RV clubs and memberships

I was at an RV Park a few weeks ago, and the lady tacked on the GS discount without asking if I was a member. I asked if she needed my card, and she said no. It almost seemed that the discounted price was the regular price that made you feel good that you were "saving something".

So, now that Good Sam Club has acquired Coast-to-Coast...what are folks opinions of the membership camping club?

Just because Good Sam morphed doesn't mean that Escapees has. I think if you read one issue of their magazine you will understand why they are still the 'real deal'.

2gypsies wrote:

Many folks confuse Escapees with a discount campground membership. It does have home-owned parks and co-op parks that Escapee members can stay at very reasonable prices ($300/m and up). They definitely are not 'resort prices'. As someone mentioned, these 'Escapee' parks are not in every state and there are not many of them, but they're in Washington, Oregon, California Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Alabama, Florida, Missouri and Tennessee. They were originally planned to be within a reasonable 1-2 day drive from each other to winter destinations and those with mild summers.

Along with your membership you get a yearly publication of discount parks throughout the country, similar to Passport America's book with many more privately-owned RV parks included. However, the discounts are 10%, 15%, 30% or 50% off and most don't have the restrictions that Passport America has.

The main purpose of the Escapee RV Club is based on 'caring, sharing knowledge and parking'. This is the concept that was built upon 30 years ago. It's supports the full-time community in many excellent ways such as an excellent mail forwarding service and going to bat in legal issues that full-timers have such as legal addresses. They have a yearly rally with seminars and a 'boot camp' for newbies. They have a very active forum with helpful members. The Club is a 'go to' help for RVers with any problems. It's not only for full-timers....

Similar story for the beginnings of Good Sam before the club was turned into a "marketing tool".

We are lifetime Good Sam members. I have to agree that the Flying J/Pilot gas station discount is a big advantage. Also, we have a Camping World only an hour away. They are helpful, and answer questions. We like their Motor Home Magazine and online forum.

We also are members of Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA). We enjoy the local chapter rallies/campouts, their Family MOTOR COACHING magazine and their online forum. Included with membership is a travel medical assistance program (that I pray we never have to use), Michelin discount, mail forwarding and camp ground discount (10% I think).

We also are members of our brand-specific club for Winnebago (WIT). It is low cost and we keep up what's new for the Winnies. We have met many nice people at rallies/campouts. I can't remember if there are discounts. :-)
Leslie
Michigan

I'm with GS in part because I have one of the CW stores in town and can justify paying their prices rather than waiting for Amazon to deliver. Plus there are enough Pilot and Flying J stations on our big trips to take advantage of the gas discount.

We tried KOA last year because we'd recoup the cost on a single trip to go see a niece graduate from college. Some of the CG's we'll visit again. I renewed this year just because they were offering a pre-paid debit card if you bought Allstate roadside service through them. More than paid for the membership.

We'll check into some of the other discount programss, but this year we're trying more non-traditional spots for camping. Several weeks ago we stayed at a ranch some friends rent for livestock, and soon we'll be visiting a friend's family property that has some RV hookups next to the manufactured home that is only used when they visit (it will be empty for our trip). Just trying out the right style of RVing that works for us.

2gypsies is exactly right. Escapees is a terrific organization, not anything 'higher end' about it. I have used their discounts all over the country and stayed in several of the Escapee parks. Very nice parks with extremely reasonable rates.

rockhillmanor wrote:


Escapees is mostly a full timer club. The discounts are at 'their' few CG's which I found them all to be remote locations and pretty much to be higher end resorts with higher rates to begin with.

Many folks confuse Escapees with a discount campground membership. It does have home-owned parks and co-op parks that Escapee members can stay at very reasonable prices ($300/m and up). They definitely are not 'resort prices'. As someone mentioned, these 'Escapee' parks are not in every state and there are not many of them, but they're in Washington, Oregon, California Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Alabama, Florida, Missouri and Tennessee. They were originally planned to be within a reasonable 1-2 day drive from each other to winter destinations and those with mild summers.

Along with your membership you get a yearly publication of discount parks throughout the country, similar to Passport America's book with many more privately-owned RV parks included. However, the discounts are 10%, 15%, 30% or 50% off and most don't have the restrictions that Passport America has.

The main purpose of the Escapee RV Club is based on 'caring, sharing knowledge and parking'. This is the concept that was built upon 30 years ago. It's supports the full-time community in many excellent ways such as an excellent mail forwarding service and going to bat in legal issues that full-timers have such as legal addresses. They have a yearly rally with seminars and a 'boot camp' for newbies. They have a very active forum with helpful members. The Club is a 'go to' help for RVers with any problems. It's not only for full-timers.

I just wanted to clear up misinformation about the Escapees RV Club being just for campground discounts.

Getting back to memberships....we also used Passport America when we needed a RV park. You can't beat the price. We mainly used our Senior Pass for the national parks, national forests, etc. We love public parks the best.

we have tt gs escapes old timer federal ppa and everyone has saved us more then the cost

Lots of pros and cons to all the memberships, but I think everyone will agree that, if you are at least 62, make sure to get the federal 'old guys' card. It's $10, never expires, and will get you and everyone in your car into all National Parks, Monuments, etc FREE. Also 50% off (I think ?) on camping in National Parks and Forests. And I think that even some states will honor it for certain things. Best deal on the planet.

$10. And it's good forever. $10

Tim