If you find yourself in this predicament, consider using the campground review and planning app, Campendium. Justin and I came across this website / app when we were putting together our initial plans for our Summer 2019 RV Road Trip. Once we had determined our exact destinations along the route of our itinerary, we began to zero in on campground lodging accommodations, knowing that we would be better served to make plans made ahead of time, especially when traveling with four kids. While we did use Google, as well as several travel blogs, for recommendations and advice, Campendium became an amazing resource for us to assess and research campgrounds.
HOW MUCH DOES CAMPENDIUM COST?
While we believe that you should be able to access all the information you will need for travel planning using Campendium’s free app, signing up to be a Campendium “Supporter” for $200 does allow additional benefits. These benefits include being able to filter campgrounds by cell service carriers (cell service reviews are available in the free app), being able to filter campgrounds for elevation (if, for instance, you do not tolerate high altitude, etc), being able to access cell service coverage overlay maps, public land maps, and trail maps.
WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF CAMPENDIUM?
Research Campground Lodging : Boasting over 21,000 campgrounds in the lower 48 states and Alaska, you can search by destination for campgrounds, and access reviews and information about each. There are also photos, and even some virtual tours available. This also includes government land, such as State and National Parks, Bureau of Land Management land areas, and even free campsites. You can search via map, or via list, based on your destination.
Campground Specifics : Campendium boasts a wealth of information about each campground, including average pricing, website and phone number, and cell service ratings by carrier.
Other Uses for RV-ers : Need a dump station along the way, or a place to fill your water? You can also search for these using Campendium.
Reviews : Campendium boasts that its campgrounds have been reviewed and vetted by its over 350,000+ members, and reading the reviews is extremely helpful when assessing lodging. In addition, reviews may include cell service ratings by carrier, which are an amazing aid for travelers.
HOW DO THE GAGNON USE CAMPENDIUM?
Our family uses this app to research RV and campground lodging for each of our trips. Once we have laid out our initial itinerary for a route, we begin researching campgrounds for each destination. We do a “search” for that destination, and, based on where on the map we prefer to be, begin to read the reviews and ratings for each campground in that area.
In addition, when traveling and needing a campground “on the fly,” we use Campendium to search for campgrounds near our location. Once we identify our lodging, we can book directly from the campground’s website, or by calling if it might be last-minute.
