RV Club Recommendations

[sl1966]

This topic was covered somewhat in the past. Most said to not subscribe and save the money for at least the first year of full timing. What wasn't covered (at least when I was last here, and in recent searches) was which of the nationwide RV clubs were the best recommended and why.

Off the top of my head ...

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I would like to hear from any and all why they joined and stayed with club x, y, or z. I've no interest why not to join since that was covered in the fomer loosely related sister topic to this one.


Thanks
Steve

 

[Patrick46]

My buddy and his wife have been members of Thousand Trails for many years, and they LOVE it!!!

He has nothing but good things to say about the club, it's benefits, and the facilities.

I've stayed at several of them with him, and I must say they are very nice parks. (these are not just 'parking lot' RV parks either.) I can't stand those!

 

[Lucky mike]

Passport America!!......it cost under 50 a year and gets you half off on overnites.....you get your money back in the first week of using it!!!!

 

[blars]

Depends on your lifestyle. Passport America can be worthwhile if you occasionally stay in RV parks, it's the only one I am still a member of. (I get a little if you join through the link on my blog.) Good Sam gives you discounts at camping world, lots of paper in your mailbox, and you can apply for the Pilot/Flying J credit card that gives you even more off your gas than the free RV card you can ask for at the counter. IIRC FMCA has some kind of insurance included, and gives you a little discount on Coachnet. Escapees has their own RV parks and a mail forwarding service in Texas.

There are some much more expensive clubs that include stays in RV parks, most are long-term commitments and actually are only worthwhile if you are going to stay in thier parks a lot.

 

[sl1966]

My buddy and his wife have been members of Thousand Trails for many years, and they LOVE it!!!

I just checked them out and I can see why. This is definitely an upscale operation where you get what you pay for. It's not quite in my budget at this time but something definite for the future. Thanks for this!

 

[rvwandering]

We have friends who are members of Thousand Trails and they love it too. The mistake that a lot of people make is buying a membership at a high pressure sales meeting. Free days of camping and other incentives are offered to get people to listen to the sales pitch. The memberships can be very expensive and each one is a little different so it's important to read all of the fine print carefully. It's much better to buy a membership from somebody who wants out. Sometimes you can get them for free. All you have then are the yearly dues.

 

[sl1966]

I'm leaning towards getting Passport America because of the 50% off. Personally speaking my intent is to boondock a majority of the time, but it might be nice to dock up once a month.

 

[1oleman2]

We have both Good Sam and Passport America and love both, Passport America is the one we use the most-more camps that we can use.

 

[sl1966]

Do most of you agree with the wait a year before buying thing as some have suggested?

 

[WheelEstate USA]

By waiting a while before joining any club you may find as many of us have that those plans aren't needed for the way they live. A year gives a person a chance to experience all the seasons.