QUOTE(kcmoedoe @ Feb 14 2012, 09:06 PM) [snapback]28790[/snapback] You may be correct. But read the bad reviews and a large number of them are about parks with long term residents with decaying rigs, junk all around and a general feeling that you are one bad step away from having a Ned Beatty kind of day. I call that a run down trailer park as I would call a run down stick built house neighborhood with a few over night sites. As with any neighborhood you will have good ones and bad ones.
QUOTE(a.d @ Feb 1 2012, 12:33 PM) [snapback]28699[/snapback] I was recently asked while traveling in our R.V. with our grandchildren. How do we know the R.V. parks we stay at during our travels are safe? I did not know. So I started to ask around. In california you can go to the MEG--- L-W web site (free) use zip code of the park, search and scroll through looking for the parks street address. This way is time consuming but affective.The other way is to search by street address. Type in street address hit search then click on blue squares close to the red star. This method is a little more complicated but much quicker when mastered. PLEASE COMMENT ON ANY OTHER SECURITY PRECAUTIONS THAT CAN HELP. A.D ad 2013 Decided to start doing my home work a little early this year on places we want to go and see and parks to stay at along the way.Suprising how much can change in a year.Was checking the meg----law website and found that some of the parks had APT numbers instead of space numbers. Thought maybe they dug up the parks and put up apartments. Jumped on the old map website and zeroed in and made a few calls. Meg----law website must be making a few mistakes, or getting wrong information. No apartments. still parks and spaces. This certainly is putting a crimp on my planning stage. QUOTE(a.d @ Jan 19 2013, 07:37 PM) [snapback]32429[/snapback] ad 2013 Decided to start doing my home work a little early this year on places we want to go and see and parks to stay at along the way.Suprising how much can change in a year.Was checking the meg----law website and found that some of the parks had APT numbers instead of space numbers. Thought maybe they dug up the parks and put up apartments. Jumped on the old map website and zeroed in and made a few calls. Meg----law website must be making a few mistakes, or getting wrong information. No apartments. still parks and spaces. This certainly is putting a crimp on my planning stage.
We prefer rv parks that don't have many or any permanent residents at all. It's a personal preference but we like to be around others that are on a vacation schedule as well. When we are looking at parks nearby we try to take time to go drive through the park before actually camping there. We also research, research, research....read reviews and carefully plan our trips. This makes for a much more pleasant camping experience for our family.
QUOTE(HappyCampers6 @ Jan 26 2013, 12:23 AM) [snapback]32465[/snapback] We prefer rv parks that don't have many or any permanent residents at all. It's a personal preference but we like to be around others that are on a vacation schedule as well. When we are looking at parks nearby we try to take time to go drive through the park before actually camping there. We also research, research, research....read reviews and carefully plan our trips. This makes for a much more pleasant camping experience for our family. From our experiences during the past two years of full-timing, it is increasingly difficult to find CG's that don't have long term residents. There are lots of families living in RV parks these days including KOA's and other places where you might not expect them. Some I have met are there because its easier than obtaining an apartment for a short-term employment gig. It's likely that others are there because they've lost their homes during the Great Recession. IMHO I don't care if someone is staying at a CG for a day or a year as long as they keep their site neat and don't bother me. Frankly, we've encountered obnoxious vacationers more frequently than we have unpleasant long-term residents. As for your desire to be with vacationers, I suspect you have no way of telling whether someone you describe as "permanent" is not simply someone who is staying for a month or more but who doesn't, necessarily, "live there" permanently. As retired, full-time RVers, we consider ourselves to be on permanent vacation but we may stay at some CG's for a few weeks or even a month or two at a time. Although our ages may be different than yours, I think we can be as pleasant as any other folks you may meet. Just because we have our plants, flags and bicycles out at our site, if you encounter us at a CG don't write us off as just more of "those permanent residents" you're trying to avoid. If you're looking only for CG's to be filled only with homogeneous collections of young families with children I think you're going to have a hard time finding them.
