What is "It"?

We just submitted reviews for our last five stops to rvparkreviews.com. The five completely different parks earned basically the same great rating. And, that has us thinking about the "it" factor.

The "it" factor is a designation some RVers give to a campground or park that "has it all." A place that has "it" is a place you want to return to, tell your friends and write a glowing review about. It's purely subjective, of course. And, in our case, we're noticing that "it" changes, depending on what we're in the mood for.

In Monett, MO, were so pleased to find a previously unlisted park just three miles outside of town. With full hookups and smokin' hot wifi, we had everything we needed. The "it" factor for us in that place was that it was minutes away from family. Oh yeah, and we saw llamas and horses outside our window. Pretty cool.

Our original destination in Little Rock was a gravel parking lot downtown on the river in a not so hot neighborhood. Definitely no "it" factor for us. We followed the recommendation of a fellow fulltimer and made our way to Maumelle Park. The next four days we basically camped in the pouring rain. Yet, with a riverside site and peace and quiet just 20 minutes from downtown Little Rock, this place definitely had a very different "it" factor.

After our arduous travel day through ArkLaMiss, we probably would've found the "it" factor in a Walmart parking lot. Grand Gulf Military Park was so steeped in Civil War history that its battlefield, museum and historical buildings created enough "it" factor for us to make up for heat, humidity and a tornado.

After covering a few too many miles (325) on an uneventful travel day into Alabama we spent the next three days in a park that had everything we needed. Most importantly, it had strong 3G service, smoking hot wifi and a clear shot of the southern sky. We'd been technology deprived for so long that's what we wanted more than anything else. And, at South Montgomery RV Park that's exactly what they had to offer...for 20 bucks a night. Where others would see a treeless gravel lot with sparse grass next the interstate, we found our "it" factor...and a stray kitty, too!

Our park in middle Georgia had a lot to offer. This spacious, no frills kind of place gave us views of Georgia pines during the day and a star-filled sky at night. The "it" factor for us was that it was a quiet, comfortable place to kick back and relax for a few days before what would promise to be a busy week of family and exploring on the South Carolina coast.

Here in Hilton Head Island, we're in a 200-site resort on the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway. We're on a long, wide paved lot surrounded by palm trees and lush landscaping. Rocky even has his own little driveway. It's quite homey. Some folks might find this place a bit too commercial and closed-in, but for us the "it" factor is we're on the island, just 10 minutes from the family we've come to visit and we can bike to the ocean from here. Yes, it is just a little slice of paradise.

Six parks that are distinctively different, but on a given day they've had something to offer. And, the next time we pass through these parts we might find ourselves looking for places that have a different "it" factor. As we're learning, what "it" is depends on us: It's all about what we need, want and are in the mood for at any given time in any given place. And, "it" can be different for everybody. One RVer's noisy gravel lot can be another's haven, and vice versa.

That makes reading and writing park reviews a bit of challenge. With all of us appreciating different "it" factors, there's no right answer. But, there are a lot of wonderful parks for us all to check out and explore. And, everyone's perspective can be so helpful.

If you'd like to take a peek at our reviews of the places we've stayed, check them out. And, if you're already reviewing the places you park at rvparkreviews.com, thank you so much! We find this site to be the most helpful, thanks to you. If you're not writing reviews, we ask that you please give it a try. It's an easy way to make a valuable contribution to this wonderful community. And, we'll really appreciate it!