Insider tips on how to get a camping reservation this summer [2021]

Frustrated about how to get a camping reservation this summer? We can help with some insider tips on using campground reservation technology. We know. There are a lot of people trying to book camping reservations this summer. Demand has never been higher. It seems like the entire country - frustrated after a long year of COVID-19 travel restrictions - is anxious to hit the road in their RV and find the perfect camping spot. But campgrounds across America are reporting record demand. In the most popular destinations - around national parks, for instance - finding an open spot will not be as easy as it was pre-COVID. Mark Koep, the CEO of CampgroundViews.com, is our special guest on Episode #339 of the RV Podcast. He offers up lots of insider tips for us on how to get a camping reservation this summer. You can listen to the podcast in the player below. Or keep scrolling down for a video version - in which he demonstrates just how to use the Internet to get a camping reservation. There's also a full transcript of the interview, so keep reading! How to Get a Camping Reservation: Tips from Mark Koep First, here's a video of the interview in which Mark demonstrates how to get a camping reservation this summer:  Here's an edited transcript of the Interview: Mike Wendland: To help us get into the right possible groove for finding those difficult-to-locate open campsites is our friend Mark Koep, of CampgroundViews.com. First of all. Hi Mark. How are ya? Mark Koep: Hey, Mike, doing good. How are you doing? Mike Wendland: The camping season is here. People are out moving about and I thought, there's no one better suited to help us learn how to navigate the challenges of finding open reservations than my friend Mark Koep. So Mark, let's talk about your site for starters. I know we have a big surprise that we'll have coming up in a few minutes, but first of all, a lot of people are in the planning mode right now and they hear all these stories, "We can't find a spot. We can't find a spot." How can we help them with finding a spot? And maybe we can actually bring up your site and show them. How to get a Camping Reservation: Get Creative Mark Koep: Yeah, Mike, it's going to be a busy camping season, flat out. We did a survey last week of 2000 campground owners. And 50% of them said that their advanced bookings are up significantly over average, everybody's just going camping. But Mike you've been camping long enough. I've been camping long enough to know that this is true. You can find a campsite anywhere you go as long as you're willing to travel a little bit to go do it. And the best example- Mike Wendland: And do a little research. Mark Koep: Exactly. Mike Wendland: I'm looking at your site.  Walk us through. We see a map, what are we looking at? How to get a Camping Reservation: Widen your search area Mark Koep of CampgroundViews.com tells us how to get a camping reservation this summer Mark Koep: The first example I'm going to pull up is Yosemite Valley. And the reason I do this is that there are only four or five campgrounds on the Valley floor in Yosemite. And everybody will say Yosemite is full. But if you notice my default radius is set to 50 miles and Mike, how many campgrounds are there within 50 miles of Yellowstone National or Yosemite national park? Mike Wendland: Probably 75, a hundred? Mark Koep: 107 campgrounds within 50 miles of Yosemite Valley floor. So within that, you can figure the average campground has 60 sites in it. That means there are 6,000 campsites within 50 miles of Yosemite National Park. I guarantee you can find a campsite any night of the year, as long as you're willing to do a little bit of research and go find them. How to get a Camping Reservation: Alter your expectations The first suggestion on how to get a camping reservation is to widen the search area So the trick, the first rule at finding a campsite, and it's going to be nutty all summer long,