Finished our planning stage,hope to get on the road soon. We started compiling data on parks and camp grounds. Have separate categories for our own personal planning. STAY AGAIN-DONT STAY AGAIN-IF IN A PINTCH STAY OVERNIGHT-WALMART.Some of the things we look for and look out for. Good customer service, cant say enough about that. Empty spaces being used for car washing and parking cars or passage ways for driving from street to street. If the park has active management making rounds threw the park or just money collectors. Broken down dilapidated awning tents and hoarders. Park is kept clean. If patrons of the park are allowed to run business with in the park. After long hours of driving, being awaking very early in the mourning by gardeners mowing the lawns. Dogs and cats roaming and crapping all over the park grounds even on the side walks and asphalt. Not saying any thing about pets. Just IRRESPONSIBLE pet owners. REMBER NOT EVERY ONE LOVES YOUR PET LIKE YOU DO OR DONT. DANGEROUS OUT OF DATE CHILD PLAY GROUND, SAND FULL OF CAT CRAP,OBJECTS STICKING OUT OF THE SAND. JUST NOT KEPT UP.. Advertising WIFI but it really dosent work and has not for some time, BUT THEY HAVE IT. Some internet sites allow park owners or management to post their own reviews of their park. OFTEN VERY MISLEADING. We depend on internet sites that have measures in place to stop or slow down this practice. HATS OFF TO YOU. It is a shame to hear that m-----g law has been compromised and is no longer reporting all the information on their address search for some of the parks.If the park is a second chance or placement park, Dont hide or mislead the public. Let the general public decide if they want to expose their families to the risk if any or not. We have found some county sheriff department internet sites are more accurate. REMBER BE SAFE, DRIVE THREW, LOOK, BEFORE YOU STAY. AD
I am in full agreement with dalsgal, RanMan, Texasrvers, docj, and a few others. We (wife and I) are "full-timers", so I guess that means we are "permanent" or "long-term" residents wherever we go, doesn't it? Or, does that make us "permanently transient"? (I think Steinbeck used the term "Okies" to describe the latter from my own home state who became transients!) We have been in our North Texas RV Park for a year and have 9 months to go before my retirement. In our S&B ($200K+ in Denton, TX) that we sold last year, we had 4 sex offenders in our immediate neighborhood - registered and "advertised" on the DPD website, one right down the street. When our next door neighbor passed away, his son moved in and started dealing illegal drugs from the house, trashed out the house and yard . . . all before he went to a court-ordered rehab! Yes, we had many visits and calls to the Denton police, and I got to know the Denton Code Enforcement people on a first name basis! Though the Executor did clean up the house next door, we were quite relieved when we quickly sold our house while "he" was in rehab! So, don't condemn those who are "permanent residents" just because we "full-time" in our RVs. I can say that we have met and made friends with many more "permanent" and "transient" people than we ever did living in a S&B in various cities in the past 42 years! The park is what the management along with the residents make it! And the advice "If the situation looks iffy or bad, let your good sense guide you" will assist one in many ways! Personally, I would tend to avoid parks that have no permanent residents and poor management (as per the majority of the reviews). Why? Because those "transient" people are only at the park overnight or a day or two. If something is missing from my site, or from my storage basement (who doesn't have a CH751 key?), I don't think a permanent resident would be to blame. Why? Because they are PERMANENT . . . they are right down the street! It's that TRANSIENT that is here today, and gone tomorrow, that could take something and be gone! The permanent residents and good management don't want the park to be plagued by crime - that could affect them - so, yes, they (and we) do keep an eye out for misdeeds. I know our park keeps a record of "problem transients". For example, the one big Class A that stayed three nights near the clubhouse. When they left, the whole area at the back of RV space was covered with "large dog leavings". It took maintenance an hour to clean the site and wash it down. And we have some transients who walk their dogs, and their dogs have left their "callings" at the end of our own site! One I watched, followed, and reported to the office - they were asked to leave within two hours (had to be out by 8pm). Besides, our park has been accused of being "full of permanents", yet we have fewer than 35% of the spaces occupied by RVs who have been parked more than 9 months! To accuse us of being "permanent", you have to be "permanent" yourself! We had one couple last August who came in for a week to visit Dallas, Six Flags, etc., and within two days, their site was trashed! Didn't make the rest of us "happy campers". Whether in a S&B house, a mobile home, an apartment, an RV, or even in a tent . . . the best advice is to be aware of your surroundings and use your good sense. As I said, personally I like a RV park that has both permanent and transient occupants plus good management! It makes for a good experience and an overall safe environment. Ultimately, you are responsible for your own safety.
