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09-02-2007, 10:33 AM
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#1
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Site Team
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Omaha
Posts: 6,795
M.O.C. #7560
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National Camping Clubs
Being a newbie, we have been looking at joining a national camper club or two so we can get the better rates when we hit the road. We're interested in what your opinions are of the national clubs, which ones you belong to and why do you belong to it or a multiple number of them.
Thanks in advance!
Rondo
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09-02-2007, 12:04 PM
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#2
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Montana Master
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Chittenango
Posts: 789
M.O.C. #1011
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We use Passport America a great deal. There are restriction, so we plan around that.
We also have Good Sam and KOA. We've been members of Thousand Trails since 1997 and use that mostly.
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09-02-2007, 12:27 PM
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#3
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Clearwater
Posts: 10,917
M.O.C. #420
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At this time we are sitting in a Passport America campground. The regular non-member rate is $28.00 a night the Passport America rate is 50% off or $14.00 a night. This summer alone we saved some where in the neighborhood of $300.00. Not too bad for a $44.00 yearly investment.
Here is my pat answer to your question....
I would strongly suggest joining Passport America. Passport America member parks will give a 50% discount on their nightly rates. Each park has it's own conditions/restrictions as to when and for how long the discount applies. These conditions can be found on either the Passport America website or in the Book you will get as a member. The cost to join is $44 per year but you can make that up the first week you are out camping. The second campground we stayed at after joining charged $40 per night, we stayed 4 nights at $20 per night. You do the math. Last spring we spent 6 nights at Elite Resorts near Ocala, Florida. The parks rate was $32.00 a night, we paid $16.00 dollars a night. That was a savings of $96.00.
If you do decide to join please reference the following number as it will get me a discount off of next years dues. # CW335639
Email me or send a Private Message if you would care for additional info.
The Good Sam Club is another good club. Good Sam members get a 10% discount at participating camps and Good Sam has other worth while programs you can join.
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09-02-2007, 01:52 PM
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#4
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: No Telling
Posts: 207
M.O.C. #7430
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We use Passport America also. At 50% off, it only takes a few nights to pay for the one year membership. Check them out: http://www.campsave50percent.com/
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09-02-2007, 02:38 PM
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#5
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Montana Master
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Oceanside
Posts: 20,028
M.O.C. #20
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We look first for a Passport America (50% off) park in the neighborhood of where we want to go. As others said, we recoup our annual dues in just a couple of nights stays. If no parks in the area giving the PA discount, then we check for those giving the Escapees (15% off) discount. Next, Good Sam. Next AARP.
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09-02-2007, 03:13 PM
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#6
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Montana Master
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Cedar Rapids
Posts: 4,876
M.O.C. #1944
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Look into the Escapees RV Club. Go to www.escapees.com and click on Wannabes. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at just what this club offers.
Orv
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09-02-2007, 03:38 PM
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#7
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Montana Master
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location:
Posts: 2,376
M.O.C. #6575
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Have to agree with Passport America. Only downside I have found is some parks stick you in a cruddy site. No real problem there though, we just don't use that park any more.
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09-02-2007, 06:43 PM
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#8
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Montana Master
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Lone Tree
Posts: 5,615
M.O.C. #6109
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It you are considering Good Sam or even KOA Kard, get a bigger mailbox! The junk mail from those two outfits is overwhelming and impossible to stop. Its not small junkmail either - it's HUGE envelopes that take hours to shred because my name is splashed all over the info.
I would gladly pay back 10% to each and every campground I ever used, with interest, if it meant the junk mail would stop coming.
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09-03-2007, 02:18 AM
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#9
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Montana Master
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Mayville
Posts: 629
M.O.C. #2486
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Do a good job on checking out each discount camping club. I have found that most are just mirrors of others. Go to the club web site and check out locations in states that you plan to visit. Will you have to travel a lot of extra miles to find a park to use the discount. Check out each parks restrictions on the route you plan to travel. If you camp close to home will you have a few of these parks to use? I agree with Brad you will get a lot of large junk mail with good sam. They do offer a few good things, like the magazine, open roads, and a good road service program. I take their junk mail and remove my name and adress and code no. and send it back in the enclosed envelope.
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09-03-2007, 07:00 AM
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#10
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Montana Master
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Cedar Rapids
Posts: 4,876
M.O.C. #1944
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If you're using Passport America, my advice would be to call ahead to see if the park still honors PA. Some RV parks have discontinued even though still listed in PA catalog. Also, check on the number of days they will allow you to park at the discount rate.
