ASK LOIS: Where can I park my new RV?

“We bought an RV. It’s a trailer we attach to our pickup truck. We want to find scenic, quiet spots, with adults predominantly, and electricity and water and sewer hookups. Can you recommend campgrounds that are reasonably priced in the Boca Raton area?” — Carrie, Bensalem, Pa.

So you have joined the recreational vehicle trend! I’m seeing RVs on the road more than ever and am amazed at how popular they became during the pandemic.

It makes sense: RVs allow you to have your own living space, make your own food and spend time outdoors without having to be dependent on hotels, restaurants and other indoor spaces. There are so many types of vehicles, including motor homes, pop-up trailers, truck campers and minivans. I especially love those cute teardrop campers with the distinctive oval shape.

According to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association, the typical RV owner is 48 years old and spends three to four weeks vacationing in their RV annually. I was intrigued to see 22 percent of owners are 18 to 34 years old; this shows the motor home trend is not just for the retired or soon-to-be. Many recent college graduates bought or rented vans during the pandemic and took off to travel the country, even working remotely from their vehicles as they got a taste of the nomadic lifestyle.

You can’t just park these RVs anywhere, and this is where it gets complicated when you want to be near a certain area — in this case, Boca Raton. If you’re visiting friends or relatives, most homeowners’ associations will not allow you to park overnight in their driveways or parking lots. And you’ll need a place where you can hook up to utilities, stretch your legs, do some laundry and meet fellow travelers.

There are no public sites in Boca Raton to hook up, but there are some private parks not too far away, including Del-Raton RV Park in Delray Beach, which charges $53 to $57 a night through October, and Breezy Hill RV Resort in Pompano Beach, for $53 to $65 a night this summer, depending on number of nights. Most sites also have monthly and seasonal rates.

There are also public sites that are less expensive, in the $30 to $45 a night range. In Palm Beach County, check out John Prince Park in Lake Worth Beach, which has bathrooms, a lake and nature trails. In Broward, there are several options, including C.B. Smith, Easterlin, Markham and Topeekeegee Yugnee parks. These sites, all operated by the Broward County Parks & Recreation Department, offer picnic tables, charcoal grills, restroom complexes with hot showers, and sanitary dump stations. C.B. Smith and T.Y. also have laundry rooms.

A little farther north, there’s Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound, which placed second in the Best State Park for RVers category in a USA Today poll last year. The park charges $35 a night for a campsite and utility hookup. There’s also a $6.70 reservation fee, and it costs $6 for a vehicle with two people to get through the front gates.

Here’s a list of free sites where you can park. I didn’t see any in Palm Beach or Broward, although there are a few in Miami-Dade: Visit freecampsites.net.

We love your travel questions! Email AskLois@sunsentinel.com.