I bought a $4.00 security system at Radio Shack. It is a small red flashing light that is run by 2 AA batteries and is about the same size as the two batteries. It has an on off switch and the tiny light. We turn it on when going to be or leaving the coach and leave it by the door on the counter. It can be seen front the outside and gives the appearance of a security system. They do sell motion alarms for RV's but they are in the $100 range,
QUOTE(Lindsay Richards @ Mar 20 2014, 03:32 PM) [snapback]36001[/snapback] I bought a $4.00 security system at Radio Shack. It is a small red flashing light that is run by 2 AA batteries and is about the same size as the two batteries. It has an on off switch and the tiny light. We turn it on when going to be or leaving the coach and leave it by the door on the counter. It can be seen front the outside and gives the appearance of a security system. They do sell motion alarms for RV's but they are in the $100 range, Thank you Lindsay Richards for staying with the what the thread is all about and the safty info. ad
QUOTE(OU geo @ Mar 20 2014, 01:13 PM) [snapback]35999[/snapback] I am in full agreement with dalsgal, RanMan, Texasrvers, docj, and a few others. We (wife and I) are "full-timers", so I guess that means we are "permanent" or "long-term" residents wherever we go, doesn't it? Or, does that make us "permanently transient"? (I think Steinbeck used the term "Okies" to describe the latter from my own home state who became transients!) We have been in our North Texas RV Park for a year and have 9 months to go before my retirement. In our S&B ($200K+ in Denton, TX) that we sold last year, we had 4 sex offenders in our immediate neighborhood - registered and "advertised" on the DPD website, one right down the street. When our next door neighbor passed away, his son moved in and started dealing illegal drugs from the house, trashed out the house and yard . . . all before he went to a court-ordered rehab! Yes, we had many visits and calls to the Denton police, and I got to know the Denton Code Enforcement people on a first name basis! Though the Executor did clean up the house next door, we were quite relieved when we quickly sold our house while "he" was in rehab! So, don't condemn those who are "permanent residents" just because we "full-time" in our RVs. I can say that we have met and made friends with many more "permanent" and "transient" people than we ever did living in a S&B in various cities in the past 42 years! The park is what the management along with the residents make it! And the advice "If the situation looks iffy or bad, let your good sense guide you" will assist one in many ways! Personally, I would tend to avoid parks that have no permanent residents and poor management (as per the majority of the reviews). Why? Because those "transient" people are only at the park overnight or a day or two. If something is missing from my site, or from my storage basement (who doesn't have a CH751 key?), I don't think a permanent resident would be to blame. Why? Because they are PERMANENT . . . they are right down the street! It's that TRANSIENT that is here today, and gone tomorrow, that could take something and be gone! The permanent residents and good management don't want the park to be plagued by crime - that could affect them - so, yes, they (and we) do keep an eye out for misdeeds. I know our park keeps a record of "problem transients". For example, the one big Class A that stayed three nights near the clubhouse. When they left, the whole area at the back of RV space was covered with "large dog leavings". It took maintenance an hour to clean the site and wash it down. And we have some transients who walk their dogs, and their dogs have left their "callings" at the end of our own site! One I watched, followed, and reported to the office - they were asked to leave within two hours (had to be out by 8pm). Besides, our park has been accused of being "full of permanents", yet we have fewer than 35% of the spaces occupied by RVs who have been parked more than 9 months! To accuse us of being "permanent", you have to be "permanent" yourself! We had one couple last August who came in for a week to visit Dallas, Six Flags, etc., and within two days, their site was trashed! Didn't make the rest of us "happy campers". Whether in a S&B house, a mobile home, an apartment, an RV, or even in a tent . . . the best advice is to be aware of your surroundings and use your good sense. As I said, personally I like a RV park that has both permanent and transient occupants plus good management! It makes for a good experience and an overall safe environment. Ultimately, you are responsible for your own safety. Thank you OU qeo for your input. But lets not stray from the original thread. Seems when some read something they don't like, the first thing they try to do is change the thread like so many have in the past. Getting back to the original thread and my quotes. I do not recall and have chacked the original thread, about stating any thing about Long Term, Full Term and weakly -over night transient so as you called them. HAVE YOU READ THE ORIGINAL THREAD? It is nice to hear that you are tight with the park, Denton police and code inforcement, shows you care. The only reason rv park-camp ground is mentioned, that is what this forum is about. But might be nice if some one started a stick-brick forum. Thank you all again as us oke's say for your input on safty. What the thread is about!
QUOTE(a.d @ Mar 20 2014, 08:13 PM) [snapback]36003[/snapback] Thank you OU qeo for your input. But lets not stray from the original thread. Seems when some read something they don't like, the first thing they try to do is change the thread like so many have in the past. Getting back to the original thread and my quotes. I do not recall and have chacked the original thread, about stating any thing about Long Term, Full Term and weakly -over night transient so as you called them. HAVE YOU READ THE ORIGINAL THREAD? It is nice to hear that you are tight with the park, Denton police and code inforcement, shows you care. The only reason rv park-camp ground is mentioned, that is what this forum is about. But might be nice if some one started a stick-brick forum. Thank you all again as us oke's say for your input on safty. What the thread is about! A.d - Yes, I did read the all of the thread twice before replying. Actually, didn't think about replying until the second read! Your concerns are valid, and I thought I had addressed them within my reply. However, I do fully admit that I did stray off-topic to address what others had offered that was off-topic. For this, I do apologize. But to return to the original post - have you considered simply calling the local (to the park) police and sheriff's department and inquire as to the "safety" of the park. We stayed once at an Oklahoma fairgrounds RV park, and I did this very thing - called the local police department. What I learned was that there had never been a single reported incident in the fairgrounds RV park and that the police patrolled it regularly. I also learned that the same could not be said for a state-run lake campground down the road a bit. Checking with local (to the park) law enforcement will give one a current "take" on the current safety of the area. So, my apologies.
