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Campground Courtesy, How to Get Along With Your Fellow Campers.

Updated on February 24, 2020
Don Bobbitt profile image

Don has been an avid traveler and motorhome owner for most of his life. He shares his experiences and valuable tips with RV owners.

Campgrounds are Social places, Designed for Everyone

One of the things you learn to adapt to, as an RVer, is that campgrounds and especially campsites, are not enormous places.

This, in itself demands that each camper obey certain social courtesies while sharing the campground and the amenities with your fellow campers.

I have gathered a few of the most common and to many campers, almost sacrosanct courtesies that should be obeyed in campgrounds.

Hopefully, to many of you these are just common sense, but sad to say, too many people, especially the new campers or Newbies ignore these (or just don't know), and cause problems for their fellow campers.

Even the federal government has basic rules for using their campgrounds that must be followed or you might risk being ejected.

Here, are a few of the most Common Camper Courtesies that everyone should obey, in no specific order.

Hot Air Balloon over Clermont Florida Campground

I took this picture on an early morning when we had a Hot Air Balloon visitor to our campground near Orlando Florida.
I took this picture on an early morning when we had a Hot Air Balloon visitor to our campground near Orlando Florida. | Source

Always Wave - Be Seen by Drivers

Probably the first thing that I picked up on when I started using campgrounds, many years ago, is the wave!

You will quickly notice that when you are out and about in a campground, it will seems that everyone tends to wave to each other, especially to those that are driving through the campground in their tow vehicle or golf cart, or especially their RV.

Being curious, I remember commenting to an older gentleman that everyone in the campground was really friendly, and seemed to wave at each other a lot.

He laughed, and said:

Yep, campers are friendly, but most of us wave to vehicles that are coming at us as a safety measure.

You see, you have to assume that everyone you see is new to the campground and they are probably being distracted by everything they are seeing.

So, if you are walking around the campground, you want to make sure that the driver of any vehicle coming towards you, actually sees you.

Also, if you are driving down a campground road, you want to make sure that the pedestrian coming towards you actually sees you and won't step in front of your vehicle at the last minute.

So, the wave is a safety measure for us all.

I thought about it and after receiving this great advice, I now I wave at everyone when I am moving around the campground, whether I am driving or if I am walking.

I want to be noticed, not run over!

And, of course, I often wave, just to be friendly!

PET POOP - Clean it UP!

Pet Owners ARE REQUIRED to pick up their Pets Poop in every campground I have ever stayed at or visited.

Many RVers have pets, and even a newbie quickly becomes aware that there is very little open land in a campground for relieving their pets.

In fact, it is often really hard to find land that isn't part of someone's campsite.

Oh, sure, there are some campgrounds that have pet walking areas and such for the convenience of the pet owner, but these are relatively rare.

So the average pet owning RVer has to take his pet down the streets of the campground in search of a convenient spot to let their pets Poop.

The first obvious rule for pet owners is, of course; "pick it up!".

Common sense right?

Well, Sad to say, I have often seen some inconsiderate pet owners leeave their pet poop right beside someone's car, and just walk away.

Many Campers will call a pet owner down, on the spot, if they see such a thoughtless act, and they are right to do so.

Remember, it's your pet, not theirs, and they deserve to have a good time in their campsite, without your pet's poop ruining their day.

Pet Urine Stain and Odor remover

OUT! Pet Stain & Odor Remover, 32 oz, USA Made
OUT! Pet Stain & Odor Remover, 32 oz, USA Made
We keep a bottle of this cleanser for the times our dog ahas an accident in our Rv or on our outdoor rug.
 

PET URINE - Control Your Pet when walking them

The next Pet rule is, urine might be a liquid but it does not disappear, my friend, and no Camper wants to smell it or see a puddle of it on their campsite or their vehicles tires.

Oh, it might evaporate, eventually, but, other campers can and often do step into recent puddles, or wet spots, and end up tracking it right into their camper or car.

I was staying in a nice campground in Palm Springs, and I had a large Palm tree right at the corner of my site at the street, where I had to park my tow car.

Many people let their dogs pee there, on "my Tree".

This happened so often during the day that the sand and dirt was constantly soaked for about 2-feet around the tree during the whole time that I was camping there.

And of course, I accidentally stepped into then the mess several times, regardless of how careful I tried to be. The sad thing was that there was a pet walking area less than 200 feet away from my site.

Consider others, people!

One persons shade tree is not necessarily another person's pet's fire hydrant.

BARKING PETS - Keep them quiet, all of the time.

You need to control your Pets Barking regardless of the time of day.

One thing that is high on the list of aggravations to campers is camping in a site that is near people who have barking dogs and they don't try to control them.

It doesn't matter if it is before the end of quiet time, or after the beginning.

People! It Is Quiet Time! Shut your dogs up! And,OK, You need to take your dog out for a walk early in the morning, but please remember that everyone is not necessarily up and about when you are.

And if your dog wants to "talk" to another camper's dog, you should both quieten them down especially if you are standing near other campsites.

