VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Staying at home when you’re a full-time camper is a little different compared to most people.
“Even though you are staying at home, your home is outdoors,” said camper Doran Eichenberg.
And your neighbors are other campers in their RVs, cabins and tents, but the neighborhood has been quiet.
“We had a huge decline in business,” said Jessica Stachurski. She is the marketing coordinator with Virginia Beach KOA Holiday.
The campsite is getting ready to welcome short-term and weekend campers starting Friday as a part of the state’s phase on reopening. They say it’s right on time to kick off the season.
“Our peak season is from Memorial Day to Labor Day, so it’s coming up on that and Memorial Day is a super important day for us,” adds Stachurski.
They say they’ve already booked a number of reservations for this weekend.
“It is the best social distancing vacation you can get,” she adds.
Other campgrounds in the area like Holiday Trav-L-Park say they are also expecting an increase Friday. Leaders at the campground say they are taking extra steps to make sure they can continue practicing social distancing to keep campers safe.
"We have instituted a remote check-in method that will allow guests to arrive and go to their campsite without the need to enter the registration office,” said Phil Upton. He’s the manager at the Virginia Beach campgrounds.
In a statement to News 3, management of The Colonies RV and Travel Park at Ft. Monroe says, “Our staff will pass a wellness check prior to any shift, will wear masks, and are cleaning and sanitizing all common areas to ensure safe, sanitized campground."
Management at KOA say guests will keep more than a six-foot distance.
“We are doing a minimum of 20 feet apart. The sites are 20 feet apart, so people have plenty of space to walk around the campsite, enjoy the fire and not feel like they are running into people,” said Stachurski.
Campers says they hope with the incoming crowd, things are still safe.
Stachurski also says, “For our cabins, we are waiting 48 hours in between guest stays because we go in and clean for the safety of our guests and our employees.”
