Passport America

[Cookielady]

We got Passport America and during our 3 month trip, we found 2 campgrounds so far that honor PA and were in the area we were visiting. I imagine it is a good buy but some of the stipulations really make me wonder.
One campground is normally $20 for non-PA. If you are PA, it is $10 a night, $8 for hookups and then they add tax. sounds to me like $20.
Most say, no weekend, no holidays, no special events, extra for hookups, extra for 50 amps, extra for so many different things that it is almost laughable.
One actually stated that PA members were not to use their "visitors pool" Made me feel like they thought we had some kind of disease. If you are up north than you can only use your PA during the winter months which is not going to happen. If you are in Florida or Arizona then it is only for the summer months but not certain ones.
I have to admit, I found that the 2 campgrounds we found were great with no special rules. They were No Name City RV park near Sturgis, SD, and Walden Creek RV Resort in Pigeon Forge, TN.

[bukhrn]

I've heard the complaint before, about not being able to find a PA cg, with over 1800 campgrounds, I find it hard to believe one can't find them, when we took our western trip out through, Mn.,SD, Wy, Mt Co,Ks,OK, Ar, Tn, Ky Wv & back to Va, we had no trouble finding one, though they were a little sparse in Mt,& WV.

[Dennis_M_M]

Bob & Ann wrote:
We actually enjoy having our Passport America Card. Yes we mostly use our Good Sams card for our destination stops. However we use our Passport America while in enroute. We have found a lot of choices which have saved us a lot of money. There are some restrictions but with that considered in a years time we have saved many times the cost of the program. We saved over $100 for a weeks stay at a very nice resort in Bar Harbor Maine. We have never been told that we can't use the pool. Do they ask at the pool? All programs have their good and bad points but we like this one.

What they said! We have found some great small campgrounds and saved a ton. PA is the first place I look when planning a route. Been using them for years, have never run into any "extra" charges.

[Veebyes]

It is what it is. It is a way to encourage people to use a CG when that CG usually has lots of empty sites, weekdays. They don't need to offer discounts on weekends or holidays.

It is like the airlines, which are much more complex, if you can jump through the hoops they set up you get a better price.

I don't mind. I'll play their game.

[I_am_still_wayn]

I have to agree with Cookielady. Unless I plan my route just to coincide with the Passport America parks, I have found it to be not the value I had hoped. Yes, use it 3 times and pay for the membership, but almost always during the one year I had it, I found either the park was too far out of the way, the discount did not apply for the days I was there, or the add on charges after the discount (charges that did not apply to the non-discounted rate) equaled the regular rate.

[PapPappy]

Cookielady wrote:

One campground is normally $20 for non-PA. If you are PA, it is $10 a night, $8 for hookups and then they add tax. sounds to me like $20.

To me, it sounds like $10 vs. $20....if you are going to have to pay for the hook-up and taxes either way.
Sure, it's not some huge savings, but $10 is still $10.

And as some have already said, you can usually save a lot more than it costs you! Having some of the other discount cards will take a lot longer to pay for themselves.

Finally, you said that you had a great time at the two places you stayed, so I tend to think that you need to remember that, more than think about what might have been.....sure, there are going to be some "not so great" CGs out there.....(and if they are asking $20 for a night, I'd probably categorize them as "not so great" anyway.:H)...you will find some good and some not so good everywhere....KOA, has some that are better than others too:)
Go check out reviews of CGs, and you'll see that the same place will have some 1-star ratings, and some 5-star ratings....and it's the same place:S

Just go enjoy your camping.....:)

[Tripalot]

We have nothing but good things to say about Passport America. We have belonged for many years and always save a bundle. This year we have saved nearly $600 and it is still only August. This fall we know of 3 different parks that are on our route and will probably work for us. That should be at least another $75 saving.
There are restrictions, but many places are also negotiable. We used ours several times last winter in Florida, including the Florida Keys (a real surprise). Our record for savings was over $900 in one year.

Some parks are much better than others but if you don't like what you see, don't stay. We will not drive more than a few miles off the highway to utilize a Passport Park - the fuel used cancels any savings at the c.g.

It is also a good idea to regularly check their website for updates as to cancelled c.g.'s and new locations. I do this just prior to any trip and also call ahead to confirm we can use it - I don't like surprises after a long days drive.

For approx. $40 for 15 months, it is an excellent investment.

[Old-Biscuit]

Passport America....for the yearly cost it's a pretty good deal. Yes there are restrictions (imposed by the CG), but use it a couple of times and it has paid off. 50% off is a good deal.

Passport America Website has a map that shows participating CGs by state, by amenities and by interstate exit.

"One campground is normally $20 for non-PA. If you are PA, it is $10 a night, $8 for hookups and then they add tax. sounds to me like $20"
Are you saying they charged $10/night PLUS $8 for hook ups & taxes :H
Should have been $10/night plus tax.

[Bob___Ann]

We actually enjoy having our Passport America Card. Yes we mostly use our Good Sams card for our destination stops. However we use our Passport America while in enroute. We have found a lot of choices which have saved us a lot of money. There are some restrictions but with that considered in a years time we have saved many times the cost of the program. We saved over $100 for a weeks stay at a very nice resort in Bar Harbor Maine. We have never been told that we can't use the pool. Do they ask at the pool? All programs have their good and bad points but we like this one.