Peggy
... with that fire when you're asleep.
Tony
Yep. Littering, in general and in the fire pit.
Peggy
Oh.
Tony
The fire pit is not a trash can and is not an ashtray. So please, please, friends who have campgrounds, just, th- it's such a issue with them, and then they have to get it out.
Peggy
Cigarette butts are the worst. People just throw them everywhere, and, uh, the friends of ours that have campgrounds, they walk around with gloves and pick up every butt off the road and out of the fire pits and out of the s- spaces, and it's gross. Like, we don't wanna-
Tony
Yeah
Peggy
... touch your stinky lip-infested butt.
Tony
That really doesn't sound good, but whatever.
Peggy
That doesn't sound good at all, but...
Tony
Mm, lip-infested butt. Oh my gosh. Don't be a ghoul.
Peggy
Don't be a ghost. If you make a reservation, keep that reservation or cancel it in a timely manner. I hear more and more stories about people who might make reservations at three different parks, and then they just decide at the last minute which park they're gonna go to.
Tony
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
I saw a video from Australia, actually, of a campground that had, like, 180 sites, and there were, like- 50 people in the campground and all these empty sites in a fully booked campground-
Tony
Mm-hmm
Peggy
... because people just didn't bother to show up. That's just rude, you know?
Tony
Yeah, it really is.
Peggy
I know that there are emergencies. I know that you're not gonna make 100% of the reservations that you, that you reserve, but that's an emergency. This, I'm talking about people who just don't bother to show up. They don't bother to cancel, and then the campground can't rebook it because they think you might be coming.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Then the prices go up, uh, and there, you know, I know that campgrounds in, in other jurisdictions are starting to crack down on this, and there's gonna start being repercussions.
Tony
Mm-hmm. And with, uh, smarter and smarter reservation systems-
Peggy
Yeah
Tony
... they're coming sooner rather than later.
Peggy
Right.
Tony
So be cool. Poochie parents. The leash rules are, are real.
Peggy
For all dogs.
Tony
Yeah, even your precious, perfect pet.
Peggy
We have had loose dogs walk into our camp, annoy our leashed dog in camp.
Tony
Yeah, that dog couldn't go anywhere 'cause they're on a leash-
Peggy
Right
Tony
... the way it's supposed to be.
Peggy
The people who were letting their dog run around loose, we said, "Hey, you know, you're supposed to have him on a leash." And they're like, "Eh," and they, they just didn't care.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
This is what we're asking you, is to care about your fellow campers.
Tony
Yeah. Well, the interesting thing is we're camping with law enforcement officers, so-
Peggy
Yeah
Tony
... they ended up caring.
Peggy
Yeah. Uh, if you don't wanna leash your dog, find someplace out in the middle of the wilderness that doesn't require it. Now you're worried about wild animals, right?
Tony
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
And so I, yeah, I just don't think it's a good idea ever to not know where your dog is, but if you wanna be off-leash, please don't go to a campground that requires a leash. And if you have your dog off-leash and they go number two in the bushes, you might say, "Oh, who cares? No one's gonna step on it. It's in the bushes." But that's not really the important part. There are, again, other animals, other dogs or wild animals that are gonna be attracted to that, and it's gonna cause problems. It's a health hazard. So please, please, please, please, please pick it up.
Tony
We actually talked to a company that, uh, can track poops. We'll put a link to that-
Peggy
Yeah
Tony
... in the show notes. What a job. "Hey, we're getting a lot of packages." "What are they?" "Poop."
Peggy
Poop.
Tony
Wanna make new friends? Set out a couple of lawn chairs.
Peggy
Yeah. Maybe have a plate of cookies or say, "Hey, you out there, want a beer?"
Tony
Yeah, greet people. Be polite as they walk by. Offer a cookie maybe to. Be kind. It's amazing, we all have shared experience, right? We're all fixing things in-
Peggy
Yeah
Tony
... beautiful places.
Peggy
That's right.
Tony
So-
Peggy
We all have something we can talk about, which is camping. Uh, but here's the trick. If you try to entice somebody to come into your campsite and they're not interested, let them go. Not everybody wants to make new friends. Not everybody's in the mood. Not everybody has the time right now. You know, and some people are just shy. So if you, if you try to make friends and they're not interested, just wait for the next vic- vic- uh, uh, uh, uh, friend.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
The next person.
Tony
It's amazing how many friends we've made in campgrounds.
Peggy
Yeah. Uh, if you don't have an extra chair and you still wanna make friends, go walk around the campground. Look for people who are sitting out, especially people with extra chairs-
Tony
Yeah
Peggy
... and cookies. Wave and give them a friendly smile, and if they welcome you into their site, you can come in. But, you know, if they barely look up from their book and grumble, uh, something, read the room, right?
