How do free RV park maps get paid for?
Local businesses pay for them, because your guests are their customers and do not know where anything is yet.
Short answer
Local businesses near the park buy the ad spots. A restaurant, a laundromat, an RV repair shop, a propane dealer, a golf cart rental. Each buys a spot for twelve months, and together they cover the design, the printing, and the shipping. The park pays nothing and reorders are free. The businesses get in front of every camper who checks in, and the guest gets a map that answers where everything is. All three parties get something, which is why it has worked since 1986.
Why businesses pay for it
A camper pulling in on Friday afternoon needs dinner, propane, ice, and possibly a tire. They have no idea where any of it is and they will not be there long enough to find out by driving around. The business printed in the guide their host just handed them is the one they go to. That is worth more than most other local advertising a small business can buy.
What each party gets
| Who | Gets | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| The park | A drawn map, printed and shipped, reorders free | Nothing |
| The advertiser | Twelve months in front of every guest | $350 and up |
| The guest | A map, the rules, and where to eat | Nothing |
Where the advertising sits
Inside the guide, arranged around the rules and camp information. Cover and map sponsor spots exist and are industry exclusive, so a single RV repair shop can be the only one in your guide. The map itself stays clean; nothing sits on top of your site numbers.
If the spots do not fill
We tell you. You can wait for the next round of sales or buy the run outright at a price we quote by park. What we do not do is leave a park waiting indefinitely for maps that never come.
Related questions.
Who pays for a free campground map?
Local businesses near the park buy the ad spots, which covers design, printing, and shipping.
How much does an ad in a park guide cost?
An inside ad is $350 for twelve months. Cover and map sponsor spots cost more and are industry exclusive.
Does advertising go on the map itself?
No. The map stays clean. Ads sit in the guide around the rules and camp information.
Can I refuse a particular advertiser?
Yes. Tell us who you would rather not have and we will keep them out.
More on how the free map works: Do I have to have ads on my park map? · What if the ad spots don't sell for my park? · Can I reorder maps when I run out? · all questions
Want a map for your park?
Send a site list and an aerial photo and we will draw it. Free when local businesses sponsor it, or bought outright with no ads.