Passport America and its ilk
What are folks' experience with PA and other discount clubs/plans? I'm considering a trip along the Oregon and Washington coast in September. There seem to be a lot of PA-affiliated campgrounds in ...
Forum Discussion
2gypsies,
Well said and guess who it was who was bashing PPA? CG fees are not an issue for us but we refuse to pay $30+ dollars a night just to have a place to sleep overnight. Like a 12 hour stay at about a $3.00 per hour parking lot space! Some are willing to be fleeced but we are not!
For many to most families/RV'ers, $30/day CG fees are travel killers and limit their RV'ing/camping days drastically each year. PPA and other programs are their savior. The high and mighty with mantra's of maximized personal profits and enrichment and by fleecing customers for a few months each year are starting to feel the rath of the RV'er community. The best thing that could happen is for a couple PPA member CG's to open or offer in the same local area of the high or overpriced CG's and sure will suck the majority of the camping community away from these places and it usually brings them to their knees with reality.
Most PPA CG's are not simple back roads CG's as we have been in over a hundred PPA CG's just in the last several years alone.
We have been PPA members for 13 years, had 3 Coast to Coast homepark memberships (1 in Florida and 2 in Michigan) and are life long Good Sam members and also are in our 52nd year of RV'ing. Am a longtime business owner now retired and know what ROI means and our family still owns 6 very busy CG's in the S.E USA. 5 of the 6 offer PPA also and for so many good reasons. I personally have served 9 years on the board of directors of a very large over 2000 site two unit campground corp. I do know the annual incurred operational costs are, problems and issues, what annual maintenance and employee costs and the fixed annual costs are.
This same PPA basher told me about 2-3 years ago that churches and schools/public schools cannot allow RV'ers to camp in their parking lots as it's not legal and against occupancy codes because they are not licensed CG's. So hilarious since we have stayed for days in many church parking lots and in school parking lots for years now. Only time it's not allowed is on Sundays as the full lot is needed for church services. Right here in our local very upbeat and wealthy city area having approx 70,000 residents, we yearly stay right on the waterfront several times a year and for up to 6 days at a time in a real church parking lot along with 40-60 other RV'ers for area festivals etc and have done so for 23 years so far.
Also overnight RV parking is allowed in many of the school/public school parking lots along the outer edges away from the buildings. Most times it's free but may be $10/night during special events. Most RV'ers are there for a day or 2 for sports events tailgating or other school events/carnivals/other multiday performances events. Don't have to be a local resident either to be there. Yup, roll out your awning and set up your tables and chairs and enjoy! Some have electric outlet sites but most are dry however, generators are allowed but must be quieter than the posted city decibel noise code. NO open contractor's type generators allowed or you will be warned first and the second time ticketed and evicted! All of the above mentioned are NOT CG's or have a CG license. Of course, you can't dump your holding tanks or build a fire on the lot or leave your garbage in the lot but the same goes for staying at Walmarts.
Get this! Our local big Walmart doesn't allow overnight RV parking but the churches do and so do many of the schools! Cracker barrel allows free overnighting and many other places/businesses/operations.
We have 12 CG's (some are PPA members giving a 50% discount). 3 State Parks with CG's in the local area and NONE of these operations complain about the local lots uses, because here the separation of church and state is alive and well and the local code doesn't ban overnighting on PUBLIC property if the rules are adhered to. All of the CG's are very healthy financially anyway. Even 2 church Christian conference grounds have large CG areas right on Lake Michigan shoreline.
A smart business owner nurtures and extends a helping hand to the lesser financially bestowed people and families as they will remember the gratitude and become your future regular fee customers and their word of mouth advertising is golden! Build your clientele or your future and you'll reap the long term benefits and your business portfolio. So many of the PPA basher's posted comments are and have been so self-centered and are just ME, ME, ME and make ME rich. That's not the American Way but still appears to be the main driving force for some! SHAME!
Well said and guess who it was who was bashing PPA? CG fees are not an issue for us but we refuse to pay $30+ dollars a night just to have a place to sleep overnight. Like a 12 hour stay at about a $3.00 per hour parking lot space! Some are willing to be fleeced but we are not!
For many to most families/RV'ers, $30/day CG fees are travel killers and limit their RV'ing/camping days drastically each year. PPA and other programs are their savior. The high and mighty with mantra's of maximized personal profits and enrichment and by fleecing customers for a few months each year are starting to feel the rath of the RV'er community. The best thing that could happen is for a couple PPA member CG's to open or offer in the same local area of the high or overpriced CG's and sure will suck the majority of the camping community away from these places and it usually brings them to their knees with reality.
Most PPA CG's are not simple back roads CG's as we have been in over a hundred PPA CG's just in the last several years alone.
We have been PPA members for 13 years, had 3 Coast to Coast homepark memberships (1 in Florida and 2 in Michigan) and are life long Good Sam members and also are in our 52nd year of RV'ing. Am a longtime business owner now retired and know what ROI means and our family still owns 6 very busy CG's in the S.E USA. 5 of the 6 offer PPA also and for so many good reasons. I personally have served 9 years on the board of directors of a very large over 2000 site two unit campground corp. I do know the annual incurred operational costs are, problems and issues, what annual maintenance and employee costs and the fixed annual costs are.
This same PPA basher told me about 2-3 years ago that churches and schools/public schools cannot allow RV'ers to camp in their parking lots as it's not legal and against occupancy codes because they are not licensed CG's. So hilarious since we have stayed for days in many church parking lots and in school parking lots for years now. Only time it's not allowed is on Sundays as the full lot is needed for church services. Right here in our local very upbeat and wealthy city area having approx 70,000 residents, we yearly stay right on the waterfront several times a year and for up to 6 days at a time in a real church parking lot along with 40-60 other RV'ers for area festivals etc and have done so for 23 years so far.
Also overnight RV parking is allowed in many of the school/public school parking lots along the outer edges away from the buildings. Most times it's free but may be $10/night during special events. Most RV'ers are there for a day or 2 for sports events tailgating or other school events/carnivals/other multiday performances events. Don't have to be a local resident either to be there. Yup, roll out your awning and set up your tables and chairs and enjoy! Some have electric outlet sites but most are dry however, generators are allowed but must be quieter than the posted city decibel noise code. NO open contractor's type generators allowed or you will be warned first and the second time ticketed and evicted! All of the above mentioned are NOT CG's or have a CG license. Of course, you can't dump your holding tanks or build a fire on the lot or leave your garbage in the lot but the same goes for staying at Walmarts.
Get this! Our local big Walmart doesn't allow overnight RV parking but the churches do and so do many of the schools! Cracker barrel allows free overnighting and many other places/businesses/operations.
We have 12 CG's (some are PPA members giving a 50% discount). 3 State Parks with CG's in the local area and NONE of these operations complain about the local lots uses, because here the separation of church and state is alive and well and the local code doesn't ban overnighting on PUBLIC property if the rules are adhered to. All of the CG's are very healthy financially anyway. Even 2 church Christian conference grounds have large CG areas right on Lake Michigan shoreline.
A smart business owner nurtures and extends a helping hand to the lesser financially bestowed people and families as they will remember the gratitude and become your future regular fee customers and their word of mouth advertising is golden! Build your clientele or your future and you'll reap the long term benefits and your business portfolio. So many of the PPA basher's posted comments are and have been so self-centered and are just ME, ME, ME and make ME rich. That's not the American Way but still appears to be the main driving force for some! SHAME!
