What Is RV Driveway Surfing?

Have you ever driveway surfed? No, not like surfing at the beach, but with an RV! RV driveway surfing is a lot like couch surfing, but with your recreational vehicle. 

But are there any real benefits or just awkward moments when driveway surfing while you travel?

Let’s find out.

What is Driveway Surfing?

Driveway surfing is pretty easy to understand. You find a driveway, set up camp (with permission), and spend the night there. Sometimes RVers call it “moochdocking.”

Whether you know the person that’s allowing you to stay on their property or not, driveway surfing is perfect for the days (or nights), where you find yourself at a loss of where to park in a new town or city. 

Most people who offer driveway surfing sites are travelers themselves, so who knows you might even make new friends!

Driveway surfing is a much more hospitable version of Overnight RV Parking.

Benefits of Driveway Surfing

Driveway surfing has a few benefits. Much like public lands or BLM dispersed campsites, driveway surfing can give you a new perspective on RVing. If you’re not entirely convinced driveway surfing has benefits, let’s take a look at a handful of reasons why people driveway surf.

Long day or night on the road: In some cities and towns, it’s hard to find a place to sleep overnight after a long day or night spent driving. Instead of hunting for dispersed camping or calling an already-full campground, driveway surfing can be a better option when your eyelids are getting heavy.

It’s less expensive than a campground: In most cases, driveway surfing is cheaper than staying at a campground. Driveway surfing sites may have fewer amenities, but may give you a safe and secure place to rest your head while RVing in a new city or town.

You’re usually closer to attractions and other sightseeing opportunities: Instead of heading to the campground outside of town, you may find a driveway in town that makes it easier for you to see the things you want to see and the things you want to do. Nothing like saving gas money, time, and having a place to stay all for a low price, right?

You can make like-minded friends: As I said before, most people who offer driveway surfing sites are travelers like us. They understand the ways of the road and are happy to host you. Unlike staying at a multi-site campground, most driveway surfing hosts give you a more personalized experience and provide you better directions and help within the local area.

Boondockers Welcome!

If you’re ready to surf some driveways, there’s a great resource we love called Boondockers Welcome. This site aggregates over 2,400 driveway surfing hosts globally. The best part is that these driveway surfing spots are free!

If you’re looking for a quieter experience beyond the traditional campground, you can easily boondock at these sites for a few nights to reset and recharge after days or weeks on the road. Some hosts even offer electricity and other amenities if you’re looking for a slightly upgraded experience from boondocking. 

You can easily search for driveway surfing hosts by using the interactive map or search navigation to determine where and when you’d like to driveway surf. 

All you have to do is sign up to become a member of Boondockers Welcome, and if you decide you like it enough, you can offer driveway surfing when you get back home, too.

What About Driveway Surfing at Vineyards & Breweries?

Even though it could be considered parking lot surfing, we like to include Harvest Hosts.

Harvest Hosts is like Boondockers Welcome. Instead of offering residential driveways, it offers driveways at vineyards, breweries and farms.

You can learn more about Harvest Hosts here.

Driveway Surfing the USA

Whether you’re feeling tired after a long day of travel or just wanting to unplug from the traditional RV camping scene, driveway surfing can benefit any traveler. 

Save money, time, and headache by finding a driveway surfing site without all the hassle.

Discover the Best Free Camping in America

To be honest with you, we hate paying for camping. There are so many free campsites in America (with complete privacy).

You should give it a try!

As a matter of fact, these free campsites are yours. Every time you pay federal taxes, you’re contributing to these lands.

Become a FREE CAMPING INSIDER and join the 100,000 campers that love to score the best site! 

We’ll send you the 50 Best Free Campsites in the USA (one per state). Access the list by submitting your email below: