Best Apps To Use With Harvest Hosts
1.) GetUpside
Depending on the size of your RVs fuel tank, it can cost anywhere from $60-$600 to fill up the tank of an RV with gas.
If you want to save money on gas during your trip, we recommend downloading the GetUpside app. Its an extremely popular cashback app that millions of people are using to save up to 25¢ per gallon of gas at major gas stations all around the U.S.
2.) Boondockers Welcome
If you want to compare Harvest Hosts with other alternatives, check out Boondockers Welcome. Much like Harvest Host, Boondockers Welcome allows you to park overnight at more than 2,500 hosts worldwide.
The services are so similar, in fact, that Harvest Hosts actually recently acquired Boondockers Welcome and is now a part of the same family. So when you purchase a Harvest Hosts plan, youll also have the option to add-on a Boondockers Welcome membership.
We signed up for both HarvestHosts and Boondockers Welcome and both have come in handy depending on our location. Boondockers Welcome is available in some areas that Harvest Hosts may not be, and vice versa. So if you want more complete parking coverage while traveling, we recommend signing up for both.
If you want to read about our experience with them, check out our Boondockers Welcome review.
Whether you own an RV or want to rent one, you should definitely look into Outdoorsy. Over 15,000 RV owners worldwide currently rent out their RV on Outdoorsy to earn a steady passive income.
What Is Harvest Hosts
The Harvest Hosts concept is simple: For $44 a year you get access to all of the hosts around North America that allow a minimum of 24hrs of free camping. The hosts could be anything from a brewery, a winery like Bar Z, a farm like Lucky Acres, a creamery like Jumpin Good Goat, a Peach Farm, aviation museum or wildlife preserve. You should always expect the accommodations to be 24hrs and dry camping. However, some places have provided free hook ups and offered us extended stays when theyre not too busy. Here is a link to the public HH map .
The 24hr stay policy is in place as a safety net and not a mandatory rule. If you dont like the location or dont jive with the Host, you can pick up and move along to the next place without worry of offending anyone. If the wine goes down like water or the scenery brings you to a new level of Zen and you want to stay longer, just ask! Whatever you do, make sure you follow the Harvest Hosts Code of Conduct.
Whats Included With A Harvest Host Membership
- Free mobile app :
- Interactive maps of host locations
- Detailed trip routing and planning information
- Host Search interactive system to find hosts near your destination/route
- Upload photos and comments directly to Host pages
- View photos of host locations taken by other members
- Receive member discounts to additional RVing programs
- Get a monthly Host Events newsletter subscription
JOIN HARVEST HOSTS
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How Do You Find Harvest Hosts Locations
Simple! After you become a member, use the online directory or the app. Put in your destination and get numerous suggestions.
While coming through the Yakima Valley area in Washington, I got 17 possibilities of places to stay.
The website and app also include photos, recommendations and reviews of the overnight experience. Ive read many of the reviews and have yet to find one that doesnt rave about their Harvest Hosts stay.
After finding a suitable location, you have two options. Many hosts have an email link where you can request your preferred date. Or call the Harvest Hosts owner directly and ask for a reservation at least 24 hours in advance.
TravelingMom Tip: With the increased popularity of RVing, many Harvest Hosts fill up quickly. We recommend booking a reservation as far in advance as possible, but preferably several weeks in advance. Remember, most Harvest Hosts only have space for 1-3 RVs per night.
Is Harvest Hosts For You
We wouldnt be doing this Harvest Hosts review justice if we didnt give you our recommendation on who would benefit from a Harvest Hosts membership.
Here are some reasons why you might not enjoy the Harvest Host experience:
- You need hookups
- You dont have a self contained vehicle if you dont have interior cooking facilities and a toilet, you wont be able to park at these locations. Tents, pop up campers without these amenities, and sleeping in your car are not allowed at Harvest Hosts.
- You arent interested in staying somewhere for only one night Harvest Hosts allow a maximum of 24 hours at each location
- You need all the campground amenities as you are staying at local businesses you wont have access to things like laundry rooms, showers, and playground
Also, some locations have size restrictions and varying pet restrictions .
