Stay overnight at a Flying J or Walmart

Saturday, March 24, 2007 by Lolo

On those long driving days that stretch into the evening., it's a waste of time and money to stay in a commercial campground. A safe and free alternative is a Flying J Travel Plaza. Flying J's are clean, safe, and conveniently located on most major highways--once you get off the east coast. They have a special section for overnight RV parking. However, since most seasoned Rvers know about Flying J's, it's important to arrive before 9:00 p.m. to ensure you get a spot.

Another alternative to a commercial campground is a 24-hour Walmart Supercenter. Most Walmart stores that are open all night allow overnight RV parking. However, unlike Flying J's the safety factor can sometimes be an issue depending on where the Walmart is located. We spent one very uneasy night in a Flying J in Richmond, Virginia, where teenagers were drag racing their cars most of the night.

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Sean on April 28, 2010

Herb & Lolo, I’m sorry to hear that you had an uneasy experience while you stopped in Richmond, Va. While there are some places that are kind of “rough” the area is rich in history from the founding of our country to the civil war. I hope you, Lolo and the boys had an opportunity to meet some of our friendlier residents while you were in our neck of the woods. Best wishes for your continual travels.

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Herb on May 3, 2010

Thank you for your comment Sean. With all our travels we have been fortunate that there have been only a few times where we have felt uneasy, and this was probably in part due to the fatigue of a long day of driving. We have enjoyed visiting Virginia throughout the years and have good friends who live in Virginia Beach as well. A list of our trip stops in Virginia is available at http://www.cross-country-trips.com/location/united-states/middle-atlanti....

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Nomad Angie on August 3, 2010

Are the Flying J's convenience stores? Are the Walmart's only 24 centers?
thanks! =]

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Herb on August 4, 2010

Hi Angie, The Flying J's are Truckstops/Gas Stations that also usually have a pretty good convenience store. (Full of stuff that would also be of interest to professional drivers).
The Wal-Marts that allow overnight parking are most of the 24 hour Supercenters. We usually call first to make sure that it is allowed, but if you don't call it will be pretty obvious if there is a section of the parking lot that is filled with RV's late at night.

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Nomad Angie on August 4, 2010

Thanks for the info!

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