QUOTE(a.d @ Mar 20 2014, 08:13 PM) [snapback]36003[/snapback] Thank you OU qeo for your input. But lets not stray from the original thread. Let’s not blame one person for getting off topic here. Several of us had a hand in it. It started way back when someone suggested that parks with permanent residents were not as safe. At that point the topic turned more to a discussion of permanent residents rather than safety, and even your post on Mar 19 was not totally about safety, so by the time OU posted he was just following along with the other comments. I agree that we got off topic, but let’s all take some of the blame.
Time again to start researching the parks.I have found in some cases,address search on meg----l--w is not accurate on reporting all the off---at an address. Have found it is more accurate to use zip code search. Type in the zip code of your destination scroll down theaddresses checking for the address of your destination. I have been told it is better to use bothe types of search address and zip code to a more accurate accounting.
Why do you go through all that? Why not read the reviews posted and check the park out when you arrive? Just because you find something you don't like on whatever site that is that you use doesn't mean you won't be safe at that CG. The reverse is the same, just because your internet info says you should be safe you could, instead, find danger. How can you have fun if you are overly worried about safety?
Traveling the roads is another area to be aware of at all times. Hubby and I encountered an uncomfortable situation at a pull-out rest area in New England. We stopped to use our RV facilities and to relieve the dog. As I headed back to the RV door a very old and very creepy van pulled up behind us and backed in so they could see us. My husband was walking our dog in front of our rig and didn't see the van pull in. I had an intense feeling of something foreboding about to happen so instead of going into the RV, I locked it back and quickly made my way back up to the truck. I told my husband not to ask any questions but hurry and get the dog back in the truck and let's get away from here NOW. He did as I asked and the hair was literally standing up on the back of my neck. I told my husband about how uneasy that van had made me and I was certainly glad he didn't question my reason for leaving in such a hurry. We have only had that happen once but that's one time to many for my comfort. I just knew instinctively that if we didn't get away fast, nothing good would have come from staying. Unfortunately there are creepy people in this world and they prey on the unsuspecting. My advice - if you have the slightest feeling that things just don't seem right - TRUST YOUR FEELINGS and get away from the situation. I think it saved our lives!
dalsqal Why do I do this? Its called doing my home work. It saves us time, fuel and funds not traveling to parks that we would rather not patronize and support. In which gives us more time, funds and fun to patinize the parks and places we would like to support. We do read the park reviews, but they do not report on every thing we want to know. And I do not expect them to.Being aware of your surroundings is not fear. But just being smart! The old grab bag theory, Just does not work for us. I hope this has addressed some of yourquestions. thanks ad
Then why not just read the reviews on here and post your own about what you found at campgrounds? We prefer small, older CG's and have never stayed at one that we didn't feel okay about. We have never done research to find out what area is safe or not. I know of plenty of fancy areas where crimes occur but your research would not necessarily show it. Why don't you post your reviews about places you stayed so you can help others? I see you have been a member here for almost 4 years but no reviews that could be very useful.
Agreed. We've traveled over 40,000 miles in the past four years throughout the US and Canada. We relied on RVPR reviews for selecting RV parks and TripAdvisor for Things to Do. We don't look at crime stats for places we are going and don't carry a gun, yet we have not had a single problem. Some might call us lucky, but I think that part of the issue is the "climate of fear" that seems to pervade so much of our country. Crime rates are down by historic standards and IMHO most folks in the US and Canada are rather nice people!
I'm with the rest of you, read the reviews here, and be prepared to pass the park on by if you dont feel its safe once you get there. The same could be said for avoiding Calif. For fear of earthquakes, or avoiding Florida for fear of hurricanes, or avoiding driving your RV altogether because driving is more dangerous than flying. You should use caution, but dont let fear run your life, or you've let them win.
Thank you Holiday Rambling for your reply on seccurity percautions 2-16-15. We found it refreshing, informative and ended on a positive note. I thank you again. SAFE TRAVILING IS HAPPY TRAVILING! ad
