Boondocking at Walmart

We left for Michigan on a Friday – after Craig got home from work. We planned on boondocking at a Walmart for Friday night.

No Walmart is not a brushy area – but you get the idea! It actually works out really great! Almost all Walmart’s offer this service and all you have to do is call the store and ask if it is ok. So far we have done this 3 times. I am sure you are thinking that is crazy! Aren’t you worried about something happening!! The first time we thought about doing this I was VERY unsure but all of the research we did made it sound like it would be fine. Plus most Walmart’s are open 24 hours and their parking lots are very well lit. So the first time we did it – I made sure that Craig had the keys in readily available in case we needed to bolt! Plus I slept with one eye open for the 7 hours we were there! This time was even better because Megan and Jake were there with their RV – safety in numbers!!

We got there about 1am and were moving again by about 9am. This Walmart wasn’t to busy so it was actually really quite. Some of the ones we have stayed at you hear cars and trucks going around you all night! We think Walmart does this because they hope you will come in and buy a lot of things before you leave! I know it sounds crazy to stay overnight in a Walmart parking lot – but it actually does work out really well – and it is free!!

The lights in the RV work via the RV battery and since it was warm that night Craig actually turned the generator on and we were able to turn the AC on! We have a huge water tank so we had water, lights, a bathroom, AC, and cold drinks! Maybe we will just hang out here for a while! Maybe not . . . on the road again by 9am!

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Bryanna

Bryanna is passionate about sharing family travel to help others get out and travel more with their kids! She traveled full time in an RV with her husband and 4 kids for over 8 years before going international for a 3 month backpacking trip with her family.

She loves being outside and exploring new places which is all made better when doing it with family and friends!