An RV campground is a shared space where dozens of very different people live within a few hundred square metres: families with children, couples, groups of friends, solo travellers and owners of large motorhomes. Whether the site becomes a calm place to relax or a source of constant irritation depends on how well each of them follows a few simple rules. The good news is that campground etiquette is intuitive and rests on a single principle: behave so that your presence does not spoil your neighbours' rest. In this article we go through the basic rules for every aspect of life on a pitch — what you can do, what you can't, and how to avoid conflict.
Why rules exist at all
Unlike a hotel room, a pitch is not isolated by walls. Sound, light, smell, campfire smoke and even headlight glare easily reach your neighbours. Many people who come to a campground do so precisely for the quiet and the nature, and a single rule-breaker robs everyone around at once. So the rules here are not bureaucracy but a way of sharing a limited resource — space, quiet, water, electricity — so that there is enough for everyone.
Most campgrounds post their rules at reception or hand out a leaflet on arrival. Read them first: quiet hours, pet rules, whether open fires are allowed, where to park a second car — all of this varies from place to place. If no written rules are available, the general norms described below apply.
Quiet and the daily rhythm
Quiet is the campground's main value and the most common cause of conflict. Almost everywhere there is a "quiet time" (or rather a quiet night): usually from 22:00–23:00 until 7:00–8:00. During these hours you must keep to a minimum any sound that carries beyond your pitch:
- loud conversation and laughter around the fire;
- music from a speaker or car stereo;
- slamming RV doors and boot lids;
- a running generator (more on this below);
- children shouting and running between other people's pitches.
This does not mean you must sit in total silence in the evening — it is fine to talk quietly and play soft music until lights-out. But once night falls, any sound in a sleeping camp carries especially well. In the morning the same rule applies in reverse: prepare an early departure quietly, without warming up the engine under your neighbours' windows or loading gear noisily at 6 a.m.
The generator
A petrol generator is a topic of its own. On many equipped pitches it is simply not needed because there is electricity from the mains. If a generator is used at all, run it only during permitted hours (not early in the morning or at night), place it as far as possible from other tents, and point the exhaust away from people. In quiet nature campgrounds generators are often banned entirely — worth checking in advance.
Cleanliness and rubbish
The rule is simple and universal: after you leave, the pitch should look as if you were never there. This applies not only to the final clean-up but to your whole stay.
- Do not leave rubbish on the ground even for a couple of hours — the wind scatters it and animals drag it around.
- Sort your waste if separate bins are provided (plastic, glass, organic, general waste).
- Do not stack bin bags next to your pitch "for later" — in the warmth they quickly smell and attract wasps, birds and rodents.
- Cigarette butts, foil, wet wipes and food scraps do not go in the fire pit and are not buried — that is not "biodegradable" but a future dump under a layer of soil.
Pay special attention to shared areas. The washing-up sink, tables and barbecue area are left clean after you: food residue rinsed away, table wiped, ashes cleared. The same goes for the area around the point where you drain water or take drinking water: dirt and puddles here spoil things for everyone who comes next.
Shared facilities: shower, toilet, kitchen
The sanitary block and kitchen are the most heavily used parts of a campground, especially in season and at peak times (morning and evening). Shared-use etiquette applies here.
The shower
The shower in a campground is a limited resource: there are few cubicles and even less hot water. Basic rules: do not occupy a cubicle longer than necessary, especially when there is a queue outside; do not leave soap, sponges and razors on the shelves; clear your hair from the drain; do not wash clothes in the shower. If water is paid or token-operated, plan your time so you are not left covered in soap with no water.
The toilet
A shared toilet requires basic care: leave the cubicle in the state you would like to find it. Do not flush wet wipes, hygiene products or household rubbish — this clogs the campground's septic system, and because of one person the whole system can fail for everyone. If paper runs out or something breaks, tell reception rather than leaving the problem for the next guest.
The kitchen and washing up
The shared kitchen and sinks are where etiquette shows immediately. Do not hog the stove and sink, wash up straight away rather than "soaking" dishes for an hour in the communal sink, and do not pour grease or large food scraps down the drain. If there is a shop or a café nearby, you can take some of the peak-time load off by not cooking in the shared kitchen. Where there is a laundry or a separate washing machine, the same queue rule applies: collect your laundry on time and don't leave other people's things soaking in the machine.
Water and electricity are shared resources
Even on an equipped pitch, water and power are not infinite. The plumbing is designed for a certain pressure and the electrical network for the combined load of everyone connected. So:
- do not leave the tap running "to let it flow", and do not wash your vehicle under running water unless it is allowed;
- when connecting to electricity do not exceed the limit allocated to your pitch (often 6–16 A): a kettle, heater and air conditioner running at once easily trip the main breaker and cut the power to your neighbours;
- use sound cables of the correct cross-section and do not run extension leads across driveways and paths where people trip over them;
- charge devices sensibly and do not "occupy" the only socket in a shared area for half a day.
