RV park

A recreational vehicle park (RV park) or caravan park is a place where people with recreational vehicles can stay overnight, or longer, in alloted spaces known as pitches. They are also referred to as campgrounds, though a true campground also provides facilities for tent camping; many facilities calling themselves "RV parks" also offer tent camping or cabins with limited facilities.

ervices

Pitch facilities may include:
* Drinking water connection
* Sewer connection
* AC power connection. (Usually rated by capacity such as 16, 20, 30 or 50 amperes).
* Television connection (relevant to local area standards)
* Telephone connection (rare outside North America)
* Hotspot (Wi-Fi)

Site facilities may include:
* Gift shop
* Convenience store
* Restrooms
* Showers
* Laundry
* Dump station
* Picnic tables
* Barbecue area
* Exercise equipment
* Swimming pool
* Spa

North America

RV parks range from rustic facilities with no or limited utility hookups, as often found in state/provincial parks and national parks, to luxury resorts with amenities that rival fine hotels. Some high-end resorts restrict the type of RV that can stay to motorhomes of a certain length or longer, and/or newer than a certain year.

Most RV parks are open to allcomers and rent spaces on a nightly or weekly basis, much like a motel or hotel. A few parks operate on a time-share basis. There are over 13,000 privately owned RV parks and over 1,600 state parks that cater to RVers in the USA. [cite web|url=http://www.rvthereyet.cc|title=RVThereYet - RV Park and Campground Directory|accessdate=2008-05-06] . Many of these RV parks offer WiFi hotspot access [RV Park WiFi Providers - http://www.wifirv.com/hotspots/state.php] on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Most RV parks are independent or operated by a government entity. In North America Kampgrounds of America, KOA, is the largest and best-known chain of RV parks, with Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Campgrounds a distant second. Good Sam Parks are mostly independently owned RV campgrounds endorsed by the Good Sam Club, a large association of North American RVers that is operated for profit by the Affinity Group, Inc. Listings of RV parks can be found in printed directories; the best known are the annual ones by Woodall's and "Trailer Life" Magazine. Online RV directories are provided by eCampGuide, CampRate, Reserve RV, RVThereYet, RVParkReviews, AmericaOnWheels.com and others. Overnight rates for most North American RV parks are $15 to $50, although some in city and country parks may be $10 or less, even free.

Australia

In Australia there is generally no differentiation between an RV park and a trailer park. The term "caravan park" is used to refer to both, and "RV park" and "trailer park" are never used, even to the point of not being understood by some Australians.

Europe

Caravan sites in Europe range in facilities depending on their age. Most new sites will be built to high environmentally friendly standards and have facilities compatible with the newest vehicles.

The Caravan Club has 1 million members in Europe with around 200 self-owned campsites and over 2,500 certified third party locations. [ cite web|url=http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/About+us/default.htm|title=The Caravan Club - About Us|publisher=Caravan Club|accessdate=2008-05-06] . The Camping and Caravanning Club is a non-profit organisation which has been running for over a century and has over 400,000 members and 100 campsites in the United Kingdom. [ cite web|url=http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/aboutus|title=The Camping and Caravanning Club - About Us|publisher=Camping and Caravanning Club|accessdate=2008-05-06]

In France, Germany and Italy, to a lesser degree also in Norway and Netherlands, a large network of dedicated stopover sites for motorhomes has grown since about 1980. These sites are called "Reisemobil-Stellplatz" in German or "Aire de Camping-car" in French. While these sites can usually not be compared to North American RV sites regarding size and facilities, they still fulfill the same purpose.

ee also

*Campground
*Recreational vehicle
*Slab City
*Trailer park

References