As prepared as you think you may be, if you don’t book early enough you may fall victim to the new and growing summer problem of booking campsites. It’s getting to the point where even calling months in advance may not get you the campsite you want or the days you’re looking for may end up being blacked out and unable to go RV camping.

While this may be a roadblock for you last minute campers that have just started planning, there are a plethora of ways to overcome that obstacle and find the perfect campsite. So without further adieu, here are a few tips…

Camp In An RV

There are more people with tents than people with RVs, plain and simple, which makes it harder to book sites for tent camping. What really keeps people from RV camping is the misinterpretation of what the cost is. Camping becomes more popular when the economy is down and people almost automatically rule out the RVs because they’re trying to make the cost effective option. What most people aren’t aware of is the RV affordability, along with the volume of callers parks receive asking where they can camp and take their ten year old son fishing and make sure that their thirteen year old daughter has access to a warm shower. With an RV, you have a perfect balance between the two worlds of comfort and adventure normally for the price of taking your family out to dinner and the movies. It’s also easier to snag an RV spot, which is more readily available for the latecomers.

Show Up Midweek

There are still plenty of campgrounds that have spots open, especially so if you can avoid weekends and holidays. Cancellations occur often enough that the odds are in your favor for even some of the most popular camping sites. So if you can swing some midweek time off of work, more power to you.

First Come First Serve

While plenty of parks handle reservations and permits, there are almost just as many that function on a “first come first serve” basis. We recommend that you do a little research and find out what campgrounds near you work on said system and also try to be the first there during opening time. Depending on how popular the park you want to go to is, an essential factor in what time you need to arrive. You’ve got a solid shot at getting a campsite if you show up right as other campers are leaving, but remember that some parks see lines forming long before opening time.