Passport America, worth it or not?

If you travel with frequent one-night stops and all you're looking for is a safe place to sleep with hookups, YES! I would rate almost every one we've used a 2 1/2 star facility, but the price is 5 star.

It's a pretty darn good deal if you can use it. For us, and we may be in the minority here, it just didn't work well. In our case, there aren't many parks close by or close to where we frequently travel. Additionally, most of the parks that participate have their own set of rules for booking and those can be hard to find for each place, change frequently, are different than stated on the PA web page, or are dependent on some strange factor that doesn't present itself unless you dig for it. Too much hassle for weekend warriors.

As was stated, if you travel during the week or spend a lot of time on the road, it's a no brainer for sure.

2gypsies wrote:
We never had add-ons on the PA parks we used.

doesn't mean they aren't there? trust me, we were given a PA membership for a couple of years from them and I researched places to go and never could find anything at a time we wanted to go that would of made it worth it. Either it was during their black out times or the ones we came across were not where we wanted to stay. During that research, I came across many with the add-ons. Which is good in a way. That way a couple is not charged for the same price as a family of 4 or 5. Or if you don't need certain amenities, then you don't pay for them....All I am saying is do your research to check make sure it's for you or not. AS I stated earlier, the more you use it, the better it's value.

Bumpyroad wrote:

wbwood wrote:
PA is generally better for those that can travel during the week. From our experience, most of the campgrounds listed usually have blackout times. Weekends are often those times. Also pay attention to other things. While a park that is normally $40/night normally would be listed at $20. But you may find additional fees added on that. The $20 price may be for only 2 adults. You may be charged per extra person/per night. You may have other fees such as cable, wifi, pets, AC usage, etc....You will be surprised at what you may come across. A $20/night can easily turn into a $30-40 night easily.

The more you can use it, the better it is for you.

those add ons probably are gone on full rate campers also.
bumpy

Perhaps some are...but I've seen some that aren't....

We never had add-ons on the PA parks we used.

wbwood wrote:
PA is generally better for those that can travel during the week. From our experience, most of the campgrounds listed usually have blackout times. Weekends are often those times. Also pay attention to other things. While a park that is normally $40/night normally would be listed at $20. But you may find additional fees added on that. The $20 price may be for only 2 adults. You may be charged per extra person/per night. You may have other fees such as cable, wifi, pets, AC usage, etc....You will be surprised at what you may come across. A $20/night can easily turn into a $30-40 night easily.

The more you can use it, the better it is for you.

those add ons probably are gone on full rate campers also.
bumpy

PA is generally better for those that can travel during the week. From our experience, most of the campgrounds listed usually have blackout times. Weekends are often those times. Also pay attention to other things. While a park that is normally $40/night normally would be listed at $20. But you may find additional fees added on that. The $20 price may be for only 2 adults. You may be charged per extra person/per night. You may have other fees such as cable, wifi, pets, AC usage, etc....You will be surprised at what you may come across. A $20/night can easily turn into a $30-40 night easily.

The more you can use it, the better it is for you.

thinking back over the years, I believe that most of the PA parks I have stayed at were easily/readily accessible from the interstate or state highways. one exception was a clothing optional park in Texas that for some reason was secluded out in the woods, but I didn't stay there.
bumpy

NYCgrrl wrote:
For my money, I don't find those type of memberships appealing, either for the extra gas money or time spent in mostly out of the way spots.

So... if you're one to stay at parks along the interstates, no, PA is not for you. If you enjoy traveling secondary roads or have the time to meander, PA will definitely work. Many retirees and full-timers use it. If you only have a two-week vacation then, no, it won't be useful.

We know some parks don't like PA of other discount programs.

We know some people will come on here and run the program down.

Out of 20 something PA parks we have used in the past couple years - I've never been to one which didn't follow the on-line/ published information. At only one of those parks would I not go there again, unless they provided me some extra information.

That was Loretta Lynn Ranch in Tennessee. Nothing wrong with the highly rated park, just that we came in on a Monday in November after a horse riders event the previous weekend. People might clean up after dogs, they don't after horses.

After seeing some of the comments from folks in the business, I've begun to talk more about PA to campground owners. The overwhelming response I get is the PA rate covers the base expenses. These folks, most of them in the business for over a decade have the viewpoint of my old boss in the auto racing short track business.

The most expensive thing in the place is an empty seat (RV spot).

I fully understand that for s park in a seasonal market area with good occupancy rates, PAis probably not a good idea. For s park that tries to stay open year round and has some definite slow periods each year, PA might be attractive.

I would definitely disagree with any assertion that PA parks tend to be older, run down, undesirable. Yes, some are, but most are not.