Here are some reasons why Harvest Hosts is for you:
- You love the idea of experiencing local businesses and meeting new people
- You want to experience some unique views while camping
- Youd rather spend your money support a local business rather than campground fees
- If you need a quick place to rest your head during driving days in between locations
- You like wine, beer, and farms
- You dont mind not having hookups for a day or two
- If you want to enjoy camping without being parked next to a bunch of other campers
- You want the flexibility of not having to make a camping reservation months in advance
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Farms And Wineries: Camper Places To Discover
June 2021
Bored of traditional campsites? Try farms and wineries for campers. Travelling with a campervan is fun and great and most of the time youll be happy for choosing that means of transport and lifestyle in one. But from time to time one can get tired of the same normal places and same old views from a temporary home and that is totally okay. Lets break away from the everyday stereotype by going to the new amazing places. We are bringing you a few tips to see and we are sure that youll appreciate them especially if you are a lover of these features: Nature. Farms. Wine. Local food. Is that you? Great, feel free to get inspired.
Tips And Tricks For Harvest Hosts Stays
What good is a Harvest Hosts review without some great tips and tricks? Now that we are seasoned Harvest Host veterans, we have learned a few things about the Harvest Host website and its program details that are helpful to new users.
How do you make an overnight stay reservation with Harvest Hosts?
Making reservations with Harvest Hosts has been fairly simple. Hosts are typically contacted through the app, Facebook Messenger, or via phone. Popular host locations tend to book up quicker than others but availability has been good at most all locations we have tried to vie for.
- Tip: The sweet spot for contacting many hosts seems to be about two weeks out. Before this, hosts often arent ready. After this, hosts might already be booked.
- Perks: Last-minute trips and weekend getaways can often be secured, especially in areas with a lot of open land, multiple sites, or multiple hosts.
- Challenges: Many of the hosts dont take reservations extremely far in advance, so you cant always depend on a specific site to be available when you need it. We sometimes like to have backup plans when long-term planning for a long trip. Also, reservations are required. Quite a few hosts have told us that they get people just showing up, which is a big no-no.
What kind of RV can I have at a Harvest Hosts location?
The Harvest Hosts website and app gives all the details for each property, including how long your rig can be to stay on property, whether they allow pets, and more.
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How Many Harvest Hosts Are There
Evidently lots of people are getting on the open road because Harvest Hosts is increasing at a staggering rate.
When my husband and I joined in 2020, there were 1,200 hosts. Today, there are more than 2,500! About 50 new hosts are added weekly.
Joining Harvest Hosts entitles you to stay at wineries, breweries, farms, museums and golf courses.
How Much Does It Cost
The cost of a Harvest Hosts membership is $99 per year, which gives members access to a listing of over 2,800 hosts around the United States, Canada and Mexico. Each host listing contains information such as GPS coordinates, max RV length, number of spaces, pet policy, facilities, reservation requirements, reviews and photos from members and the ability to book a stay online.
Limited Time Offer: Use our referral link to save 15% on your Harvest Hosts membership.
3 month 100% money back guarantee on Harvest Hosts membership. Try it risk free to see if a Harvest Hosts Membership is worth it for you.
Your Harvest Hosts membership starts on the day you join and will be up for renewal on the same day the following year.
Harvest Hosts Lifetime Membership is no longer offered. When it was available, the cost was $300 for a Harvest Hosts lifetime membership.
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What Are The Rules Of Harvest Hosts Camping
As with everything in life, common sense and courtesy go a long way to making a Harvest Hosts site experience pleasant for everyone. A few basic rules include:
- Let the owner know if you must cancel your reservation. They often have waiting lists.
- Take your trash with you! Harvest Hosts are not set up for you to leave bags of trash you may have been accumulating.
- Ask permission to run your generator.
- Supervise your children. Yes, theyll be excited to be at an emu farm, but it might not be safe to crawl over the fence to pet an emu.
- Understand it is expected youll only stay one night.
- Ask in advance if pets are permitted. In most cases Harvest Hosts welcome pets, but there are cases where pets can disturb livestock or other animals.
- Plan on cooking in your RV. This is not the time to set up your table and barbeque outside. Better yet, eat dinner at the Harvest Hosts site, if they serve meals.
Still need convincing that Harvest Hosts is for you? Then check out Heartland Farms in Pawnee Rock, Kansas.
This alpaca farm and business is run by the Dominican Sisters of Peace. After Sister Jane shows you your parking site, you can walk a labyrinth, enjoy the alpacas, meditate in the silo and hike the trails. Oh yes evidently Sister Imelda gives the best massages!
How To Rv Overnight At Wineries Farms And Other Unique Places
If youve had it with crowded campgrounds, paying upwards of $30 for a simple overnight stay, yet dont want to overnight in a Walmart parking lot, youre in luck because there are alternatives.
One of our favorites is through the service called Harvest Hosts, a unique membership service that lets you stay for free at hundreds of wineries, farms, breweries, museums, and other attractions across the country.
I recently spoke with Joel Holland, the owner of Harvest Hosts, to get the scoop on what its all about.
