Everyone’s reason for getting an RV is different. We wanted the ability to travel with ease with our dogs. And we thought we would do that by staying at campgrounds. However one reason which we didn’t really have on our radar was driveway camping aka “moochdocking”. Once we started traveling and camping we realized how much we loved it and started to include family visits with our rig. Having dogs makes visiting family challenging, so this moochdocking option seemed like a great way to visit family without having to bombard them with all of our stuff and dogs. Hence, we took our “mobile condo/guestroom” on the road and started driveway camping in all seasons.
Moochdocking is very comfortable as long as you have the ability to plug into a house receptacle so you can run the coffee maker, the heated dog mats (in cold weather), fans (in warm weather) and the hair dryer. The only downfall is that in extremely hot weather you can’t use the AC without the generator so plan accordingly.
This summer we did driveway camp in 90 degree heat and it was really, really hot in the “mobile condo” even with the shades drawn and fans going. We had to run the generator for a little while to get some cool air into the rig.
[Update: in late summer of 2020 Whiskey added the Soft Start device to our AC and we can now run the AC from a 20 am circuit using a heavy duty extension cord. This is a game changer for driveway camping in the heat.]
Family might be skeptical at first when you ask to visit and park your rig. In order to have a good experience, be a good guest. Here are my tips:
· Find out if RV parking is permitted by local ordinances or HOAs.
· Always show up with a gift for your host, even if it is a close family member.
· Bring good food.
· Prepare food in your rig and serve it using your dishware and utensils.
· If using the house shower, use your own towels and bathmat, and keep them in your rig after showers
· Pick up after your dogs.
· Keep your stuff contained to your rig.
· Make your own morning coffee or tea in your rig.
· Make your own breakfast in your rig.
· Invite family into your rig for coffee, tea, or breakfast.
· Have a quality heavy-duty long extension cord to reach the host’s house.
· Be self-sufficient.
Below is a gallery of our mooch-docking. I will flat-out say that I do love to cook and I take a thoughtful approach to bring quality food that I know my hosts will like and enjoy. These might seem fancy to some, but I can assure the food is easy.
Notes on the food in the photo gallery:
An easy way to excite and impress your hosts is to prepare a nice charcuterie board. An assortment of cheeses, cured meats, olives, crackers and/or toasts, jams, spreads, and fruits is a great way to show appreciation for your free RV parking.
if you are willing to cook a meal, cooking steak in cast iron in your rig is a wonderful option Go to my blog post on how I cook steak in our rig using the stove and a cast iron skillet (my go to steak is ribeye). I have cooked, sliced, and served this several times for family. I serve it family style with simple sides like salad, and other veggies. I also make burgers the same way as steak.
The pumpkin roll was for Thanksgiving. I made that at home, wrapped it, and froze it for travel.
Having breakfast in the RV is great on travel days and when parked. I like to have a bag of cooked bacon so that breakfast is fast. Cook a bunch of bacon before hitting the road. It is so useful for breakfast and lunch.
I hope you got new inspiration to visit family and bring your own guest room suite. Safe travels!
~Wine
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