Draining grey and black water
Beginners break this rule most often, out of ignorance. "Grey" water (from the sink and shower) and "black" water (from the RV toilet) are drained only at designated points. For this, equipped sites have a tank drain — a separate inlet or area for emptying the cassette and grey tank.
- Never drain tanks onto the ground, into a storm drain, into bushes or into a lake — this is both a violation and real harm to nature and health.
- After draining, rinse the area and do not leave splashes and residue.
- Use chemicals for the toilet in the recommended dose — an excess harms the campground's shared septic system.
Campfire, grill and open flame
Open fire is a high-responsibility area. First find out whether a fire is allowed at all: in many campgrounds, and almost everywhere in the fire-risk season, it is banned, and you may only cook on a gas or charcoal grill in a designated spot.
- Light a fire only in fire pits or grills, not on the grass by your tent.
- Do not throw plastic or rubbish into the fire — smoke and smell go straight to your neighbours.
- Never leave a fire unattended and fully extinguish it before sleep and departure.
- Keep water or an extinguisher nearby — especially if there are tents and dry grass around.
Music, light and entertainment
Music is acceptable as long as it does not carry beyond your pitch and ends before quiet hours begin. A speaker "for the whole camp", even playing your favourite track, is an almost guaranteed conflict. The same goes for light: a bright floodlight or string of lights aimed towards other people's windows and tents stops them sleeping. At night use warm, dim light, and point your torch at your feet rather than into the faces of passers-by.
Parking and manoeuvring
Park your car and motorhome strictly within your own pitch, without spilling onto the neighbouring plot or blocking driveways. Remember the swing of opening doors, the extended awning and space for a table — all of this must fit on your plot. Carry out manoeuvres (especially reversing with a trailer) slowly and, if needed, with a helper: on the narrow lanes of a campground it is easy to hit someone's property or a tent's guy lines. Park a second car only where it is allowed, not "right up against" your neighbours.
Pets
You can take pets to almost any campground, but by the rules. Keep a dog on a lead everywhere on the territory, do not leave it alone for long (barking in the owner's absence is a common complaint), clean up after it immediately and walk it outside the rest area and children's playgrounds. Put a bowl of water in the shade, and at night do not leave the pet outside, where it will react to every rustle. Respect for those who are afraid of animals or have allergies is also part of the etiquette.
Children
Children at a campground are normal and good, but responsibility for them lies entirely with the parents. Explain to your child that they must not run between other people's pitches, touch other people's property, make noise during quiet hours or ride a bike along the lanes at speed. The play area, if there is one, is for games; a neighbour's pitch is not. This is not about strictness but about that same respect for shared space.
Talking to neighbours and management
A friendly "hello" when you settle in next door sets the tone for the whole stay. If a neighbour does disturb you (loud music, barking, smoke), first calmly and politely speak to them directly — most often the person simply does not realise they are bothering you. If that does not help, the issue is for the management: that is what reception is for. Do not stage a retaliatory "concert" or let irritation build up — a direct, calm conversation almost always works better.
If the site has internet, a sauna, a first-aid point and other shared services, the same principles apply: respect the queue, the schedule and cleanliness, and do not occupy a resource longer than necessary.
In short: what you can't do
- Make noise during quiet hours (music, generator, loud groups).
- Drain grey and black water onto the ground or into water bodies.
- Throw rubbish past the bins and leave it by your pitch.
- Light an open fire where it is forbidden, or leave it unattended.
- Enter or park on someone else's plot, or block driveways.
- Leave a pet unattended and fail to clean up after it.
- Shine bright light into other people's windows and tents.
- Occupy shared areas (shower, kitchen, sockets, washing machine) longer than necessary.
In short: what is welcome
- Talk quietly and play soft music until lights-out.
- Help neighbours with manoeuvres and small everyday matters.
- Share information about the site: where the water, drain and shop are, how the signal is.
- Leave the pitch cleaner than you found it.
- Say hello, warn about an early departure, thank the staff.
Conclusion
Campground etiquette is common sense multiplied by respect for those around you. Quiet at the right hours, cleanliness, careful use of shared resources and goodwill turn any pitch into a comfortable place to relax. And choosing a campground with the facilities you need — a shower, a kitchen, electricity, a spot for a motorhome or a tent pitch — is easy through the catalogue: use the filters on the homepage or look at all the options on the map. Other materials in the Articles section will help with the basic everyday questions.