A motorhome stopover (german: Reisemobil-Stellplatz, it, Aree di Sosta, french: Aire de Service) is a place designated for the purpose of overnight stopping for

recreational vehicle A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and camp ...

s or motorhomes. Motorhome stopovers are usually operated by local authorities. These vehicles can stay overnight or longer depending on terms and conditions specified on a sign by each locality.

Parking Parking is the act of stopping and disengaging a vehicle and leaving it unoccupied. Parking on one or both sides of a road is often permitted, though sometimes with restrictions. Some buildings have parking facilities for use of the buildings' ...

is in accordance with local building codes and road traffic law. There are three main purposes of these stopping places: providing a place for a short-term overnight stay without paperwork involved or restrictions of checking-in and checking-out time constraints imposed by formal campsites, allowing for travellers who prefer to move frequently from one place to the next during a short period of vacation and allowing parking places that are generally within walking distance to tourist sights. These stopovers differ from

campsite A campsite, also known as a campground or camping pitch, is a place used for camping, overnight stay in an outdoor area. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight u ...

s in that they are usually intended for a very short-term usage—usually one or two days—thus they provide very limited space for parking and limited facilities or at times no service at all. Some stopovers may provides services like campsites but these places generally will not provide much space around the vehicles as most campsites do. In most cases these places are usually located at the center of or at the edge of a town or a village and are convenient for visiting such places and generally do not have a management facility like a campsite. In addition, the majority of these place are free of charge, in particular those that belong to smaller localities. Where fees are applied, they are usually very nominal. Motorhome stopovers are a very popular mean of travelling in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

but are gradually gaining more popularity in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

and some other countries in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

. A formal motorhome stopover in Europe is usually indicated by a sign post. Locations of these stopovers vary depending on the locality. Some stopovers are part of a town's public parking, a part of the town sports facility, or next to a church—some with designated parking bays and some without. Others are specifically created for such purposes. Countries like Germany permit the staying in a vehicle as long as the driver can resume driving when necessary.Ulrich Dähn
''Wohnmobilrecht.de'', Kapitel: Das Übernachten im Wohnmobil auf deutschen Straßen
, retrieved 7 September 2010 This rule applies to motorhome parking in public places as well. Therefore "camping-like behavior" such as setting out an awning or picnic table and chairs is not usually permitted in these motorhome stopovers.

Services

Basic services may include: *

Drinking water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, ...

* Disposal facility for emptying chemical toilets * Electrical hook up A campsite-like motorhome stopover may provide more services than those indicated above.

References

External links

Motorhome stopover sites on OpenStreetMap

Easiest RV to Drive

{{Commons category, Motorhome stopovers

Campsites Recreational vehicles

Services

See also

References

External links