On my recent RV trip across the country, I took the plunge and stayed overnight at Love's Truck Stop. And not just any old Love's Truck Stop — a Love's RV Stop.
How did I feel after sleeping alongside the interstate in my campervan?
Pour yourself a cup of coffee, and let's chat.
2 Love's in 2,000 miles
In March, I drove my Class B campervan RV from Arizona to Georgia to attend a Family Motor Coach Association's (FMCA) International Convention.
I had about four days to drive 2,000 miles, so I needed to be smart about where to stay.
On night one, after 500 miles of driving, I pulled into the Santa Teresa, New Mexico Love's RV Stop just before the sun went down. It was my first Love's RV Stop of my journey, and I was ready to see what it was all about.
Truck stop + RV Stop = Love's
Love's Truck Stops are like an oasis in a desert of asphalt and are one of my favorite places to get fuel. They're a popular pit stop for truckers and RVers because they have large fuel lanes, clean restrooms, and typically have fast food options. Many of their fuel stations even have dog parks, propane for sale, and a dump station.
When Love's announced they'd add more RV-friendly features to some of their truck stops, I anxiously stalked their website, waiting for updates. Finally, the day arrived, and Love's opened their first few Love's RV Hookups and RV Stops.
Love's RV Stops are more than designated RV parking areas that allow you to cozy up next to big rigs for the night.
Types of Love's RV Stops
Love's RV Stops can be as simple as a handful of full-hookup RV parking spaces to as luxurious as a full-sized campground offset from the truck stop. Currently, Love's has two types of RV parks for overnight stays.
Love's RV Hookups
Love's RV Hookups have overnight RV parking spaces, which are offset from the fuel center and overnight truck parking area. These parking sites have electricity, water, and sewer and are bigger than most RV parking spots because they are more like large, back-in campsites.
Your overnight fee gives you access to the full hookups and your spot, but you'll have to pay to use the showers and laundry in the truck stop if you're not self-contained and need to use either facility. Use the Love's Connect app to reserve and pay for your shower.
Pros
Easy to reserve.
Located near major highways or interstates.
Inexpensive.
Clean restrooms.
Typically has two or three fast food restaurants onsite.
Walking distance to the truck stop's amenities like the onsite restaurants, convenience store, and gas.
Fast and convenient to get gas, coffee, air, propane, and much more.
Many Love's Truck Stops have a fenced-in dog area.
Cons
It can be noisy. Although you're not sleeping next to diesel trucks running their generators, you will hear highway, interstate, or road noise, and because the truck stop is open 24 hours, people access the fuel pumps all night.
The sites are large parking spots with hookups. Don't expect a campground.
No campground attendants onsite.
You must pay an additional fee for the showers or laundry at the truck stop.
Interstates and highways are often located near train tracks. You may hear train noise at night, depending on where the RV Stop is located.
Love's RV Stops
Love's RV Stops are campgrounds located adjacent to Love's Truck Stops. These campgrounds have more amenities than Love's Hookups and feature things you typically find in RV parks.
The campground has a security gate and a variety of sites ranging from back-in to pull-through to patio sites, complete with grills, picnic tables, and shelters.
The sites have electricity, water, and sewer; depending on the campground, you may have grass nearby. The accessible sites are big and near the campground laundry room, private showers, and restrooms. The campground I stayed at had a pickleball court, community gas fire pit, a pay dog washing station, playground, and splash pad.
Your overnight fee gives you access to the campground's amenities and everything at your site, like full hookups or a picnic shelter.
Pros
Easy to reserve.
Located near major highways or interstates.
Private showers and restrooms.
Campground dog park.
Walking distance to the truck stop, restaurants, convenience store, and gas.
Fast and convenient to get gas, coffee, air, propane, and much more.
More secure than Love's Hookups because you need an access code to come in and out of the gated campground.
It's an upscale campground, and people reserve sites to enjoy the campground or stop for one night.
It has a campground vibe, where people walk around and spend time outside their RVs.
The RV Stop has an attendant onsite during working hours.
Cons
It can be noisy. Although you're not sleeping next to diesel trucks running their generators, you will hear highway, interstate, or road noise, and because the truck stop is open 24 hours, people access the fuel pumps all night.
Overnight costs may align with the price of staying at a luxury campground, not a quick overnight stop.
Interstates and highways are often located near train tracks. You may hear train noise at night, depending on where the RV Stop is located.
Reservations
Making reservations is easy since everything is done online through Love's campground reservation system.
You have three ways to find a Love's RV Stop along your route:
The Love's Connect app.
The Love's RV Stops website.
The CampLife website.
Don't discount the Love's Connect app. It has some great features you won't want to miss, like finding the closest truck stop with propane, saving money on gas, and much more. On my last trip, I used the app to save $0.10 per gallon every time I stopped at a Love's Truck Stop.
Want to know about other great road-tripping apps? Check out the Best Mobile Apps for RVing and Road-Tripping.
Once you find and reserve your site, you'll receive a confirmation code and check-in instructions in your email. Then, either flag the email or print out your reservation information for quick retrieval once you reach your RV Stop.
Checking in
Checking in is a contact-free process. For example, if you're staying at an RV Hookups spot, proceed to your site, park, and then walk to the automated kiosk to check in using your confirmation number. Once you've checked in, your electric, water, and sewer connections will work.
If you're staying at an RV Stop, proceed to the gated area and stop. Then, get out of your vehicle and locate the automated kiosk to check in. Once you're checked in, return to your vehicle, enter the gate code you received in your confirmation email, and wait for the gate to open. Finally, once the gate opens, proceed to your site and set up.
Final thoughts
I will stay at a Loves RV Stop again. I ended up reserving a site at the Santa Teresa, New Mexico Love's RV Hookup on my way to and from Georgia, and I stayed one night at the Cordele, Georgia Love's RV Stop.
The Santa Teresa location was brand new and clean, and I felt very safe. It was a little noisy since it was near train tracks and a popular OHV area, so the gas station was jammin'. I'm used to the noise in my campervan, so I just turned on my rooftop vent, cuddled up, and went to sleep. I slept soundly all night long during both of my stays.
The Cordele location was very nice and upscale. I initially booked this spot to be close to the FMCA convention site. Since I had a dry campsite at the convention, I wanted to arrive with an empty black and gray tank and a full freshwater tank. I liked the spot so much that I used the private showers and did a load of laundry. I also asked for a late checkout, and I was able to work a few more hours before I hit the road again.
Have you stayed at a Love's RV Stop yet? If so, what do you think?