Our second survey questionnaire examines what we look for (and sometimes try to avoid) when we're picking an RV park where we'd like to stay. The first part of the survey (10 questions) asks about specific amenities or characteristics, and rates their importance from "Critically Important" down to "Unimportant". The specific categories we used were:
There are many ways to view the data. For openers, we wanted to have a look-see at the overall relative rankings which our readers had created. To do this, we multiplied each "critically important" rating by 4; each "very important" rating by 3; each "important" ranking by 2; each "marginally important ranking by 1; and assigned a zero value to all answers which specified "unimportant". This resulted in total numbers for each of the categories. Here's a chart of what the relative rankings (in top/down reverse order stated above) are:
If we were to look at what categories received the highest percent of "critically important" votes, the first three categories in order would be: (1) Big Rig Friendly, (2) Modem Friendly [not a surprise from this group!], and (3) level sites. Of the items receiving the highest percent ratings as "unimportant", they would be (1) Clubhouse facilities, (2) Swimming Pool/Spa, and (3) Cable TV. We'll be adding some further breakdowns on this set of responses as time permits.
The next set of questions dealt with the following topics, asking for an answer of 1 to 10, with 10 representing the most important matters, and 1 representing the least important (or even negative) items. These 11 questions posed the following statements for reader reaction:
The number following each statement is the average of all responses for that category. You'll note an asterisk (*) along side the "kid friendly" and "pet friendly" categories. That's because answers in those two categories tended to be a combination of very high and very low numbers, presumably depending on whether the respondent included kids and/or pets in his or her RVing lifestyle. We couldn't help but notice how "important" a friendly atmosphere is for RVers. And based on most of our collective experiences, it seems quite surprising that so many RV park owners and managers fail to realize exactly how important that is -- particularly in winning repeat business. We also noted the relatively high score on "wide, easy to navigate" interior roads -- which seems to coincide with the strong interest RVers expressed in "big rig friendly" RV parks in the first section of the survey. We think many big rig owners are finding that while parks often to claim they're "big rig friendly", the sites often only marginally accommodate sliders, and, more subtly, the interior roads are often too narrow, have overhanging trees, or allow parked vehicles in places which makes it extremely difficult for larger RVs to navigate safely.
The last question in this series asked readers whether they are more interest in (1) an RV park offering low prices, or (2) a park with more amenities. We recognize this question suffers from the fact that many RVers may choose "low price" when they're in a hurry to get to an RV destination, but may favor "most amenities" once they've arrived. The breakdown on this one was very close:
The final portion of the survey deals with what resources we're using when we want to look for an RV park in an area we're planning to visit. Given the fact that Online RVers should be the primary "users" of online resources, we were mildly surprised to find that we're still relying very heavily on the printed page when it comes to RV Park directories. Perhaps that's due in part to the challenges we still face in using online services while we're on the road. Here's the breakout:
Given our strong preference for the printed word, we thought it would be instructive to see which of the printed directories we use most.
While we apparently are only beginning to discover online RV directories, some of the same players as in the print media hold the lion's share of the online traffic as well. Here's what we found:
Here the market share is much more fragmented. Indeed, almost 15% of the RVers taking the survey either failed to answer this, or replied that none of the online directories is useful at this point. And of those who did reply, a whopping 26% referred to "other" online resources. An impressive 15% reported they look primarily to individual RV park websites, as opposed to directories. A number of the comments suggested many RVers are not yet aware of even the existence of online RV park directories, and/or don't know how to locate them. This will no doubt change over time. These data suggest that the world of online directories is still in its infancy, and that the Internet is offering more options for RVers than they have with print media. We suspect that if this poll is taken again a year from now, we'll begin to see some interesting changes from this "baseline" data.
COMMENTS: We had some very interesting and thoughtful comments from our readers, although the sheer volume of them only allows us to publish a relatively small number of them here. In doing so, we'll try to capture some of the main themes reported by our readers:
For rv campground locations and information, I also rely on DeLorme AAA MapnGo computer software program.
The facilities I require depend on if I am traveling" or at the destination. When "traveling" all I need is a place to park as cheap as possible. When at the destination I want it all and am willing to pay for it."
When being assigned an RV space, I do NOT want to park my rig next to a pile of junk with an old motorcycle parked beside it. Park operators are asking for trouble when they do not seperate the true RVer's and the semi-permanent people who like to party
For an overnight stop, we look for accessability and price. We don't need anything other than access, and hook-ups.
As a Coast to Coast member travelling from northern BC to southern climes,we often use Provincial or State campgrounds that are close to our route of travel. Those campgrounds that have clean, safe and are in rural areas are our preference.
I have enjoyed visiting your site very much. Found you in time to participate in your first survey and found the results interesting yet not totally surprising! I was surprised at the number of motor homes being used (although that is what we have)!
Will you publish the results of your poll soon, so we can know what others are thinking...averages would work for each category. Who gets access to the poll information, and do they act upon it? I have other questions, but will wait to see if I get a reply [he did].
What we look for is a high rating for on the restrooms, you do not ask that.
Parks should enforce rules, especially noise.
The rating systems for RV Parks needs a lot of work; we just finished a 10m mile trip through 22 States and the ratings in both Woodalls and Trailer Life were very inconsistant, in fact they made no sense at all.
We are retired and like wide paved sites for we not very interested in most of the other amenities. would pay extra for a spacious site not jammed up against other site.
I look for campgrounds that have nature trails and no Boom Boxes.
Some of the questions could have used an all of the above" response.
Overnight (Instant, Hot) phone hookups that provide Internet Friendly service is the single most important factor that I use in selecting a RV park.
Under when looking for an RV park I'm most interested in" you should have more choices such as clean and safe."
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