Harvest Hosts, Passport America - good deal?

JeffPatton · 03-12-2020, 10:47 AM

FROG has offered a couple of deals on Harvest Hosts and Passport America recently. We're new to RV'ing and we're both working so we can't explore the country as much as we'd like, but both of these offers are pretty cost-effective, so my question to you all is, do you find these memberships offer value to you? Do you feel you get your money's worth? Thanks,
Jeff
Wildcat Maxx 24RG

NJKris · 03-12-2020, 10:48 AM

Got the email, searched for associated campgrounds and discovered none of the campgrounds I've enjoyed using so far participate.

**bikendan** · 03-12-2020, 11:51 AM

We've been fans of PA for years. We're currently on a two month trip and half our trip is at PA places. We save a lot of money. We got the FROG deal last year.

BehindBars · 03-12-2020, 02:04 PM

We tried PA but the participating campgrounds we attempted to visit were not good. Others seem to have better experiences than we did.

Here is a recent thread that touched on the same subject: https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...in-202115.html

fella10 · 03-12-2020, 02:23 PM

we have a Passport America Lifetime membership and like it a lot, ... we renewed and upgraded to the Lifetime membership when we found that it is "onetime transferable" to anyone, (relative, friend, anyone we choose), ... so whenever we get tired of having fun with our camper, we can pass it on to someone else who could continue to benefit from using it, ...

camper70 · 03-12-2020, 09:46 PM

I have found that many of the PA Parks are run down. There are some good for a one night stay but very few. The only good thing I see is that after two stays you can get your money back in savings.

**bikendan** · 03-13-2020, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by camper70

I have found that many of the PA Parks are run down. There are some good for a one night stay but very few. The only good thing I see is that after two stays you can get your money back in savings.

Not our experience.

Whalenss · 03-13-2020, 07:37 AM

Use Harvest Hosts and enjoying stopping at local farms, wineries, breweries, etc. Have meet nice folks. Much nicer places to spend the night than rest areas, truck stops or Walmart.

When possible we plan routes and stops based on HH locations.

There are some areas of the country where locations are sparce, but they keep adding locations.

DX321go · 03-13-2020, 02:01 PM

Harvest Host is awesome. We are Lifetime members at passport too. Some aren't too nice. Some are great. Use the PP app and see reviews and how many days and what days the discount is available. The app is always up to date. Also, you can't go wrong with an Elks and or Moose Lodge membership for bargain camping.

CedarCreekWoody · 03-13-2020, 02:16 PM

From what I have read most Harvest Host are dry camping. Check that out before committing if that is a concern.

Rkloud9 · 03-13-2020, 02:21 PM

We have been with Harvest Hosts for a little over a year, and have stayed in about a dozen places, mostly vineyards. It is not about saving money, and more about what you get for it... the expectation is that you will enjoy a tasting and buy a bottle (or more!) We have enjoyed every stop, and some of them are really off the beaten path in amazing places. All the owners/managers have been fun to visit with, and chats with fellow travelers while enjoying wine are always a highlight.
Also, there have been times where all the state parks we like so much are full, and the nearby Harvest Hosts prove to be a perfect fall back. I say Go for It!!!

Big Bill · 03-13-2020, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fella10

we have a Passport America Lifetime membership and like it a lot, ... we renewed and upgraded to the Lifetime membership when we found that it is "onetime transferable" to anyone, (relative, friend, anyone we choose), ... so whenever we get tired of having fun with our camper, we can pass it on to someone else who could continue to benefit from using it, ...

TT is expensive and hard to use I did have passport America was out of our travel path

HYDROG · 03-13-2020, 02:28 PM

I highly recommend Harvest Host and have a more mediocre recommendation for Passport America. You did not mention Boondockers Welcome but I would recommend that as the best of the three. You know your host will be RVs who enjoy it as much as you do and go out of their way to make your free stay as pleasant as possible. They also have a very wide distribution of Host Sites.

wanderingbob · 03-13-2020, 02:32 PM

Passport is good if you are traveling and need a spot for a day or two , most are not located for fancy vacations . For us they are wonderful as we travel south Florida in the off season and many of the high end places honor Passport in of season. All along the west coast of Florida you will find ' RESORT " campgrounds in the $30 range off season .

CoMaddMax · 03-13-2020, 02:53 PM

We have had PA for a year and it has returned our money. Most discounts are not available on weekends or holidays. The campgrounds we did get the discount at are older and smaller which we kinda like. We stay at one in CO for Memorial Day and Labor Day, no discount for the holiday but we stay an extra day to miss the traffic and we get the discounts those nights.

Tundra 2014 · 03-13-2020, 04:04 PM

We have PA and use it frequently. But it is more restrictive by campground to when it can be used and for how many days. At many of the campgrounds it is weekdays only or non-peak times. Each campground has different rules. If you are still working, I do not believe it would be worth it. My wife and I are retired and travel 4 month of the year, for us it is a money saver. There are also a lot less of them and tend to be "Off the Road" more. we use them for 1 night stays.
The Harvest Host can be a good experience, if you have the time. We had for a year and did not renew as it did not fit into plans for this year. Before you join, look @ where the places are. In the central south where we tend to travel, there were few. We enjoyed the places we stayed, but really had to drive out of our way to use it. Also, almost all are self contained camping,-boondocking.
The Good Sam is the one we use the most simple because it is accepted at more campsites than any other club by far. It is only 10% off, but usually on the route.

Keithe · 03-13-2020, 10:59 PM

We’ve made a couple of long trips using Passport America when possible and found it worth the cost. We found we could recover the yearly membership with one or two stays.

I would recommend checking out the reviews of a places before making a reservation. We’ve found the quality of the resorts varying dramatically. We stayed at on PA resort in Minnesota that was very nice then one in New York that was so bad, my wife was sure she was going to be raped then killed in her sleep. She was so concerned that after paying the nightly fee, we decided to packed up and leave for a much nicer resort.

Tundra 2014 · 03-13-2020, 11:41 PM

Campsite Review is a good guide to check out the quality of several campgrounds w/ in an area. Many w/ actual site numbers and features and local restraints. We stayed at one on our last trip through Colorado Springs that had a lot of 5's and 1's on Campsite Review-Not PA. It was on our route, should have known better. It was $60 a night, half the park was a storage area for old RVs. Rudest employees, worse ever sites, broken asphalt roads.The 5's had to be permanent sites as some of the overnights were on the side of a cliff. I added my review later. Pictures on website were at least 10 years old.
Just watch the dates when the reviews were written. They also need to go through and eliminate ones no longer in service. Be cautious of sites that only have three or four reviews. We have found many very good ones on PA that were very clean and a great bargain. Many PA are individually owned and very friendly

Riverbend · 03-14-2020, 05:01 AM

We're big fans of Harvest Hosts after our first year, and have renewed without thinking twice. We're set up pretty well for the boondocking that is pretty much the norm with HH, and appreciate the unique experiences they offer. And a campground is always a good stay when needing to pump or dump.

Jeff95814 · 03-14-2020, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riverbend

We're big fans of Harvest Hosts after our first year, and have renewed without thinking twice. We're set up pretty well for the boondocking that is pretty much the norm with HH, and appreciate the unique experiences they offer. And a campground is always a good stay when needing to pump or dump.

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