Camping Clubs and Discount Cards?

We run the gambit ..been C2C members since 1989, been Lifers in GS since 1991, now also have the old farts 10 dollar National Parks Passes + carry a KOA card. So we're perty much covered where ever we are in this great country.

Howdy!

If your retired at 62 or older you qualifiy for the $10.00 National Parks Pass which is good for life. This pass is also good for half price camping in most Corp of Engineer parks and some state parks. Also does not hurt for both of you to have one at that price.

"Happy Trails"

cruz-in, PA is a great bargain. You will however find there is absolutely no uniformity in CG restrictions, and less in amenities. That being said it worked best, to call ahead to confirm acceptance and creature comforts. PA can be hit or miss, but you can find some gems, and who doesn't like getting a good deal? During a 10 week trip 2 years ago we used PA more than a third of the time. We find KOA offers pretty good uniformity as far as amenities go, have a few here in Maine that we visit, so it's a good buy for us. AS for GS, which we no longer use, we find most GSCG's also offer AARP and or AAA discounts, We also found the GS rating system to be shall I say erratic.

Have fun.

Thanks all. We will be spending 9+ months on the road. Given we will be staying lots of weekdays, I suspect that PA will pay for itself.

The various camping clubs come with so many rules, it is hard to see if we would get the use out of them.

In Florida the state campgrounds offer a senior citizen discount. I have also used the passport America and Good Sams discount

We are also Passport America members and would never let our membership lapse. We have used it over and over. Even if the park is not great, many times you are just needing a place to stop for the night and paying less than $20 (sometimes as low as $10) per night just makes sense. There are also some very nice parks that you may want to stay at for the time allowed. There are parks that also allow longer stays with the discount, not all have all the limitations. You can go to passportamerica.com and search campgrounds without being a member. That should give you an idea if it would work for where you want to travel.

I agree wholeheartedly with those that suggest Passport America. We stay in 20-30 campgrounds each year and 75% are PA. Just plan ahead a little and you will probably find one near where you want to stop. Most honor the 50% discount Sunday through Thursday only. You can check your choice out on http://www.rvparkreviews.com/. Use "Google Maps" and you can get a bird's-eye view and a street level view. You might also consider a Roadside Assistance membership. The one-time you really need it (and are in the middle of nowhere) will be worth all of the yearly fees.

wtmtnhiker wrote:
We have had Passport America since 2010. It has saved us allot of money. There are some restrictions that vary from one campground to another but overall it's a great value. We typically get the membership fee paid for in two nights stay.

we had Passport America for a year but did not renew it. the problems? simply put PA campgrounds were not located where we were at the end of the driving day. and on the rare occasion when a PA park was nearby at the end of our day the restrictions were numerous...wrong day of week, wrong month of the year, etc. we prefer to travel the way we want to travel and not be forced to follow a route dictated by a campground discount program.

we've belonged to Good Sam for nearly 30-years now and while the discount offered is "only" 10% it has paid for itself many times over. and some parks that don't belong to GS that are in competition with a nearby park that does belong to GS will offer the 10% discount to GS members.

but the OP would be wise to determine what type of RV travel they are planning to do. if the OP is planning on a lot of 1, 2 or 3-night stays at campgrounds then he will do well with the GS program, the AAA program, AARP program...or even the PA program (assuming they have parks where he will be going). but if they are planning to stay a week or more at any given location then they will be dollars ahead by taking advantage of the park's own weekly or monthly rates. these days we normally spend 1-2 weeks at a camp and take advantage of the camp's discount and then use GS for those 1-night stays while on the road.

for example. when in the Tucson, AZ area we usually stay at the Benson I-10 park in Benson, AZ. their nightly rate (+ tax) is $37, $33 with GS, AAA, AARP, etc., $20 with PA. but if you plan to stay a week their weekly rate (incl tax) is $125 or $17.85 per day. virtually every commercial campground will have a weekly and/or a monthly rate.

a discount program is good only if you plan to actually use it.

I am a GoodSam member and although the membership does offer discounts at campgrounds that participate, finding one where you are going can be hit or miss as others have posted. As for the discount you get on merchandise at CampingWorld, it's not a deal at all. I have found everything I wanted to purchase cheaper on Amazon than everything at CW even with the discount and those savings have been significant. I suppose if you are not able to order online and wait for the items, stopping into a CW and buying something you need right away would still offer you some savings off of their retail prices and any savings is better than none at all.

Passport if you plan on being on the road most of the week. Good Sam for the 10% weekends and other discounts ( check the website for a list). A good credit card that pays you back and a back up fuel card like Flying J. Road service a must and you're all set!