My wife and I love RVing because we feel this sense of freedom, unbridled freedom when were driving down the road, Holland explained. That illusion of freedom is crushed when we reach many of these campgrounds where at best, theyre just all the same and youre 10 feet away from your neighbor.
Holland calls Harvest Hosts a huge camping experience. He such a believer in the program, in fact, that he actually bought it from original owners Don and Kim Green in May 2018.
We have over 1,200 hosts in the program: farms, wineries, breweries, distilleries, a lot of unique locations like lavender farms, alpaca farms, he said.
Of course, the big question is: how do I find hosts?
In short, use the Harvest Hosts website or app to search by state, hosts name, type of host, or route.
Another big question: How do you let a host know youd like to stay for the night?
Nearly all of the locations are dry camping, which means RVers should be prepared.
See you out there!
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Cava Robles Rv Resort Paso Robles California
While not a stand-alone winery, Cava Robles offers RVers a chance to stay at a luxury RV resort with wine-centric amenities like on-site wine tastings and group wine tours. Other amenities include an on-site bistro, walking trails, fire pits, a Wellness Center, two outdoor swimming pools, a game room, a community center, full hookups, free WiFi, and more.
Do Locations Fill Up Fast
Before buying a membership my fear was that locations would always be full and Id never get to stay anywhere. In practice, this rarely happened. Of the 9 places I called only 1 was on the date I requested. A couple others had guests, but were very flexible and said theyd make room for us. It depends on the host, but the main takeaway here is that if you call in advance, you should be ok getting a spot.
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Is Harvest Hosts Worth It
We think so! During our review of Harvest Hosts we calculated the cost and to have the same experience without Harvest Hosts, it would cost a lot more than just $99/year.
Harvest Host allows access to thousands of free overnight stays across the US. And since each location is unique and local, it usually becomes a priceless experience. Weve had some of our best memories staying with Harvest Hosts.
What more do we need to say?
Plus, you get a discount when you use our link to sign up. And youll get the discounted rate for life. Amazing deal for the value, and the membership cost will pay for itself after just a couple stays.
Harvest Hosts Golf Courses
If you golf, Harvest Host offers the ability to park your RV at hundreds of golf courses and country clubs across the country.
Were more disc golfers ourselves, but visiting golf courses is also a great way to see beautiful areas around the country.
Theres Harvest Hosts golf courses located in almost every state. When you park your RV at a golf course, youre not required to play a round of golf, but who can resist?
Harvest Host Golf Courses
The Harvest Hosts golf membership costs an extra $40 per year and includes the following benefits:
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Access to hundreds of golf courses from West Coast to East Coast
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Discounts and deals on rounds of golf, food, drinks, and other services
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Uncrowded parking in safe, beautiful, and peaceful locations
If you or your loved one doesnt golf, you dont have to golf, you can just relax at the country clubs restaurants, spa, or shops.
To get a discounted price on the Harvest Hosts golf course membership, first , then login to your dashboard and go to your Settings> Manage Membership > Upgrade Your Membership and on that screen youll see the option to upgrade your plan to the golf plan.
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Is Camping Really Free With Membership
Wellyes and no. After paying the $99 registration fee, camping is free. You could simply greet your host at check-in, pull into the parking lot, and leave the next morning.
In the spirit of supporting locally owned businesses, Harvest Hosts etiquette suggests you support the business by buying an item in their gift shop, making a donation to their animal rescue effort or purchasing a wine tasting to help you choose a bottle of wine.
For many hosts, the additional revenue brought in by Harvest Hosts guests has helped them get through the pandemic when most of their customers stayed home.
While staying overnight at the Anelare Winery in Benton City, Washington, my husband and I sipped wine at sunset and enjoyed our Mac Daddy pizza while looking at the amazing vineyard view. So yes, we camped for free, but also supported the winery while enjoying dinner.
Even if you spend only $20, it helps the small business owners and still is cheaper than an overnight stay at most campgrounds!
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When To Use Harvest Hosts
For us, Harvest Hosts is great for those times were driving cross country and need a place to stay along our route. A Harvest Hosts experience is so much more enjoyable than staying in a Walmart parking lot, overnight parking at a truck stop or boondocking at Cracker Barrel. Plus, we get to experience whatever our host has to offer and we havent been disappointed yet.
Since we dont need RV hookups, we would rather take the money we would spend at a campground and put it towards supporting a local business in the Harvest Hosts program. A lot of times, well look for farms along the route in order to stock up on produce, eggs and other goods. We even have a farm in Washington that we always make a detour to visit because we love their products and the owners are great people.
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