Sometimes, the best adventures start with a happy accident. For Assistant Park Manager Phil Upton and his family, this is precisely how their journey in the campground industry began. Fifty years ago, what seemed like a business deal gone wrong turned into a purposeful mission to create and sustain a park that keeps Virginia Beach campers buzzing with excitement.
And their passion, combined with creativity and diversified income streams, promises to keep Holiday Trav-L-Park thriving for decades to come.
In the 1960s, Phil Upton’s father-in-law, Ralph “Pete” Boshers, owned some land in Virginia Beach that attracted a team of developers. They wanted to put a campground there and offered to bring Pete in as a partner if he’d simply supply the land.
It wasn’t that simple, though.
“When the team went to the bank to get development loans, they had to use the land to secure the loan,” Phil recalled. “And as development progressed, they ended up running out of money. They had to declare bankruptcy, and they were going to lose the land to the bank.”
Pete wasn’t about to let that happen, so he took on the project, worked to complete the campground, and in 1974, he opened the park to the public.
“The campground kind of fell into the family,” Phil explained. “They’d never been campground owners before, but Pete had children—my wife Virginia and her brother Robert—that were willing to work with him. Plus, my father-in-law has always been a people person. He’d come in on a daily basis to talk to employees, but he loved to walk around the park, talk to the campers, and see what people were camping in. He did that every single day. Owning a campground worked out well for him.”
Pete continued his daily park visits until his passing in the early 2000s. But by that time, running the campground had become a family affair. It’s how they serve their community and the multitude of guests who visit Virginia Beach each year. This whole endeavor may have not been in the Boshers family’s original plan, but it turns out that making the right decisions to keep the park growing is truly in their DNA.
Located in a vibrant beach town, guests have plenty to do outside the park during the day. However, where the park truly shines is in providing evening activities like bingo and hayrides, ensuring the fun continues long after the sun sets.
Dan Benton, CampLife’s Customer Success Team Lead, recently visited and attests to the park’s amazing vibe, saying, “It’s a great park with lots of energy throughout. We had a ton of fun and really enjoyed our stay there.”
Holiday Trav-L-Park boasts around 740 sites, a significant growth in the past 50 years. This success is partly due to the multiple income streams the park enjoys—one of which came from an unplanned activity that is now a crowd favorite.
“Back in the 1970s, someone who worked for us as a construction worker, asked my father-in-law, ‘Do you mind if I play music at night by the swimming pool? I’ll just do it for tips,’ “ Phil remembered. “That’s how it started, and we noticed very quickly that when he didn’t play, people asked, “Where’s the music?’ “
Phil and his team observed a steady trend when they hosted music by the pool. People not only enjoyed the entertainment, it inspired them to take advantage of the park’s other offerings.
“People danced by the pool, and then they wanted to go in and get something to drink or get ice cream or a snack,” Phil shared. “The music does vary, but we’ve noticed that people are most excited when we have more energetic music. By having the energy focused on the pool area near where the store and the cafe are located, we definitely see the income increase.”
Because Holiday Trav-L-Park sits on 90 acres and has four swimming pools, campers who aren’t into high-energy performances have a place as well.
“We bring all the excitement forward, which leaves the other areas less busy,” Phil stated. “So if guests are looking for something quieter, they have that option.”
In addition to entertainment, Holiday Trav-L-Park has found success in another income stream, showing how they continually maximize their resources in ways that benefit both the park and their guests.
“I’ve been working here at the park for 35 years, and we’ve offered RV storage that whole time,” Phil said. “I believe the family offered it from the beginning. For me, it’s a no-brainer to have storage associated with camping. In fact, I would recommend anyone with a campground to make sure you set aside space for storage.”
Phil points out that many people either don’t have room or they don’t have permission to park their RVs in their driveways. If a park is located in a touristy location, storing RVs gives families the opportunity to leave their rigs at the park—where they ultimately want to vacation—rather than hauling them back and forth.
“You can limit this service to people who camp with you,” Phil advised. “Ideally, we store for people that are campers, and we will tow the unit to the campsite for them so they can go camping with us. Once the trailer is stored here, it’s that much simpler for the family to make the decision to stay with us. I think storing units leads to more camper nights.”
That makes offering storage sites a reliable stream of income with the potential for even more revenue.
“There’s truly very little effort once you have it set up,” Phil added.
With all these elements in place, having the right tools to streamline operations and maintain efficiency is crucial—and CampLife is here to help!
CampLife offers several key features that parks like Phil’s can use to streamline day-to-day operations. Here are just a few:
At CampLife, we’re happy to support all the ways parks like Holiday Trav-L-Park serve their guests while boosting park revenue. If you have questions about which CampLife features can help you do the same, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help you find the right solutions to meet your needs.
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