A Last-Minute Camping Success Story

A Last-Minute Camping Success Story
Top options for campground booking to try out on your next trip.
By: GoLife Staff

Greta Bossenbroek and her husband, Mathias, were looking for a last-minute camping trip for the 4th of July. But it being July 1st, options were limited. “We know campgrounds usually fill up months in advance for holidays, but we just weren’t thinking ahead and before we knew it, it was the middle of summer,” said Greta. 

After a long internet search to multiple campsite finders, they ended up finding a spot on Campspot at Hidden Ponds RV Resort in South Haven, MI. “We were really lucky to find a park so close to Lake Michigan on a holiday weekend. Plus, the campground was well laid out and the site was concrete and level. What a last minute find!”

I’m sure many of you have been in this situation more than once. You had the best intentions to plan your trip ahead of time, but life happens. What to do next? We’re here to give you our suggestions on the question on every camper’s mind: What is the easiest way to book?

Options for Campground Booking (Even for Last-Minute!)

Hipcamp is not for those looking for your traditional camping experience. Skewing towards the glamping audience, many RVers probably don’t regularly turn to Hipcamp. However, there are many really cool options on their site. Think of Hipcamp as more of the Airbnb of camping where you can find campsites put up by landowners. In general, it is a little more on the pricey side, but you will pay for the unique experience.  

The Dyrt is another good resource for finding new campsites and they have a great-looking app, however, it’s not the best for booking your last-minute campsite. We do love their app for its great look and reviews though.

KOA is a staple for most campers and definitely one of the most recognizable camping brands with options coast to coast. When booking with KOA, you will be confined to their locations, so availability in certain parts of the country will be limited. Their site will also take a fairly long time to search availability, but this is still a great option if you are looking for consistency in your camping. 

Rec.gov is a classic way to book your next camping trip, however, availability will oftn be an issue if you don’t book early enough. 

Calling the campground is definitely an easy and quick option ... when you can get through. Campgrounds often have limited hours during the off season and are slammed during the peak season, so keep that in mind when calling. 

A New Campsite Booking Option!

Greta and Mathias were able to find their last-minute 4th of July trip using the industry’s newest booking platform, Campspot. 

“It was really easy to put in our dates and rig info to find what was available for us. We booked one of the last two sites available in the whole state of Michigan,” said Greta.

Campspot is a newer option for campers, but it’s a great choice for people looking to find new campgrounds as well as book all in one place because their inventory is instantly bookable - common for hotels and vacation rentals, not so common for camping. 

They also recently launched an app for booking on the go. With nearly 1000 private campgrounds and more than 110,000 campsites to choose from (and growing!), Campspot is an exciting development for both newbies and experienced campers. 

“We have a lot of camping apps we use for different reasons - some for reading reviews, some for navigating – for this trip we ended up using the Campspot app. They have the largest selection of private campgrounds and I like having all my reservations in one place.” 

It’s worth noting that Campspot also has a lowest-price guarantee and a robust Camp Guide on their site where they share tips, routes, and suggestions for all things camping. 

Final Thoughts

Looking ahead to the rest of summer, whether you’re hoping to book last minute right before Labor Day Weekend or carefully planning out the rest of your camping trips for the peak season, there are many options for you to explore when booking your next trip. With that in mind, give these a try and see what you think. 

Happy camping!