When living the dream turns into surviving the nightmare
There are many reasons we all love camping, but at the root, it’s all about relaxation, peace, and quiet. You’ve clocked many hours driving interstates, highways, and some questionable back roads. You handled the ups and downs of the unique attitudes that make up your family unit to arrive at your next destination. Now all you can think about is parking your RV, rolling out your rooms, and settling in for what you hope to be a relaxing vacation of hiking, fishing, swimming, and sightseeing.
Your neighbors have other ideas. Not all RV neighbors are going to be a dream to deal with. Some of them will be loud. Some will be messy. Some won’t watch their pets or their children, and you’ll feel more like you’re babysitting than camping.
Should we move?
Moving is always an option. You have an RV, and it’s not rooted to the ground until you park it and stabilize it. Even then, it’s relatively easy to move.
Another option would be to take a survey of the campground before you settle on a location to park for the duration of your stay. You want a campsite that provides unique views and maybe even easy access to certain amenities, but you also want to be on the lookout for neighbors. Problem neighbors should be easy to spot.
Roll down your windows so you can hear the level of noise as well. Pretend you’re surveying the site rather than the people, but keep an eye out for what they’re doing, what the noise level is, and how tidy they keep their site.
That’s it, I’m saying something!
Be careful. If they’re the camper that doesn’t care how much noise they’re making and how uncomfortable they’re making you, they could be the type of people to go out of their way to make it worse.
If you ask them to keep the noise down, they might do all they can to make the noise louder than you ever thought possible. If you ask them to keep an eye on their animals or children, they could intentionally ignore them or encourage them to be obnoxious.
If you ask them to pick up their trash, they will create more. You get the point. If you’re going to say something, say something to whoever is in charge. Campgrounds want their guests to feel comfortable, and if they allow pets, they likely have restrictions on them. They may also have provisions on noise and messes. Turning them in keeps you anonymous and goes a long way to alleviating the issue. If there are other campers around you, then the problem neighbors probably won’t even know you’re the one that turned them in if you haven’t given them side eye or said anything to them before.
I’m going to be just as obnoxious
This is never the answer. You don’t want to become a problem neighbor yourself. The flipside is if you go out of your way to be obnoxious, they could answer it with never before dreamed of levels of noise and mayhem. Besides, that’s not why you went camping in the first place.
If you’re obnoxious in return, you could be the neighbor that gets turned in to the campground and kicked out. Consider instead if your neighbors are being obnoxious beyond what’s acceptable, or if they’re just excited to be on their first camping trip. If it’s excitement you’re dealing with, rather than rudeness, try leading by example or showing them the ropes.
This isn’t the same as calling them out on their level of noise. Instead, it’s introducing yourself to them and befriending them. Clue them in on what’s typically acceptable in campsites and how to handle different aspects of the camping life. It’s definitely worth a shot if they seem like good people outside their propensity for chaos.
Has the level of noise from your neighbors made you head for the hills in the middle of the night? Driving at night leaves you open to a new set of challenges, like flat tires or damaged wheels if you’re not careful. Before you set out on any camping trip, make sure you have your tires and wheels covered so if something happens to them, the repair cost isn’t coming from your pocket! Our tire and wheel protection plan means your damaged tires or wheels are replaced at no cost to you. There’s not even a deductible!
