RV clubs and memberships

whiteeye42 wrote:
if you plan on camping in only full hook campground then the good sams card is the one to get also spend the extra money and get the good sam life time membership because it is cheaper in the long run than paying every year

Disagree.

Have traveled a lot in the West and would have saved the 10% from GS - once!
(Either not accepted - or some other card -like AAA- did the same).

You can always join any of the clubs *while* you are traveling.

Join whatever one (or more) you think will benefit you for *ONE* year.
(Paying by CC via a phone call or on the internet should provide you
with a number you can use while "on the road").

After using your choice/s for a year, then if it fits for you, consider renewing or a lifetime membership.

BTW - Escapees only offers lifetime memberships "occasionally" -
whenever the "sprit" (for revenue?) moves 'em.

More on "Lifetimes"......
GS membership will generate more junk mail than you have ever received in your lifetime!
(And - no, "opting out" of the mailings doesn't help..:(..)

On edit:
You are already an Elk. Many lodges offer camping at reasonable rates - some with electricity & water, some "dry".
Get copies of the "Elkdom Travel Guides" (there are 4, each covering sections of the USA).
Your lodge should have them - or they can be mail ordered.

.

if you plan on camping in only full hook campground then the good sams card is the one to get also spend the extra money and get the good sam life time membership because it is cheaper in the long run than paying every year

My wife and I just bought a 24 ft 5th wheel witch we plan on a long trip around the 48 States. Not all but most states. We plan on taking up to 3 months. We plan on going from San Joaquin Valley CA to south central Kentucky, then back home. We will be traveling in a counter clockwise direction. Lost wages, NV to Houston, New Orleans, then north to KY. Return the northern way, Mt Rushmore, Cody, then home.

We have one - Passport America. We used to have Good Sam also, but many of the parks were both clubs so we ended up using the PA for the higher discount. The GS at 10% save you $3-$4 a night, so you need to use it a lot to save much.

Go and enjoy a year of RVng
Then after you have figured out YOUR style of RVng you will have a better idea of what would be a good choice.


I found that a lot of CGs would give me a 10% discount just for asking.

Buster before you go off adhoc buying any membership whatsoever think about how realistically you intend to travel and your needs/expectations in a CG.. How often/days and most importantly where. Then check the websites of each membership. For example you can look up locations for PPA on their website and see how many potential CGs might work for you. We generally hear a 50/50 split give or take on the PPA availability in an area and how the CGs are. There are some folks that are KOA specific during their travels and others that personally don't care for them feeling they are too overpriced for what they need or facilities they would use. Then there are others that want to be COE, SP, NFS, BLM (basically more rustic/rural camping so then depending on the state/province you may want to look into other types of passes such as New Mexico does an annual pass for CGs for $225, or InterAgency/America the Beautiful Pass can be beneficial in places like Lake Mead as well as National Parks for a year for $80. There's also LTVA passes for places in AZ and Ca. Seriously Buster, before you part with your money, decide on at minimum how you intend to travel, when and where and for how long then do specific research on what might work the best for you. Do you need FHU's or are you likely to want to be more off grid?

You are in California so you might find Escapees of interest and the cost is only $30 a year now instead of $60 as I believe it was before.

Another one that many like or dislike = again you'll hear a 50/50 split on comments generally is Thousand Trails, that does a zone pass or many will buy a resale one.

Just as some prefer a 5er over a TT over a MH or B or C series the same applies with all these membership options, first consider how you will travel, then research each program options and add maybe one or two at a time.

Just my 2cents FWIW.

I have the Golden Age Pass, Good Sam Club, FMCA, and Passport America. I once had Escapee but saw no advantage from it, very few park and mostly in SW.

I consider Good Sam and FMCA as the better ones due to their many options. I use GSERS and recommend it for RVers.

rk911 wrote:
we belong to GoodSam. the 10% discount on camping fees easily covers the cost of the annual membership. others will recommend PassPort America for it's 50% discount. GoodSam has thousands of member parks, PPA has hundreds.

Actually, Passport America has 1900 member parks. Good Sam advertises 2100 member parks, so the difference is not as great as you represent. Many of the parks are both Good Sam and Passport America. So the question boils down to what do you prefer a 10% discount or a 50% discount?

We carry cards from Escapees, Good Sam, KOA, and Passport America. All of them more than pay for themselves each year.

If you are a motorhome owner, I suggest that you join FMCA. The benefits you get for the $5o membership and annual dues of $40 are hard to beat. The magazine alone is worth the price.