| Camping
in
much
of
Europe
in
general,
and
in
France
in
particular,
is
much
more
popular
than
it
is
in
America.
It
is
seen
as
a
low-cost
alternative
to
hotels
for
many
people,
but
also
as
a
wonderful
way
to
travel
in
it's
own
right.
In
France,
the
government
gives
hotels
-
and
campgrounds
-
a
star
rating.
It
isn't
foolproof,
but
it's
generally
a
good
guide.
This
is
similar
to
the
directory
rating
we
have
in
the
USA,
but
in
the
USA
the
people
who
are
rating
the
campgrounds
-
Good
Sam,
Woodalls
etc
-
while
certainly
doing
a
great
job
in
the
absence
of
a
government
system
-
are
often
criticized
by
Roaming
Times'
readers
for
their
dual
role.
They
not
only
rate
the
campgrounds
-
they
also
advertise
them.
Our
readers
(and
many
campgrounds)
have
often
said
that
they
believe
the
rating
can
be
influenced
by
the
size
of
the
advertising
space
the
campground
takes
in
the
directory,
and
the
money
it
spends
on
the
advertising.
Another
wonderful
feature
of
European
camping
is
the
autoroute
rest
stops.
These
are
free
and
many
of
them
allow
overnight
stops
for
RVs
with
facilities,
restaurants
and
frequent
police
patrols.
In
a
way,
the
only
real
comparison
we
have
in
America
is
truckstops,
or
Wal-Mart's
generosity
in
allowing
RVers
to
park
overnight
without
charge.
|
