Quick overnight stops

When heading out to a destination I prefer Not to spend the nights at a campground. They don’t like late arrivals or early departures, now days reservations usually need made in advance and sometimes there is no campgrounds in the general area when you decide to end the day. We don’t like to be committed to any schedule or destination on a daily basis. There is traffic delays, weather delays and occasionally mechanical delays during a day’s travel and we like to stop or start on a moment’s notice.

Having said that, where are some of the non campgrounds you stay at when in route to a destination.

Walmarts are getting scary and Cracker Barrel’s are limited spaces and tight spaces, we try to stay away from truck stops, I feel those spaces should be left open for the truckers. They need to know there is a spot open for them when their work day comes to an end.
We have used Harvest Host but most of their locations are quite a ways off the main roads and usually not the direction your heading.

Great question Chuck. We are in agreement on travel strategy.

If we are on interstates or major highways, we will plan on rest areas and scope them out with satellite view on a mapping app. If they are small, we get in early, if they are large, we might get in closer to dinner.

We love Harvest Host, but you are right, many will not accommodate 45 feet, could be a dirt farm, might be miles off the highway. But if we can find one that works, we use it and have always enjoyed the stay. We have met some great people.

We have friends that use Cracker Barrel and scope them out for the right place in a parking lot so their slides work. They put out orange cones to keep from getting parked in and have to arrive 3:00ish when they are not too busy. This is just too much work and unknown for me and I am really not a fan of their menu. We have never stayed in one.

We used to stay at Walmart but they are getting sketchy for sure. Some have started putting up head ache arches at the entrance and if you cant see that in your map app then you cant get in when you get there. We have not stayed in one for several years. Might stay in a large parking lot like this for a day visit with friends but not over night.

Most truck stops are back in and I don't want to disconnect the jeep so we rarely stay in one.

So for us, we start with rest areas and welcome centers, then Harvest Host and then smaller cheap mom and pop RV Parks not the fancy resort parks. Rarely do we stay in a business / truck parking area; don't like being woke up by police in the night asking me to move.

If there are other options, I would love to know about them.

Personally i don't like rest stops. Ever since they started the electronic logging they are all filled up out here on the west coast.

We have stayed at a couple of the Love’s RV travel stops for the quick overniter. The camp fee is immaterial relative to the uneasiness I feel in truck stops and rest areas. Some years ago I had a couple of negative interactions with truckers in rear areas so I try to respect that they don’t have many places for the mandatory rest periods.

I don’t mind truck stops, never had a bad experience, especially at Casinos. When I go to Quartzsite every winter I usually leave in the afternoon, get to the casino around 7:00pm, get dinner, then hit the road about 4am to be in Quartzsite by 6am as everyone is starting to move around.

Cracker Barrel in ST George, Utah is our normal stop over heading to Indio Ca. But its become a haven for Sprinter van conversions, which in general is fine. But we are finding walking our dogs, some these Sprinters are cutting loose their old soapy water, as well as Pee. Pee U. Im afraid this courtesy maybe “pulled” if the Sprinters continue to relieve themselves. Always a few who ruin it for many