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Like, they're not ready. They're not ready for visitors right now.
Tony
Yep.
Peggy
If you wanna sit outside but you don't necessarily wanna make new, meet new people at the moment, turn your chair so that it's not facing where people are walking. Uh, you know, look down at your phone or whatever so you don't make eye contact. That's fine. Not everybody needs to have new people every time they go somewhere, but if you do want to, there's some fun ways to do it.
Tony
Yeah. Well, that's what we have, so hopefully that helps out. You can share this. Uh, please do, so others know better how to just be friendly neighbor campgrounds.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
If you have any additional tips or hints, you can post those at our Stressless Campers Facebook group.
Peggy
That's right. You know, we actually had, we actually made it here to Indiana with our Waysafe hitch without a hitch.
Tony
Right.
Peggy
I mean, we had a hitch, but there-
Tony
But we didn't have a hitch in our giddy up.
Peggy
No hitch in our giddy up. The Waysafe hitch got us, uh, and always gets us everywhere we wanna go safely and comfortably.
Tony
Yeah, we are very pleased with that Waysafe hitch, and we have a discount code at our home on the web, and more information, and we'll put a link to that in the show notes. But it's nice because you have a scale on the hitch, so you know before you tow, and that's pretty important safety information.
Peggy
Absolutely. So Tony got to see a new RV, another world premier RV.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Tell us about it.
Tony
So it's the Tellios, and it's a new travel trailer from Forest River that's a really high-end trailer. It was really neat. Um, for example, very different wheels and chassis. The air conditioner is not on the roof. They want as few, uh, penetrations on the roof as possible. There's just vents. They have enough power on board to run the heater or air conditioner for 12 hours.
Peggy
Ooh.
Tony
Very high-end materials. Just a really thoughtful design. Did I mention no slide?
Peggy
You didn't.
Tony
Uh, no slide. The walls are completely differently built. Uh, it's a laminated wall, but really thick with no aluminum studs in, so it's a whole different way of building walls.
Peggy
Ooh.
Tony
The plumbing is completely different. It's a mesh plumbing system. Uh, I just, I was so impressed with this trailer, and there, there's still... We saw a very early prototype, uh, but it, I think it's a, it's really a neat trailer, so. Oh, the walls inside are padded-
Peggy
Oh
Tony
... like the rubber room.
Peggy
That's good.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
In case you go crazy while you're camping.
Tony
Right? Windows are dual pane windows and just a lot of attention to detail in this.
Peggy
Great. Well, you know that we have had a few weeks of a little bit different kinds of podcast episodes, and we're trying to get back into the normal swing of things. Uh, what we haven't done in a while is play you a voicemail, so let's have one now.
Speaker 3
Hello, Tony and Peggy. Uh, my name is Gina. I am an old friend of Bill and Zappo. Um, I started watching you guys on YouTube when Bill and Zappo started traveling with you. Um, I watched episode 370 today. I love that you shared the travel spreadsheet that Bill made. I have been on many trips with him over the years, always well planned and very enjoyable, uh, even before there were spreadsheets. I just have to say, Peggy, I am so with you on the if you can't do it in flip-flops, I don't usually wanna do it.
Speaker 3
I love your videos. They always make me chuckle. Thank you so much. Have a good day.
Tony
All right. Well, last week's question of the week... Oh, wait.
Peggy
You did- I didn't write it down because I forgot to post it. We did ask a question last week, but I forgot to post it, so oh, well. Here, we're getting, we're getting back on the, on the wagon again.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
So this week's question of the week is...
Tony
What campground rule is most important to you?
Peggy
You can, as always, answer that question at our fun and friendly Stressless Campers Facebook group.
Tony
Yep.
Peggy
And ask your own questions, tell your own stories. Uh, I think last week we asked about rallies, so if you have a rally story, go ahead and throw it in there even though I forgot to ask.
Tony
Yeah. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe. Share this with your friends and social media and-
Peggy
And other people in the campground-
Tony
Yeah
Peggy
... who might be breaking the rules.
Tony
Right. Yeah, right. Thank you for being here with us for episode 374 of the Stressless Camping RV Podcast.
Peggy
Don't forget about our once a week newsletter that delivers deals, discounts, and links to your inbox to make your RV adventures stressless camping.
Tony
Stressless camping.
Speaker 4
We hope you learned a lot, and had some fun, and got some tips for your next stressless camping adventure. We're honored by your reviews on Apple Podcasts, which helps others find us, too. Don't forget to subscribe so you won't miss out on the adventure, and we look forward to your joining us next week. Until then, happy camping.
Tony
Okay.
Peggy
Hopefully that one works.
Tony
Yeah. There are a lot of Leave No Trace principles that outsu- switch this podcast ep- epic.
