Over the years as RVing, full timing and family camping vacations have become more expensive, a common occurrence, as with gas prices and the cost of living increasing, the cost to support this lifestyle has sky-rocketed. The price of new recreational vehicles has increased as well as the price of campground RV park site fees.
With a little ingenuity and forethought, though, the future and/or current full time RVer or weekend traveler can substantially lower the annual cost of this ever-transitioning lifestyle.
Home Parks, A Personal Account
After we decided we were one day going to be full time RVrs, it was 15 years before we actually took the plunge. During that time we gathered information, read everything we could get our hands on and purchased memberships that were going to aid in supporting our chosen way of life.
The first thing we invested in was a Home Park membership. A Home Park is an exclusive facility which, according to your contract, will allow 'members only' certain perks. For example, our Travel Resorts of America (TRA) membership allows us full hook ups and coveted pull through sites. We also stay free at the park where we purchased our membership as well as all current and future parks that come online under the TRA umbrella. To date we have three parks where we can stay for free, one each in Pennsylvania, Ohio and North Carolina.
Our membership with TRA allow members to stay for 14 nights in peak season and 21 nights in non-peak season. Members then are required to go "out" for a period of 7 nights before they can return for another stay. This contractual stipulation frees up a campsite for a period of time and enables other members to be able to camp during that period.
Contracts can vary among memberships and prices are always negotiable, so know what you're signing and ask questions. As time passes there will always be upgrades you will be encouraged to take advantage of that will offer bigger and better packages. A home park membership can cost less than $1000.00 or as much as and upwards from $12,000.00 The best prices for home park memberships are found on the Internet on campground re-sale search sites.
After the initial purchase of your home park membership you will have annual maintenance dues. These dues go directly into maintaining the upkeep of your park. Site, sewer and electric upgrades are always a welcome sight when visiting one of our TRA parks.
Discount Camping Organizations
Another perk of a home park membership is the option to be affiliated with discount camping organizations such as Coast to Coast and Adventure Outdoor Resorts. Memberships to these or similar organizations are often available without a home park membership. Either way, discount memberships will greatly reduce the annual cost of an RV lifestyle.
Coast to Coast is an optional membership affiliated with any home park. CC allows its members to purchase points for a discounted camping experience. Coast to Coast Classic has an annual fee of $89.00. A CCC membership allows you to camp for 7 nights at hundreds of designated campgrounds across the country for $10.00 or $15.00 a night. This membership comes in handy when you need a place to camp during your 7 days "out". The regular fee for one night of camping at many of these campgrounds can be $35.00 or more, some even $55.00 and higher, so it's clear that having a CC affiliation can be easy on the pocketbook.
Coast to Coast Deluxe is an upgrade that costs about $139.00 a year and allows you to stay in CCD campgrounds for 14 nights at the discounted price. CCD also offers other discounts on cabins, cruises, air fare and rental cars...
Adventure Outdoor Resort (AOR)
Adventure Outdoor Resorts is also an affiliated discount campground membership offered by a home park. Lifetime members only pay $8.00 a night for designated campgrounds in nearly every state across the country. Annual members pay $9.00 a night plus a $3.00 administrative fee.
Passport America is a discount campground membership that allows members to camp at PA affiliated campgrounds for half the cost of the original site fee. Some PA campgrounds have stipulations attached to the number of consecutive nights you can stay at the discounted price. Also weekends, holidays and special events are many times not included in the PA discount. Today, a membership to PA will cost $44.00 annually and there are hundreds of PA parks across the country. You do not have to have a home park affiliation.
Thousand Trails can safely be described as one of the oldest camping organizations available to full time RVrs and weekend campers alike. A Zone membership to TT will allow its members to stay free for 14 or 21 consecutive nights(depending on your membership contract) at any of the current 81 reserves on the East and West coasts. Today a Zone membership can be purchased for each or all four of the North East, South East, North West or South West Zones at a reasonable price. Annual maintenance dues are charged according to your membership parameters. Also, a membership to TT does not require you to have a home park affiliation.
These discount memberships described above are only a sampling of many. Resort Parks International (RPI), Resorts of Distinction (ROD), Camp Club USA are others you may want to look into. Costs will vary among each individual organization.
In any case, if you are an avid camper, weekend traveler or seasoned full time RVer, membership in a home park or discount club or both will help to keep your lifestyle financially on track.
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