As a matter of fact, almost any RVer who owns pets is aware that one of the quickest ways to get thrown out of a campground is to have a dog that will not obey commands and continually barks long into the night.

Please try to remember this;

Yes you paid to camp, but, No you did not pay for the right to disturb others in the campground.

Quiet Time is Quiet Time!

Muzzle the Dog or eventually, someone will turn you in to the campground office, and you will get a nasty visit.

LOUD PARTYING is forbidden, always.

Sure, All Campgrounds have a period of time at nights called QUIET TIME when everyone is expected to hold down the noise level at their campsite.

Loud Parties are never acceptable in campgrounds and this would be the next important courtesy for everyone, following the loud Dog one.

RVers do love to have a good time, and they socialize often into the evening.

But remember that although your fellow campers are a very diverse group of people, in age and tolerance levels, QUIET TIME is strictly enforced.

And you should realize that many campers will have jobs that require they get up early.

There are many other different reasons for people to be trying to get a good night's sleep, including;

  • Some might be checking out early the next morning.
  • Some might be working a job as mentioned and need to get up early.
  • Some may be Ill and require periodic treatments at night before they can rest.
  • Some may just be morning people who go to bed early.
  • And some, well, they just need their sleep.

So, even though you might be having a swell time, you need to quieten down significantly, according to the campground rules, by QUIET TIME.

Remember, campsites are small, and those campers around you are not soundproofed.

Be courteous, Be Quiet!

Or, in many campgrounds, you could be reprimanded once and the next offence could have the campground management kick you out.

FLUSH the Campground Toilets

Help keep the campground bathhouse clean, for everyone and always flush the campground bathroom toilet after you use it..

Really, people, campground bathhouses are very busy places, and they are there for the convenience of ALL campers. It is just a common courtesy that if you use the Toilet, please Flush it immediately.

No one wants to walk into a toilet and see someone else's feces or urine floating in the bowl.

Flush it, and if doesn't go away, try again. If it still doesn't work, take a minute and notify the staff of the campground.

They will appreciate it, if for no other reason than for the fact that having blocked toilets really hurts their reputation with other campers.

LATE ARRIVAL and EARLY DEPARTURE

Many times, it is necessary for a camper to pull out and hit the road early, before the end of Quiet Time, and conversely, people often end up arriving at their campground late into the night.

Some campgrounds will let you in at all hours; but most will allocate a temporary parking space to you and your camper, for your first night. This may often be a common area especially designed for late arrivals, in order to to handle this problem.

But often the camper is on his own, pulling in and setting up at their site, or leaving their site, at their own convenience.

Although it is nearly impossible to depart a site or set up silently, in order to avoid disturbing your neighboring campers, there are some basic things you can do to minimize the noise and the time takes to set up or pull out.

For pulling out, break down all of your outside gear and stow it away the night before, then before going to bed, stow away your loose items inside, and unhook water and sewer hoses, leaving only your electrical hookup to deal with the next morning.

For late arrival, just hook up your electrical for the night, open up whatever is necessary to eat and/or get some sleep, and finish your setup of your camper and campsite the next morning.

Your existing neighbors or your new neighbors will really appreciate this courtesy.

BE NICE to your Fellow Campers

RVers are, for the most part, very Social people. They love to talk and meet new people.

They are also there, camping for their own personal enjoyment.

If you walk around complaining and with a frown on your face, trust me, other campers are going to avoid you like the plague.

They want to have a good time, not listen to and carry around someone else's problems.

And, the campground staff that you see working all over the campground, all day, every day?

They respond a lot faster and readily to someone that has a problem and delivers it politely and with a smile, and is willing to work with the staff, than they will to a frowning, loud, obnoxious and demanding camper.

Try it! It works much better to be friendly!

SWIMMING POOLS and KIDS

Always be considerate with other campers when you or your kids are using the swimming pool.

What never ceases to amaze me is the number of parents that will let their kids loose in a swimming pool to run wild.

Parents, those older people and other adults, in the pool?

They are there to enjoy the pool, also, and having someone else's kid or grandchild repeatedly jumping into the water, and drenching them, constantly screaming and yelling and even throwing things around in the swimming pool, is not considered fun by anyone.

To this end many campgrounds have multiple pools, one for families, and one for adults.

And often, the ones with only one pool, will have family hours and adult hours.

If you have kids or are a sensitive adult, you should check for these situations before you go to the pool area.

OK, you are on vacation, but hopefully, you have already trained your kids how to act politely when in public and this is not a problem for you, but please, everyone in the pool is there to enjoy it, not be tortured by someone else's children.


Everyone should enjoy their Camping Experience, not just you.

There are other common courtesies that everyone follows in life, and these are just as valid in a campground environment.

These that I have listed here are some that make camping much more enjoyable for everyone, if followed.

Good Luck, and Have Fun in your RV!


Prepare to take your Pet Camping

Great Camping Tips for Dog Owners when in a Campground

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

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