Orv
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09-03-2007, 07:43 AM
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#11
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Clearwater
Posts: 10,917
M.O.C. #420
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by ols1932
If you're using Passport America, my advice would be to call ahead to see if the park still honors PA. Some RV parks have discontinued even though still listed in PA catalog. Also, check on the number of days they will allow you to park at the discount rate.
Orv
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If you have a computer you will get an up to date listing on their website as to who has been removed and at the same time any new campgrounds that have been added since the book was last printed.
This summer I found only one that was no longer accepting Passport America. Had I looked at the website first I would already have known that.
As far as limitations, these are all listed in the catalog and on the website but calling ahead is still a good idea as an area event may cause them to discontinue any discounts until after the event. Quite often this will also apply to the other camping club discounts as well. While talking to them it is best to ask if they still participate in the Passport America program.
Sometimes they won't take reservations but they will tell you whether or not they have any vacancies. Also, some take CASH only. NO credit cards but that can work in your favor as a couple CGs didn't add the taxes either if you paid by cash. I guess it's like the old saying "What the IRS doesn't know won't hurt me."
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09-03-2007, 10:33 AM
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#12
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Montana Master
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Pagosa Springs
Posts: 3,711
M.O.C. #3120
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Rondo,
First, you need to determine how and where you are going to be traveling. Everyone has a different lifestyle when it comes to living in their box-on-wheels. Everyone’s experiences will NOT necessarily fit your needs. By looking at different examples, you should be able to modify your purchase of campground affiliations to fit your geographic location.
We have not once used our Passport America card, but then we haven’t been in a situation where we needed it either. PA by all accounts is a wonderful affiliate if they fit your travel needs. The same can be said for KOA and Good Sam, but make sure you stay on top of the subscriptions for email and junk mail…they’ll get ya.
We joined a private club called Sunrise Resorts; we paid $3800 for a lifetime membership. The way we figured it, if we paid $38 for 100 nights…we paid for the lifetime membership…There are many many private clubs..so google for more information of clubs that cater your location.
I won’t bore you with too many details, but this has worked very well for us as fulltimers. We can stay at a Sunrise Resort for 14 days, then we have to be out of the system for 7 days, or we can pay for the 7 days which costs $129 for the week. So, we can theoretically stay 14 days plus the out week and then 14 more days for $129 (5 weeks)….pretty good deal! We also pay a $1 a day charge. We have only paid the $129 once, just didn’t want to move.
Our package when purchasing the Sunrise Resorts included affiliations to other clubs: RPI, AOR, ROD, Coast-to-Coast and Colorado River Adventures. Each of these cost us $8 per day. We also have to pay the annual dues. We kept RPI, and it cost us ~$70 for the year. In 11 months of Fulltiming, we’ve only used RPI twice, but we will keep it in the quiver for future possibilities.
We just purchased escapees, and have not used it yet, so I can’t tell you anything about it, but from the people touting its rewards, I am putting some money there too.
Our Sunrise Resorts package works well for us because geographically we are in the Northwest and most of the Sunrise Resorts are in the Northwest or in Arizona. Make sure you check out where your affiliate has resorts!
We like the campground affiliations because we can be real flexible with our schedules, and when we get the chance, we can dry camp!
Like said earlier, with a computer, you can find out just about any information on any restrictions…not sure how anyone can get by as a fulltimer without a computer, but then, everyone on this forum has one!
Lastly, when you decide on which campground affiliate you want to belong to, take a look at eBay, sometimes there are some good deals there, and can be purchased for less, but most will charge you a big fee for the transfer to your name.
Good luck, this is hard to figure out which is best for you without some experience; I hope I haven’t confused you to much.
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09-03-2007, 12:52 PM
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#13
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Montana Master
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Weatherford
Posts: 1,383
M.O.C. #9
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Before our 3 week trip from TX to AZ this summer, I did the same investigative work you are doing. After looking at the campground affiliates online, I opted to join BOTH Passport America and Enjoy America. We did so to use the 1/2 price deal at Beaudry's in Tucson (Enjoy America) and several Passport America affiliated campgrounds along the way and at Benson, AZ. We more than recouped our investment on both just on that trip. I probably will NOT renew my Enjoy America subscription. Some are duplicates, PA has campground better participation. We already had a KOA membership and used it a couple of nights.
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